Need a little info on putting gauges in my 09 wrx? I have searched arround and seen a few options, I really dont know what gauges I would install? I would think a boost gauge for sure. So this is a daily driver and I 'am close to going to stage two and thought it would be cool to have some gauges along with some of my mods. I would like to do the pillar double gauge or a least a single boost gauge. what do I need to know +/- on pod set ups? Are these things easy to install? any help would be cool or anyone knows someone who install these things cheap? styles of gauges to look out for? ******* thanks D
From what I understand, the most important gauges are Boost, EGT and Oil Pressure. I'm sure someone more knowledgeable will chime in.
You can look at PLX and have all of your gauges in one (or two). PLX Multigauge What I would ask yourself is... what are you doing to your car? What do you need to watch for? Boost is a must!
Anyone using the pillar or cluster design? Do they get in the way of anything? More input please *********Thanks D
These are the 3 that I have. I have the SMY Cluster with the boost and oil pressure gauges in it. I have the wideband in the center cubby. I chose these locations because I didn't want anything that would be easily visible from outside the car (ie. on the dash, in the clock, or on the A pillar). Those locations may be a bit easier to see, but I wanted to keep the clean look. Here is a better angle of the what the cluster gauges look like from the driver's seat. The gauge on the left is partially blocked by the blinker lever, and that gauge very slightly blocks the OEM coolant temp gauge. Overall the visibility is good (it is the best possible with the amount of room available), and the quality of the SMY cluster is excellent.
^ Ben forgot to mention that the SYM Clustermaker cuts off part of your gauge on the left side. I believe the turn signal is in the way. Also the gauge cuts off part of your temp on the OEM cluster.... it is hard to tell from the pictures above... but that is why I did not get the same setup.
I had nothing but issues with the a-pillar pod and rallyx. Always hit the knuckles on it when heavy sideways steering was underway. I like Bens set up with them by the oem cluster. Out of the way and i can't imagine that they really obscure the other guages that much. As far as guages go, look into ProSport Premium guages. Modern Automotive Performance carries them. Can't beat the quality to price ratio! Boost guage,water temp,oil temp were my first pick...my engine fluid temps concern me more than anything else.
um... i have no idea how I missed that. I guess I didn't see the info in between the pictures?!?! Sorry bro.
Haha, no worries. The actual gauge blockage from my viewpoint while driving is somewhere between the two photos I posted. A decent chunk of the gauge on the left side will be blocked by the blinker arm, but very little of the OEM coolant temp gauge is blocked. The amount of blockage will change based on seat position, seat height, driver height, and wheel position. I have my car set up to be comfortable to drive, and that's just how much of the gauge is blocked. You could surely set it up to block less, but it might not be good for driving (depending on your size).
I called Modern Automotive Performance and they told me 400$ a guage for install *%$#@ wtf. I don't feel warm and fuzzy with that phone call.
I think the person was saying buy from MAP and install it yourself. You could always see if someone on the board wants to help you out with the install so you learn a thing or two about putting in the gauge... instead of paying someone to do it for you. I personally will always hit up Josh @ Import Image Racing. Best prices hands down.
+1 for Josh, he is the man! There are a bunch of youtube videos on guage installs. I think there is even a DIY on here somewhere. YOU CAN DO IT!!
