Most Vital Gauges to have?

[409industries]

I've always had a POS lamco boost gauge in my STi and am going to get the steering column 2 gauge Perrin mount for some amber gauges (probably the prosport ones because i dont want to drop a ton of cash on some Defi BF's)

This brought on what I thought would be a great discussion.

Which gauges do you feel are absolutely necessary to monitor that are not included in the stock Impreza cluster?

Necessary to monitor in regard to performance driving, etc. Since i have to choose two, im thinking of ditching the half-broken lamco and getting Boost and Oil Pressure...

[subyspawn]

boost and oil pressure is what i have...

[ankyle62]

i hear boost, oil pressure and exhaust temp are the ones to have. i dont have any because i dont have the cash for any right now.

i have been looking for a stock boost gauge but no luck.

[Bampalo]

i'm picking up a set next month, and after researching i'm going with boost, oil pressure, and exhaust gas temp. I don't even have a stock boost gauge (wtf!)

[RyanH]

I honestly think oil temperature is more vital than pressure. The stock idiot light would tell you if there's a major pressure issue, but knowing if you're pushing your oil temps too high I think is vital.

[L and E Fab.com]

In range of importance: biased off my racing experience.
Oil Temp: Most important indication of something is wrong or you are pushing the car too hard.

Oil Pressure: I would like to know before the idiot light comes on. (the idiot light comes on when you are almost out of oil) And your engine could be toast way before that.

Exhaust Gas: Tell if your car is running too lean or rich or if something major has gone wrong.

Boost: Not that important wile actually racing. Unless you are tuning and need to make sure you are not spiking or running too much boost. you can usually tell if something has gone wrong with the boost because your car is slower.

Next that is very important: Voltage Meter: to make sure your alternator is working. It has saved me a couple times in a rally where I notice it is starting to drop so i can replace the alternator at the service instead of having it fail during the night stages when i have four Hella 4000's running off of it.

IMHO Isspro guages are the best for the money http://www.isspro.com/

[409industries]

All great feedback. Thanks guys.

[wolfman79]

Totally agree with Erik. I've had Oil temp and pressure along with volt in all of my cars. They have come in handy on more than a few occasions. Like ripping a hole in your oil pan after hitting a submerged log last weekend, Not that it matters when you are 40 miles from the highway and have no cell phone service and it is snowing.