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monster tacho?


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#26 _GTR071_

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Posted 28 December 2006 - 12:17 PM

I reccon the best spot is on the steering column right infront of the old tacho. Its right there in front of the driver. As Oldn said, these shift lights are bloody bright, Ive been blinded by them numerous times and i was only a passenger! Shift lights are a good idea but can be dangerous aswell cos they are so bright, but honestly, someone with a hot streetcar/drag car can surley manage this, after all they should know how to drive their car especially if its a bit nuts, and if its not a bit worked, or its not a bit quick, whats the use in having a huge monster tacho with a blinding shift light.. I laugh so much when i see shitty little mistubishi's with huge body kits and huge exhausts with huge monster tachos on the pillar. Damn ricers. :furious:

#27 _Barman_

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Posted 09 January 2007 - 02:47 PM

Here mine im thinkin about moving it to the floor
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#28 RIM-010

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Posted 09 January 2007 - 08:05 PM

Put it on the floor? Why?

And you stole my seat covers...

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#29 _ianshere_

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Posted 10 January 2007 - 08:58 PM

ok firstly gday guys and girls ian is my name and tiny gave me the details of this forum so thought id come check it out. more specifcaly when talking to tiny on the phone he mentioned this thread about the discussion about monster tacho and the use of shift lights.

I have to agree that the use of monster tacho's and shift lights on puss buckets that belong being used as a starter motor is absolute bollocks!

BUT however the use of shift lights in a high performance vehicle is of a good use because if your busy keeping ya eyes glued to where your going that "big bright light" is a good indication to get ready to shift. Yes you should know your engine but as was stated earlier it all sounds different fom inside a helmet.

NOW if shift lights is something you find useful but you dont like monster tacho's or dont have anywhere to install them then check this neat little sucker out.
https://cache.gmh-to...igitaltacho.jpg
Its a shift light with a inbuilt digital tacho installed in the middle of it.
If your interested in where to purchase these gauges or any others let me know as i import all types of auto gauges and other stuff and can supply to most needs.

cheers
ian

#30 _1QUICK LJ_

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Posted 11 January 2007 - 01:22 AM

i like it how much?

#31 _devilsadvocate_

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Posted 11 January 2007 - 04:09 AM

We hear from the people that go drag racing that the large tach with light to let them now the shift point/whatever is absolutely necessary. Fair enough.
But why do you need them in a street car, do everyone a favour and take them off unless you are at the drags, its possibly the dragsters that have produced this culture of ricers driving around with all these extra rubbish instruments. That obviously annoy most people here because they are just pose value in a road car.......lead from the front and change things . Too much trouble to take off, do you drive around the streets with a helmet and slicks on too?
Another thought would be to have an ear piece in the helmet wired up to a buzzer instead of the shift light and just use a conventional tach if you're only real need is to know when to shift. Then you dont get blinded by the shift light, or have to take your eyes of the road in that 10-14sec adrenalin rush.

#32 TerrA LX

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Posted 11 January 2007 - 04:28 AM

at the end of the day it doesnt matter if the tach is best for person A on the coloum or if they prefer a shift light or if they prefer none at all and can tell the difference between max power and valve bounce, try several locatoins and go to the drags etc and check and see what will work for you.
a tacho in general, not just for redline driving, is a good thing to guage (pardon the pun) engine performance.

i dont think you will need electric shocks to your body tho. :tease:

EDIT; i think the shift light along with a rev limiter set up right is cheap insurance if you live life to the fullest.

Edited by ALX76, 11 January 2007 - 04:31 AM.


#33 _1QUICK LJ_

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Posted 11 January 2007 - 03:10 PM

farout theyre not that bright, ive driven mine at night with no cover a few times yep its bright but it certainly isnt enough to blind me, but mines not in my direct line of sight either and i use the red lense which is easier on the ol eyeballs.

Edited by 1QUICK LJ, 11 January 2007 - 03:11 PM.


#34 _1QUICK LJ_

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Posted 11 January 2007 - 03:14 PM

if you use the night covers like your meant to, theyre not that bright.

#35 Heath

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Posted 11 January 2007 - 06:08 PM

Another thought would be to have an ear piece in the helmet wired up to a buzzer instead of the shift light and just use a conventional tach if you're only real need is to know when to shift.

Interesting suggestion, although with the hearing limitations which occur from wearing a helmet, I think most racers would want to keep as much of their hearing unoccupied by unnecessary noises so that if something goes wrong (whether it's mechanical, or the car you're dragging has an accident etc) you don't have to think twice about what you're listening to.