Woah,woah,woah!!...I said "BUY" the guages there! Get them installed elsewhere. Try RS Motors or ask a member to lend a hand for cash monies! $400/guage...lmfnao
Thanks for the re-plys I ordered the duel pod cluster and two gauges, oil pressure and a boost gauge. Free shipping and a free T-shirt to boot! Thanks D
Any more than 3 gauges and things start getting really bright and messy. In terms of gauges, these are the most common and most useful: Boost - yes, for sure. Get one that reads in PSI and has the correct resolution for your application (ie don't get one that reads to 50psi if you're running 18 psi on stock turbo. EGT - very helpful for tuning and keeping an eye on temps (which can quickly get too high when racing or just horsing around) Oil temp - very practical for day to day use (car fully warmed up) as well as when you're running it hard AFR - good in theory, but a pita unless you can hide it. I installed mine in place of my ash tray and had it closed almost all the time. Water temp - Good gauge to have especially if you rallyx/autox (also parking lot snow fun ) where you're running a lot of low speed, hard runs that don't give your cooling system a chance to keep up. Oil pressure - If you really want another gauge get one of these. Install it in place of the stock pressure guage, ground out the stocker so your cluster oil light doesn't go off. Voltage - I like these bc my cars sit for long periods of time. In terms of placement options: Screen - do digital gauges either via a carputer or hks camp/camp2. For serious. It'll keep you interior from looking like a goddamn christmas tree. Also allows you to datalog and get more info beyond peak hold. If I had a car to put them in, I would keep my camp2 (http://mnsubaru.com/threads/accessport-v2-hks-camp2-5x114-3-5zigen-wheels-hood-scoop-delete.37483/) dash pod - 3 gauge dash pods are conveniently located and not overly obnoxious. You can keep your eyes on the road with these. Easy to wire in but you usually lose your clock. gauge cluster - only fits 2 gauges, but looks a lot cleaner. Also very easy to wire in. Some of these block parts of your main cluster (like the gas light). a-pillar - I always end up hitting my head on them. Personally I hate how they reflect off the window at night. A bit more trouble wiring them in because of location, but not too messy. other - heating vent single pod - these are creative but still look funny to me. Plus I like being able to defrost my door windows in the winter. bottom of a-pillar (up against windshield) - never had one but driven a few cars with them and pretty certain I could live with it. Not at all in the way. Wiring: Wiring more than 3 gauges can be a pain. Make sure your grounds are solid. If you're considering a ton of gauges, consider ones that can be daisy chained and muted. There's nothing worse then watching them sweep at different times and beep one after another. Wiring power/ilum/ground to the gauge - clock is a good spot to tap into. Should be labelled from the factory as well. Wiring sensor/gauge to engine bay/exhaust - afr sensor can go stright down through the shift boot. For the lc-1, there's room behind the console for the sending unit as well. You just need to weld an O2 sensor bung somewhere on your midpipe. Wiring to the engine bay can go through the firewall grommet on the drivers side, run along the driver's side frame rail, then wherever it needs to go. Stock oil pressure location is a great spot for an aftermarket one. There's another oil galley plug closer to the firewall. That one is a good place for oil temp. Sandwich adapters (at the oil filter) leak. Water temp it best tapped at the coolant crossover on top of the block, but temps at the upper radiator hose are usually pretty close. You can get an inline adapter for this location. EGT, put it in the header, at whichever cylinder runs the hottest. At the downpipe is not an accurate location. D, If they aren't installed yet, I'll install them for free if you bring B-rad and Lee up with you and make them buy me drinks.
I think this is a different DIRTY D. The one from Roch (DirtyD) had a DGM 09 wrx, and now has an 11' SWP. It confused me at first too!
This DIRTY D already had a boost and oil pressure gauges installed by RS into the SMY cluster (like the setup I have and posted above). Anyways, very good suggestions Sheen. Just a couple comments/opinions of mine: Boost - Definitely good to have. Easy to diagnose problems (leaks, overboost, etc). Oil Pressure - Can (hopefully) save your motor in case of catastrophic failure. Also can tell when the car is fully warmed up by monitoring oil pressure. AFR - Good for tuning and monitoring seasonal changes in fuel (more relevant when running E85). Mine is in the center cubby and doesn't bother me at all. No experience with other gauges, but these seemed the most important to me. The only other one I have considered is EGT. Seems quite useful. The others don't seem that useful to me. As for placement, I agree that the screen would be ideal. I can't wait until OEM dash's are all LCD screens. Then it won't be long until they are fully customizable. But a double DIN screen with custom gauges would be great too. As for the actual gauge placements, I really wanted to keep a clean dash line. I think that dash pods, clock pods, and A pillar pods are all more visible, but the cluster pod looks the best to me. Almost looks OEM if done right. I think it is the cleanest, even if it isn't the most visible. As for wiring, the 08+ have a really large empty grommet in the driver's side fender. It is very easy to access, and makes the wires really easy to run. It is large enough to fit a whole pile of wires through. I have wiring for three gauges going through there and there is plenty of room for more (more that you could ever want). Also, most 08+ guys are just tapping into the fuse box. I did mine with add-a-circuit fuse taps. Easy and no permanent changes to the car in case you want to go back to stock. Not many people using the clock for tapping into, but that might have to do with the lack of a clock pod for the newer gen. Also, I used the OEM oil pressure sensor location (under the alternator). Very easy to access. And I did not have to ground the OEM sensor in order for it not to set off the light on the dash. I just unplugged it and zip tied it out of the way.
http://www.smyclustermaker.com/ I love it. I hope the prosport gauges hold up but it is a great clean set up. ****************D
