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Gauges for Turbocharged Cars

Gauges for Turbocharged Cars

Nov 1st 2021

A car or truck with a turbocharged engine uses recycled exhaust gases to increase its power. Turbocharged cars are great, but don’t forget that they need additional gauges to monitor engine health. You should watch your gauges closely to make sure that your motor and turbocharger are functioning well. 

Gauges for Turbocharged Cars

(Pixabay / DariuszSankowski)

Different gauges can ensure that your engine is getting the needed boost in power and that the engine’s internal parts are working properly. The following gauges, all aftermarket, can be added to your turbo car: 

Oil Pressure Gauges – Oil pressure is very important for turbocharged vehicles. It allows the oil to move through the car’s lubrication system. Without good oil pressure, you will be wasting your turbocharger, and you could compromise your engine, too. There are two types of oil pressure gauges: analog and digital. The analog pressure gauge has a plastic hose that is prone to cracking. It is better to use digital oil pressure gauges because they eliminate the need for the oil feed into the cabin.
Boost Gauges – The boost gauge is a pressure gauge that displays the air pressure of the manifold or turbocharger boost pressure in the engine. Running too much boost will damage your engine. The boost gauge will help the driver diagnose boost leaks and overboost. Just like the oil pressure gauges, boost gauges are either analog or digital. They read the boost pressure from the sending unit that is attached to the boost source. The sending unit transmits a signal that will be converted into a digital display on the display face.
Air Fuel Ratio Gauges – These gauges are used in tuning and also help in diagnosing exhaust leaks and weak points in the powerband. The wideband AFR gauge displays the stoichiometry of the mixture of air and gas in the engine’s combustion chamber after it is burned to create power. 

You can get optimum performance from your turbocharged car when you mount additional aftermarket gauges that will help you monitor your engine’s performance.