Add-on gauges, yea or nay?

[VelocityYellowRules!]

Good morning fellow Corvette owners,

So for those of you have have had aftermarket work done as I am proceeding with, have you also added after market gauges to go with them?

Specifically I am thinking about:

1)a shift light. While there is one on the HUD it is pretty hard to see and I've missed shifting twice now I think and had the fuel shut off thankfully kick-in. Yes I'm an idiot and need to learn the sound of the engine better! 1st and 2nd gear WOT driving results in 7000 rpm coming up pretty darn fast. My friend who was a bracket racer had one in his car and found it useful.

2)air/fuel ratio gauge. Useful or just A-pillar clutter?

3)methanol injection gauge. When it is actively spraying methanol......

4)supercharger boost gauge. Outside of amusement of watching the needle move around, what might its' value be?

I am also considering while it might not provide me with any really important and useful information it might really amuse the daylights out of my passengers especially my son who loves this sort of thing.

Anyone want to share your thoughts/experiences about gauges with me?? Give me some concrete examples of why these displays would be important to have Manny add for me?

Cheers,

Garry

 

[Keith Tedford]

With that supercharged engine, you won't have the time to look at any of those gauges when the pedal is to the metal. It's going to take all your concentration just keeping that car heading where you aim it. Our 2005 has a G meter incorporated into the HUD, .......as if you are going to be looking at that while racing around a corner. There is a lot of stuff that just isn't practical or needed.
Our '69 Chevelle had the factory tach and gauge dash. That tach was so small as to be semi useless for drag racing. To read at a glance, gauges have to be BIG. When we hooked up aftermarket gauges in some of our cars, we also left the idiot lights hooked up. You are going to notice those lights much sooner than a gauge if you are not paying attention. Gauges will tell you if oil pressure or temperature are not where they should be. Might be a thought with our cars too. I'm sure Manny could come up with something. I think that warning lights still have their place.

 

[VelocityYellowRules!]

Good afternoon Keith,

I agree! I mean I would not really want the HUD display to be too much larger on teh car but the G-force display, both numerical and by bar is really hard to me to see at a glance. Likewise with the shift arrow, I've seen it come on but for me it is not bright enough to catch my eye before I end up exceeding 7000. Not a problem generally in 4th or 5th gear but 1st and 2nd WOT are just bang at redline in the blink of an eye.

I hate idiot lights for oil and water. I'd like to know there is a problem when they are headed in the wrong direction, not when they've arrived in the red!

Maybe what I need to be thinking of is the question:

1)how often am I going to be drag racing? Probably never. Most people when they hear me blip the throttle post-Dasilva will probably just change their mind and cower/quake in fear. I'd like to tune in a few of the STR 8 guys around here though.......

2)how often will I track the car? At this stage being 5 hours from Edmonton and 8 hours from Calgary probably never.

3)will it help me in autocross? Not with the track area I've done, I never get out of 1st gear as it is.

Maybe I'm just being silly and venting off my excitement to the get new car.

But my son would definately like the shift light and boost gauge!

Cheers,

Garry

 

[Manny@Dasilva]

Good afternoon Keith,

I agree! I mean I would not really want the HUD display to be too much larger on teh car but the G-force display, both numerical and by bar is really hard to me to see at a glance. Likewise with the shift arrow, I've seen it come on but for me it is not bright enough to catch my eye before I end up exceeding 7000. Not a problem generally in 4th or 5th gear but 1st and 2nd WOT are just bang at redline in the blink of an eye.

I hate idiot lights for oil and water. I'd like to know there is a problem when they are headed in the wrong direction, not when they've arrived in the red!

Maybe what I need to be thinking of is the question:

1)how often am I going to be drag racing? Probably never. Most people when they hear me blip the throttle post-Dasilva will probably just change their mind and cower/quake in fear. I'd like to tune in a few of the STR 8 guys around here though.......

2)how often will I track the car? At this stage being 5 hours from Edmonton and 8 hours from Calgary probably never.

3)will it help me in autocross? Not with the track area I've done, I never get out of 1st gear as it is.

Maybe I'm just being silly and venting off my excitement to the get new car.

But my son would definately like the shift light and boost gauge!

Cheers,

Garry

No shift light , but I will for sure install a meth light , which will tell you that your in boost and meth is spraying

 

[Keith Tedford]

The smoke off the tires in the rear view mirror will tell him when he is under full boost me thinks.

 

[CCO]

Go for the gauges, Garry. Love info, when you get the time to look.
C.

 

[VelocityYellowRules!]

Gentlemen,

So so far everyone is in favour of a meth light. Progress.

OK Manny, I'll bite. Why no shift light? Does shifting at redline from 1st to 2nd just require more seat time and a better tuned ear?

I know I might have mentioned this before Keith but outside of chirping the tires maybe 3 times on a clover-leaf I've never actually spun the tires. I was, I'll admit, most disappointed when after putting the car in 1st and letting it roll along at idle and WOT'ing it and the tires never spun one bit, TC on or off........I know with effort it might but I didn't want to be putting that much effort into it. I'm expecting a 50% boost in power might rectify that, especially after watching MADDOX's video but I really did think it would not reqire any effort to smoke the tires and so far I've been wrong.

