What aftermarket gauges should I run?

[Malibu Q]

http://thumbnail.image.rakuten.co.jp/@0_mall/auc-zoom-eng/cabinet/miata_parts_in/in120g.jpghttp://thumbnail.image.rakuten.co.jp/@0_mall/auc-zoom-eng/cabinet/miata_parts_in/in140.jpghttp://thumbnail.image.rakuten.co.jp/@0_mall/auc-zoom-eng/cabinet/miata_parts_in/in120f.jpg


Been considering obtaining one of these Zoom tombstones. It's nice that they come in all trim colours, so they blend in nicely with a Nakamae vintage console, as seen in the red and black interior above.

They come with the option of either two or three gauge holes near the top. So what gauges should I put in there? I really have no idea. I had a car years ago with three accessory gauges. It had temp, oil and vacuum. I know I probably dont need a vacuum gauge, and I already have oil and temp. What else is there? Letting my imagination go a bit, I was thinking about having three clocks with Paris, London and Tokyo time. That's about how much knowledge I have on this.
So, what type of function gauges should I use?

And what brand would look nice in an Mx-5?
Chrome outer rings would match nicely with the KGW gauge panel.
Can RevLimiter match some (any) brands of aftermarket gauges to his custom Miata gauge faces?
Thanks for any help.

[Malibu Q]

I have just been lurking on RevLimiter's site and have partially answered my own question.
He is able to do classy custom faces for AEM brand gauges as shown in this pic I've just nicked from his site.

http://revlimiter.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/DSC_7380.jpg
Image credit: RevLimiter (http://revlimiter.net/)

Looking at them I guess I could use the Volts and maybe oil temp, although I'm not sure what use oil temp would be. Is AFR something you would want on an almost stock motor?

[Pfunk]

Does your '91 have proper oil pressure and water temp gauges, without damping that severely limit the indicated range? If so, volts and oil temp would be common additions. Oil temp is useful to compare with oil pressure, and gives you an indication of when it is warm enough to rev the motor. In summer it's good to keep an eye on the temps since you don't want to cook the oil, something that the OPG would not indicate. If you intend to run an aftermarket ECU at some point an AFR gauge wouldn't be a bad idea. If not, another gauge to consider is water pressure, although a warning light might be just as functional. If you want a third face for balance/aesthetic reasons, a clock would be OK. In any case, would you be having Rev make you matching faces to replace the OEM ones, so you have a complete "set"?

[Pfunk]

Of course, you're hearing from a guy whose NB gauge panels resemble a WWII fighter plane cockpit. I like keeping tabs on the motor.

[Phatmiata]

I didn't even know Revlimiter had those? Wow

[mx54life]

I am finishing up my set-up at the moment. Just recieved my custom Version 1001 cluster gauge from Revlimiter which was made to blend with my Autometer Sport-Comp series gauges i.e. Wideband, Boost and Volt. I also ordered the Zoom console and their holes accepts the 52 mm or the equivalent 2 1/16" guages. I will post pics when I get my KG meter panel. I would imagine you can make these holes bigger especially if you select the 2 holes center panel.

I have ask Adam regarding custom faces for aftermarket gauges so far he can only do the AEM as this is the only one that can be opened without being ruined.

[Vegard]

There are a few who has done some cool things in the upper spot Malibu, some small screens and switches etc, you will need to search here, cr and minkara or someone else might have the photos at hand!

[Malibu Q]

Its for my 93 Pitcrew build Pfunk. It has the proper oil gauge, not the switch.

I think I prefer three traditional gauges Vegard. No screens or switches for me.

Not so fond of the AEM gauges now I've had a closer look. The surrounds look very thick and are only flat black or silver. No chrome.
I quite like the look of these Smiths gauges. These are the sort of style I'm thinking of.
http://www.gauge-shop.com.au/components/com_virtuemart/shop_image/product/Oil_Temperature__5031afb7e37f8.jpg http://www.gauge-shop.com.au/components/com_virtuemart/shop_image/product/Clock_50318db92b8fc.jpg http://www.gauge-shop.com.au/components/com_virtuemart/shop_image/product/Ammeter_503187f04f1ff.jpg http://www.gauge-shop.com.au/components/com_virtuemart/shop_image/product/Voltmeter_5031b4553b236.jpg
Smiths don't have an AFR meter.
Which is better. Amps or volts?

Edit, they don't look very matching though. The fonts etc. are slightly different across these gauges. Didn't notice until I posted them together.

