LOL at the above!
DO NOT put gauges on the airbag pillar, my freind got seriously injured when he put gauges on his jetta in that spot and then got into a wreck. They were pulling plastic out of his for 2 hours!
I say a nice 3 gauge setup on the dash where the cubbies are. Kinda like an FJ...
Question- Boost gauge on a V10? What you want is a vaccum gauge. And I would go with CHT vs. EGT. EGT is meant to tell you whether you are running rich V lean. The computer does that for you. Great on carburator applications, on Fuel injection, all your doing is verifying that the computer works. While a CHT will tell you wether or not you are about to blow a head gasket. That is the info you need. Do the CHT's that are thermo rings that install with your spark plugs. Nice clean install...
In case your wondering, I am an aircraft mechanic and aircraft engineer. I do this kinda stuff for a living and hobby.
Within the context of "tuning," I would get a data logger before buying a gauge of any kind.
That CHT idea is interesting.
To kind of add to the above, and how an EGT gauge is not necessarily needed on this application, doesn't the V10 already have a thermocouple located somewhere within the vicinity of the exhaust manifold(s) and where the turbo(s) bolt on? If that's the case, and I'd be very surprised if it wasn't, seeing that my own Passat TDI has one, wouldn't Vag-Com be able to take that reading???
For automobile applications, although this pertains more to gassers, the usability of the EGT really comes into play when adjusting the ignition advance. This will let you know if your adjustments are within the given safety parameters.
Generally Speaking:
More advance = lower temp,
Less advance(more retard) = higher temp
I think that anybody here who is planning on chipping his V10, needs a boost gauge to monitor any boost spikes, but then again, any split second spikes would be missed by the eye, hence logging. Nevertheless, the responsible pilot should have at LEAST something on his tuned vehicle. I say the more, the better!
Here is some food for thought. What about an exhaust back pressure gauge? This is good for monitoring any changes on the exhaust side as well as any other problems within. A boost leak will immediately turn up as higher exhaust back pressure as an example. It can also be used to monitor pressure losses through the intercooler while on boost.
