Is boost gauge necessary?
 

Getting ready to install gauges, and want to know if a boost gauge is necessary, it costs an extra $200. I plan to install the factory match Autometers. Opinions???? Thanks. 2002 f350, has intake and 4" Diamond Eye, other than that stock. Plan on getting chip soon.

The point of the boost gauge is to ensure you don't produce more pressure than what the turbo is designed to safely handle. Stock turbo on a 2002 is good for 30 psi. If you go higher than that, you run the risk of premature failure of the center cartridge.

What other gauges are you installing? Assuming pyro, trans, engine oil temp? Coolant temp? I would put boost above the temp gauges personally. Fuel pressure has proven to be worth it's weight in gold as well.

Riffraff has the 4 gauge pillar pod kit. Think it was $600 or so, and he'll customize to what gauges you want. That was over a year a go with isspros.

I respectfully disagree with Jeff. If you are contemplating mildly modifying your truck, of those three, pyro-tranny temp- boost, hands down, the least important is boost. If you had to pick one to do without, boost would be the on. When towing, exhaust gas temps are critically important, as is the temperature of your tranny. You will know if you are low on boost. That is not to say boost gauge isn't important, but it is the least important of those 3 in my humble opinion.

I definitely agree on the pyro being most important. I discluded it from the "temp gauges" in my previous posts, at least in my own head...

As far as boost over trans temp, I agree if you are towing, like most of us do. If you are building a hot rod, I'd go with boost.

Towed our 10k travel trailer up a few mountain passes a few days ago, I didn't even think about the boost. But the egts were monitored closely, had to slow down a bit or it woulda been ugly.

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Alot of gauges are for diagnosing problems. There are new gauge platforms to use with smart phones that can give you many of these gauges for cheap.

If I could do it again, I'd do fuel pressure in place of boost. As jps47 said, the PCM reads boost through the MAP sensor, and even translates it to Manifold Gauge Pressure (MAP-BARO) for easy viewing. You could easily have a boost gauge with a smartphone app like Torque Pro, for cheap.

By the way, I have the AM Factory Match and like them very much. Just so happens they've just released the fuel pressure gauge as well. Too little to late for me, but I have my fuel pressure sensor wired into my Infinity.

Thanks for the replies. Yes, I plan to install pyro and transmission temp. Purpose is for towing. Will think about fuel pressure, how difficult is that to install? Thanks.

How big are your hands? Lol. It's not bad. There is a plug on the lower passenger side of the fuel bowl that you tap into. Just pull the plug, put in the adapter with oring, sensor goes into it. Shouldn't take more than 6 hours. (30 minutes if you take your time) :-X22

Personally, if I had to do it again, I would go with a digital gauge over analog gauges. Cost > benefit. The digital setups allow you to monitor so much more also.

I view boost gauge as a novelty, not a necessity.

Not really, it's the other way around, actually.

Like Jason stated above, that's not really a good option.

A boost gauge is cool, but generally speaking, its only real function is to help diagnose and track down problems that cause a low boost condition.

Stewart

I've never monitored the boost gauge to check for low boost. I set the alarm at 30 so that I don't over work the turbo. A blown turbo can be just as destructive as a blown transmission, especially if it sends pieces into the engine.

A boost leak tester is what I use to check for leaks, not a boost gauge.

Now granted, I'm not producing enough boost with my setup to be concerned, and I generally don't worry too much about it. The majority of guys here are in the same boat. Really, unless you have modified sticks, you're not getting more than 28-30 psi anyway. I guess that's why it's viewed, as Trey said, as a novelty.

Edit: without an over code regulator, the PCM will never allow boost to get that high anyway. When that is installed is when I recommend the gauge. Just my .02 though. The built in safety is being removed, an additional eye is needed.

My biggies: Dual pyros and a fuel pressure gauge. That's it. All the other information can be found on the OBDII port, and the biggies are nowhere to be found on the truck.

My total investment into an App scan tool (including the software, the OBDII adaptor, the tablet, and the mounting bracket) is $400. I can not only see the readings, I can log them and set hi and/or low alarms for any of them... so I don't even really need to watch them. Try that with a gauge.

My dash is always in transition, but I'm sharing what I've learned.

I have a quad pillar with boost, trans, pyro, fuel pressure. If I had to do it again I would probably go with a dual pyro setup. I would ideally have a gauge that monitored both on one face so I could keep everything as is but if I had to lose one it would probably be boost or trans temp. I have a wifi elm that I use with dashcommand which I can view on my head unit or iPhone. That has boost and trans temp among others. Fuel pressure sending unit was a little tough for me. When the first one went bad I bought a remote locating kit that came with the fittings and stainless line which helped a lot with vibration as well as accessibility. [IMG]http://i888.photobucket.com/albums/a...psszs4plxj.jpg[/IMG]

Pyro, tranny temp, fuel pressure,....go ahead and get the 4 pillar so you can have boost too. Fuel pressure has saved me many times. Boost has never saved me.

I started with the 3 pillar pod then upgrades to the 4 pillar later to add fuel pressure.