Interior 1st Gen Most liked posts in thread: Pros/Cons: ScangaugeII

I have one permanently installed, see pics in my garage, and love it I show, inlet air temp, mph, water temp and ignition timing, all the time. As my car has some mods, :ihih:, comes in very handy when codes pop up. Only con I see is, I wish oil pressure was supported on the R53.

 

I always recommend the ScangaugeII, its the most affordable gauge system. The most important gauge on it is the coolant temp. Also you can leave it in the car without people stealing it.

 

I have a mechanical boost gauge in my car, and lately it's been telling me that I'm only making 10 psi (should be about 15 psi with 15% pulley). So I replaced the intercooler boots, took the bypass valve off and found no problems, and cleaned out the intercooler. Still 10 psi. So I'm thinking I have to rebuild the supercharger.

Then I borrowed a Scangauge II, warmed up the car, and ran it WOT down the road. The MAP reading was 29 psi, or about 15 psi relative to atmosphere... which means the boost gauge itself was off, not the supercharger. D'oh! So while it's not as easy to read and instantaneous as a real gauge, it offers a lot of data and diagnosis tools that can back up your real gauges.

 

If we knew if Schultze was 1st or 2nd Gen, S or not etc from having a Garage entry we could better advise.

 

I looked at it, and I liked the small size but that also meant digital readouts only which I have a hard time with being able to assimilate quickly from just a glance.

I went instead with the Garmin Ecoroute, which shows the same parameters as the scangauge, since they both get their info from the same place - the OBDII port. It presents 5 items at once and offers both an analog and digital readout. Not saying that's the best route to go, just offering my perspective...

here's an example of the Garmin readout....



I run the speedo in the middle display (yes that gives me three speed readouts! ) temp, intake temp, and depending on whether I'm on street or track different options for the other two. My display is hard wired, but the dongle works via/bluetooth. The display is hard wired and permanently mounted on a bracket(the only way you can have it on track in my area), although it's easily removeable to use in other cars too. The Garmin also reads and can reset for codes....

 

I run one on my R56 for the water temp mostly. The lack of a water temp gauge while running on a track presents a serious issue. I have it showing A/F; Boost; and Intake temp as well but those are just for happieness as I am running a stock tune.

Pros: Cheap, relatively easy to mount, gets you the data you want for the most part.

Cons: Display is not a "gauge" harder to see trends, updates every 1-2 seconds (slow if you want to look at boost or A/F changes).

Verdict: Once I am out of warranty I plan to suck up the cost and swap out to real gauges. For now this will do just fine.

 

I have one and Like it. Only thing is the back light is not strong and sometimes the glare makes it hard to see. I like the Garmin set up, but you can't have the gauges and navigate at the same time.

I have rpm and speed on the left and intake temp and water temp on the right. You can adjust the speed reading up or down, so you get the "actual" speed which I like. I have it right over the rev counter for quick reference. I keep my steering wheel all the way down, so my real rev counter is hard to see.

I only wish the readouts were lighted like the gizmo Nathan has.

Jim

 

So, I take it the Garmin does navigate as well as provide the data then?? That's way cool. How much are these things?

 

The is first and foremost a GPS, the gauges are an additional bonus they just came out with last year.

You need to have one of the models that is compatible with the dongle....

Cost has come down already to about $180 for the unit and $80 for the dongle, so less than $250 should do it, and the bonus is you get a GPS too!

 

But alas, not both the same time.

Jim

 

Yes it does, but you need the dongle to connect the GPS unit to the OBDII so it can communicate with the car's computer. Not every Garmin unit will do it, you need one of the newer 4 digit models with Bluetooth, like the 1490.

 

I've had a SG II on my R56 for nearly 2yrs and 30K. I highly recommend getting one before you start engine modding as it will show you the effect (or not!) of each mod. Mine's set for boost (corrected), intake air temp, air/fuel ratio (corrected) and volts. An example of how I used mine is the IAT. With each mod to my intake/IC system I was able to watch my intake temps drop till they were at or 1-2deg above ambient temp. That's how I knew I could stop modding the system. Best $150 I've spent on the car!

 

So, Way, in your opinion is the Scangauge II worth the investment if I have added the oil and water temp, boost/vacuum, and oil pressure gauges (all Marshall gauges)?

 

Not unless you wanted the OBDII capabilities to read codes. You already have a great gauge package.

 

There is a way to correct for atmospheric pressure on the SG boost gauge. You have to get into the X-Gauge function and enter a code specific to your MINI and usual driving altitude. There's one for air/fuel ratio, too. Sorry, but I can't remember where I got the code and instructions for doing it. Sure beats doing it in your head!

 

Another option that will get you the same info as the ScanGauge and can read and clear codes is the Torque application for Android phones. You can hook your phone up to the OBDII port wireless with a Bluetooth Dongle and output gauges like this;

 

That's the biggest con for me with the SGII. However otherwise it's a nice product and reasonably priced.

I had a SGII and replaced it with an Aeroforce Interceptor that also works off the OBDII port but updates in milliseconds so it's boost display is just as quick as a mechanical boost gauge.