Thread: What gauges to get ??

Originally Posted by jik22

Better is subjective. Electric rely on a sender unit, whereas mechanical will use a tube to bring the measured fluid right up to the gauge. I go with electric as I'm more comfortable running wire to the cab than messing around with capillary tubing. My personal view is this is also safer as a broken wire will stop the gauge working, whereas broken tubing will give you a leak and lost pressure. I think mechanical is supposed to be more accurate though, but whether this is true and if so by how much, I have no idea...

Being old fashioned I go for mechanical. Far more direct reading, that is, it is faster to react to changes, although the newer electrical stuff is good.
And lets not forget the burned out vehicles, caused by a bare wire shorting out some where.
Six of one, half a dozen of the other thank you?

I know VDO from Marine experience. Good but pricey.
VDO OEM in the International Fire Tenders I drove. They were accurate.
VDO dash in the F100. Stupid intergrated 5 volt dumb, dumb, dumb idea.
Bad example, delete memory.
Would not ever consider "Stanley" or "ND" (Nippon Denso). Honda owned subsidiary junk. Rather buy from Autopro.

As with all things, price will tell you the quality. But I do like Smith's, British gauges for our British vehicles.


Shorty.

I cant remeber where i read it, but your not allowed pressurized fluid lines to enter the cabin. This pretty much rules out water and oil directly, and dodgy (EDIT: unknowing) police may take it a whole lot further.

As far as i know this is why you see alot of 'old school street machines with the gauges on the bonnet.

I have a book on engineering for australian road regs somehwere, i should dig it up...