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05-22-2011, 04:12 PM | #1 |
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Z4 Coupe gauge pod in the sunglasses holder idea - procrastination begins
Since I started this little laugh riot in another thread, I thought I should move it to a thread of its own.
This is a bit long, as I am going to include some images swiped from the internet. I come from the Subaru community where the center dash pod was most popular but I have nav there now. I was sitting in the car this weekend trying to figure out where to put some sort of monitoring device and the sunglasses holder - which is actually quite useless (I put business cards in it at the moment), kind of called out to me. Side note: I hate A-Pillar pods. After looking at and measuring it, I think some sort of angled faceplate would work nicely. Ideally, you'd have a daisy-chain system so you weren't running a zillion wires through the a-pillar to the gauges. I'll reference the Defi Link series as I have experience with them. Because you can daisy chain these, they're super easy to install. Those are 52mm. I think two 52mm traditional gauges would, in fact, fit, as the space behind the plate is about 2 inches deep, which is much more generous than I thought it would be. The PLX multi-gauges are tempting, as you could conceivably get two of them and however many sending units you wanted to use for whatever things you wanted to monitor. Defi has similar solutions, such as the the ZD. The holder is further forward than I thought, too. A flat display might actually work well, and there's little chance anyone will see them from outside the car, so it may be okay to leave them all visible. Sooooo... Located a guy in this area who does carbon fabrication. I went through a local speed shop, and in case this was secret, Charlotte and NC in general is full of go-fast businesses what with NASCAR and everything. I was told that this guy - whom I have not met - worked for Penske Racing. He works in carbon fiber. I figure, what the Hell. I've got to decide a few things before I involve him in my little sunglasses holder turned gauge pod project. 1) What kind of gauges - the shape is important here, obviously. Do I use two 52mm round gauges for water temp and oil pressure? Or do I go for a flat LCD panel display like the Defi Link Advanced ZD? Avantage of the round ones is that I can have them angled toward me. A flat panel would look a bit odd if it were angled. Advantage of the panel is that I can monitor more things, like oil temp (a number rather than that numb needle in the cluster) and voltage (yes, it's important). 2) Do I want them to be concealable? I'm thinking no for the circular option, but for the flat panel, that might be advisable. Thoughts? Any comments/criticism, etc., welcome. This is one of those projects that's going to drag for a while before I get the money to execute it, but it will go quicker if I have a plan in place. If you know something that I should be considering either in the solution, install, etc., chime in. Looking for the community participation, etc. |
05-23-2011, 04:21 PM | #2 |
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This IMHO, is an awesome idea. I would love to see a DIY on this.
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05-23-2011, 04:25 PM | #3 |
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A thought.
Instead of normal gauges, how about a small LCD (touch optional) and have it driven by software. I've done a lot of research in carputers and their software. Just an idea. disregard, just re-read the original post. |
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05-23-2011, 04:53 PM | #4 | ||
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Quote:
Quote:
What I think I really need to know is if the car ALREADY monitors water temp and oil pressure. If it does, and I can find out where to ascertain the info short of the OBD port, this will be easier and cheaper to do. Ideas? |
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05-24-2011, 09:25 AM | #6 |
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O-cha's gauge mount does look good, conventional or electronic. This is something that I've wanted to do for a while and just haven't gotten around to it. I even acquired an extra ashtray to mod.
Maybe if enough people got in on a group buy, O-cha could do a large enough run to bring the price down. How bout it O-cha?
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05-24-2011, 09:43 AM | #7 |
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^the only thing that keeps me from going the ashtray route is having the gauges low & out of the line of vision.
...they do look good though.
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05-24-2011, 11:51 AM | #8 |
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I'm certainly not adverse to a sunglass holder mount, or a sit on the dash mount if it didn't damage the dash (although the wiring could be difficult).
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05-24-2011, 12:27 PM | #10 |
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i went all out here and went for stack professional stepper gauges, and the 3d design gauge pod, this setup was painfully expensive BUT in the interior it just has to be right,
the 3d design pod was shipped from japan, and is designed with the stack gauges in mind, the way the bezel lines up with the stack unit's out rim is just PERFECTion.. note the stack units have peak recall which mean i can pull up at any time press the peak button and recall my highest and lowest values, i can however easily read these units on the move, they look absolutly fabulous, very very pleased with this setup. i went with Boost, Wideband AFR, oil pressure, i love the way the gauges change colour as the needly rises to my preset high value, this looks so cool at night i find myself watching the gauges instead of the road!!!!
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05-24-2011, 04:47 PM | #12 | |
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What gauges are those? Inquiring mind with little time.
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I know it hasn't been done and is likely to be a pain in the ass to wire, but it makes more sense to me location wise. I've seen a lot of very nice gauge setups in the tray. No qualms with them, I'm jut not as happy with that location. Vent pods...I rather like the interior to look stock at a glance. The steering column top "Mickey Mouse" pods...I've seen a number of them. They all look rather cheap and never quite fit right. At least, in my experience. Don't like the look of them. Not stealth enough. The ashtray pods look stock, which I like. And before you guys kill me with "and the sunglasses holder looks stock?" It's not something people will notice at a glance, and it could look pretty stock if done correctly. Any suggestions for gauge makers? I mentioned what I was thinking. Would like to know what O-Cha's are... |
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05-24-2011, 11:19 PM | #15 |
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The OBD Port is located to the left of the steering wheel under the dash, this is where the diagnostic port is plugged into.
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05-25-2011, 09:30 AM | #17 |
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Why not put the gauges in the rear view mirror? http://radar-mirror.com/AEM.html
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05-25-2011, 09:45 AM | #18 |
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definatly happy with loosing my ash tray, i dont smoke, and ive relocated the power socket, im loosing nothing at all, the only thing i had im my ash tray was coins.....
i feel much better when pushing my motor now as i can see exactly whats happening...
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05-25-2011, 11:38 AM | #19 |
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05-25-2011, 02:55 PM | #21 | |
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This is the stealthy approach I prefer. Plus, the rearview mirror would be useful. I'll do some snooping on this setup tonight. Thanks very much for posting it. |
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05-25-2011, 09:14 PM | #22 | |
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