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hey guys i searched the board, i'm trying to find a boost gauge, i've narrowed it down to a few. Do i need analog or mechanical? thanks and sorry for the noob question.

isnt an analog gauge mechanical?

If you're asking whether you need an electronic or a mechanical gauge, I'd say to stick to a mechanical one. Electronic gauges cost a lot more and in this case don't carry any safety advantages.

well, the reason i ask is because i was on summit racing's web site and i was looking at some of the different gauges, i narrowed it down to a few, a VDO- 150052 which says analog, 2 different autometer ones ATM-3303 analog, ATM 3403 mechanical and then there was one made by faze Sun-883114 analog none were digital,they just stated analog or mechanical? i just thought there might be a difference like one tapped into the ecu to measure boost and the other used the hose on the manifold? please enlighten me, thanks everyone. damon

An electronic gauge has a sender unit mounted under the hood and has wires going through the firewall. A mechanical gauge has an actual vacuum line going all the way to the gauge. The electronic one tends to be much more expensive, but it does mean that you only have electrical signals, and no actual "engine stuff," coming through the firewall. This is a much bigger deal for gauges that deal with oil or coolant though.

An analog gauge displays the reading with a needle. A digital gauge displays it as a number on a digital display.

Electronic gauges can be analog or digital. Mechanical gauges are generally analog.

An analog electronic gauge tends to cost more to make than a digital one, but is considered by most to be easier to read.

Those four you mention are all analog mechanical gauges, which most people here would agree is the best choice for you. Choose between them based on price and features.

I would suggest buying one that reads vacuum as well as boost, since that's a useful measurement. That rules out the first choice.

It looks like the differences between the remaining three are who made them and what they look like. So pick based on who you trust and what your aesthetic sense tells you.

No boost gauges tap a signal at the ECU. If they're electronic they have their own pressure sensor unit.

As a general rule as well - analog meters show fluctuations, i.e. boost spikes, quicker and better than electronic readouts.

8 out of 10 Autometer boost gauges read 1-2psi higher than actual gauge pressure. I've seen a few read 2psi low as well. This is fine to use as a warning device if something goes very wrong, and you'll still see where boost is falling off, but I wanted to give you fair warning.

-Mike

Can you recommend a cost-effective brand that's more reliable in your experience, Mike?

vrg3 wrote:Can you recommend a cost-effective brand that's more reliable in your experience, Mike?

I really wish I could, but the cheap ones never seem to work very well. I'm still hunting. We usually use the Defi D-Gauge for boost and EGT (most Autometer EGT gauges read horribly wrong). The boost gauge isn't cheap at 109, but we know it works. We've verified it with our Autronic unit and it's dead on.

-Mike

What about that one that someone found off of McMaster Carr? They have always supplied me with quality products but I haven't bought much actual instrumentation off them. Boost is far from my area of expertise, just throwing up possible ideas.

Yeah, the McMaster ones are well-calibrated, but they're not illuminated so they're not really well suited for the purpose of an automotive gauge.

I haven't tested a VDO against a good MAP sensor to see how accurate it is, but I've heard good things. Might be worth a shot.

i honestly think i'll go with a vdo, they seem to have a pretty good name, i know they supply alot of the factory gauges for cars, as for the faze, i probably wont go for them for the simple fact that they make 22" tachs for the honda crowd.