Are A/F gauges accurate? at all

[Blue Blurr]

hey a shop is trying to sell me a Autometer C2 A/F ratio gauge, are they even accurate? i heard there a waste of money but the guy was insisting that they are a good buy, i havent ordered it yet cause i was sure. so can some of you guys clear this up?

So heres the story.... i was going to order a Fuel and oil Pressure gauge and the shop is saying the A/F gauge is really important and there like telling me i should buy it. so i didnt buy anything becaus ei wanted to check if the A/F is evenworth it.

 

[DSM Storm]

Well, first off, the autometer guages are set up for a range of 0-1 volt and they have 20 LED's if memory serves me right. Second they rely on your factory narrow band oxygen sensor which differs from say Honda sensors, or chevy sensors, etc... so the answer is no. www.gadgetseller.com sells some modified gauges that work from .72 volts to say 1 volt but once again, relying on the narrowband sensor for tuning. Your best bet is to go and get yourself a twin channel wideband setup for tuning and monitoring.

Storm

 

[Blue Blurr]

so then the gauge isnt worth it... will it give some kinda of basic idea of hwo the engine is behaving? or will it be totally off and just a show peice?

 

[DSM Storm]

so then the gauge isnt worth it... will it give some kinda of basic idea of hwo the engine is behaving? or will it be totally off and just a show peice?

Uhm....no... If your looking to monitor A/F ratio then id suggest looking at www.horsepowerfreaks.com They have some good deals on wideband oxygen sensor kits. AEM is a really popular setup at the moment too.

Storm

 

[bdcardinal]

the dynojet wideband is another really good option. where in CA are you. i know of this really good exhasut shop in the torrance area, the guy popped in a bung for a wideband o2 sensor in 5 minutes, only charged $25.

 

[54life]

so your saying that the autometer gauge isn't worth ****?

 

[vipergts281]

A/F guages are worthless.

Get a wideband if you want an accuarate A/F reading.

 

[DSM Storm]

so your saying that the autometer gauge isn't worth ****?

Thats exactly what were saying. The other problem with dyno wideband sensors is that the sensor is being used by many many cars. I have heard of plenty of issues where people complain that their wideband sensor isnt matching the data from the dynes wideband. People run leaded fuel through there and in general they take alot more abuse than the average joe tuning his car with a wideband on the weekend. I have a wideband, and I rely on it immensly. Without it, I would never be able to tune my standalone. I plan to sell my current car and purchase either a used 03 COBRA or an 04 model. I can assure you on that vehicle that it will use a twin channel wideband setup, and hopfully one day AEM's EMS unit (if they ever release it).

Storm

 

[Blue Blurr]

will the AutoMeter C2 A/F ratio gauge give any kinda of idea? or is it like complety not accurate and its wrong all the time and wont give any kinda of idea?

 

[bdcardinal]

it will give you a basic idea, but a wideband sensor with gauge, like the dynojet commander (IIRC on the name) will be significantly more accurate.

 

[DSM Storm]

will the AutoMeter C2 A/F ratio gauge give any kinda of idea? or is it like complety not accurate and its wrong all the time and wont give any kinda of idea?

Like I mentioned above, those guages are set to read from 0-1 volt, you need alot more resolution than that. The gadget seller sells those guages that are calibrated for a closer resolution but once again, your relying on a narrow band sensor that is inacurate. Bottom line, if your looking to monitor O2 data, wideband is the only way to fly.

Storm

 

[vipergts281]

will the AutoMeter C2 A/F ratio gauge give any kinda of idea? or is it like complety not accurate and its wrong all the time and wont give any kinda of idea?

Don't waste your money.

 

[Blue Blurr]

ok thanks for your coments guys you just saved me some money!

--Sean

 

[vipergts281]