Why do I need a gauge?Gauges are not necessary but are an extremely helpful tool to have. Gauges help monitor levels which can help you in tuning or even help find minor problems before they turn into something majornot to mention they also look good in your ride!There are many types of gauges ranging from Boost Pressure, all the way to Fuel Pressure gauges. Each gauge is unique in itself where it will help you measure levels so you can accurately maintain safe conditions in your engine.What is the difference between Mechanical and Electric Gauges?Both mechanical and electrical gauges provide accurate readings. Mechanical gauges do not require a 12V to operate.
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Instead they rely on direct physical contact with the item they are reading. Mechanical gauges use lines or tubing that are hooked up directly to the gauge, which eliminates the need for electrical signals.Electrical gauges require a 12V power supply to operate. There are no connectors or tubing that are needed to operate the gauge, which helps eliminate fluids from entering the passenger compartment. With electrical gauges they usually can be mounted in tight areas and more unusual positions because there are no connectors that need to be attached to the back of the gauge.There are so many different gauges out there, which one is right for me?When dealing with the perfect gauge you need as yourself some questions. What are you going to be using it for?
How much is your budget? Which style and colors do you like? How are the gauges going to be mounted?
In this article we are going to focus on the function of the common gauges out there. Fuel PressureSince most stock vehicles do not come equipped with a Fuel Pressure Gauge, this is a must when fuel pressure adjustments are necessary. The fuel pressure gauge is a useful tool that will help maintain proper fuel pressure. It allows you to accurately measure and make adjustments of the fuel pressure when using an aftermarket adjustable fuel pressure regulator.The fuel pressure gauge will let you know if you are running to much fuel in your motor, which is known as, “running rich”, or if you are running to little fuel, which is known as, “running lean.” Too little of fuel can burn stuff up or cause detonation, which can ruin your engine. Too much fuel can cause a host of other things to happen.
Description: Auto Meter P305328 Spek-Pro Digital Boost Gauge 2 1/16 in. 100 psi - w/Peak And Warn - Black See Full List of Vehicle Applications » More Details » Item #: 20766957 Condition: New. I am a new 1.4 turbo cruze owner, i love my car so much, its great fun to drive. I am looking to install some gauges for my turbo, i was going to add the boost gauge. My question is this. How hard or easy is it to install? I am 21 years old and i am handy with tools, but i rather not screw up when working on my car.
It will make the vehicle smoke, gurgle, and even cause you to lose power.A fuel pressure gauge will help you maintain the proper fuel pressure reading so you do not harm your engine. For all Fuel Pressure Gauges.
Exhaust Gas Temperature (E.G.T)The E.G.T. Gauge is an excellent tool for tuning. It will show whether your engine combustion chamber is running to cold, hot, rich, lean, and it can also indicate problems within the engine.If the fuel isn’t being burned properly the E.G.T reading will show up as cold. This can indicate something may be wrong with your ignition system. A foul spark plug, faulty coil, or wires can all lead to this issue.If the E.G.T is running hot, this can mean that you are running lean.
And you will need to make adjustments in your fuel pressure or even timing so you can provide a safer spark, or air/fuel mixture. For all EGT Gauges. Air/Fuel GaugeThe A/F gauge will measure the air to fuel ratio that is being burned in your combustion chamber, or in other words how lean or rich you are running. The air/fuel ratio is the ratio of Air to Fuel drawn into the cylinder.
The optimum ratio of Air to Fuel is about 13.5-pounds or air to 1-pound fuel.There are Narrowband and Wideband Air/Fuel gauges available. A Narrowband does not provide the precise Air/Fuel reading needed for tuning. The Narrowband will meter the output of voltage from the vehicles oxygen sensor through LED lights. Narrowband Air/Fuel GaugeThe Narrowband Oxygen Sensor cannot indicate what exactly the A/F ratio is in the rich or lean areas due to the fact that oxygen sensor output changes with temperature and wear.
When the oxygen sensor temperature increases the voltage output will decrease in the rich area, and it will increase in the lean area. Wideband Air/Fuel GaugeA Wideband Air/Fuel gauge is better suited for tuning. These gauges will provide an accurate reading of the Air/Fuel ratio. The wideband sensor provides a signal that’s virtually proportional to the amount of oxygen that is in the exhaust stream. Oil Pressure GaugeCorrect oil pressure is crucial to the longevity of your engine and supercharger. If oil pressure is low or nonexistent this can ruin your engine, supercharger, or turbo.
If you notice a drop in oil pressure or you notice that your needle is lower than normal this can indicate a leak, clog, or part failure.Stock vehicles usually come equip with an, “idiot light” that will come on when you are low on oil. With an oil pressure gauge you will be able to get a more accurate reading, which will not only tell you that you are low, but it will also let you know precisely what your oil pressure is.With proper oil pressure readings you can avoid engine, supercharger, and turbo failures caused by low oil. For all Oil Pressure Gauges.
