To add extra gauges or not?

[DancinDog]

YO! I got a nice 1987 S52 going on and some have recommended putting an extra oil pressure and amp gauges, some say it's overkill. Opinions anyone? Add anything else?

Thanks

[BrownBeanE30]

do what ever floats ur boat dude its your car

[e30Hungry]

do what ever floats ur boat dude its your car

[Simon S]

meh. gererally overkill - but the reassurance is nice.

Mostly, I'm anti-clutter when it comes to interiors though..

[Wh33lhop]

Oil pressure? Maybe. Ammeter? Throw in a narrowband, voltmeter and a big tach with a shift light while you're at it.

[NZM3]

Hi, I have oil, amps, and volt gauges in my car put in by po. I have brought a good used console and will return it to original which will give me three less things to look at when I am driving and enjoying my M3, in the long run it costs more to return it back to original than it would have to install the gauges.
Dave.

[Simon S]

Jesus - amp and volt gauges are just ghey.

Why the fuck would you want to monitor your battery?

[brainspo0n]

did the car start? yep, the battery is still there

[matt0300]

http://www.autozone.com/autozone/accessories/Auto-Meter-5-in-10000-RPM-black-face-red-pointer-silver-housing-pillar-mounting-Autogage-Monster-shift-lite-tachometer-for-4-6-and-8-cyl-with-points-and-electronic-ignition/_/N-25mb?aqs=4294861872&counter=10&itemIdentifier=348999_0_0_

its what every car needs, i have 3 of them. makes my crack free dash look awesome and adds 20hp (well its suposed to, i only got 17 on the dyno)

[325ix]

If your tracking the car, then maybe throw in some gauges, but if you are just street driving it keep the interior clean. Oil pressure would be the only gauge I would have in a street driven N/A car.

[ainadude]

My two cents ...

Personally, I like knowing what's going on under the hood, especially with respect to oil pressure. An idiot light isn't much help if it triggers at 4-6 psi and you're running a weak 7-9. Theoretically, you could go weeks driving without proper pressure before the light even flickers, at which point your engine could be well on its way to failure. An E30's oil level warning is some help, but it's monitoring volume; not pressure.

Meanwhile, there's a reason an E30 M3 has an oil temp gauge instead of the standard E30's fuel economy meter. It's a bad idea to fully rev your engine until your motor oil has reached the proper temperature. More of an issue for a race car? No question. But I'll err on the side of caution, especially if I want peg the tach on a regular basis.

Finally, as for a voltmeter, sure, if your car starts, things are probably OK. However, monitoring volts can be a great tool for troubleshooting your entire electrical system and can warn you ahead of time if your alternator is failing or if you have ground issues relating to certain components and systems. It's always better to address something under the hood before it leaves you stranded. As for an amp metter, there used to be a fire hazard associated with running them, but I'm assuming modern gauges have that sorted out. Best to double-check if you're determined to monitor amps rather than volts.

Re the clutter issue, that's a matter of form versus function. The setup I have -- it's an old Dinan/VDO package with white needles -- seems to blend well with the standard interior and it takes me a split second to determine whether everything is where it should be. However, some gauges/packages will look better than others ... I'm guessing some can look pretty ghetto.

If I had it to do over again -- and could have seen the future -- I'd have held off in favor of the Alpina style/center vent-based setup MC Hammered is working up. Seems like it's going to be a great product and I'd still have that handy storage area for iPod, glasses, etc.

[charlescho]

http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=201489