Car Performance Gauges: Everything You Need to Know

From oil temperature and pressure sensors, to fuel and water levels, modern cars and trucks are equipped with enough gauges and meters to make anyone feel like an engineer. And make no mistake: if you own a turbocharged, or other high-performance vehicle, it’s understandable that you’d want real-time performance information within eyeshot at all times.

Not all high-performance vehicles are equipped with the complement of gauges they should have, though. A surprising number of turbo, and turbo-diesel vehicles that have been sold in Australia don’t have OE boost or exhaust gas temperature (EGT) gauges, leaving owners largely uninformed about how their engine’s actually performing.

The fact is, with forced induction, you can’t afford to wait until problems occur to address them. You need as much advanced notice as possible; that’s why now is the right time to buy new gauges.

Time to Equip Your Turbo, or Turbo Diesel With High-Performance Gauges    

If your car or truck has forced induction, there are two parameters you always need to stay on top of: how much air is going into your engine, and the temperature of the air that’s leaving it. Fortunately, with a high-performance turbo boost and EGT auto gauge set installed on your vehicle, you’ll have full visibility to precise measurements of the air entering and exiting your engine. Warning lights and buzzers alone aren’t enough for these engines; and with gauges, you never have to worry about even momentary delays or ambiguity that could end up in a catastrophic engine failure.

It’s important to remember that high-performance engines are only able to deliver high-performance results because they operate within narrow parameters. Intake levels and exhaust temperatures have to be monitored and maintained in order to ensure their consistency, and boost and EGT car gauges allow you to:

·   Be certain that all of your intake and exhaust components are operating within their intended power range;

·   Fine tune, adjust, or replace any components that aren’t functioning as they’re required to; and,

·   Ensure operating temperatures are always within their ideal range.

While high-performance gauges don’t actually regulate engine performance, they let you see when engine parameters aren’t optimal, or worse, warning you of an imminent engine failure. This is especially true when it comes to engine boost, where any sudden loss or increase in boost can literally rip an engine apart. With an aftermarket gauge for boost installed, you’ll instantly know before either of these conditions has a chance to do irreparable damage.

Gauges That Give You Downstream Visibility to Your Engine’s Turbo Boost

Mechanical and electronic turbo boost gauges for both petrol and diesel engines are designed to be connected to your vehicle’s intake manifold, downstream of your engine’s throttle body. And once you’ve researched, or baselined where your turbo’s / engine’s optimum boost pressure should be, these automotive gauges are able to display, as well as help troubleshoot an array of conditions that could cause boost pressure readings to move away from that optimum range.

Apart from dialling in a higher pressure on your turbo, anything from pulling overweight loads to topping off with low-quality fuel can have an effect on your boost. That’s why high-quality aftermarket gauges are designed to have enough top-end range to allow you to accurately see if the boost level your engine’s running at is sustainable.

Aftermarket turbo boost car gauges for sale are available in 30mm – 52mm diameters, can be either dashboard or right-hand pillar-mounted, and come with a selection of features that include:

·   Analog, digital, or combination readouts;

·   Readouts of up to 35PSI for maximum over-boost visibility;

·   Selectable backlight colour options;

·   Black or white dial faces; and,

·   A choice of chrome, gunmetal, or black bezels.

As a matter of convenience, when opting for analog aftermarket car gauges, it’s always best to choose the one with the longest needle. Their longer sweep angles and obvious physical motion make it easier to detect and observe changes in boost pressure that might otherwise go unnoticed. Some performance gauge models can even be set up to flash and emit a warning tone whenever a preset boost level is exceeded.

Stay on Top of Your Exhaust Temperatures With New Pyro Gauges 

Heat, or more specifically, the retention of excess heat, is the most persistent problem that any engine faces. Everything from mounting larger tyres, to turning up your turbo boost can cause exhaust temperatures to take a destructive swing northward, and EGT aftermarket auto gauges are the instruments you need an eye on them.

EGT gauges, also known as pyrometer gauges, are crucial for preventing turbocharged engines from failing due to thermal fatigue. These auto gauges are absolutely essential for the early detection of overheating problems, some of which can include:

·   Poor quality fuel, or incorrect air/fuel mixing;

·   Possible engine internal, or exhaust system component failure; or,

·   Repeated excessive, or incompatible weight loads.

An EGT car gauge is invaluable for helping to narrow down all the potential causes of overheating. And regardless of whether your preference is for an analog or digital unit, they all feature the same core of physical characteristics as turbo boost gauges, but with a range of operational features that include:

·   Either 900°C, or 1300°C maximum temperature operating ranges;

·   Advanced motor technology for immediate needle responsiveness; and,

·   1/8” NPT sensing probes that are designed specifically for harsh environments.

You can even purchase high-performance EGT and turbo-boost automotive gauge units together in packs. It’s the added assurance of knowing that you’re buying gauges that are engineered to work seamlessly together.

The Final Word

At the end of the day, every car or truck that has forced induction needs to have proper metering equipment. And in a country like Australia where long distances, heavy loads, and high temperatures are the norm, being able to quickly identify when your engine’s in distress can make all the difference in its survival.

Buying a high-performance turbo boost and EGT auto gauge set now can significantly reduce the chances that you’ll have to make a far costlier investment in engine repairs in the future. It’s the real-time information you need to keep your vehicle running reliably.