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ElectricalFor discussions regarding wiring up electrical modifications such as radar detectors, brake light mods, power sockets, and driving lights in Cooper (R50), Cabrio (R52), and Cooper S (R53) MINIs.
I've been looking into installing a Boost gauge and came across this 60mm OBD II Boost gauge for Mini.
I have questions for those who have a similar type of OBD II gauge and those that have a traditional vacuum (analog) gauge:
What is the sensitivity like with the OBD II gauge in comparison with the traditional analog gauge? Any noticeable lag with your foot on/off the pedal?
Which one is more accurate?
I currently have a Scangauge II and while it's nice, reading digital read-outs while driving is distracting. It'd be nice to have a choice to have a analog readout (bars or needle).
I can’t speak to the accuracy or lag using a Scangauge or an OBD2 gauge like the P3, but I can say that I’ve always kind of wanted a Scangauge 2, and the P3 that Mariokart has in his countryman is really nice. I’ve used an OBD2 dongle with the dash command app, as well as a fully mechanical boost gauge and the one I have now, which is a digital gauge that has a bar dial and a digital number readout. It hooks up to a boost tap like a mechanical gauge, then has an electrical sending unit. Dash Command is terrific, because you can customize your gauges however you want and can data log as well. My only problem with it is reading boost. It’s very accurate as far as I can tell, as it reads the PID info right from your MAP sensor. My issue was the lag. It’s just not fast enough in real time for me. The mechanical gauge I had was garbage. The needle bounced a lot (I’ve learned since how to fix this), it seemed to be off by almost 5 psi, and it was noisy! In the end I settled on a Prosport EVO digital boost gauge. I’m quite happy with this one. It reads fast and accurate, and looks pretty sharp too. No lag, and checking it against the dash command boost reading, it’s dead on with it. So now I have a good gauge right there on the steering column by the tachometer for boost and my phone running DashCmd in a holder on the CD player showing me water temp, AFR, fuel rail pressure, timing advance, etc. I’m pretty happy with the set up this way, and it works really well for me.
Dash Command is nice but I've had bad experiences with Bluetooth dongles in the past (overheating, breaking down after a few months, etc).
How's the readout on the Prosport gauge in direct sunlight? Is it readable or slightly washed out?
The gauge is totally readable. I’ve seen some reviews that claim that it’s hard to read in the daytime, but I don’t think it is at all. It did have a tiny bit of glare, but they have a visor they sell too, I put that on and it works great.
I have a mechanical Marshal boost/ vacuum gauge. The Marshal gages match the tach and speedometer on our MINIs. Mine is very accurate, It is more work to install it than an electronic one that plugs into the OBD 2 port, but I like the looks of it. I have a BSH dual boost tap on the PCV line from the head cover to the throttle body that connects to the boost gauge.
I have a white-faced VDO mechanical boost gauge installed and it does the job nicely. I also have a matching VDO oil pressure electric gauge.
Oh wow, Never knew there were gauge visors. Thanks!
Originally Posted by MrGrumpy
The gauge is totally readable. I’ve seen some reviews that claim that it’s hard to read in the daytime, but I don’t think it is at all. It did have a tiny bit of glare, but they have a visor they sell too, I put that on and it works great.
I may end up using a mechanical gauge after all. Turns out, there aren't any OBD II mechanical gauges that work for the R53. :(
Originally Posted by DneprDave
I have a mechanical Marshal boost/ vacuum gauge. The Marshal gages match the tach and speedometer on our MINIs. Mine is very accurate, It is more work to install it than an electronic one that plugs into the OBD 2 port, but I like the looks of it. I have a BSH dual boost tap on the PCV line from the head cover to the throttle body that connects to the boost gauge.
