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Old 11-29-2001, 08:49 PM   #1
Bradus
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Default Boost guage: electronic vs. mechanical?

Hello,

Besides price, what are main differences between an electronic vs. mechanical boost guage?

I'm in the market for some guages and want to better understand the difference before plonking my money down.

Thank you in advance for your response(s).

Cheers!
David
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Old 11-29-2001, 09:09 PM   #2
Rocky WRX
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No flames intended, but this question gets asked a lot.

Search Results
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Old 11-29-2001, 09:21 PM   #3
Bradus
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Quote:
Originally posted by Rocky WRX
No flames intended, but this question gets asked a lot.

Search Results
Thanks Rocky.

BTW, what did you enter as your search string?

Not being a complete tool I naturally tried searching before I posted this thread and entered "boost guages," thinking that would help. After wading through 5 pages of results, I gave up and figured the answer wasn't out there.

Cheers!
David
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Old 11-29-2001, 09:26 PM   #4
mdntridr
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Hey Bradus!

I had the same problem as you, I could never find what I was looking for with the search...I think you would have better luck searching on gauge rather than guage

Anyway, I like my Greddy Electronic gauge. I had an Autometer mechanical before that and it was OK, but it read ~2-3 PSI low (relative to what my OBD2 scanner was telling me). The Greddy is spot on.

--Greg--

PS - Did you ever get that BPM TT?
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Old 11-29-2001, 09:32 PM   #5
Bradus
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Quote:
Originally posted by mdntridr
Hey Bradus!

I had the same problem as you, I could never find what I was looking for with the search...I think you would have better luck searching on gauge rather than guage

Anyway, I like my Greddy Electronic gauge. I had an Autometer mechanical before that and it was OK, but it read ~2-3 PSI low (relative to what my OBD2 scanner was telling me). The Greddy is spot on.

--Greg--

PS - Did you ever get that BPM TT?
I must learn to spell gauge
I must learn to spell gauge
I must learn...
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Old 11-29-2001, 09:35 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally posted by Bradus


I must learn to spell gauge
I must learn to spell gauge
I must learn...


Look at it this way, the fact that you got 5 pages of results means that at least you're not the only one! I think there's a few posts with my name on them with the same mistake. Doh!

--Greg--
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Old 11-29-2001, 09:36 PM   #7
Rocky WRX
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I used 'mechanical elect*'. Knowing how often gauge gets misspelled around here, using it could limit the search results.
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Old 11-29-2001, 09:51 PM   #8
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OK, can someone actually state the differance between them now that this thread is already here? I'm going to buy my boost gauge soon and wanted an autometer one because they are the most attractive (IMHO) and because I want a gauge that reads PSI and not BAR or whatever. Do Greddy gauges read in PSI? What ARE the diff's between mechanical and electro? Anyone?
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Old 11-29-2001, 09:56 PM   #9
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Hi,

The search results link posted by Rocky did the trick. I found the answer on the first page.

http://www.i-club.com/forums/search....der=descending

David

<---muttering under breath, "I must learn to spell gauge, I must learn..."
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Old 11-29-2001, 10:04 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally posted by LatinWRX
OK, can someone actually state the differance between them now that this thread is already here? I'm going to buy my boost gauge soon and wanted an autometer one because they are the most attractive (IMHO) and because I want a gauge that reads PSI and not BAR or whatever. Do Greddy gauges read in PSI? What ARE the diff's between mechanical and electro? Anyone?
The difference is: electronic gauges have a little electronic sender (go figure) that reads boost pressure/vacuum. That sender converts the reading into electrical voltage. The voltage travels to the gauge where it is displayed for your driving enjoyment.

Mechanical gauges run a thin piece of plastic tubing all the way from the pressure source right up to the back of the gauge. The air pressure/vacuum moves a diaphragm (spelling anyone ) which in turn moves the needle.

*sip of beer*

Having owned a mechanical Autometer, and now owning 3 electronic Greddy's, I am partial to the electronic gauges. They are more difficult to install, but are worth it in terms of accuracy and overall satisfaction. YMMV, of course. Are they worth $500-600 for Boost/EGT/Oil pressure? I think so. You may not. Greddy is in metric units, while Autometer is in English units. Greddy matches the stock WRX dash perfectly. Autometers don't. Autometers are good for the money. Get Greddy if you can afford it.


