adding guages
 

Ok had my car awhile now and have noticed a few things that I dont like. 1) my engine temp gauge has a "L" and then at the top small red line and then "H". Nothing to really indicate what the actual engine temp is. I have watched it to see where the needle is the most consistent at but it its not steady. So I want to add a real gauge with actual numbers. something like this

Blue Digital LED Water Temperature Gauge

2) I have no tach. I want to be able to watch the tach for the best shifts. Maybe get one with a programmable shift light to set it for the RPM I want for say XX MPH. So when i go over that set RPM the light will come on reminding the nut behind the wheel to tighten up. It will be a "Nut Check" light.

Red Digital LED Tachometer Gauge

I already have the MPGuino (yet to be installed) what else would be good to watch? I want to make sure i got everything at once so I can install it together. its a 94 corolla so no one makes a gauge pod for the piller. SO I will have to get my fiber glass out and mold it myself.

Few cars I've driven indicated the actual temperature in °.

The middle position indicates the normal temperature - which is where the needle should be after warm up.

Strange, once warmed up, the needle usually never moves much at all.

Is your thermostat OK ?

yea I know how the usual temp gauges are on cars too. 95% of the ones I have seen usually have 3-4 dash's between the low and high marks. This one has none, zeros, nada. and like I said the needle fluctuates a lot depending on outside temp, car speed, A/C on or off. If I had to take a guess it really acts like the thermostat is removed or is stuck open.

With no dash's or anything to reference the needle with is the reason I want to put in an after market one.

But not lets not get off topic to much. any other instrumentation? I was thinking of a vacuum gauge also. this way I can monitor engine load vs rpm. and after each mod see if i get + or - results.

I'd suggest an AF-ratio gauge, that would allow you to maximize load without enrichment.

+1 for the vacuum gauge. I installed one on my car years back. Although I was unable to get it to happily mount anywhere, I found it a great tool for monitoring engine load. Now, with Scangauge, it is second nature to me to monitor MAP as I am accelerating. I actually feel lost driving a vehicle with no manifold pressure instrumentation now.

personally I've got a water temp gauge, vacuum gauge and MPGuino, and I'll be adding an oil pressure gauge (never liked the idiot light system, I want to know pressure is low before its zero) Thought about the A/F ratio gauge but they're ~$200 and if you're not going to be changing the A/F ratio then they don't tell you much except to know when the car is in closed loop...