Wideband choice

["Turbo-T"]

Ok forgive me for asking this, I've done some searching and have heard of a few recommended widebands people have pointed out but bear with me as I am a bit confused....

Ok here's the skinny...I have a Scanmaster and an Autometer FP gauge as well as an Autometer boost, etc. That's it.

Looking at getting a wideband....so far it seems like I read you "need" a power logger/lap top, etc.....

Main reason is to keep tabs on the air/fuel at a glance.

What I'm looking for is something that I can stick the bung in the downpipe, wire it up and turn it on. Do they make one that doesn't require the use of a powerlogger and a lap top, etc?

Ok now one that I've been recommended was a PLX, I don't remember the model # or where you can buy it, it looks like a little black box that sits on top of the dash about the size of a radar detector....I don't remember if this was a plug n play or if you needed the powerlogger to make it work....

What about the Autometer widebands, are they worth a darn?

I've also heard of AEM, but I know nothing on them....

A little confused here, what would you recommend for someone that doesn't have anything more than a Scanmaster and just wants to have a gauge to monitor air/fuel ratios?

 

[sugarandopium]

right here:
PLX DM-5 & SM-AFR Wideband Air Fuel Ratio O2 Sensor kit:eBay Motors (item 400043866400 end time Dec-12-09 10:06:33 PST)

theyre plug n play and sound like the most user friendly from reviews.

im in the same boat, no powerlogger and in the market for a WB,
am prob going to go with the PLX,

i thought about the autometer to keep everything matching, but can't find any reviews on them, people seem to love their PLX's

HTH

 

[russgoodman]

I got the PLX unit and I really like it. Its a stand alone unit. I don't have a powerlogger either. Just the PLX control module and guage.

Here's a link to a post I made when I was looking for one. I got some pictures on there and a few more links to the manuals and install videos to give you an idea what all is involved.

http://www.turbobuick.com/forums/general-turbo-buick-tech/284009-s-plx-wbo2-users-thinking-about-purchasing-one.html

 

[breiter]

Just food for thought - I run an LC-1 wideband with a GenII translator and G chip from Full Throttle. I have to use a lap top to track the A/F ratio but unless I am tuning I let the A/F setting in my GenII define the A/F ratio I want. It puts in and takes out fuel as needed with my goal of not running too lean. A guage will indicate the condition but then you have to manually adjust/tune for it and if you lean it out long enough then you get to replace the head gaskets or worse...

 

[JayC]

I dont think the Autometer interfaces with the Powerlogger. The PLX does as does the Innovate.. Id probably go with the PLX piece even tho I use more Innovates.

 

[scojack_2001]

Ok forgive me for asking this, I've done some searching and have heard of a few recommended widebands people have pointed out but bear with me as I am a bit confused....

Ok here's the skinny...I have a Scanmaster and an Autometer FP gauge as well as an Autometer boost, etc. That's it.

Looking at getting a wideband....so far it seems like I read you "need" a power logger/lap top, etc.....

Main reason is to keep tabs on the air/fuel at a glance.

What I'm looking for is something that I can stick the bung in the downpipe, wire it up and turn it on. Do they make one that doesn't require the use of a powerlogger and a lap top, etc?

Ok now one that I've been recommended was a PLX, I don't remember the model # or where you can buy it, it looks like a little black box that sits on top of the dash about the size of a radar detector....I don't remember if this was a plug n play or if you needed the powerlogger to make it work....

What about the Autometer widebands, are they worth a darn?

I've also heard of AEM, but I know nothing on them....

A little confused here, what would you recommend for someone that doesn't have anything more than a Scanmaster and just wants to have a gauge to monitor air/fuel ratios?

The AutoMeters arent cheap, and they're a PITA to install. Ive had my PLX SM-AFR in my car since August and not a problem. You dont necessarily "need" the PowerLogger, but it really does help.

The PLX SM-AFR standalone will be easy to install and simple to use. And its relatively inexpensive. I got mine without the gauge locally from a shop in PA. I'd say they sell the SM-AFR w/DM-5 for $259 or so. Not bad for a wideband. And the W/B sensor is from a 1.8T VW I believe, so that too is readily availible and cheap to replace.

right here:
PLX DM-5 & SM-AFR Wideband Air Fuel Ratio O2 Sensor kit:eBay Motors (item 400043866400 end time Dec-12-09 10:06:33 PST)

theyre plug n play and sound like the most user friendly from reviews.

im in the same boat, no powerlogger and in the market for a WB,
am prob going to go with the PLX,

i thought about the autometer to keep everything matching, but can't find any reviews on them, people seem to love their PLX's

HTH

Read above. I think you can get the DM-5 in a silver bezel, but Im not 100% positive on that though...

