Gauges

[Clown]

was thinking about some gauges for the corolla nd the mr2, and spotted the some autogauge gauges on just jap, oppinions?

 

CLick here

[kangaroosa]

One thing i have learnt about gauges, is that you get what you pay for. I have bought cheap stuff in the past and they never had accurate readings. I have since bought all Speco gauges.

The styling of the gauges in question doesnt do much for me, and the markers/indicators look a bit sparse and too hard to read quickly at a glance.

I'm a fan of brands that use the full face of the gauge to display the readings.

Is Autogauge a reputable brand? I have never heard of them.

Edited October 14, 2005 by kangaroosa

[Clown]

autogauge = autometer

[Clown]

might get elec water temp test it in the mr2 and see what i think, if i don't like it atleast it'll be some use in the corolla.

[Super Jamie]

vdo are of reputable quality and usually about half or a third of the price of every other major brand name gauge

[irokin]

GReddy electric recall and warning gauges...upwards of $200, but worth it. Saves glancing/watching the gauges. If somethings wrong, they flash red lights at you. Or...if your setting your boost level you can keep your eyes on the road and hit recall to see what the boost peaked at.

 

If all your after is just a basic gauge then autogauge ones will probably do you. Just for the love of god use ELECTRIC oil pressure gauges!!!

[Clown]

All i need is basic guages, goin electric though. If i had the money i'd go for decent gauges, allways loved the Defi gauges but $$$.

[styler]

i did full research into gauges a while back...

 

autospeed also did a 3 part series on gauge testing which i found useful.

 

i found there were 4 types:

 

1 - cheap / copy / bling bling

2 - oem / standard / plain

3 - more aftermarket

4 - dorifto / super precise / racing

 

Types:

 

1 - cheap / copy / bling bling ones might work ok, but i doubt it. and the fitting kits were crap, often only mechanical type gauge too. the faces on the gauges were too intense with colours and funky fonts, so were hard to read. fake gauges are the worst though, having crap accuracy of course. some cheap bling bling "type r" gauges are so poorly made you will roll around in tears checking out the construction. often not full faced or full range either.

 

2 - oem / standard / plain ones were the best overall, they had mechanical or electrical options, easy to read with option of white / silver / black face, fonts were well sized, needle was good, most were full faced and full range if possible / practicle. the kits were quality too. from tests it was found they were pretty accurate or very accurate. also they came in series, ie sports series of 30 matching gauges so your picked gauges would form a set. you can also buy spare fitting kits seperately quite cheaply and adapting fittings for your car. one other note was in some gauges the illumination light could be changed with coloured bulb covers or replaced easily if it blows.

 

3 - more aftermarket ones were between oem/ standard/ plain and

dorifto / super precise / racing gauges. they could be of either quality and either price, autometer were one of the better brands.

 

4 - dorifto / super precise / racing gauges were full on quality and most were really accurate but prices are insane, even for spare fitting kits or adapters. and the gauges sometimes arent part of a series either. some were water filled and had ultra responsive electric control modules with data recording etc etc...

 

Brands:

 

1 - cheap / copy / bling bling: avoid

 

ebay, type r, chromed plastic, super-, ultra-, or mega- this or that, even some autoshops sell rebadged crap.

 

2 - oem / standard / plain: the best of the lot

 

vdo make loads of oem gauges so they are accurate and well priced, note you often have to buy a fitting kit seperately. most look very oem which may not appeal to everyone. loads of types avaliable and accessories.

 

speco have more of a sporty range with fittting kits included, good quality and spare parts too. speco have a 2 inch range too and come up with new products every now and again.

 

pricol/dipricol are also oem and much the same as vdo, i have seen around for sale in a few places, pricol is the standard gauge, dipricol does more specialized ones. pricol have one big distributor is oz i think. only the more plain gauges i think.

 

3 - more aftermarket:

autometer is almost a standard, so many people swear by them, they make a lot of gauges and they are definately are quality but a little pricey, meant to be pretty accurate.

 

autogauge is a devision of autometer and make more budget priced gauges, seem the be pretty reasonable as far as i can tell.

 

splitfire seems to get bad reviews and they are expensive so can't say much for them.

 

4 - doroifto / super precise / racing:

 

count your limbs, thats how many you can buy =) - apexi, blitz, hks etc

 

i settled on a basic speco range for one of my cars and my other car had basic autometer gauges when i bought it.

Edited October 18, 2005 by styler

[Clown]

anychance you could upload the autospeed thing and pm me location? That'd be great mate.