Boost gauge and Oil psi gauge anyone?

Well,guys, my question was specifically about monitoring boost while driving:
"I have a silly question:
Unless you are doing a retune, what does the boost gauge tell you that realistically would affect your driving?
Engine needs boost, it decides how hard to drive the turbos. Other than pressing the gas pedal harder, what involvement does the driver have?"

I have no problem with real time instrumentation that gives me real-time information I can do something about, like tranny temp, instantaneous MPG, battery voltage, real oil pressure, etc. Even real time tire pressure readout & temperature would be nice
I also have no problem with instrumentation to help diagnose a problem. I think ScanGauge is probably a good idea for both purposes. Or using a gauge to experiment with your driving style.

Seems to me that, while driving normally, a boost gauge won't tell you much that you can't already do just by listening for the turbos to spool.
I never experienced a turbo failure, but I'd guess that it is a fairly catastrophic failure, with little or no warning. So the gauge wouldn't help here. If a boost gauge will show developing real-time problems, I don't know what those problems are. Hence my question.

My question was about watching turbo boost while driving normally. Isn't monitoring a gauge that doesn't affect how you drive normally, while you're driving normally, sort of akin to texting while driving? Just some information overload that gets in the way of your main task?

Stan

I'm in a somewhat curmudgeonly mood, so keep that in mind for these answers.
Driving Normally
I'd define driving normally as meeting at least one of the following (or similar) criteria.
1. Driving because you have a specific destination in mind.
2. Driving in any sort of traffic.
3. Driving where engine racing and burnouts might upset the neighborhood. Especially at 2AM.
4. Driving on roads where tire spinning, donuts, skidding, etc. would tear up the road surface (like gravel or dirt roads).
5. Driving without first needing someone hold your beer.

Operating parameters based on instrumentation color:
Wouldn't it be just as easy to say that you don't stress your engine when the colors tell you the engine is too cold or too hot? Do you need the boost gauge to keep a light foot at those times?

Maximizing fuel economy
Does the boost gauge tell you anything in this case that an instantaneous and average MPG gauge doesn't?

Hearing the turbos
Currently, the only turbo vehicles I have are my Transit and F-150. In both cases, I can hear and feel when the turbos spin up. But the point remains that I don't need to see what the absolute pressure is to modify how I'm driving. If I'm climbing a hill, or passing a grandma when I get to the passing lane, I need more gas, and possibly a downshift. The turbos will either kick in or not.

Air leak
This is an example of a diagnostic use of the gauge, not a normal driving use. Your discovery that there was a problem was a not result of the gauge. You identified the problem by the lack of power and the leak sound. The gauge only helped you figure out where the problem came from.

So, I'm not trying to bust your chops, or saying having available diagnostics is a bad thing. I believe my question remains unanswered: What does the boost gauge tell you that realistically would affect your driving...NOT YOUR DIAGNOSTICS OR TUNING EXPERIMENTS, especially with a Transit van?

>

Stan

phantom6294 said:

....
Let's see... I started my paragraph off with: "As for a developing real world problem that a boost gauge helps" offering a response to your statement: "If a boost gauge will show developing real-time problems, I don't know what those problems are." I guess boost leak isn't on your list. It's on mine.



Yeah, I think you are. Did you even read my post? I laid out exactly how I "realistically" use boost as a gauge and was even completely honest that it is an arbitrary demarcation. Your question has been answered, you just don't seem to like the answer. You don't seem to like how others use the information provide by a boost gauge. You don't seem to want to use boost as a deciding factor in how you drive your vehicle. You clearly have already made up your mind that monitoring boost is not worthwhile. THEN DON'T.

I will be using my ScanGauge on my Transit once it arrives and boost will be one of things I monitor. I will realistically use it similarly to the way I realistically use it on my Mazda.

Click to expand...

My, my, and here I thought I was in a pissy mood this morning!

If you had bothered to read my original question AND my follow-up questions, (and took a few minutes to think) you might have noticed I asked for reasons why one would use a boost gauge in "normal" driving. At your request, I defined what I meant by that.

I made it clear that I was not asking about use as a diagnostic once you knew something was wrong.
I made it clear that I was not asking about tuning applications.
I made it clear that I was not talking about racing.

I made it clear that I was looking for examples where the boost gauge gave an early heads-up that a problem was starting, or a case where monitoring it in "normal" driving helped the normal driving.

You talk about your multi-color temperature display letting you know when it's inadvisable to stress the engine (as with a turbo boost). But you are monitoring temperature (not boost), to make that judgement. A good idea.
Unless you are saying that reading a boost gauge is the best way you can tell that you are pushing a cold or hot engine too hard, that good idea has nothing to do with boost readouts.

But instead, with your boost leak example, you cite an case where you used the gauge after you already knew there was a problem. Not the heads-up warning I was asking about.

I asked what (if any) advantages using a boost readout had over simply monitoring MPG, if your goal was to monitor and improve MPG.

And now about all you claim is that's the way you like it, and that for some odd reason you believe that I see no use for ever taking a boost reading. Well, I'm happy for you, but it still doesn't answer my question.

Other folks talked about using other available readouts in diagnostics and in "regular" operation, but so far no-one has answered my very simple question. Instead, I get the sense folks think I'm attacking having an auxiliary system monitor.
I did not trash the use of ScanGauge (or other OBD monitor). In fact, I agreed that there are some good real-time uses (as well as diagnostic uses).

That was never my point. I simply want to know if there is any reason to monitor boost PSI when tootling down the road. And if so, is it a better monitor than some other parameter? Like how is monitoring boost a better parameter than monitoring MPG for tracking and improving your MPG?

So, in short: No I didn't like your answer, simply because it didn't address the question I was asking.

Stan