Edit - I spelled GAUGE wrong. If you're an ***, you'll probably comment. If not, please stick to the substance of the question. Gauge will remain incorrectly spelled for reasons of principle. Or is it principal. The infinitely smart of this board should share.

I searched through the guage threads and have made some decisions but also have some questions.

I'm going to buy Alta's guage pod and autometer guages to go in it.

I want boost and oil temp. Should both of those be "mechanical"? Also, what range should I get for oil temp - up to 280 deg. F or 340?

My car is used both on the street and track.

Thanks!

mb

 

I've no idea what a "guage" is. Perhaps if you "google" "guage" you might find your answers. Sorry I couldn't be of more help. Hopefully some "guage" experts here will pipe in. Any one? Surely there are "guage" experts on this board some place.

 

"Any one" what? Maybe you meant to write it correctly as "anyone"?

Glass house dwellers ought not throw rocks, eh?

 

Beige, cage, gauge, who knows about English? haha

 

C'mon! Grow up and mature a little... What an *******-ish reply

As for your questions...

Mechanical off the top of my head is the easiest to work with...

Boost gauge - If you're not planning on running extreme amounts of boost, you might find that a lower PSI gauge will be easier to read (20 PSI over a 25 PSI gauge). When you get those larger # crammed in such a small space, 17 PSI might end up looking like 15 PSI. Just some food for thought.

Oil gauge, I have no clue....

I hope this helps you out, and you don't have to put up with criticism over something small but still understandable...

 

And some say irony only exists in movies and novels. You're a great addition to this site, thanks!

mb

 

And again. Methinks you were looking for someplace. Ok, can we exit the grammar lesson and enter some basic advice on gauges?

mb

 

The factory oil temperature gauge in the Chrono Pack goes up to 320F, but I've never seen mine get anywhere near that high. Granted, my track time is limited to 60-70 second autocross runs, but I suspect a 280F oil temp gauge will work fine for you.

Mechanical gauges are usually easier to read since they typically have a wider sweep (like 270 degrees). Many of the electrical gauges are limited to about 90-100 degrees of sweep, so the numbers/hash marks get a little crowded.

Scot

 

Thanks!

 

Is it true that the 60mm (2 3/8) gauges are the only ones that fit in the Alta pod? Autometer only lists 52mm (2 1/16) on their site - will they fit, too?

mb

 

Are you sure about the 2-3/8"? The common gauge sizes are 2-5/8" and 2-1/16".

Autometer makes both sizes in just about all of their gauge lines. You were looking at the Pro-Comp Ultralite gauges, right? Those seem to be the best match for the Mini stock gauges.

Go to jegs.com or summitracing.com - they carry the entire Autometer line, and their websites may be a little more logically-arranged.

Here's the Autometer Pro-Comp Ultralite page from Jeg's:
http://www.jegs.com/webapp/wcs/store...tegoryId=14371

Scott

 

I have Autometer Pro-Comp Ultra-Lite full sweep electrical oil press #4453 and water temp #4455 gauges, as well as a full sweep mechanical boost #4404. I just have to get around to installing them in my homemade gauge pod...

 

Looks good - full-sweep electrical gauges are the best of both worlds. I'd rather run wires than tubing any day!

Scott

 

Thanks. I hear ya about running the wires instead.
In case anybody was wondering, my pod will sit directly in front of the driver on top of the dash, almost to the windshield. The back of the pod is pretty close to the slant of the glass.

 

I have Promini's gauge set and they are both electronic sending units for boost and oil pressure. It seems a better set and kit than the Alta set. Good instructions and orange lighting to boot

Paul

 

While searching someone said that 60mm will fit in the alta pod, but 52, which autometer sells now, will not. Anyone have an alta pod and put the current 52mm ultralites in?

Full sweep electrical is the way to go according to you all. Do I need to purchase the sending unit, too?

Thanks!

mb

 

According to the ALTA site, any gauges from 52mm to 60mm will fit, so I don't know why the 52mm Ultralites wouldn't work, unless there was some problem with the depth of the gauges.

As for the senders, most gauges come with the required senders, especially the boost and oil temp gauges.

Scott

 

Took this from the outmotoring site:

"[FONT=arial, helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=2]Gauges 60mm (2 3/8") in diameter fits easily and effortlessly into the pod."


Looking at the Jegs page, it doesn't look like they offer a 2 3/8 inch model. What gives?

mb
[/SIZE][/FONT]

 

Yea that makes sense...I saw one person post that they didn't fit, but others have said they do. Thanks for the tips.

mb

 

Keep in mind that the Alta pod isn't the only one available. There are quite a few now.

 

Which do you suggest I look into as well?

Also - if I get electric gauges - do I need sending units or controllers as in the DEFI case?

mb

 

Do you know what size gauge you will be using?

Scott answered this in post #17. The AutoMeter gauges should come with the correct senders, mine did.

 

The Alta gauge pod will take 52mm gauges, with that said Alta provides a rubber boot for each 52mm gauge. I had the ALTA and it looked like crap. I took it out and installed one from Cravenspeed.

As far as mechanical or electrical, the mechanical gauge for oil puts the oil right at the drivers face. I went electrical for the oil pressure and it installed easy and works well.

 

52 or 60 mm depending on which fits best in the pod I decide to get. The cravenspeed looks a lot simpler, and you get to move it for the best view.

mb

 

I'm looking at this kit from Outmotoring:

http://outmotoring.com/mini_cooper_a...gauge_kit.html

It replaces the two air vents on either side of the center-mounted speedometer (or Chrono Pack) with nice big 2-5/8" gauges.

The item description says it includes oil pressure and boost gauges, but the picture shows oil temperature and a vacuum-only gauge. They're standard Autometer gauges, so I bet you can order the kit with any two gauges you'd like (price will vary, of course). I already have the oil temp and pressure in the Chrono Pack, so I'd probably order Boost/vacuum and voltage.

The steering wheel will partially block the view of the left gauge, so I'd probably put the voltage gauge there.

Scott