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Maybe we can get a sticky for this, so people know what all they need when they go turbo.

Okay. I'm really considering going turbo and if I get really serious about it, I'm planning on getting my electronics first. But, the big problem is, what do I get?

Alright. Here's the list of stuff I *think* is the essential stuff:

1) Boost gauge. Maybe one that reads upwards of 2.0 bar (that's 28.6 psi in case you didn't know. ). Not like a D17 will ever be boosted that high.

2) Oil temp gauge. Of course we want to see how hot or cool the oil is. Cooler oil makes for a happy turbo.

3) A/F gauge. To check for lean/rich mixture.

4) S/V-AFCII. Gonna have to tune the fuel curves somehow. If you want to get really fancy, a GReddy e-Manage or something similar.

5) Turbo timer. Is it absolutely necessary on a daily driver? Sure, it's good for peace of mind, but you're not pushing the car hard in a parking lot, are you?

Is there anything else that is *absoluetly* necessary to get? These are the only things that I can think of. Please feel free to add or recommend something else if you think it'd be necessary.

 
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EGT would be beneficial when used in conjunction w/ A/F

 
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Do you really think that we'd need to worry about EGT in a low boost situation like this? If you were boosting 1.0 bar+, I could see it, but 8 psi? I dunno. It's probably a half-decent idea.

 
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Why is Exhaut Gas tempreture so important? Is it to monitor the Manifold tempreture?

 
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Not sure about the turbo timer either. I had owned DSM's for over 10 years with all sorts of crazy mods and never had a timer. I guess if you got the extra cash it couldn't hurt but I would disagree on it being a must-have piece of equipment. Just my opinion.

 
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Well that's why I asked if it'd be necessary on a daily driven car. If you're not pushing hard or just kind of creeping in traffic or a parking lot, the turbo isn't under load, so it'll cool itself off. Besides, decent turbo timer isn't all that much. Only about $80-100. So it's just that little extra piece of insurance I guess.

 
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I agree.

 
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an EGT gauge is a more acurate way of mesuring if the Air/Fuel Ratio is correct than a A/F gauge...

 
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How is that? EGT = Exhaust Gas Temp. How will that tell you if your air/fuel mixture is right?

 
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An EGT will show you if you're over working the turbo. You could have a low supply of oil, the turbo will get hotter, and an EGT will show that, so you don't continue to push it.

 
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Wideband sensors are more accurate than EGT's at reading A/F's. EGT's are good but temps are not the best at reading the combustion mixture. All Dyno shops run widebands around here....

 
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Okay. So what do you guys think then? Is the list I've compiled the best set of electronics to go with or do you recommend something else?

 
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Essentials:
Wideband A/F Gauge (Better for tuning your car)
Turbo Timer (better for turbo-life time)
S/V-AFC (Tuning and Fuel purposes)
Oil Pressure Gauge (Make sure you aren't leaking oil anywhere)
EGT Gauge (Tuning purposes and turbo-life time)
Boost Gauge (Make sure you are running the correct amount of boost)

Goodies
Emanage (Good for extra tuning and better fuel tuning)
Electronic Boost Controller (Have more than one boost setting so you can easily switch through settings without having to pop your hood)

 
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So, you're gonna spend somewhere around 3 grand on a turbo and then probably over $1000 more for all those electronics? Those are all nice to have but I wouldn't call them essential. I have a feeling that out of all the boosted members on this site, very few of them have ALL of these "essential" items. You could still run a turbo without any of those items. I would start by buying items that actually ARE essential like a turbo or manifold. If you have the cash for everything at once, great. If you are buying one thing at a time, though, I say get what you need.

 
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I say its all based on your goals and wants. If you want to be pushing 240whp yes, you'll need the majority of those. If you want to cruise around town at 3psi, then most of them are a waste of money, or eye candy. Either way...its your car and your wallet