#36 Tiny

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Posted 11 January 2007 - 06:38 PM

DA: I understand what your saying about not having shift lights and big tachs on cars that dont need them, but i know that i race my car and it's not something i would be going to fir and de-install just to go racing when it serves its purpose on the street anyway.
I have to agree with Heath, I want my hearing as free of anything else but that engine noise as possible, so a shift light it is for me..

On the street.. most guys use them as pose value ( especially the rice brigade who run 10,000Rpm tachos on cars that redline or are limited to 5000....:huh:) But a tacho is a valuable tool for tuning and keeping an eye on the working of the engine.
I'm a bit of a freak for gauges and knowing whats happening inside that donk!

The one buzzer i want to install is a low oil pressure buzzer... when oil pressure drops <20Psi.. Triggers a piezo buzzer AND a light to warn of the engine damage coming.. but thats Off topic.

Having said that.. Ive already got my big tach and shift light... But i am SUPER SERIOUSLY looking at Ian's shift light/digital tach there instead. It could be a VERY cool alternative!

Cheers.

#37 Heath

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Posted 11 January 2007 - 07:51 PM

I'm a bit of a freak for gauges and knowing whats happening inside that donk!

Yep I like to be in the same position, a perfect example was watching Stubber racing in the Muscle car Masters on TV a few weeks ago, absolutely hauling arse, checks his guages as he comes onto the strait and he has no oil pressure, pulls it over to the side. When you're pushing a car to its limits, things can go wrong quickly and although I don't know what happened afterwards, I would presume looking at that guage would have saved having to rebuild that race motor (which would probably be necessary if he kept it flat to the boards much longer with no oil pressure).

So yes, guages definately have their advantages, and it's always good to have a tacho in a car just so that you understand exactly what it's doing. Not only for tuning, but you can say "this pinging occurs between x rpm and y rpm" . Instead of like... a and b km/h in this gear hahahaha

And if you know the car half decently, you can judge speed off the tacho, which is often more accurate than a speedo ;)

#38 _devilsadvocate_

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Posted 11 January 2007 - 09:40 PM

Hey guys, did I say there was anything wrong with tachos?
The standard tacho is fine, just dont see why youd need it the size of a dinner plate, especially if youve got a light that comes on at your desired rpm. Dinner plate tachos are more accurate? Maybe, but the standard tacho offers very good precision, which will be of use to set optimum shift points and really I dont think overall accuracy is that important. ie whether the tacho is +/_ 5% is not going to affect anything.
Don't really understand the reluctance of the buzzer in the helmet. Even though we have five senses, the mind is still troubled by multiple inputs regardless of whether these inputs come through the same medium or different ones. One would be able to anticipate when the buzzer was going to sound, it would just be a prompt to change, rather than having to totally occupy onself thinking where the buzzer is going to go off.
Tiny do install the oil buzzer, its a 5 min job and will cost less than $4 provided you you already have a low pressure oil switch fitted. As posted b4, I have one in the UC, as well as a high intensity led in the dash aimed straight at the driver........had the experience where the oil pressure dropped away when i was driving and I didnt notice the slow drop on the gauge.........gauges are good......but idiot lights and buzzers should also be fitted for oil and temp.
The advantage of a buzzer is unlike a warning light, it simply cant be turned a "blind eye" to, sure weve all heard the "a light came on in the dash but I kept driving, do you think there is a problem"........if the buzzer is irritating enough they wont keep driving! (some of us have to let other people drive our cars) One person that drive my car referred to the oil pressure buzzer as the stall indicator!

#39 TerrA LX

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Posted 11 January 2007 - 10:04 PM

^ but the family of 5 in the torago next to you at the traffic lights cant see a buzzer :blink:

#40 Tiny

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Posted 12 January 2007 - 02:57 PM

DA: Yeah the buzzer will be part of the up-coming dash re-work! I've got my eye on some schmick looking non-autometer guages that i might be changing to, but we'll have to wait and see what works out!

I think the buzzer is a GREAT idea, although on the ign circuilt not the accessory circuit cause it operates while starting the car too!

Warning lights/buzzers are very important as your right.. your not always watching the guage!

Cheers

#41 _devilsadvocate_

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Posted 12 January 2007 - 04:12 PM

Yes, have the power to the buzzer supplied by the same source as the coil. I always like to have min oil pressure before firing on the 1st start of the day(possibly achieves nothing in the long run) and crank it over til the pressure light goes out, then flick the power to the ignition and fuel (via the tachiometric relay) and we are away..........dont have to suffer the buzzer that way.

Edited by devilsadvocate, 12 January 2007 - 04:15 PM.


