Gauges...Check this out

[06YarisRS]

Originally Posted by tmontague

hmm, that is a great innovation and design for sure. My concern is that the gauges are limited to what the factory ECU reads. Meaning in a car like the Yaris you can view things like coolant temp but not important data like oil temp and pressure. Correct me if I'm wrong but this is essentially just like an ultra gauge that obtains all of its readings from the OBDII port

Yes, the core gauge is limited to whatever the car's ECU is willing to give up. However, the gauge can receive data from external sensors (many of them). The net benefit, IMO, is that you can have one gauge and it will read everything you need and it eliminates the need for what I did - making 5 holes in my dash. In most cars, it would be easy to find a spot for one 52mm gauge and mount it in a way that would blend better than gauge pods. I don't think there's anything revolutionary here, just lots in a nice tidy package.

[tmontague]

Originally Posted by 06YarisRS

Yes, the core gauge is limited to whatever the car's ECU is willing to give up. However, the gauge can receive data from external sensors (many of them). The net benefit, IMO, is that you can have one gauge and it will read everything you need and it eliminates the need for what I did - making 5 holes in my dash. In most cars, it would be easy to find a spot for one 52mm gauge and mount it in a way that would blend better than gauge pods. I don't think there's anything revolutionary here, just lots in a nice tidy package.

Ahh, I see - I missed that function, and I agree that would be a great set up. How are they priced?

[mannycheckers]

Originally Posted by tmontague

Ahh, I see - I missed that function, and I agree that would be a great set up. How are they priced?

They are ludicrously priced $399 USD.

https://www.bankspower.com/i-2760-ba...7Cyear%3D2009v

I ended up getting a cheap Chinese OBD2 gauge from amazon. I have it set up to display speed, RPM, water temperature, and battery voltage.

https://www.amazon.com/VJOYCAR-Speed...8445643&sr=8-1

[06YarisRS]

Originally Posted by mannycheckers

They are ludicrously priced $399 USD.

https://www.bankspower.com/i-2760-ba...7Cyear%3D2009v

I ended up getting a cheap Chinese OBD2 gauge from amazon. I have it set up to display speed, RPM, water temperature, and battery voltage.

https://www.amazon.com/VJOYCAR-Speed...8445643&sr=8-1

I don't see a relevant comparison here. Your basic OBD2 will only provide you with limited info; whatever the ECU will give up. In applications such as forced induction, you need info that the OBD2 cannot provide, and you need it more accurately and faster. That is the advantage of being able to add additional sensors. I am familiar with the Chinese stuff and it is not particularly accurate, nor does it last very long. The quality of the electronics in the Banks unit would be vastly superior. If you just want to get a general sense of certain variables, and you are prepared to replace sensors regularly, then the inexpensive Chinese products will do that for you. Don't get me wrong, they have their place and I have used them a lot and got enjoyment out of them. But, depending on what types of data and what level of accuracy you need, they may or may not be appropriate for your given application. Given what you get with the Banks kit, I think it's actually reasonably priced.

[mannycheckers]

Originally Posted by 06YarisRS

I don't see a relevant comparison here. Your basic OBD2 will only provide you with limited info; whatever the ECU will give up. In applications such as forced induction, you need info that the OBD2 cannot provide, and you need it more accurately and faster. That is the advantage of being able to add additional sensors. I am familiar with the Chinese stuff and it is not particularly accurate, nor does it last very long. The quality of the electronics in the Banks unit would be vastly superior. If you just want to get a general sense of certain variables, and you are prepared to replace sensors regularly, then the inexpensive Chinese products will do that for you. Don't get me wrong, they have their place and I have used them a lot and got enjoyment out of them. But, depending on what types of data and what level of accuracy you need, they may or may not be appropriate for your given application. Given what you get with the Banks kit, I think it's actually reasonably priced.

All valid points. I don't have a boosted Yaris, I don't race or autoX, nor do I care about customization of displays, so I don't need to get accurate data. For my current use case, I just wanted to view water temperature, RPM, and a digital speedometer.

The chinese stuff does what I need it to, and the banks gauge would be overkill for my needs, and that's why I thought the price was high. However, if the one banks gauge replaces your gauge cluster, then I can definitely see the value.

[06YarisRS]

Originally Posted by mannycheckers

All valid points. I don't have a boosted Yaris, I don't race or autoX, nor do I care about customization of displays, so I don't need to get accurate data. For my current use case, I just wanted to view water temperature, RPM, and a digital speedometer.

The chinese stuff does what I need it to, and the banks gauge would be overkill for my needs, and that's why I thought the price was high. However, if the one banks gauge replaces your gauge cluster, then I can definitely see the value.

For sure. In my opinion the Chinese gauges are actually good value for the money. Hell, I was buying temp gauges for $15.00 bucks a pop and they worked fine. I may have been a bit harsh about their accuracy. I've seen them perform as well as some medium priced gauges. Higher end ones are not always necessary. I had to go with an expensive AFR gauge with a quality wideband sensor to get accurate ratios as the life of my engine depends on it. Most of my Prosport gauges are lower end, not very expensive and will probably require sensor replacement in the not too distant future. I purposefully ordered 2 extra oil pressure sensors as that will likely be the first to go. Had I had the budget, would I have bought the AEM or Defi gauges? Unquestionably!