Gauge Positioning

[Atari Boy 11]

I am thinking of getting an aftermarket ‘Tim’ gauge or two and can’t decided there to put them.

I would like the car to look at ‘OE’ as possible so have discount A pillar pods and dash mounted things.

As I see it, I can lose the stereo and fit them there but is there anywhere else that works and looks quite stealth?

Photos of would be appreciated.

 

Thanks

 

Jonny

[sonofsam 5]

 

You could hide a couple of pods by the side of the steering column plastics where it meets the centre console?

Or the center console itself, infront of the gearstick where that little tray is?

[Ryan 99]

I wouldn't buy Tim gauges. They're about as accurate as the standard gauges. My local Halfords has Tim gauges on the self next to all the chav crap, and the boost gauges don't even read zero when set unconnected in the box.

[Tom Fenton 1,542]

Agree with the above.

 

Racetech gauges are good and not that expensive.

[Atari Boy 11]

Okay, plan B Racetech then.

[MrG 3]

I may do this with the oil pressure gauge so I'll jump in here. Can the original oil gauge be substituted within the dash for an aftermarket item?

[sonofsam 5]

I may do this with the oil pressure gauge so I'll jump in here. Can the original oil gauge be substituted within the dash for an aftermarket item?

 

 

Yes! I did this for my boost gauge install.

[MrG 3]

many thanks, something else to add to the list!

[swordfish210 20]

First i will say if you're going to buy Racetech guages just buy Mocal guages instred. Exactly the same guage, it just doesnt have "Racetech" printed on it and they're normally about 20% cheaper than racetech ones. Secondly i mounted my oil pressure/oil temperature and fuel pressure guage here:

 

 

 

 

[Atari Boy 11]

Sonofsam's dash efforts looks wicked but probably above my skill level, Swordfish's idea is great, and one I hadn't thought of, thank you.

[GLPoomobile 958]

No offense to Swordfish, but if you are going to mount gauges down there, where they aren't in your immediate vision, you may just as well stick them in the little coin tray in front of the gearshift. I'm sure they fit as I've seen them there before, they would be far easier to fit in that piece of trim (I'm reckoning) and the piece is far more easily replaceable if you decide to return it to standard than that flap would be.

 

Also, are TIM gauges really that bad? It's the first I've heard. I posted a topic last year asking for suggestions on gauges and nobody said anything bad about them then! Consequently I bought TIM oil pressure and voltmeter gauges (still to fit) as they were reasonably priced and TIM is a name I know has been around for years, and not something I consider synonymous with the gay 'modified' scene (poor quality gauges with glow in the dark backlighting and LEDs etc). If they are that bad then I'll eBay them and get something else.

[engine killer 6]

has anyone tried fitting a guage/gauages in ash-tray and/or digital clock?

[tom_m 0]

i made this:

 

 

 

but i've yet to use it in anger.

Edited April 21, 2008 by tom_m

[swordfish210 20]

No offense to Swordfish, but if you are going to mount gauges down there, where they aren't in your immediate vision, you may just as well stick them in the little coin tray in front of the gearshift. I'm sure they fit as I've seen them there before, they would be far easier to fit in that piece of trim (I'm reckoning) and the piece is far more easily replaceable if you decide to return it to standard than that flap would be.

 

Yes that would have been easier if i was using electrical guages but i'm using mechanical ones and they have a lot of gubbins on them as well as the light bulb that just wouldnt have fitted under there. It was one of my initial thoughts but it wasn't hard to fit them in that flap and now all of the pipe that comes with it is tucked away behind there in the cubby space

[tri_longer 25]

At least you have that flap to mod, i've got a bloody cassette holder!!! I'm looking at making a carbon fibre plate to fit the gap and then fit the gauges in there the same as yours.

[Tom Fenton 1,542]

Gauges mounted down there are not good IMO, they need to be somewhere you can glance at them without looking majorly away from the road ahead.

[sonofsam 5]

has anyone tried fitting a guage/gauages in ash-tray and/or digital clock?

 

 

I did have a look at fitting one there, even found a blanking plate from a base model in the breakers,

figured the ashtray would be kind of difficult to cut a nice hole because of the pull down flap on the front of it?!

 

[GLPoomobile 958]

I've toyed with the idea but I'm put off by cutting away at the dash behind the ashtray and clock.

 

When I eventually get around to it I'll be modifying the air vents or making a housing to go where the top coin tray sits. Those bits are easily replaceable.

[bobob 0]

Sorry to hijack, but what do people think of Smiths gauges?

[oli-pug 6 2 Cars]

Smiths gauges are pretty good mate, and look nice and subtle too! I fit them regularly in the elise 1.8t conversions at work. Its either them or spa design if the customers got a good budget, they are gauge porn!

 

I'm personally going to make a blanking plate for the coin tray (it's bust anyway!) then fit a gauge pod on top. Although ideally i would modify the standard clocks to house a big tacho, shift light and and decent oil pressure/temp gauges.

[Craigb 2]

Gauges mounted down there are not good IMO, they need to be somewhere you can glance at them without looking majorly away from the road ahead.

 

possibly Tom if fitted in isolation , if using a warning light as well , the gauge position is not as important as the warning light alerts your attention before having to look at the gauge

[christopher 5 1 Cars]