Gauges?

[LJ81]

I'm new to the  Legends racing so forgive my ingnorance. I have heard there is no reason to put any gauges in the car like RPM and Oil pressure gauges. But with me being new and only having one engine I think I need to atleast put in a oil pressure gauge and maybe a tach gauge. If so what would be a good gauge to install?

[IraceLegends77]

LJ,

I wouldn’t run a oil pressure gauge. It will just scare you because these engines don’t carry much oil pressure. I tach is cool looking but you really don’t have time to look at it unless you get a recall tach. Then even it is really not necessary. I do run a oil temp so I know when to turn on my fan but some would say that it will scare you too. Just my opinion. Hope this helps.

Scott

[bback58]

Here is my opinion on the gauges I have.

Tachometer - I don't think I ever looked at the tach while racing.  You don't really have time for it most of the time anyway.  The recall feature doesn't do much good if you start the race in a lower gear and then shift up.  A total waste of my money (imho).  You aren't going to blow it up by over-revving it.  That is what the rev-limiter is for.

Oil pressure - didn't work most of the time - another total waste of my money.  There is a free oil level light installed on the dash.  Just keep that in mind, and realize it will come on once in a while while you are racing so don't freak out about that.

Oil temp - I like having this one, but am I going to pull in because of a high reading?  Pretty much not a chance in hell.  Absolutely not necessary, but it is nice to have to satisfy my own curiosity.

Gear indicator - a nice gadget to have and was reliable.  It was nice to look at the dash and make sure you were in the right gear on a start, but it really isn't too hard to figure that out without spending $225.

If I was to buy a new car now, probably the only gauge I might buy would be the gear indicator.  I'll pass on the advice that I didn't listen to :  Unless you are loaded with cash, don't waste your money on gauges.  Spend it on the stuff that will really matter to you on the track.  After having some experience on the track, I realize I should have listened to someone wiser than me.

Brian B  #58

[Gimpster]

Good reply Brian.
I normally ran with the idiot lights in the past only. The oil light had a personality !
My old Legends friend, Pete Kvein, mentioned many times to me how nice a recall tach was to have so I picked up a used one this year. Boy am I going to be fast now !! haha (yeah right)

----- Gimpster -----

[thunder938]

The only gauge that is a must, I think, is the Gear indicator. It is so nice during yellows or red flags to know what gear you are in.  I have started incorrect gear with out the indicator.  As for the tach..waste of LBs and most take them out.  Oil temp and psi....well I see why people want them and they are fine, but you will not have time look while racing and once the temp or psi is in the BAD part of the gauge the motor is gone and may have hole in it before you have a chance to pull off.  

So, if the car has gauages in it then fine, but I would NOT spend $$ putting them in.  I took out my tach, and oil temp and put in a gear indicator.

With this said, it is what you like..

[JGRacing]

I like having the gauges and will keep them for now.  Even if I do not have time to look at them while at speed, I still like having any information I can get.  If I had to buy new, I would at least get the temp gauge so you know you are warmed up enough before pulling on the track.  If you road race, I would make sure to have a tach.  I would not think that all three are more than 2 or 3 pounds.  A gear indicator would be nice to have but is not in the budget at the moment. 

[LJ81]

Thanks for the quick replys guys! Think I will just hold off on getting any gauges right now till I get to run some and see.

[JGRacing]

There was also a long discussion on gauges awhile back that you should be able to find somewhere on the site. 

[NJRacer510]

Tach - Dont run one, if you are looking at the tach you are not looking ahead where you should be looking. Gearing depends on how you like to drive and you have a limiter so you will know when you hit max rpms but on Roadcourse I could see using one.

Oil Temp - Dont run one, rule of thumb is turn your fan on under cautions and after the checkered flag then once youre in the pits put a normal fan on the engine and turn your cooler fan off.

Oil Pressure - These engines run low oil pressure and the gauge is always bouncing around because the pressure drops way down during idle and deceleration. If you wish to run an oil pressure because it makes you feel more comfortable I would use a mechanical gauge instead of the electrical ones. The electrical sending units break from vibration and I think their like $35 a pop.

Gear Indicator - Out of all the gauges this is the only one I could see worth buying. Sometimes you loose track of which gear youre in during cautions and have to go through to find where you want to be. Also, this would be good for running roadcourse.

Basically in the end it comes down to what you would like to do.

Todd