Turbo Boost gauge

[skyblue]

i almost bought the Neon SRT-4.... you couldn't get it with cruise control, so i bought the Turbo Cruiser instead. I think the engines are identical in the 2 cars.

On the Neon, it had a boost gage stuck on the dash. I have to admit i like gauges, and the Cruiser doesn't have one.

How hard would it be to add one the Cruiser? i saw somewhere some pillar pods that you could put one in, but where else could you stick one?

And if i add one, what would it really tell me? Is it just a gee-whiz gadget, or can i get some meaningful info from it that my right foot doesn't already provide?

i'm assuming keeping the gauge low would help me not waste gas when i don't want to 'go fast'?

so anyone else already have a boost gauge installed?

[03GTCruiser]

skyblue - the boost gauge serves two purposes. 1) It let's you know how your engine is performing and 2) it let's you know how you are performing as you drive. If you are trying to maximize performance you want to find techniques that maximize the boost. If you are trying to maximize fuel economy you want to find techniques that maximize vacuum. After you have used a boost/vacuum gauge and become familiar with how your car reacts, you can tell if things in the engine aren't right (bad fuel, bad spark, etc) by watching the gauge.

I have seen boost gauges mounting in pillar pods, on the steering wheel housing to the right of the tach, on the dash over the center A/C vents, and in the cubby down at the bottom of the dash (bad choice for visibility). Old aviators depended on vacuum gauges or boost gauges if the plane was supercharged to set their fuel mixture properly.

Lot's of folks have them installed. Do a search on boost and see what pops up.

[TangerineDream]

you can find them at www.raceandstreet.com maggies sells them for $55.00 in black and Painted for $65.00 this is the url for the page on her sitePiller post


she also sell the boost gauges as well for $65.00
this is the page for them
Boost Gauge

Originally posted by skyblue
i almost bought the Neon SRT-4.... you couldn't get it with cruise control, so i bought the Turbo Cruiser instead. I think the engines are identical in the 2 cars.

On the Neon, it had a boost gage stuck on the dash. I have to admit i like gauges, and the Cruiser doesn't have one.

How hard would it be to add one the Cruiser? i saw somewhere some pillar pods that you could put one in, but where else could you stick one?

And if i add one, what would it really tell me? Is it just a gee-whiz gadget, or can i get some meaningful info from it that my right foot doesn't already provide?

i'm assuming keeping the gauge low would help me not waste gas when i don't want to 'go fast'?

so anyone else already have a boost gauge installed

[at58]

Don't forget you will need a 2nd 02 sensor to hook it up to.

[LymanSS]

Originally posted by at58
Don't forget you will need a 2nd 02 sensor to hook it up to.

I don't think that's correct. The boost gauge should run off any line from the intake manifold. It simply reports pressure above atmospheric in the manifold. It doesn't interact with the O2 sensor at all. You can get them in a lot of places. I know summitracing.com and Jegs.com carry them, but you will probably find more of them (and possibly better ones) on sites favored by ricers, as they all have turbos You can mount them in all sorts of places. Find one that you like the looks of and just find a place in the car where it looks good. It all depends on what sort of look you're going for. Do you want it to look stock, or custom? If you want it to look custom you could mount it on a-pillar, or on the dash. If you want the stock look, you're going to want to try to mold it in somewhere. I've even seen people remove a vent from the dash and mount a gauge in there. As for what it's good for....it's very helpful if you have a standard and you want to learn how to maximize performance. You'll learn to drive without letting the boost drop. Keeping the engine above the boost threshold (the minimum rpm where boost is developed) will always make sure you have power available. Personaly I think all turbocharged cars should come with one.

Scott

[at58]

Originally posted by LymanSS


I don't think that's correct. The boost gauge should run off any line from the intake manifold. It simply reports pressure above atmospheric in the manifold. It doesn't interact with the O2 sensor at all. You can get them in a lot of places. I know summitracing.com and Jegs.com carry them, but you will probably find more of them (and possibly better ones) on sites favored by ricers, as they all have turbos You can mount them in all sorts of places. Find one that you like the looks of and just find a place in the car where it looks good. It all depends on what sort of look you're going for. Do you want it to look stock, or custom? If you want it to look custom you could mount it on a-pillar, or on the dash. If you want the stock look, you're going to want to try to mold it in somewhere. I've even seen people remove a vent from the dash and mount a gauge in there. As for what it's good for....it's very helpful if you have a standard and you want to learn how to maximize performance. You'll learn to drive without letting the boost drop. Keeping the engine above the boost threshold (the minimum rpm where boost is developed) will always make sure you have power available. Personaly I think all turbocharged cars should come with one.

Scott

You are correct. I was thinking of my air/fuel one