In the first part of this two-part series (see
In-Car Air-Fuel Ratio Gauge Buyers' Guide - Part One) we highlighted why you’d want an in-car air-fuel ratio gauge and the
difference between narrow-band and wide-band AFR gauges. We also kicked off with
the specs of the most affordable air-fuel ratio gauges on the market.
In this part we’ll detail the spec of upper-crust
narrow-band gauges and their professional grade wide-band cousins...
Up-Market Narrow-Band AFR Meters
A’PEXi Auto Timer
The A’PEXi Auto Timer isn’t pitched as an air-fuel
ratio gauge – instead, it’s a sophisticated turbo timer that receives an input
from the car’s oxygen sensor to determine idle-down period. But one of the
unit’s added features is the ability to show air-fuel ratio (as a numeric
air-fuel ratio display or millivolts) and battery voltage. The unit is
pre-programmed with a ‘base map’ that correlates oxygen sensor voltage to a
specific air-fuel ratio but you can calibrate this relationship in 0.1 AFR
steps. It’s advisable to calibrate the unit against a wide-band air-fuel ratio
meter.
The Auto Timer is a very compact device that can
be mounted almost anywhere in the cabin without attracting too much unwanted
attention. It’s available from most Japanese go-fast parts importers. See
Sophisticated Timer
for our review.
Price: Around AUD$150
AutoMeter Air-Fuel Ratio Gauge
AutoMeter offers a range of air-fuel ratio gauges
which are identical in size and specs – only the appearance varies. These gauges
are 52.4mm diameter which allows you to mount them like a conventional gauge. A
series of LEDs sweep around the edge of the gauge with zones marked Lean, Stoich
and Rich. There are 12 different gauge styles including the popular carbon fibre
face.
Sold by most speed shops, the AutoMeter AFR gauge
is popular for its seamless integration with other AutoMeter gauge products –
you can even mount in on the A-pillar. AutoMeter also offers an oxygen sensor
kit for vehicles not factory equipped with an oxygen sensor. The kit comprises
an oxygen sensor, wiring harness and weld-on exhaust fitting.
Price: AUD$120 to AUD$160.
GReddy Air-Fuel Warning Gauge
Japanese go-fast brand, GReddy, offer an air-fuel
ratio gauge that’s similar to the AutoMeter product. However, the GReddy
air-fuel gauge has a larger (60mm) face and uses a needle pointer to display
mixtures from 16.0:1 to 8.0:1. The gauge has a 270-degree sweep and, as a member
of GReddy’s Warning Gauge series, it boasts a warning light, peak recall and
peak mode. A silver, white or black face is available – the white and black face
units are backlit green while the silver face model is backlit orange. GReddy
also sell A-pillar pods suited to their 60mm diameter gauges.
This product is a rare sight in Australia
(probably due to its price) but can be purchased through GReddy dealerships.
Price: Around AUD$600.
Saber Air/Fuel Ratio Gauge – Smokey Lens
Series
The Saber Smokey Lens Series AFR gauge use a
stepper motor controlled needle pointer and is claimed to provide accuracy up to
0.1 degrees of movement. The gauge is invisible when no power is applied, but
switch on the ignition and the Lean, Optimal and Rich scale is lit by white
LEDs. In low light conditions, the needle is lit red and there’s an inbuilt
dimmer function. The gauge is 60mm diameter.
Saber gauges are available through selected
go-fast shops, including several on-line based outlets.
Price: Around AUD$165
AC Autotechnic
A relatively unknown brand in Australia, AC
Autotechic offers their S7 Invasion Air-Fuel Ratio Gauge. This gauge is 52mm
diameter and has an all-black face when switched off. When switched on, the face
clears to reveal the super white, blue, red and orange markings. The zones are
marked Lean, Stoich and Rich. A white face version is also available.
It’s available from various parts retailers such
as http://www.alldayperformance.com.au
Price: AUD$190.
In-Car Wide-Band ARF Gauges
Haltech
Australian programmable management company,
Haltech, offers a wide-band Lambda sensor controller which can be configured
with an in-house developed display gauge for permanent wide-band AFR
monitoring.
The wide-band Lambda sensor controller kit comes
with a dedicated wide-band oxygen sensor (which you need to mount in the
exhaust) and a control system with inbuilt temperature correction to ensure
maximum accuracy. The unit is designed to interface with Haltech management
systems (to provide air-fuel data logging) or can be mated to the in-dash
display gauge. The display gauge is claimed to offer 0.1 AFR accuracy through a
three-digit real-time display combined with an LED graph. The display is 52mm
diameter and just 18mm deep so it can be easily mounted in a variety of
positions.
The unit comes pre-calibrated and is available
through all Haltech agents.
Price: AUD$600 (including sensor controller and
display gauge)
AEM
AEM Power offers a wide-band UEGO Controller kit
which, although primarily designed to interface with programmable management
systems, can be purchased with a dedicated gauge. The gauge is designed to work
with AEM’s supplied Bosch 02 sensor.
The gauge unit is 52mm diameter and offers a
numeric air-fuel ratio display as well as a 24 LED graph that’s scaled from
11.0:1 to 16:1. The LEDs are green in the rich zone and red in the lean zone.
There’s also a handy user-programmable 0 – 5V output that’s useful for data
loggers and aftermarket management systems. The unit is claimed accurate to 0.1
AFR.
Price: Available on eBay for around AUD$500.
Tech Edge
The latest release from Tech Edge is the LA1
Cicular Wide-Band Lambda Display. The unit is a conventional 52mm diameter and
offers a 30 dot bi-colour (red or green) peripheral display. A numeric air-fuel
ratio display is also integrated into the centre of the face.
The LA1 works with all second-generation or newer
Tech Edge wide-band units. The 2A unit is designed for use with an inexpensive
Bosch LSU sensor and NTK L1H1/L2H2 sensors. Also included is a multi-channel
data logging function and you can buy it either pre-built or Do-It-Yourself. For
even more features you can step up to the 3-series wide-band units which offer
even more functionality and options – we suggest you visit the company’s
homepage at http://wbo2.com/ for full
details. The gauge and wide-band units are joined using a mainstream
RS232connection.
Hand-held wide-band AFR meters (not quite as
suitable for in-car mounting) are also available. These are coded LD02 and 2E0.
Price: Complete systems (including a Bosch or NTK
sensor) from around AUD$600
So for between AUD$14.95 and around AUD$600 you
can kit out your car with any level of air-fuel ratio monitoring equipment.
Really, there are no excuses for not having one of ‘em – a cheapie
narrow-band gauge at minimum...
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