I'm glad you guys put up with all my questions and offer me opinions, it helps me a lot......sort of why I'm on here rather than stumbling around.

I've short-listing the next batch of mods for Manny funding dependent - upgrade gear shift, paint interior parts, Red Stuff pads...............

Cheers,

Garry

 

[xlr8r]

Hot-damn, I'm going to bed now and will dream about what this will be when it's all done.

 

[Canuk]

Personally I would not want to drive a modified car like yours without knowing what is going on. I am not a fan of gauge pods so to keep things as stock looking as possible I installed one aeroforce gauge in my dash as in the picture. This gauge has 2 readouts at a time and can read the things you talk about as well as any item the obd2 spits out. It also can act as a shift light if you like.
its true that under hard acceleration with boost, there is no way you will be reading a gauge, which is why alarms are important. I set the alarm in the aeroforce to go off if, for example, boost is over 3lbs AND afr is over 12. You can set it for anything you like.
As for the meth, gauges are available but I just have the LED from the alky control kit right beside the gauge. If it doesn't go green, I'll back off as I would know something is wrong. Safer than trying to watch a gauge when running 10's down the quarter..

Aeroforce Technology Inc | Products - Interceptor

 

[VelocityYellowRules!]

Don't worry xlr8r,

I'm sure all things being equal I'll be stopping by on my way home. I remarked to my gf when I was dropping the car off in Edmonton we should have gotten in touch with you but we arrived much later than I had hoped and alos a bit frazzled after the trip so it was just going to the hotel, a short walk and in bed! Hopefully the spring goes easier.

Good morning Canuk,

That is one speedy car you have! Any idea the final dyno numbers from the build?

That is an interesting gauge that you have. It sounds very versatile. I can't see the Alky Control light beside the gauge yet, is it that subtle??? It sounds like something that might be a good compromise, especially nice to be able to set an audio alarm rather than having to eye the gauge itself. Something sounds so you don't have to look at what but immediately back off.

Cheers,

Garry

 

[Canuk]

Don't worry xlr8r,

I'm sure all things being equal I'll be stopping by on my way home. I remarked to my gf when I was dropping the car off in Edmonton we should have gotten in touch with you but we arrived much later than I had hoped and alos a bit frazzled after the trip so it was just going to the hotel, a short walk and in bed! Hopefully the spring goes easier.

Good morning Canuk,

That is one speedy car you have! Any idea the final dyno numbers from the build?

That is an interesting gauge that you have. It sounds very versatile. I can't see the Alky Control light beside the gauge yet, is it that subtle??? It sounds like something that might be a good compromise, especially nice to be able to set an audio alarm rather than having to eye the gauge itself. Something sounds so you don't have to look at what but immediately back off.

Cheers,

Garry

Garry,

That picture was taken just before I installed the Alky system. I can take one with the LED if you like.
It makes 615 rwhp and 640 lbs of torque. Many changes coming over the winter to try and see a 9.99999999 lol

 

[VelocityYellowRules!]

Good afternoon Canuk,

Thanks for the reply. That is a very impressive piece of work for a 6 l LS2. I makes me excited if Manny can get my engine in the same range. There is a sports car club in Grande Prairie and one of the faster cars is a SC'ed Mustang what can run just under 11 sec. If you're running about 1/2 second faster than that car then I might have to take a ride there to see if I can de-thrown that old horse!

I'm glad that I didn't miss the Akly Control light! I looked at the picture for a long time and kept telling myself "why can't I see it?". Then I told myself well I just have to ask him about it. It made me feel better to know it wasn't in that picture.

Which two perameters do you normally display most often??

Cheers,

Garry

 

[Canuk]

It really depends what I'm doing. Its just a push of a button to toggle through parameters. If I'm driving hard I'll watch boost, afr, and sometimes watch for knock. If I'm just cruising around I'll play a bit and check on my fuel trims, for misses, and a few general things just to see that everything looks normal. It always does but I'm anal that way.
Keep in mind all dynos read differently and it just a number for reference. The track times really tell the story.

 

[VelocityYellowRules!]

Good afternoon Canuk,

I might just have to see if there is a track by Manny's just to try my hand. I'm not that heavy into wanting to drag race, just want as much kick in the seat of the pants feeling as I can get without a fully forged engine. That is a bit too much of an expense for me.

But it is always nice to know if the car is just fast, brutally fast or go out collecting pinkslips fast!

Cheers,

Garry

 

[MADDOX]

one race track in St Thomas one in Cayuga
I will let you use my D,R

 

[VelocityYellowRules!]

Good morning MADDOX,

I'm not getting a good night's sleep. Way too excited!

Nice to know there are strips in the area. Are they open all the time? Can you just show up, pay and make some passes?? Maybe we'll have to get a crew of Corvette owners out for a small competiton to see who wins the "2013 Dasilva Cup"?!!!!!!!!!!!!

Remember Manny, sponsoring something like this should be a business expense! Advertising, getting new clients and that sort of stuff.

