Gauges??

[hotwhip9]

I was reading the March issue of GM High Tech Performance and read that with the addition of nitrous it is helpful to have the gauges so you have more understanding of how the motor is running (in a nutshell). All I have been able to find is the pillar that will hold 3 gauges, so I've decided i will add 3 gauges.

I know I want the nitrous pressure guage. Will I be able to just get any nitrous pressure guage and be able to wire it into the TNT kit?

The other gauges I was looking at were air/fuel, egt, and fuel pressure. Which other two gauges would be the most important and how much should I expect to eat on labor to have these installed, or would I be able to do it myself?

[Injuneer]

The nitrous pressure gauge taps into the main nitrous line, so you can use any brand gauge with any brand nitrous kit. The common way to tap it in is to get a "gauge adapter", the main nitrous hose screws onto the adapter, the adapter screws onto whatever the line used to attach to - like the solenoid(s) - and there is a 1/8" NPT threaded connection on the side of the adapter for the pressure tap.

Nitrous gauges are available in "mechanical" and "electrical".... for the mechanical, you screw a special 1/8" NPT x -3AN "restrictor" fitting into the adapter, then run a -3AN braided hose to the gauge in the passenger compartment. The restrictor fitting prevents a cloud of nitrous from forming inside the car in the event of a line or gauge rupture. The alternative is to use an electric gauge, with an electronic pressure sensor screwed into the adapter fitting.

A caution... if you use a mechanical gauge, it will be dificult to fit it into an A-pillar pod, because the braided S/S line is not very flexible as it threads up through the pillar and the pod. I have my nitrous pressure gauge in one of the center A/C outlets on my Formula.

You definitely need the fuel pressure gauge. Must be electric.... the "pressure isolators" that must be used with mechanical fuel pressure gauges are not reliable, and can allow fuel into the passenger compartment.

As far as EGT.... I have on that is logged on my MoTeC ECU, and it doesn't seem to be a really good indicator of A/F, but it is probably better than an A/F gauge. You have to take an EGT measurement simultaneous with a good analysis on the dyno, using a wide band O2 sensor, so you know where your EGT is supposed to be.

The typical A/F gauge uses the stock, narrow-band O2 sensor, and that is simply not a reliable sensor when you are trying to measure A/F ratios in the range of 11.0-11.5 on nitrous and 12.6-13.3 running N/A. Under "normal" driving conditions, the gauge simply cycles back and forth rapidly between rich and lean, following the PCM closed loop operation to keep the A/F ratio at 14.7:1. Really not much more than a psychedelic light show.

I have a 2-gauge A-pillar pod with oil temp and trans temp, and have filled the center A/C vents with oil pressure, fuel pressure and nitrous pressure. EGT is recorded internally in the computer, no gauge.

[hotwhip9]

Injuneer,

Who makes your gauges? I like how yours are set up, but that is hard to do with the camaro, because of the lack of round vents. I found autometer lunar series, they make the nitrous pressure, but not the fuel pressure.

[gunter96ws6]

nitrous pres, fuel pres, and air/fuel, then youll be good as long as you know how to read them~gunter

[Injuneer]

All my gauges are AutoMeter Sport-Comp.