Hey guys i got a n/a 3.8 right now and im planing on supercharging down the road, but i would like to have a 3pod piller gauge set.

what can i put in there until i supercharge it?
when i do super it i want a boost gauge.

 

what gauges you have now?

 

I say get these
Boost
Trans temp(itll be under stress with a s/c)
Aeroforce, to monitor knock and all the other fun stuff

 

oil pressure, areoforce, and boost

 

i got no gauges now but thx guys

 

How serious are you about supercharging it? I can think of 2 nice gauges that would only really apply if you supercharged it, so it would be kind of a waste to buy some gauges for now, and then replace them later. However, I also know a lot of people who plan to supercharge, and never do- so it would be pointless to wait for gauges that you may never need, you know?

You could do a Vac/Boost gauge- that way, it will still work now, it just won't go over the midway 0 point. Really, its more for show than anything- its not like on a turbo car, where you can adjust a boost controller to change your boost- so you can run a 'street boost' sometimes and 'race boost' others- and its not like it can ever overshoot the boost level either. With the supercharger, it'll climb to one value and sit there at WOT every single time the same exact way. You'll look at it the first few times you floor it, and after that its just for show. I suppose you could diagnose vacuum leak problems and such though.

If you plan to supercharge and mod- the aeroforce is a must! (and its nice even NA) It'll help you monitor the various engine sensors, and engine codes- which will be helpful now diagnosing engine problems, as well as later- plus its the easiest way to monitor knock if you decide to actually supercharge your car later.


A lot of people say trans temperature on these cars, but I wouldn't mess with it. Sure you'll have extra stress from the SC, but not much more than a stock L67 which came with virtually the same trans. Plus, being so far north, its not like you're going to be driving most of the summer with 100*+ temperatures- almost half of the year is cold out. I would think if you were really seriously worried about trans temps- that a trans cooler would be your first mod. Either way, I wouldn't mess with it.


In my monte, I have:

-30/30 Vac/boost gauge. (as I said, mostly for show- its helpful the first time or two you floor it on a new pulley, but boost #'s don't really matter anyways- as long as you're knock free on the specific pulley you're running), I don't really watch it much if ever.

-Oil pressure. I bought this because I had a fresh engine with a few oiling system mods, and I planned on getting the adjustable oil pressure piece (which I ended up buying)- so I had a definite reason to need one, I need to know what to set the pressure to, and I wanted to make sure on first startup with the swap that I had good enough oil pressure.

For a normal 3800, I think oil pressure is kind of a waste of time. The oil pump spins literally on the crank, so there is no slippage or breakage with driveshafts- and if the crank is spinning, the oil pump has to be also. Plus, I don't really hear of many oil related problems on 3800's outside of people goofing with stuff (running outside lines for a turbo or csc, or doing odd stuff with the pressure relief spring). I would think you'd likely end up watching it the first couple times- realize it hits about the same level every time at the same speed- and quit watching it.

(edit- not to mention, depending what series gauges you get- a Autometer C2 full sweep electrical oil pressure gauge runs $200- you could almost buy another 3800 bottom end if yours did fail for that price!)


-AEM UEGO wideband O2. I watch this quite a bit because I'm still messing with pcm tuning- but for a normal car, if you don't plan to do custom pcm tuning, its pretty much a waste of money.


In my honest opinion- even if you do supercharger, I really think the only thing that's a really good idea is the aeroforce gauge- you can monitor knock, and other pcm parameters for diagnosing problems, so it'll be worth it- and something that you'll likely use (even if its just to pull an engine code). I don't have one because I have a pcm tuner that gives me the same information. Other than that, anything else is going to be something you almost never look at after the first week.

 

Im really inbetween on the supercharger. It seems like a big pain in the neck and the i dont have 1 grand laying around. Its just i wanna get the body work done first so i have something to show.

Is there gauges i can get even if i dont go with the supercharger?

I really like the look of them.

 

You can get any gauges you want- the only gauge that would be completely useless without a supercharger is a straight boost gauge (sometimes called blower pressure)- since they only read positive manifold pressure.

Otherwise, go to www.jegs.com click on gauges on the left, the click on the different brands and types. There are tons of different gauges you can buy- trans temp, oil temp, oil pressure, fuel pressure, vacuum, voltage, EGT, O2, tons and tons of things.

 

If your jsut wanting to look at gauges look here, they got all kinds and they are pretty cheap and most of them come in 7 color choice.

http://www.glowshiftdirect.com/

however, they do have a store on ebay but for some reason their stuff on ebay is more expensive. also all of their gauges come with detailed easy to follow intstallation instructions.

I got one of their vacuum gauges and i love to watch it. im planning on getting a tach from them soon also cause mine is mesing up again. one more thing is they sell custom gauge pods if you call them and ask for it.

 

That is an upside to a vacuum gauge- gas mileage. By noticing how close the needle moves to 0, you can tell how hard you're pushing the engine (and how much fuel its consuming). I know some vacuum gauges have markings for 'idle' 'economy' and 'power'.