There is a lot going on inside your vehicle that you cannot see while you drive. Without specialized gauges, you'll have no idea how well your engine is running, whether your oil is at the proper operating temperature, and how well you can expect your vehicle to perform. This is why so many race cars and high-performance vehicles are equipped with performance gauges.

These specialty gauges allow you to monitor things like oil pressure, oil temperature, fuel pressure, and more. They work to improve the style of your ride's interior and can help make your vehicle more efficient and capable as well.

Monitor Your Vehicle Systems More Effectively

The number one reason to add performance gauges to your vehicle is to monitor your car's systems more effectively. Whether you want to know how much boost your engine is producing. What your oil pressure is, the RPMs of your ride, your oil temperature, your battery voltage, or another key metric, you can see all that information at all times with the right gauge installed.

If you're a tuner, a modder or you race cars you have obvious reasons to want to see extra information about your vehicle and its engine. Even if you don't use your vehicle for any of those reasons, it's still good to have extra information at times. For instance, if you're using many accessories such as lights on your vehicle, you may want to see your battery voltage level so you know you aren't depleting your battery. If you're towing and hauling regularly you should monitor engine temperatures to ensure you aren't working it too hard.

So how do you recognise the signs of worn-out engine mounts? These top tips will help you to identify when you need to replace them:

No matter how you're using your vehicle, having extra information won't hurt things. You'll be more likely to notice unhealthy patterns in your car's information and with more gauges you may notice problems that you would have overlooked otherwise. This is why so many people decide to get performance gauges for their vehicles.

Detect Vehicle Issues Sooner

Well-made performance automotive gauges give you a more detailed look at your vehicle's engine and how it's performing overall. This enhanced look isn't just good for race-car drivers or modders with turbochargers and other enhancements. Performance gauges are useful for everyday drivers too. With additional information available to you about your oil pressure, your coolant temperature, and your fuel-to-air ratio among other things you'll know when your engine isn't running properly.

These enhanced gauges give you the ability to see when your car is struggling in some way. You are likely to notice a serious change in oil pressure, new temperature readings for your coolant and other significant changes. When you note a major change, it's likely your engine is developing a problem, or it already has one.

With performance gauges installed, you'll notice engine issues sooner, so you have more time to address them before your vehicle suffers significant damage.

Enhance Fuel Efficiency

Many car owners assume their vehicles are running optimally already, but few really are. This is why having extra performance gauges makes sense. With these gauges, you can look at the fuel-to-air ratio and also at exhaust temperatures to learn how efficient your engine is. If your engine is running too lean, or too rich, you can get information that tells you that so you can make adjustments to your ECU and change how much fuel is injected into your engine. Making these tuning improvements will make your engine far more efficient and improve your engine's power as well.

The performance gauges are even more useful for modded car owners using turbochargers and superchargers, but even stock cars are often running inefficiently. Add performance gauges to your ride and you'll notice when your ride needs a tune-up to make it efficient again.

Customize Your Vehicle's Driving Experience

Custom car performance gauges give you the ability to customize your driving experience more. You can see only the information you care about as you drive. You also have the opportunity to add another speedometer or another common gauge anywhere you want in your vehicle. See your vehicle's battery power, look at your current engine boost levels, and watch key car metrics as you drive so you know exactly what's happening in your vehicle at all times. The additional information can help you drive more effectively, and for many vehicle owners, the information will make driving more enjoyable too.

Add Style to Your Vehicle Interior

Make your ride look like a high-performance race car with performance gauges for cars installed. Add gauges to your car's dashboard, the pillar, or another area of your vehicle and give it a more professional look. These gauges are sold in different styles and colors, and you can use the various options to create the look you want for your car's interior. With so many different gauge types available you can coordinate the gauges with other styling cues in your vehicle.

Getting the Right Performance Gauges For Your Vehicle

Performance gauges give you the information you need to monitor your ride and to drive more effectively. Some will help you identify potential problems before your engine suffers from too much damage. Other gauges give you immediate feedback if you're making changes to your vehicle. No matter why you want upgraded gauges, it's essential that you choose high-quality gauges, and that you get the right type of gauges for your vehicle.

What The Gauges Are Used For

Performance gauges are used for many different purposes inside vehicles. Learn about some of the common gauge types and their functions before buying any of your own.

  • Oil Pressure:
    • Watch to see if your engine is getting enough oil to stay lubricated properly.
    • Oil pressure starts high, reduces when your engine heats up, and goes up when you accelerate.
  • Boost Gauge:
    • If you're using a turbocharger or supercharger you can monitor their performance with a boost gauge.
  • Water Temperature:
    • Watch for issues with overheating by looking at the water temperature in your ride.
  • Fuel Pressure:
    • Verify your fuel injector is receiving enough fuel.
    • Watch for a failing fuel pump with a fuel pressure gauge.
  • Air Fuel Gauge:
    • Monitor your engine's fuel-to-air ratio with this gauge.
    • Verify the engine isn't running rich or lean.
  • Battery Voltage:
    • Watch your battery charge.
    • Ensure your alternator isn't malfunctioning with a voltage meter.
    • This gauge is important if you use many powered accessories that can drain your battery.
  • Oil Temperature:
    • Verify your engine isn't running too hot to damage your oil.
    • Ensure it is warm enough before you start driving hard.

Leading Brands for Performance Gauges

Choosing gauges from dependable brands helps you get more reliable products that you can trust. Gauges are only as good as the data they provide you with, which is why it's so important to choose top-quality brands when investing in gauges.

Bosch is well-known for its high-quality tachometers and boost gauges. They're accurate and many performance enthusiasts use gauges made by the company.

Most people have heard of Autometer before, and this company offers oil and water temperature gauges among others. Autometer is a dependable brand with many aftermarket gauge options.

AEM is another dependable company that offers reliable air and fuel ratio gauges as well as oil and fuel pressure gauges.You can also find high-quality gauges among STI parts.

Conclusion

Now you know why performance gauges are used, which gauge types are best for you, and what brands to choose. Use this information to help you get the right performance gauges for your vehicle today.