Ultra-Gauge installed: First impressions...

[Martinjmpr]

Okay, I got my Ultragauge in the mail yesterday (ordered it last Friday so that's pretty quick shipping.) Installed it last night and here are a few pics and first impressions:

Installed in the recommended location near the A-pillar. The suction cup windshield attachment was a little bit finicky, took me several tries to get it to stick and I wish I could have mounted it lower on the windsheild for a lower profile, but once I got it on there, it stuck and was still stuck this morning when I went out.

Here's a no-flash picture so you can see the (monochrome) LCD screen:

Installation was pretty simple once I found the OBD-II port (it's on the left side of the center console stack, kind of underneath where the ignition key is located.)

I routed the cable up above the steering wheel so my foot wouldn't catch it, then put a zip tie on the opening for the hood release, then routed the cable up between the dashboard and the driver's door panel to the dashboard top.

First impressions:

Overall it seems like a pretty decent unit, especially for the price. The display is clear and easy to read. Supposedly the brightness adjusts for ambient light but I would have to drive it more to see just how well that works. It is bright enough at night to be easily seen but no so bright it's distracting.

Setup is pretty easy, you do have to enter some basic information. Also, in order to qualify for the rebate you have to answer a series of questions and input some information. Most of the questions are easy but the information you have to input is a bit of a PITA. Essentially, you run a diagnostic and then get a series of letter/number codes. On the web site, there is a display of the codes and you're supposed to check the boxes that correspond with the codes. There are probably 25 codes you put in. I presume that each one of these codes corresponds to a specific display item so this is a way of the manfacturer to compile a database of what vehicles display what gauges.

I have a little netbook computer and a wireless internet connection so it was easy for me to just sit in the driver's seat with the engine running and the display on, and input the info into the computer.

There is no "users manual", they keep that on line (probably keeps costs down, so I'm OK with that.)

I was a little disappointed to see that some of the more desirable gauges won't work on a 3rd gen 4runner (remember the gauge can only show what the vehicle's computer reports - not all vehicles report all possible pieces of info.) No transmission temp, for example.

The fuel gauges worked pretty much as I thought they would. I guess on some of the newer vehicles the OBD computer actually reports the fuel level but not on the 3rd gen 4runner. But what it does is, it asks you to set the tank size, and then when you top the tank off, you can hit the "up" button and it will "set" your tank to full. From there on, it uses the OBD computer to measure fuel use and therefore calculates gallons remaining. It also calculates MPG and extrapolates both distance and time to empty (DTE and TTE) which can be very useful for long trips.

It also gives you the option to put in specific "gallons added" if you don't fill up the tank, so, as long as you set it when the tank is full and always keep it on, you should be abel to use the DTE and TTE gauges even if you don't fill the tank to the top.

I'll use this around town for the next few weeks and keep the reports updated. Then, over Thanksgiving weekend, we're taking a road trip to Vegas and then Death Valley, so I should be able to give it a real workout.

So far, it's looking like a pretty decent product, especially for the price (about $76 shipped to CO, with a $9 rebate that I'll be sending in for.)

 

[theizzardking]

looks cool man! esp. for the price keep us updated!

 

[Martinjmpr]

Another disappointment, though not unexpected: I was hoping the intake temperature would be close to the ambient air temp but at least last night, it wasn't. I guess once the engine gets warmed up it stays pretty warm under the hood, so intake air temp runs anywhere from 10 - 20 degrees higher than outside ambient air temp.

There's also "UG Temp" which took me a minute to figure out and then I realized it's "Ultragauge temperature", IOW, temperature inside the vehicle, measured at the Ultragauge itself, which seems pretty useless to me.

I guess it might be useful when you first get into the vehicle after it's been sitting for a while, you can know the exact temp at that moment. But once the car warms up and the heat or AC is on, the temp at the UG (which is inches from the dashboard) is going to be different from the temp in the rest of the passenger compartment.

 

[theizzardking]

maybe a stupid question but do you know what sensors the guage is pulling this info from? depending on where and what it is can you be able to splice or relocate some of these to get better readings?
still for the price like you were saying if it's not prefect on a few things that's probably ok, and the cabin air temp before you get the heat going is nice to know.....you know, just so you know how balls cold it is that morning, lol

 

[quicksilvr]

Nice writeup. The lack of transmission temp reading is what kept me away from it personally. I also like how small the scangauge is....easy to mount it discreetly and have it looks fairly factory looking.

 

[Martinjmpr]

maybe a stupid question but do you know what sensors the guage is pulling this info from? depending on where and what it is can you be able to splice or relocate some of these to get better readings?

The gauge itself is only pulling from the OBD-II connector under the dash, so it can only report what gets reported to it. Information like outside air temp, fuel level and trans temperature are not reported by the OBD-II computer so the ultra-gauge can't display them.

 

[02SE]

Do you have any more impressions you can share of the Ultragauge? I've been considering one, and would be interested in knowing how useful it would be in a 3rd gen 4Runner. Thanks.

 

[Martinjmpr]

Yup, I've had it for about two months now and that included a long trip (Denver to Las Vegas via the Grand Canyon, and back) as well as several shorter trips including a drive up to Glenwood Springs (about 300 miles round trip.)

On my Vegas trip I was disappointed at the inaccuracy of the fuel gauge, but then I went back and read the owner's manual and realized that I had only done half of the calibration. You have to calibrate for distance (since the odometer is reading the data from the speed sensor), which I did, but then you also have to calibrate for MPG.