--Greg--
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Old 11-29-2001, 10:12 PM   #11
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Default INFORMATIVE AND TO THE POINT!

mdntridr: THANKS
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Old 11-29-2001, 10:18 PM   #12
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how can you say electronic gauges are more accurate than mechanical... Guess you are not an engineer but you are ass backwards.

electronic may be more convenient, etc.
but not more accurate.. anytime to are converting an actual pressure or temp or whatever to an electronic signal you are loosing accuracy.. mechanical boost gauges are the most accurate as they measure the actual pressure at the gauge.
same for mech. oil pressure gauges and that is why all race cars use mech. not electronic..

That said I personally did not put an electronic oil pressure gauge in my care as I didn't want oil in the dash in the case of an accident.

I have mech. boost/vacuume
and elect. oil temp and egt gauges
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Old 11-29-2001, 10:27 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally posted by mdntridr



*sip of beer*

YMMV, of course. Are they worth $500-600 for Boost/EGT/Oil pressure? I think so. You may not.

--Greg--
No, I'm not an engineer. I'm simply speaking from my own experience. If LatinWRX is smart (which I'm sure he is ) he'll do more research instead of taking my word for it.

In my experience, with the gauges I have owned, my Greddy boost gauge is more accurate than my Autometer. I base this conclusion on extensive data logging that shows my Autometer consistently read ~2-3 PSI low at full boost. Vacuum readings were spot on. I've never owned any other oil pressure or EGT gauges so I can't really comment on that.

YMMV
*sip of beer*

--Greg--
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Old 11-29-2001, 11:01 PM   #14
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Either electronic or mechanical gauges can be poorly calibrated by the manufacturer & so accuracy may differ due to that reason. From a purely functional standpoint the electronic gauges tend to be less reliable & so both accuracy &/or precision can tend to drift over time (or it might just stop working altogether). Even if cost weren't an issue I would always choose a mechanical boost or oil pressure gauge. Some people worry about an oil gauge leaking, but that is probably because they have no idea how to properly tighten a compression fitting. However, I would definitely not use a mechanical fuel pressure gauge due to risk of fuel dumping in your lap in a bad accident (which is the apparent destiny of all our WRXs).
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Old 11-29-2001, 11:51 PM   #15
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For someone who's never dealt with gauges (me), electronic "sounds" like it would be better than mechanical and since they're more expensive but i'm starting to think it's actually not. That's what I think forums like these are for. Saving rookies like me maybe expensive mistakes down the road. I still have'nt seen ANYONE praise Autometer gauges though. They are my favs as far as looks and read in english units which I understand. Yeah yeah I can learn the metric too. But if everyone says Autometers aren't very accurate, I DO think that Greddy's are worth it though I don't like them much. Being off 2PSI I think could mean the differance between more speed and harming the car. I'm not just looking for show but actual functionality as boost and EGT readings are important. I´m steering to Greddy mechanical?

Quote:
[i]I would definitely not use a mechanical fuel pressure gauge due to risk of fuel dumping in your lap in a bad accident (which is the apparent destiny of all our WRXs). [/b]

Dude, don't scare or jinx me please!
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Old 11-30-2001, 01:27 AM   #16
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I'm using a VDO mechanical boost gauge and I think it matches the Stock guages almost as good as the Greddy, and it's calibrated in PSI... not Metric. It's cheaper than the Autometer too, but remember you need to buy the connectors and the nylon hose separately. I've not heard anything bad said about the VDO tho the install was a bit of a PITA... but as the first major mod I've done on my car, I'm very proud of the results.
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Old 11-30-2001, 12:41 PM   #17
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It's all about accuracy. And with that said, the better well made a product is, the better the accuracy.

So, CrapoMeter gauges are one of the worst out there. I always had a suspiscion that my CrapoMeter boost gauges (3 'different' CrapoMeter boost gauges I own) were not accurate and my suspiscions were confirmed when I read other reports as well as testing done on different brands.

VDO, although inexpensive, is one of the most accurate mechanical boost gauges you can buy.

Also, you can pretty much assume that all electronical Japanese gauges are top-notch and accurate. (based on reports and testing I've read)
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Old 11-30-2001, 04:21 PM   #18
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Right now I have two boost guages in my car, but they are tapped in different places. The Autometer (mechanical, bought used for $30) is tapped off the top of the manifold, and the EBC-included one is tapped off the BOV. They both seem pretty in tune with each other, but the autometer might read 1/4 psi high.

I always thought that a mechanical boost guage would be subject to small errors due to the fact that the air pressure would compress very slightly before it registers in the guage itself. However, this probably happens in such small amounts that it is irrellevant and probably immeasurable.
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