This debate has gone on forever and will never be resolved. For your car I would go with the Paxton setup. It is reasonably priced, is a proven combination and is easy to install. There aren't any good single turbo kits for the new 5.0. There are a couple of twin kits, but I don't think it's worth the cost over the Paxton for a street driven car.The TS positive displacement type blowers, I don't think work as well on the 5.0 as the Paxton does and are a much more involved install. Just my $.02 and I am a turbo guy.Earl. This debate has gone on forever and will never be resolved.
For your car I would go with the Paxton setup. It is reasonably priced, is a proven combination and is easy to install. There aren't any good single turbo kits for the new 5.0. There are a couple of twin kits, but I don't think it's worth the cost over the Paxton for a street driven car.The TS positive displacement type blowers, I don't think work as well on the 5.0 as the Paxton does and are a much more involved install. Just my $.02 and I am a turbo guy.Earl. It depends how you define 'better'For ultimate power, the turbo will take the cake. They have next to no parasitic loss.The being said, for drivability, cost, ease of installation and under hood temp control, consistency, legality, etc.the blower is going to be your best bet.The Paxton noted above is a great choice.
I'm also quite fond of the new Vortech V3 self contained units. Much like the 2200SL Paxton head unit, there are no oil lines to plumb. No fuss, no muss. Another cool part is that you can buy them in powdercoated black finish, that makes them look nearly like a factory install.
I used to get as good and in many cases better than stock mileage out of my last blower car. Once that bypass valve is open, these things are practically free wheeling and run just fine under vacuum. The horsepower consumed spinning the blower when it's not pressurizing the intake manifold is next to nothing.The secret to good mileage (as I'm sure you know) with a blower car.or turbo for that matter is to invest in a boost gauge and keep your foot out of it when accelerating. Acceleration should gradual and linear. Try keeping the manifold pressure between 15-20 In/Hg's. Push it past that and you start getting the kind of mileage you would driving a N/A car aggressively.
Push it to the point where you start seeing positive manifold pressure and expect to start feeding the beast. No centrifugal blower, or turbo for that matter is going to be able to match the instant off throttle torque figures of a Positive Displacement blower. To describe it best, I'd have to say a Positive Displacement blower doesn't feel like you've got a power adder at all. It essentially feels like you've pulled the 5.0L and shoe horned a big block in it's place. There's no lag, no surge, just instant punch that starts off idle and carries to red line.As blower RPM rises, heat becomes a factor for these blowers. Positive Displacement blower arguably produce the most amount of heat at higher blower RPM. The blower also requires more horsepower to turn at higher speeds.
As such, the power up high, will fade and won't hit quite as hard as it does down low. That's not to say it drops off the edge of a cliff as some might have you believe. It's still making power.just not at the rate it was down lower when ACT's were cooler and the blower was consuming less horsepower.If it were my car, a Positive Displacement blower would be my only choice. That being said, you have to ask yourself if the financial loss by removing and taking the hit on resale of your used parts is worth it to you. From a financial standpoint, the centrifugal blower might be the better route.It won't come on nearly as hard as the PD blower does in the lower regions, but they tend to produce less heat and consume less horsepower at the top of the tach than the PD blowers do, which will shift your power curve upwards.
Gears can get you there faster, but then you take the hit again the mileage dept.Turbo's will make the most power hands down and if your car was going to be built more for track duty, I'd say a turbo set up would be a great compliment to your automatic trans.but as a daily driver they can be finicky and for the most part expensive. Heat soak can make them inconsistent. Low end torque will be far lesser than that of a PD blower, but depending on how the unit is sized, the hit down low can be minimized. This will allow for an earlier, smoother power band. That being said.
Most systems that size the turbo and rest of the system accordingly in order to come on quickly, are also limited to their top end potential. If you go with a set up with the potential to pull big power levels, and you generally sacrifice low end and drivability.
Anyone whose driving a car with a small displacement engine and higher horsepower capable turbo can attest to how violent the power can come on once it does.so you've again got the catch-22. Small, efficient and stock like drivability, or big, peaky, violent, yet inconsistent power levels.Decisions, decision.
The biggest problem with a PD blower, on the 5.0, is traction. The way the trans are geared all the low end torque, from a PD blower, just blows the tires off. That's why I said a centrifugal supercharger is a much better DD setup. Now to me the best of both worlds is a turbo setup. A properly sized turbo setup gives you almost as much low end as a PD with less IAT problems on the street.My car is a 3v and not the new 5.0 but I have my twin setup tuned for 600 rwhp on 15 lbs of boost and pump gas for the street. I have twin Comp 6062 oil less BB turbo's and I hit 15# by 2800- 3000 rpm.
I have driven this combination, with different turbos at times, for 5 years without any real problems. With some M/T DR's, which I run in the warm months, I can actually hook this combination up on the street and that's where all the fun of a DD is.
It's no fun when you can't get on it because it just goes up in smoke, at least for me.I run normal street tires in the colder months and back the boost down so that it is still fun to drive. It's very easy to change the power levels with a turbo and an electronic boost controller.If you want to keep your Boss manifold and have a great setup then get a twin turbo kit for your 5.0. It will cost you more initially but you will be ahead in the long run. You will be able to turn it up to whatever you want, if you decide to build a new engine at some time in the future.
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March 2023
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