Digital Gauge Reviews

tyhuck · March 1, 2014

Ive decided that Im going to change the color of my dash lights from white to green. Im also looking into adding some green gauges that will match. Currently I am looking into the following brands, but the reviews on different sites are kinda spotty. I was hoping that someone could give me some input as to which gauges to look into, preferably from personal experiences. The brands Im looking at are as follows.

Intellitronix

Dakota Digital

Glow Shift TowMax (I like these because they are digital and analogue, but everyone says they are too bright)

Im also a little torn as to which gauges to get. I know I want a Trans Temp, because that's the one that Im currently running (only gonna replace it to match the green). I also want a gauge to help keep me a little more efficient in my driving habbits, since the truck gets about 12mpg. I was thinking either an Air/Fuel Ratio or a Vac. Pressure. I want to run 3 gauges, mainly for looks, but I would like the third gauge to be useful. I know if I had a diesel, I could run all kinds of different gauges (EGT, Boost, Pyro, etc.) but since mine is a gasser, what other gauge would you recommend for a gas pickup (in addition to the Trans, and Air/Fuel)? I also need one that is easy to install, without having to drill or tap any major parts of my engine or transmission.

Chris · March 1, 2014

Whole cluster or gauges to the A pillar

Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

kstruckcountry · March 1, 2014

Why waste $ on individual gauges? You'll spend too much going that route. For around $100 you can get a Scanguage II that has all that and more. Manifold air pressure, tranny temp, AFR, coolant temp, intake air temp, throttle position, volts, etc, etc, etc. It can display 4 things at once and you can change the backlight to a bunch of different colors. Stick it on the dash and plug in to OBD, done.

Or you can get one like the one I have now, up to 8 gauges at once.

tyhuck · March 1, 2014

Whole cluster or gauges to the A pillar Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

A pillar.

Why waste $ on individual gauges? You'll spend too much going that route. For around $100 you can get a Scanguage II that has all that and more. Manifold air pressure, tranny temp, AFR, coolant temp, intake air temp, throttle position, volts, etc, etc, etc. It can display 4 things at once and you can change the backlight to a bunch of different colors. Stick it on the dash and plug in to OBD, done.

Or you can get one like the one I have now, up to 8 gauges at once.

Because my A-pillar already has a gauge pod mounted to it, and a hole drilled in it to run the wiring for the current trans temp gauge. Plus, I like the look of gauges.

tyhuck · March 1, 2014

Did find this, which would allow me to use the current pillar pod that I have installed. Anyone know anything about it. Seems to work like the Scangauge. Just wondering if anyone knows anything about quality of it. Its a little pricey, and most of the stuff it does, Im not even sure what it means.

http://www.aeroforcetech.com/products_interceptor.html

On gauges like this, how accurate is the MPG when compared to hand calculations?

kstruckcountry · March 1, 2014

Chevyboy86 has one, shoot him a PM. I know a lot of diesel guys have them.

tyhuck · March 2, 2014

The more I think about it, the Scangauge is looking better because of the price. Ide like to reuse my pillar pod, but I could buy a replacement pillar for what Ide save with the Scangauge. The only drawback is that nobody makes any molded mounts for it.

I like the Edge too, but again, its a $350 upgrade. But, it does have a mount that looks somewhat like an OEM option.

I did buy an LED upgrade for my current Autometer Trans Temp gauge, so Im gonna wait and see if I can come up with some more cash. In the mean time, if anyone else has anything to add, go right ahead.

tyhuck · March 2, 2014

Hows the night illumination of the Scangauge? Does it have a dimming feature for night driving? My eyes can get sensitive to light while driving at night, and at times I have to dim my dash lights quite a bit because of eye fatigue. I am planning on mounting the Scanguage in the empty space under my stereo head unit (where the little cubby is under my single DIN stereo), and Ive had issues with aftermarket products being too bright at night, so I want to make sure its not gonna be a blaring beacon on my dash.

kstruckcountry · March 2, 2014

I had it mounted right where I have the Insight mounted now, and it wasn't too bright for me at night. You might be able to change the brightness, but it was right for me so I never tried to change it, haha.

tyhuck · March 2, 2014

Been obsessing a little over this I think, but after all the research, I found this, http://www.ultra-gauge.com/ultragauge/.

The reviews are great, and it offers up to 8 gauges to be viewed at once. Doesn't look as cool as the Edge and you cant change the color, but its only about $85 with shipping and extra mounting options. For that price, I might give this one a try.

tyhuck · March 5, 2014

Well, I went with the Ultra-gauge MX, because it displays more functions than the Scangauge, had a more attractive display than the Scanguage, and was way cheaper than either the SC or the Edge. I really liked the Edge Insight, but the coin just isn't there. The standard UG appearantly doesn't support the factory transmission temp function, but the MX is supposed to be compliant with most Ford and GM vehicles. I hope that the extra money was worth it. Will keep everyone updated on how it works.

tyhuck · March 9, 2014

So far, everything I have tried has worked, except the Trans temp gauge. Good news is, the gauge is supported in my truck, but I think there is a programming issue that Im currently trying to work out with Ultra-gauge. For some reason, the trans temp reads 5* F all the time. Aside from that, Im very pleased with the gauge. Having some MPG ratings is nice. Coming from my 05 which had a full DIC, to my 07 which only has the basic 3 functions was tough, but now I have Avg. MPG, as well as instant MPG. Already seems pretty accurate, but Im gonna check it over a few tanks to see for sure.

When I unboxed the gauge, I thought it looked too small. But, after turning it on, I quickly realized there would be no issues with trying to read it. The display is bright and the numbers are very easy to read.

If I did have a complaint about it, it would more about the customer support rather than the gauge itself. Support is only offered through email, and there is no customer help phone number anywhere to be found. In general, I have found email to be a bit cumbersome when trying to describe a problem to a tech for troubleshooting. They are pretty good about emailing back within 24 hours, but its still a pain when a 10minute phone call could solve the problem.

As far as mounting solutions, I have found some other forums where people have used the UG in the Edge Products mounts, so I may try to get a pillar pod and either replace the Autometer gauge and pod, or use is in tandem with the Autometer if I cant get the trans temp function to work.

kstruckcountry · March 9, 2014

I know I had to enter a special code into the scanguage for it to read my trans temp. Glad it's working, other than that.

tyhuck · March 18, 2014

Update: Got the trans temp gauge to work. Working with UG Support through email actually turned out to be much easier than my experience with other companies Ive dealt with through email. They seemed very knowledgable about their product, and helped by giving actual troubleshooting suggestions and told me step-by-step instructions on how to make corrections. Took me about 3 minutes to get it all fixed. Everything works great now. I like the fact that my trans temp is much more accurate than the other gauge I had installed in the test port. I feel like Im getting a true fluid temp reading rather than a case temp reading.

Also, just ordered a dash pod for the Edge CS, hoping that I can make some simple mods to it and get a factory style installation.

On a related note, if anyone wants an Autometer Z-series short-sweep transmission temp gauge, Ive got one for sale, complete with a pod already installed in the pillar trim, and LED replacement bulbs (2 green, 2 blue, 1 cool white, 1 warm white, and 1 natural white). Will sell the whole thing at a decent price.