#42 TerrA LX

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Posted 12 January 2007 - 05:01 PM

I always like to have min oil pressure before firing on the 1st start of the day(possibly achieves nothing in the long run) and crank it over til the pressure light goes out,.

if you cranking it over till you get enough pressure, wouldnt that defeat the purpose as most wear happens on start up. i was always under the impression to get em going as quick as possible to get the pressure up.

#43 _devilsadvocate_

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Posted 12 January 2007 - 05:14 PM

Havent done a great deal of study into this, however, here are my thoughts. If you fire the motor instantly when it is cold then you will have at least 1000rpm and no oil at the top of the motor, bits moving quite fast with no oil on them = accelerated wear. Better off to move them very slowly until they have oil on them for protection for when it moves faster. As Heath's grandfather quoted, engine wear is proportional to rpm squared. It would basically take the same number of revolutions of the motor to ahieve this oil pressure whether done fast or slow, best do it slow. At start up, its not absolute oil pressure that would be my main concern, just that components have a recent layer of oil on them. I do the same thing when doing an oil change, best to fill up the oil filter with the other bits of the engine moving slowly.

Edited by devilsadvocate, 12 January 2007 - 05:15 PM.


#44 TerrA LX

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Posted 12 January 2007 - 06:20 PM

^ the top end wears the least, with enduro motors with roller rockers near completly cutting the oil supply off to the top, engine bearinge are lubed by a wedge of oil created by the motor spinning (at speed, not 200 rpm or so), not by the pressure itsself, ie the oil pump does not float the crank.
in any event oil travels 5 times faster at 1000rpm than at 200 rpm.

#45 _devilsadvocate_

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Posted 12 January 2007 - 07:00 PM

^ the top end wears the least, with enduro motors with roller rockers near completly cutting the oil supply off to the top.

ALX76: This maybe true, but Im talking about what I do.....and I dont have roller rockers. One of the reasons I took this action was in several cars I have owned there was a large clatter from the top end of the motor for several seconds on start up....sounded like metal on metal to me(some of it due to hydraulic lifters etc........priming it with the starter 1st, never heard clatter turning it at 200rpm or whatever the starter does.........low speed reduces the interaction.......motor starts no large clatter.
There may be some truth in the logic you mention about the bearings needing a minimum speed to achieve lubrication....however, you have also ignored the key factor that speed and wear between moving parts is not linearly based. Also parts of the motor rely on the force of gravity to get the oil in the right spot, in a cold environment how fast the oil gets there depends on how thick it is, not how much oil is pumped to the top of the motor and extra time is of benefit, delaying time before starting the motor. Anyway, Im not suggesting that anyone follows my lead here, I dont have any long term evidence or results with which to support it, and as stated initally it probably makes minimal difference in the long run.

#46 _devilsadvocate_

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Posted 12 January 2007 - 07:17 PM

What has ^ got to do with monster tachos?(no one really cares about them do they)......ummh........I accept some responsibility!

Edited by devilsadvocate, 12 January 2007 - 07:20 PM.


#47 originalglenn

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Posted 12 January 2007 - 08:16 PM

have owned there was a large clatter from the top end of the motor for several seconds on start up....sounded like metal on metal to me(some

is that because the oil filter doesnt have a non return valve?

#48 _devilsadvocate_

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Posted 12 January 2007 - 09:03 PM

Cant say whether the filters at the time (ryco) had antiflow back valves or not. Presently using valvoline filters which claim to have the antidrain back valve, havent noticed any difference in the amount of time req to crank the motor to achieve minimum oil pressure(about 4-5 secs), so would say its not to do with oil drain back out of the filter.

Edited by devilsadvocate, 12 January 2007 - 09:04 PM.


#49 TerrA LX

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Posted 12 January 2007 - 09:19 PM

lifter bleed down rate.

#50 _LXChev366_

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Posted 12 January 2007 - 10:29 PM

I bite into all this... here is what I use...Circuit car.
https://cache.gmh-to...Car/LXDash2.jpg
Shift Light on the left and Oil warning light on the right. Other 2 gauges are Water temp and Oil Pressure. Both My Tacho and MSD 6AL have rev limiters... I have set the 6AL to 6500, the Tacho to 6600 (as a backup). The shift light to 6000. Peak power is 6200 rpm.. Max Ft Lb is 5300... engine will rev to 7000 but to conserve engine life I use 6000 as a shift point... and of course I need to be looking out ahead... I don't need to run any standard Torana gauges so have removed them completely.... its funny I still asked "how fast will she go???? pppffftt I have no idea...(after they stick their head into the car)

Of course street cars cant mount all this like I have....but anyhow, I thought I would show you what I use... :rolleyes:




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