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What gauges?

JohnnyT

JohnnyT

New Member
Hey guys, looking at getting a set of gauges for the MS6. I'm getting the triple pod on the center dash for sure, have a few other options on top of that. I could put a boost gauge in the center vent, on a mount for the steering wheel, or another gauge for the vent by the windshield on the driver's side.

Aside from all that, I've never had a car that needed gaugues. So, which ones should I buy? My thoughts were boost/oil temp/EGT/wideband AFR/then water temp. or fuel pressure. This is assuming I fill 5 slots obviously.

Can a newb get some input?
 
dmention7

dmention7

Hater
Personally, i would go in this order of priority: boost, wideband AFR, oil pressure, EGT, fuel pressure, coolant temp.

EDIT: That's assuming you already have a 7" tach with shift light, of course!
 
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Matt D.

Guest
Boost, oil pressure, water temp are all you need. Feel free to tell me why you need the others.

Oil temp: Really?? Maybe if your car was heavily modified and you weren't running an oil cooler. You have no reason to monitor your oil temperature.

Wideband AFR: Is your tune on the ragged edge and you drive you car hard constantly? According to your signature the answer to that is no. You have no reason to monitor your AFR.

Fuel pressure: See above. Do you drive you car hard and it suffers from fuel starvation where a lack of fuel for a split second could cause your engine to explode? Doubtful. You have no reason to monitor your fuel pressure.

Beyond that, adding useless gauges makes you a ricer. :) Don't forget that you drive a street car, not a race car. I'd be more concerned as to what brand/quality of gauges to get instead of what you're going to monitor. Stewart Warner are my top pick followed by Autometer. ProSport aren't bad for something different.

Remember: Form follows function.
 
dmention7

dmention7

Hater
My reasoning behind including fuel pressure has to do with the DISI's high pressure fuel system. There is a lot of data out there showing that upgrades to the cam-driven fuel pump and the resulting ability to maintain high pressure at higher RPMs is key. I don't know what kind of potential there is for damage or catastrophic failure with fuel pressure, but I'm all for monitoring anything that may have diagnostic utility. Which is also why I'd include AFR.

EDIT: then again, for a lot of that stuff, an OBDII scanner such as the scangauge or dashhawk may be adequate for your needs without cluttering up your dash.
 
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JohnnyT

JohnnyT

New Member
This is coming from a new guy, so bear with me Matt D.

I'm a planning guy, and this car won't be "heavily" modified, but it will definitely be upgraded, and enough to the point where monitoring AFR will be important. I figure I might as well get it now, and start learning.

Fuel pressure is in there exactly for the reason dmention stated. This seems to be as important as a boost gauge for DISI owners, hence why I included it.

Dashhawk doesn't do it for me, yet. I'm not a fan of the look, and although it functions well, I've heard complaints that the readouts are hard to see (form over function right!).

From what I've gathered, sounds like Boost/AFR/Oil pressure/Fuel pressure/EGT/Water temp is the way to go.

BTW, I've been looking at VEI gauges. They're gauges match the stock red interior very nicely and also have dual-function gauges so I don't clutter the dash.
 
M

Matt D.

Guest
JohnnyT said:
This is coming from a new guy, so bear with me Matt D.
Click to expand...
I don't own a Mazda so what do I know? ;)

Cam driven fuel pump? Haven't heard of those since the use of mechanical fuel pumps on older V8s. Is there an option to use an electric fuel pump at all? When you say high pressure, what pressure exactly?
 
dmention7

dmention7

Hater
The DISI uses an electric fuel pump to supply low pressure fuel to the cam-driven pump, which supplies it to the fuel rail at ~1500-2000psi IIRC. I can't definitively say that an electric pump is not an option, but virtually all upgrades have been cam driven.
 
JohnnyT

JohnnyT

New Member
Matt D. said:
I don't own a Mazda so what do I know? ;)

Cam driven fuel pump? Haven't heard of those since the use of mechanical fuel pumps on older V8s. Is there an option to use an electric fuel pump at all? When you say high pressure, what pressure exactly?
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The application is the same as your vehicle, so any and all information is appreciated!

The upgraded CDFP has 50% flow and pressure per stroke over what the stock pump can handle.
 
M

Matt D.

Guest
dmention7 said:
The DISI uses an electric fuel pump to supply low pressure fuel to the cam-driven pump, which supplies it to the fuel rail at ~1500-2000psi IIRC. I can't definitively say that an electric pump is not an option, but virtually all upgrades have been cam driven.
Click to expand...
Are you sure on that? Every other fuel injected car out there is usually right around 40psi for base pressure, add in boost and it goes up 1psi per 1psi of boost.
 
M

Matt D.

Guest
Crazy. Learn something new every day. To monitor that fuel pressure you're going to need an electric gauge, and I can't imagine it will be very cheap.
 
JohnnyT

JohnnyT

New Member
I'm still looking for one that'll go even past 100 psi.

Looks like Dashhawk can monitor it though, lol.
 
S

spek1098

Guest
Love it when know-it-alls are put in their place.

I've seen data logs of the before and after pressure of the upgraded HPFP, so I'm assuming the PCM is monitoring that. You may be able to tap that signal, or at least pull it from the ODB.

Anyone every come across a gauge designed for the high pressure side of DISI fuel system?
 
dmention7

dmention7

Hater
Honestly, i think your best bet there is to monitor the PCM for fuel pressure. If the car is already taking measurements on something, then a standalone gauge is kind of superfluous especially if it will be expensive. (as I'd imagine a 2000+psi fuel pressure gauge to be)
 
JohnnyT

JohnnyT

New Member
So... dashhawk seems like a better option than Aeroforce. If I do that, then adding a separate boost gauge in the center dash pod with an AFR and EGT should complete it (quickly looking at the Dashhawk's parameters I didn't see an AFR or EGT listed).

Am I missing anything (besides the 7" tach and 1 million candle power shift light)?
 
JohnnyT

JohnnyT

New Member
I'm pretty sure that's in the Dashhawk, as I just saw AFR is too.

BUT, MSD dropped the project, so Dashhawk's final update is out now, with no support now. It doesn't really make me want to go that route anymore...
 
dmention7

dmention7

Hater
I only saw oil pressure in the list of "enhanced" metrics supported on domestic makes.... (unless the ford enhanced functionality includes mazdas)

And the MS3 does not have a factory wideband sensor, so you will only be able to get the equivalent of narrowband AFR readings through the dashhawk.
 
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