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Why many turbo cars don't come with gauges Posted by Ari [Email] (#2847) [Profile/Gallery] (more from Ari) on Thu, 28 Oct 2004 12:29:20 In Reply to: Turbo gauge...showing my ignorance, Anna, Thu, 28 Oct 2004 10:15:40 Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup |
The boost gauge provides nice information, but frankly, it's not one to worry about.
As seb says, green is no or minimal boost, yellow is getting near the top of boost, and red is excessive boost.
The first thing to know is that the engine controls boost by itself, and has a few systems to make sure you don't overboost. You, as the driver, don't have to drive the car any different. You don't have to back off the gas if you see the boost going up. Heck, you could tape the gauge over, and drive any way you want. The car will protect itself just fine.
So, why the boost gauge? Primarily because folks like to watch it. Consider it a macho thing. "Hey man, did you see how much boost I got on that on ramp?" No fun without a gauge.
Where the gauge would come in handy is two places - the first one is for fuel economy. If you wanted to drive for maximum fuel economy, you'd want to keep the needle in the green. Again, nothing I'd worry much about.
The second reason would be as a way to diagnose problems, if you have one. Is the car running with no power? If the boost gauge isn't moving much, it provides a hint. If the car is suddenly too powerful, and you see the needle burying itself into the red, then you know that the built-in turbo limiters have failed and need to be repaired.
So unless the car is suddenly doggy or feels like a rocket is tied to the tail, don't sweat the turbo gauge.
As to shifting rough, that's a different matter. That's usually, well, rough transmission shifts. You'd feel a thump as the car shifts gears. That would be a transmission issue, not a turbo issue.
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