I got the PLX unit and I really like it. Its a stand alone unit. I don't have a powerlogger either. Just the PLX control module and guage.

Here's a link to a post I made when I was looking for one. I got some pictures on there and a few more links to the manuals and install videos to give you an idea what all is involved.

http://www.turbobuick.com/forums/general-turbo-buick-tech/284009-s-plx-wbo2-users-thinking-about-purchasing-one.html

Thats good info.

 

["Turbo-T"]

Thanx, I think I'll look into the PLX. The only one I've ever saw was the one that looked (to me) like a radar detector, not the roundy in dash style.

The Innovate looks like you can get them in other colors besides red?

 

[lucky1]

AEM UEGO is awesome, breeze to install, easy to read, looks nice, stand alone unit... highly recommended.

 

[Chuck Leeper]

http://www.paceperformance.com/paceperformance/pdf/widebandshootout.pdf

 

[GNsnake]

AEM WIDEBAND-UEGO-CONTROLLER-30-4100. I have this one in my car and it works great. You can pick it up on ebay for less than $200 shipped to your door.

 

["Turbo-T"]

Thanks Chuck for the link...looks like the PLX is towards the lower end of the list while AEM is second from the top. They say the PLX has poor accuracy...hmmm....wonder what the poor software is on the AEM?

 

[GNsnake]

There is no software on the AEM. It's plug and play. That article is not as good as it seems. There has been much discussion about that article on this very board. Look it up, there's some good debating from guys who know there stuff.

 

[TurboDave]

Thanks Chuck for the link...looks like the PLX is towards the lower end of the list while AEM is second from the top. They say the PLX has poor accuracy...hmmm....wonder what the poor software is on the AEM?

But in the experiences of board members, it's BS. The PLX's have been trouble free and accurate at the same time. Mine cerainly is both! That article has been "owned" by several of the participants company's because of their loose and fast ways with their "standard" calibration and use.

 

[Clark6]

Thanks Chuck for the link...looks like the PLX is towards the lower end of the list while AEM is second from the top. They say the PLX has poor accuracy...hmmm....wonder what the poor software is on the AEM?

I have a FAST... If im not mistaken i did see a configuration for it with powerlogger if need to.

but it records and replays up to 50 minutes for a single sensor!! With its own monitor
Great imo.
FAST? - Digital Air/Fuel Meters

 

[Pronto]

Powerdex AF/X here. Works fine and easy to install. The face of the box is the gauge. You don't need a Powerlogger with a wb but it helps bring your tune information all together. Personally I'ld start with the Powerlogger. Datalogging all the info is great. If you turn off the car before writing down you numbers from the sm your screwed, plus you also get alot more data than the sm will recall. Add the wb to the mix and you get more accurate data to zero in on your tune. Good stuff.

 

["Turbo-T"]

Thanks...I'm thinking about going with the PLX M300....according to PLX, all of the guts are inside this box...no need to have to velco the box on the heater box or under the dash...it just sits atop the dash....only thing is they come in red for a clashing look.

 

[Pronto]

Not much of a fan of things velcroed to the dash. Heat seems to cause it to lose it's grip. I wedged my SM in the corner with some velcro but it still lets lose once in a while.

 

["Turbo-T"]

Prono, where did you mount your Powerdex?

I know what you mean about stuff coming loose....I've got my scanmaster velcroed on top of the dah w/o any issues. Though I think it would be cool to mount the LED of a wideband in the speedo panel where the tach/boost gauge sits. Another option I've considered is the tach mounts that allow you to mount a tach to the side of the dash....maybe mount the PLX and the scanmaster to that, with the scanmaster atop the PLX...

 

[Pronto]

Just to the right of the console under the dash. I can easily see the numbers if I want to but usually I don't look too close at them. They move fast so it not worth it to try to see those numbers when the SM tells the knock story.

 

[QUIP'6']

i got the plx and installed today took around 25 min. already had a bung in my dp from the ta performance downpipe that i got. the hardest thing was drilling a 5/8 hole in the firewall to feed the wireloom in. put the box under the dash behind the glovebox and attached it to the heater box with 3m tape ran the red wire to the ign. on fuse panel and the black to ground. plugged in the wideband plug to the box and ran the grey wire to the powerlogger. now my scanmaster reads airfuel ratio and knock. it was 180. at "Extreme PSI" NO GAUGE NEEDED. EXTREME PSI : Your #1 Source for In Stock Performance Parts - PLX Devices SM-AFR