Well, I've said before that when I don't know what something is I'll ask so I hang my hairly head in shame and have to ask, what exactly is "D,R"?? Maybe my brain doesn't function so well this early in the morning??!!

It would actually be nice to get some pointers from someone who has haunted a strip a time or two to help avoid novice mistakes and excess tire and clutch wear too.

Cheers,

Garry

 

[Manny@Dasilva]

Good morning MADDOX,

I'm not getting a good night's sleep. Way too excited!

Nice to know there are strips in the area. Are they open all the time? Can you just show up, pay and make some passes?? Maybe we'll have to get a crew of Corvette owners out for a small competiton to see who wins the "2013 Dasilva Cup"?!!!!!!!!!!!!

Remember Manny, sponsoring something like this should be a business expense! Advertising, getting new clients and that sort of stuff.

Well, I've said before that when I don't know what something is I'll ask so I hang my hairly head in shame and have to ask, what exactly is "D,R"?? Maybe my brain doesn't function so well this early in the morning??!!

It would actually be nice to get some pointers from someone who has haunted a strip a time or two to help avoid novice mistakes and excess tire and clutch wear too.

Cheers,

Garry

Garry , D/R = DRAG RADIAL TIRES

 

[VelocityYellowRules!]

Good morning MADDOX, Manny,

That is very generous of you MADDOX, thanks! I do understand that they will hook up much better than S,R (street radials, OK I'm just having fun!). I'm assuming Manny that while I don't have the hardened shafts and so forth of MADDOX I ought to be good for a few solid passes.

Nice that within seconds of having gotten out of the shower I've learned something new today.

But then again having said that, I don't think I'm going to be going down the drag racing road all that much and so top 1/4 mile time that I can achieve is not going to be the knowledge that I am seeking as much as the best time I can achieve on the street tires I will be using.

Still it might be something to have to try for the experience as who knows if I would ever have the opportunity again? There is a bracket racing club in the area that uses the airport at Fairview, I've gone one before and I did find it interesting from the point of view of the fact that you win trying to come closest to your dial in time without exceeding it. So rather than just WOT the whole time a measure of consistency comes into play.

It was a very rough nights sleep. Sort of like the night after I got one of those really wonderful emails from my lawyer during the divorce!

But I am starting to perk up with the anticipated upcoming email from Manny!!

Cheers,

Garry

 

[Riley P]

Well, I see it two ways.

If you want the stock look when hunting SRT's and Mustangs (As if a Z06 can be a sleeper)...Anyway, go with the discrete gauge set or just the meth light.

If you don't care about appearing totally stock, go with the pods. I'm sure your son would love it and it would be fun to check out when cruising around. I really like Maddox setup.

Another question from watching may You-Tube vids, how cautious should one be going from 500 to 700+ hp? How long does it take to get used to having that much power and not have the car do something unexpected?

 

[VelocityYellowRules!]

Good afternoon Riley,

You bring up some interesting points. I do like the ability of the gauge MADDOX is using being able to display so many different perameters. I look at it from the point of view on once the car is back here if there was ever an issue I would not have to plug in my OBE2 reader and I could also get information displayed while the car is running. Now I'm not saying that there is ever going to be an issue once I'm down the road from Manny's but at least if something did pop up it would be able to provide some numbers that might help Manny guide me with addressing a problem...........

There is no doubt that my son would probably be tickled pink if I mounted a set of gauges on the passenger side of the car for him to look at. Can you say "Dada of the Year" award?

The adorable meter goes off the scale when we are driving together and as he sadly still wants a RHD import (I know............ and I'm working on it) he pretends to drive and shift when I do with his left hand. I just got to love that boy.

I would be lying to you and myself if I was not scared about the boost in power. I've seen a few too many video's of Z06's spinning out of control in situations when I'd have thought there was not a problem. One thing I have considered is that they may have turned off the traction and stability control which is normally something I don't mess with. Good advice given by both Cletus the salesman and Manny. As I've mentioned before I've only been able to snap the back end out on a cloverleaf three times before and the moment I took my foot off the gas it just smartly stepped back into line. That's why I was so spooked but that white Corvette that was autocrossing that the driver lost control of and slammed into the concrete. He doesn't appear to be going that fast and it looks dry.........

It is another reason why I wish I would find $2500 to get the RaceLogic TC system. It really does sound amazing.

I also wonder if I will ever actually race anyone. Living in small towns word gets out fast that once you beat the current king/queen of the hill no one would bother you. The stock Z06 can handle any other stock car you'll find on the street. I mean it was faster than the 2006 Gallardo even. So unless it is a modded car (including some imports), a ZL1 Camero, modded Challenger or Mustang I just can't see it being a problem. Post Manny I figure I'd really have to go far afield to find a faster car. No ZR1's locally, 600 hp Vipers or anything like that that I am aware of.

Now there could be some person with a tricked out car but I'll probably do my homeword first and discreetly ask around who has a quick street car.

I know Manny is not a fan of the gauge but I'd still really like to get it if the cost is not too high. Or maybe go without it at first and see if I'd like to see the AFR or 0 to 60 times displayed, it could be useful for helping me learn how to launch the car, for example.

Cheers,

Garry