i just cant justify paying $200 per gauge for autometer or other brands. i have no desire for anything more sophisticated either (like wide band o2 or defi multilink). so i hit up google and been searching for a few days. came upon some pretty nice gauges that match the SE 4th gen quiet nicely and the prices seem to be a steal compared to whats out there. search didnt reveal any experiences from others but they seem to be good quality. just wanted to share these with you guys as affordable gauges alternative to autometer.

They are all by Stewart Warner

Vac/Boost 30/15 Mechanical ~ $54



Boost 0-15 psi Full sweep Mechanical (love this one, cant get any more accurate) ~$50



Fuel Pressure 0-100 PSI ELECTRICAL ~75



Oil Pressure 0-100 PSI ELECTRICAL (not sure what PSI range needed) ~$62

 

Ive been looking at those, a lot of the smaller race shops seem to carry them, which is always good in my book. Ive also been looking at these:
www.prosportgauges.com
A lot of places have them pretty cheap, and after reading for about an hour on google, I have yet to see any negative reviews.

 

those are some nice ones too. samething from autometer would set you back $550+

 

The 2nd boost gauge is good for diesels that don't have vacuum, but for a gas engine I would recommend the first one. A wideband is still something very useful to have down the road.

They are nice gauges from the looks of them.

 

IMO, Full Sweep Electrical guages are the best, and worth the money. They peform a guage calibration every time you start your car (ie the most accurate), the mechanical ones don't do that and lose their calibration over time. The only way to recalibrate them is to send them into the manufacturer.

FWIW, I've called Autometer on several occasions, and their customer service is top notch.

Also, I think it's an absolute must to have a Peak/Hold recall function on the boost gauge, but that's probably just me. I get to keep my eyes on the road and my tach, not the boost gauge.

 

thanks for the clarification. for the boost gauge, id really love to have the model #4376 by autometer. maybe ill suck it up and get that one. which gauges are you running james?

 

^^^ or u could maybe mix it up... electrical for boost for accuracy and all others just mechanical.
since when were u boosted?

DEFI'S FTW!!!

 

there not bad looking id go with the second one

 

not b00sted yet. very soon tho. kit is 98% complete

 

.

 

You must be looking at the more expensive gauges from Autometer dude, because MY current gauges ...

-Autometer 20psi Boost/Vaccum Phantom2 #5701 Bought Localy for $52, same as this auction on EBay...
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/AUTOM...em200127926066

- Autometer 250*F Electric Water Temp UltraLite #4337 Bought at Advance AutoParts for ~$45. This one here....
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/AUTOM...em270146026587 (In person it does not look as silvery, look almost white in person, thats why I didnt mind buying this gauge)

- (Not installed but...) AutoMeter Electric Oil Pressure Gauge Pantom2 #5727. Got it from CustomMaxima back when they were still alive for $56 shipped. It was this one...
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/AUTOM...em270144868858.

That $200/ guage figure you came up with for AutoMeter gauges is probably from the Cobalt or C2 series, THOSE are $$$$.

 

Mike, I'm using:

Full Sweep Electric boost w/ peak recall
http://www.autometer.com/cat_gaugede...gid=2638&sid=7

Full Sweep Electrical Fuel pressure
http://www.autometer.com/cat_gaugede...gid=2635&sid=7

Full Sweep Electrical Dual Intake Temperature guage (so I can see the temperature before the AWAC and after)
Not listed on the website anymore.......

Innovate Motorsports XD-16 for the wideband
http://www.innovatemotorsports.com/products/xd16.php

 

No, some of the Phantom gauges are around $200 each as well, because they are Full Sweep Electrical guages.

For comparison sakes, your Boost guage is Full Sweep Mechanical. Your Water Temp and Oil pressure gauges are Short Sweep Electricals. Great guages, but justifiably less expensive.

 

+1

i was looking exactly at what you have, more speficially the ultra-lite series which is the samething as yours but silver face. those are baller gauges @ $200 each. reason why i go with ultra-lite is cuz its the only series with full sweep electrical 0-100 psi for oil

http://store.summitracing.com/partde...5&autoview=sku
http://store.summitracing.com/partde...5&autoview=sku
http://store.summitracing.com/partde...5&autoview=sku

 

IMO, the Phantom 1 gauges are a little better looking than the Phantom II's, but the illumination of the II's is 1000% better than the Phantom I's. The II's will match the SE guages perfectly as far as the white during the day/black at night concept. The I's are always white. Check out the illumination demo.... I wish the Phantom II's were available when I got guages. I just might swap mine out.

 

phantom II doesnt have peak memory or anything electrical for vac/boost 0-15 and they look tacky

link of illumination?

 

Oops, I said that backwards. I edited my post. No peak memory on the II's! That sucks. Definitely not swapping guages now.
The illumination does rule though. II's FTW at night. II's FTL during the day. LOL
http://www.autometer.com/cat_gaugeop.aspx?sid=59
Look for the words "View illumination" next to the guage and hover your mouse over it....

 

THis is what I got... Good **** here... spared no expense...

Boost

http://store.summitracing.com/egnsea...00+0&x=48&y=13

A/F wideband

http://store.summitracing.com/egnsea...700+0&x=34&y=9

FP

http://store.summitracing.com/egnsea...00+0&x=38&y=10

 

^^ Those are sweet no doubt, but if I was going to spend 200+ I'd go with Defi or at least strongly consider them. JMO

 

why did you go with that one? it seems waaaaaaaay too expensive for what it is. mechanical, no peak boost/warning, no vacuum, 0-30 psi. very similar gauges can be had for $40 in other autometer series's. anything valuable in this gauge that im failing to see? perhaps the MAP sensor?

 

I got it because the cobalt series don't look like complete crap like a lot of other gauges. The gauge is electrical, not mechanical, and yes it uses a MAP sensor.

 

I just did not like the way the DEFI gauges looked... I also was not sure if their customer service was any good or not.

 

Summit needs to fix thier website, it's listed as mechanical when it's really an electrical Full Sweep guage. Hence, I believe why Mike thought it was mechanical.

 

Right. I have noticed small errors like that in ther website before... the catalog version is more accurate.

 

I ended up ordering a full set of the Prosport gauges. They look really good, though I have not installed them yet. From all the reviews I read on them, I'm hoping for great things.

 

true james. the more i look at autometer gauges, the more i lean towards them. they have the biggest selection and more sophisticated products for serious performers

those are very nice. id be all over them if they came in white face

 

Not to Jack your thread but how does everybody like auto meter gauges?
I have three:
Boost
elc oil
and volts
the volts is not accurate, the elc oil gague jumps around and gets hung at a 100psi somtimes and I have to wack it to get it to come down and the boost gauge seem to be about 1 to 1.5 psi off compared to my e01 and zt-2

 

Where did you find that gauge locally for that price? Did it come with the T and Vacuum line for installation?

 

Which Boost gauge do you have? (provide link) I ask, because if you only tap power during installation, you may be doing it wrong. The more sophisticated gauges require you tap a power source that has power during the cranking since the gauge recalibrates itself everytime you start the car. Tapping a power source that is only on once the car is running isn't good enough for some guages and provides the user with false readings.

 

oh im sorry I have mech boost gauge just ele oil