[Vegard]

I think this one is running something similar. It looks good:

http://cdn.mkimg.carview.co.jp/carlife/images/UserCar/83594/p6.jpg?ct=d9f47c6844f5

His profile on minkara: http://minkara.carview.co.jp/en/userid/195579/car/83594/profile.aspx

[mx54life]

If font matching is important to you as it does to me, search the aftermarket gauge that you like make sure they are 52 mm or 2 1/16" size and they have all the gauges you need in same series so the font and design matches then ask Adam to match the fonts of your aftermarket gauges against the design you like.

[revlimiter]

^ Yup. Much easier to match the OEM-size gauge faces to a set of aftermarket 52mm dials than it is to hack open a 52mm dial and make it seal correctly again. I can make a set of dials to match just about anything, but most 52mm gauges get ruined when you try to open them up.

[Dave737]

13695

http://i.imgur.com/oM6xUyS.jpg (http://imgur.com/oM6xUyS)

I just installed the Smiths flight series gauges a couple of days ago. I really like the way they look and they match Rev's Warbird cauges. The clock has a wired remote button to set the time. I installed that next to the starter/cigarette lighter. When the volts and oil temperature are powered as the ignition is turned on the needles swing the full range simultaneously. :8):
The only problem I had was wiring up the dimmer function. They look great at night however when I turn the dimmer full bright the Smith gauges go dim and when I turn the dimmer full dim them the Smiths go full bright. So I have the dimmer set in the middle and everything is even. I'm no electrician so you may have better luck with that than I did.

13698

[Pfunk]

http://www.speedhut.com/gauges/

Have you considered these? They're what I bought after a fair bit of research. You have a selection of bezels, faces, and they even do custom work. The gauges open easily, so swapping out faces is no big deal.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-CRzPVfTPFk4/VE81EIuqNyI/AAAAAAAAAro/aDL3utE94pw/w1948-h1298-no/022_new_interior.jpg

[Pfunk]

When I bought them, I replaced all the gauges and added others. The speedo is neat--you can calibrate it when you buy new tires so speedometer error is removed. I have a set of silver bezels and white faces for them all, too.

[Pfunk]

Oh, and they have built in programmable warning lights.

[Hammerhead]

I too, have the Zoom console and since I have a set of AWD gauges in red and black (w/red LED night lighting) I had been looking long and hard for a good 52MM gauge set to at least compliment my AWDs. After looking long and hard, i have decided to replace my mismatched set of old Autometer Phantom II and VDO gauges with six new Prosport Halos. They are color adjustable which means during the daytime I can have the numerals display in white and change them to all red at night to match my AWD and stereo backlighting. I'll be changing the DDMWorks 2-gauge radio surround for a 3-gauge. I'll have all the gauges I need for my turbo setup: Wideband AFM, Boost, EGT, Fuel pressure, voltage and oil temp.
13703

[revlimiter]

I've had a few customers order custom Speedhut gauges to match my designs. There's a few speedhut 52mm Rossa and Sunstorm gauges floating around in the world.

[Malibu Q]

Thanks everyone for posting up such good answers for me.
Had a good look at Smiths, and the Flight series certainly look nice. The Classic series have a retro British appearance, but I'm not sure that I'm so comfortable with the short sweep style. They have a classic oil temp which is full sweep which I posted earlier, but I've shown the short sweep one in this lot to compare.
The Speedhut gauges are great too, and a bit cheaper. Ive spent quite a while customizing them on their website and these are what I came up with. I like them.

https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8698/16141421264_9024bd23d4_o.png


I've had a few customers order custom Speedhut gauges to match my designs. There's a few speedhut 52mm Rossa and Sunstorm gauges floating around in the world.
Can you do new faces for the Speedhut gauges? Pfunk is saying they come apart easily. That would be great news. If that's the case it's Speedhut for sure.


I just installed the Smiths flight series gauges a couple of days ago. They look great at night however when I turn the dimmer full bright the Smith gauges go dim and when I turn the dimmer full dim them the Smiths go full bright.
Thanks for posting about the dimming issue with the Smiths. Asked a friend who is a sparky about a solution.

PS. Pfunk, your interior is awesome!

[revlimiter]

Can you do new faces for the Speedhut gauges? Pfunk is saying they come apart easily. That would be great news. If that's the case it's Speedhut for sure.


Not sure what you're asking. I can make Miata cluster faces to match anything.

Speedhut makes Speedhut gauges. It wouldn't make a lot of sense to spend a lot of money on them and then turn around, throw the faces away, and have me make new inserts.

[mx54life]

Get the aftermarket gauges you want, then order your cluster faces from Revlimiter matching the aftermarket gauge's style and font. Example sorry I can't take the autometer gauges out of the box as I am hiding them from the chief. Got so many purchases this past week lol. But you'll get the picture. You can see the fonts are pretty much the same and the design flows good enough for its age and time. Not too far from OEM. I like the simple effect and not too complicated to understand. I just have to find the right red nail polish to match the Autometer needles.


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