Air/fuel digital guage the best I've used

[SnakePlisskin]

I wanted to share my experience with possibly the best digital gauges on the market. The company is called Dynotune in Massachusetts and I've used thier nitrous digital A/F guage and bottle pressure guage and they are the most accurate I've seen. I also used a red square digital boost gauge in my 88 turbo coupe when I had it.

I'll be getting that boost gauge and A/F guage again for the svo. They come in colors also! This guy makes a great product!
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=331100797926&fromMakeTrack=true&ssPageName=VIP:watchlink:top:en#ht_3537wt_965

[SnakePlisskin]

It's a nice gauge! no comments, questionns? what are you guys using for aftermarket gauges?

[Ford Builder]

How do you tie it into the car, does it go in the intake?

[JTurbo]

This works with the stock narrow-band O2 sensor?

[MikeFleming]

According to the eBay listing, it connects to the stock narrow-band Oxygen sensor and merely displays voltage. Which, imho, is totally worthless.

A narrow band sensor only tells you if the exhaust gas has or does not have oxygen in it - there is no capability to determine how much oxygen is present. To translate to a topic we understand it's like brake lights being on - the lights being on only means the pedal is not at the upper stop - there is no change in the light depending on how heavy the braking forces are.

BTW - red displays are very difficult to see in sunlight. Which we have a copious quantities here in Southern Arizona (this is not the Todays Weather thread).

Again, IMHO, you should pass on this. It will not do what you want it to do.

If you're planning on doing some tuning and are collection tools to help, get a wideband sensor and display that provides logging. There is no logistical way to look at a moving display and make intelligent tuning decisions from it without also knowing RPM, load, airflow/pressure, timing, throttle position, exhaust gas oxygen level, etc. Make a few runs/pulls, analyze collected data, make changes, lather, rinse, repeat.

[SnakePlisskin]

How do you tie it into the car, does it go in the intake?

ties into o/2 sensor

[SnakePlisskin]

This works with the stock narrow-band O2 sensor?
Yes, wide band guages available also.

[SnakePlisskin]

Mike,
I have real world experience that the gauge is accurate in a narrow band. I agree wide band is the way to go if your upgrading with an aftermarket ECU, but for most people they will never go that route. This is an accurate narrow band A/F guage. Understanding and reading the numbers that the gauge displays is important. It was a great tool when I was drag racing and when I smoked a head gasket in the lights the guage was consistently dropping in numbers to about .550, very lean.

If you prefer the bouncing light A/F guage,oh well.

Red is cool! Only in gauge lighting thou.:p Probably get banned for that.

[SnakePlisskin]

How do you tie it into the car, does it go in the intake? I think it was all electrical. I had the square red one for boost in the turbo coupe mounted in the lower right corner of instrument cluster, don't think it had any vacuum attachment.

[Ford Builder]

So Mike, in short its a waist of money, Ill pass

[MikeFleming]

This is an accurate narrow band A/F guage.

Probably get banned for that. The gauge isn't the issue - the sensor is. The SENSOR is not capable of giving useful info except presence or absence of oxygen. Just like the brake light comparison - you have no idea how hard or soft the car in front of you (or in your way, depending) is braking from the lights being on. All the sensor does is go high with no oxygen present (sometimes called rich) and low with oxygen present (sometimes called lean). It is, IMHO, NOT a useful tuning tool.

Picture stolen from the interwebs:
6202

Note the difference between 0.200 VDC and 0.750 VDC is totally negligible as far as A/F changes. It can't "hover" at 0.500, it can only pass through it - VERY quickly. These narrow band sensors are often referred to as "switching" between high and low - that's just how they're designed to work.

For that specific sensor pictured above, if you even got anywhere below 0.850 during your run, you're probably seriously too lean for drag racing.


So Mike, in short its a waist of money, Ill pass
IMHO, yes. Perhaps we should ask What are you wanting to do with it?

[SnakePlisskin]

Mike,
I know wide band is more accurate than narrow band. Wide band setup is pricey over $200 and then don't you need an aftermarket controller/cpu to use it and reap the benefits?

[MikeFleming]

Wide band setup is pricey over $200 and then don't you need an aftermarket controller/cpu to use it and reap the benefits? Yes - the controller/display is included with the $200 in most cases.

Benefits? All by itself it does not make the engine run any different. It's just more data to use for tuning the fuel curves - one more tool in the tool kit.

BTW - IMHO - ones that don't also log TPS, airflow, pressure, RPM, etc along with exhaust oxygen values are mostly worthless as a tuning tool. Not bad as visual entertainment for passengers though.