What vacuum gauge to use?

[UglyEd]

Hey everyone finally gonna get a vacuum gauge to help out my tuning....soo what kind of vac gauge does everyone use and where did it come from....i looked at AutoZone and there's seems a little pricey (39.95)...mines an 89, with 81 escort carb if that makes a difference...thanks

Uglyed and the Steve

[White92]

I've got one that was mounted on my steering column I'd sell ya for $20 bucks. if interested send me a PM and i'll get you a picture of it. Was working good

[ryanprins13]

You have no turbo so you want just a vac gauge right, no boost?
Its taken me a long time to find a cheap one that worked. Ive probably bought 5 from china on ebay. Last one was $40 from the states and works ok.
The china ones werent calibrated or rattled to much for me to handle while i was driving.
If i was to do it all over again i would spend up to $70 on a name brand ish one at a local store and just return it if its not calibrated or makes noise

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[FestYboy]

Is this for testing/tuning, or monitoring while driving?

[UglyEd]

Its for tuning and driving...trying to make it run agap to get the best mileage....i was wondeeing if this was one of those things that cheaper isnt always better....and you are correct no turbo,no boost

[UglyEd]

I also once and a while at idle hear the exhaust make an odd almost stumbling sound and figured this could help me pinpoint that anomoly...i was going to use the vacuum diagnosing sticky thats on here...luv this sight!

Uglyed and the Steve

[FestYboy]

The reason I ask is you would want to use different units tward your gains. I like using the unit available from harbor freight because the gauge face is large (3"+) and it's adjustable for proper calibration. Anything you want in the cabin needs to be simpler and most aren't able to be calibrated at home.

[UglyEd]

K i have been looking and should i go with mechanical or digital?

[ryanprins13]

Its your preferance. I much prefer mechanical. For fuel econonmy you try to keep the needle steady and thats easier to see with a needle rather than watching numbers for me.
Also for any diagnosis how the needle shakes is important. I dunno how fast of a response a digital one has

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[UglyEd]

K thanx all for the info

Uglyed and the Steve

[FestYboy]

Definitely mechanical, digital tends to be too slow unless you get really expensive ones.

[UglyEd]

Definitely mechanical, digital tends to be too slow unless you get really expensive ones.

That answers that thankya....now how much to spend before my wife asks why i spent that much on my "work car" LOL

Uglyed and the Steve

[ryanprins13]

The trisco one in my civic works well. Cheap. But you need a seperate dimmer or it will blind you.
I bought this spw one thinking it was the same as the trisco but it was different. It worked out of the box but i dropped it. Had to open it up and calibrate it. Broke the gauge doing that because they arent meant to be opened but glued it back togeather and you dont really notice.
A cheap one with an led backlight will likely need its own dimmer. I prefer the standard halogen/incandecents.
These gauges are indispensable to me, i can hardly hold a speed in a quiet car without one, lol.
Like i said before, I would put good money into one if i had to buy another. I got a bunch from china and local stores that were way out of calibration, rattled, stuck in certain spots...
Also on all cheap gauges those plastic rings eventually crack and keep the needle from moving... hence the pin on this one.




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[UglyEd]

The trisco one in my civic works well. Cheap. But you need a seperate dimmer or it will blind you.
I bought this spw one thinking it was the same as the trisco but it was different. It worked out of the box but i dropped it. Had to open it up and calibrate it. Broke the gauge doing that because they arent meant to be opened but glued it back togeather and you dont really notice.
A cheap one with an led backlight will likely need its own dimmer. I prefer the standard halogen/incandecents.
These gauges are indispensable to me, i can hardly hold a speed in a quiet car without one, lol.
Like i said before, I would put good money into one if i had to buy another. I got a bunch from china and local stores that were way out of calibration, rattled, stuck in certain spots...
Also on all cheap gauges those plastic rings eventually crack and keep the needle from moving... hence the pin on this one.




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Good info to know

Uglyed and the Steve