Once you calibrate for distance and MPG it's very accurate. For example, this morning, I filled up with gas. My "paper" calculation (i.e. distance, corrected for oversize tires, divided by fuel put in) came out to 16.77 MPG, while the UG showed 16.7 (note that the UG only shows 1 decimal place for current MPG.) So I'd say it's now dead reliable. Because of that, I can rely on the DTE (Distance To Empty) as an accurate surrogate fuel gauge. Honestly, that's the main thing I use it for. The other stuff like engine temp and engine load are "good to know" things but not really neccessary.

The other thing I noticed is that if you are cruising at a regular speed, the "intake temperature" can actually be used to measure outside air temp. It doesn't work if you're doing stop-and-go driving in the city, because the engine compartment heats up and stays hot. But if you're cruising at a steady speed, the intake temp will read consistently 3 - 5 degrees (f) higher than the outside temp, all the time. That can be useful.

 

[Nelsonmd]

The other thing I noticed is that if you are cruising at a regular speed, the "intake temperature" can actually be used to measure outside air temp. It doesn't work if you're doing stop-and-go driving in the city, because the engine compartment heats up and stays hot. But if you're cruising at a steady speed, the intake temp will read consistently 3 - 5 degrees (f) higher than the outside temp, all the time. That can be useful.

Or you can install a field monitor unit that has an outside temp gauge

Of course, it is in celsius...

 

[Martinjmpr]

Or you can install a field monitor unit that has an outside temp gauge

Of course, it is in celsius...

Had one, looked at it and decided it wasn't worth the trouble to install, sold it. I can (almost) do the F/C calculations in my head but why should I have to when there are easier, cheaper alternatives (like the $9.50 el-cheapo temp gauge I got at Checker Auto?)

If I really wanted to spend the money (and I might yet) I can put in a rear view mirror with a temp display in farenheit for less than the cost of a FMU, too. Sure, the FMU is cool looking, but with the mirror I still have my sunglasses-holder!

But my $9.50 gauge is unlit so I can't really use it at night. However, it's nice to know that on long trips, I can use the UG intake temp setting to get a "ballpark" figure. Eventually I'll get a proper temp gauge but until then the cheap LCD gauge and the UG will suffice. :shrug:

 

[02SE]

Yup, I've had it for about two months now and that included a long trip (Denver to Las Vegas via the Grand Canyon, and back) as well as several shorter trips including a drive up to Glenwood Springs (about 300 miles round trip.)

On my Vegas trip I was disappointed at the inaccuracy of the fuel gauge, but then I went back and read the owner's manual and realized that I had only done half of the calibration. You have to calibrate for distance (since the odometer is reading the data from the speed sensor), which I did, but then you also have to calibrate for MPG.

Once you calibrate for distance and MPG it's very accurate. For example, this morning, I filled up with gas. My "paper" calculation (i.e. distance, corrected for oversize tires, divided by fuel put in) came out to 16.77 MPG, while the UG showed 16.7 (note that the UG only shows 1 decimal place for current MPG.) So I'd say it's now dead reliable. Because of that, I can rely on the DTE (Distance To Empty) as an accurate surrogate fuel gauge. Honestly, that's the main thing I use it for. The other stuff like engine temp and engine load are "good to know" things but not really neccessary.

The other thing I noticed is that if you are cruising at a regular speed, the "intake temperature" can actually be used to measure outside air temp. It doesn't work if you're doing stop-and-go driving in the city, because the engine compartment heats up and stays hot. But if you're cruising at a steady speed, the intake temp will read consistently 3 - 5 degrees (f) higher than the outside temp, all the time. That can be useful.

That's great to hear, and thanks for taking the time to reply. If you don't mind, how far off from accurate was the gauge for distance before calibrating? I ask because I have the same size tire as you, and am curious just how far off the stock speedo/ odo is. As I'm sure my 4Runner's correction factor would be close to yours.

In addition to the other useful info, the ability to see what any trouble codes are that turn on the 'check engine' light, and clear the codes is why I'm thinking it would be handy to have.

 

[Martinjmpr]

That's great to hear, and thanks for taking the time to reply. If you don't mind, how far off from accurate was the gauge for distance before calibrating? I ask because I have the same size tire as you, and am curious just how far off the stock speedo/ odo is. As I'm sure my 4Runner's correction factor would be close to yours.

In addition to the other useful info, the ability to see what any trouble codes are that turn on the 'check engine' light, and clear the codes is why I'm thinking it would be handy to have.

I want to say the error was about 3% or so.

Of course, that's assuming that the GPS I used for calibration was correct.

Best way to do it is just use a GPS. Most GPS units have a trip meter setting, so just set the UG trip meter on 0 and the GPS on 0, then drive a certain number of miles (I drove 5 but you can drive as many as you want.) When you're done, you will have the opportunity to enter the actual miles driven (as shown on the GPS) and then the UG does the math and gives you the conversion.

The only other way I can think of is to have an actual measured distance. I don't know if the mile markers on freeways are actually measured with a surveying set or if they're just "guesstimated."

Knowing a little about government work, I'd say the latter. So I wouldn't use them for measuring. GPSs aren't 100% accurate but they're accurate enough for a functional MPG calculation. :shrug:

As I said, the main, most important gauge on my UG is the DTE: Distance To Empty. Since we all know how crappy the fuel gauge on the 3rd gen is, that's become my de facto fuel gauge.