So I took the risk and decided to go with Prosport gauges and finally had a chance to install them over the holidays. In making my gauge decision, I wanted the following: full sweep, white lighting, simple appearance. The gauges I wanted were Oil Pressure, Coolant Temp., and Oil Temp.

I had narrowed it down to the Autometer Sport Comp II or the Autometer Nexus gauges. But even with the less expensive Sport Comp II, the price for all 3 gauges was still a total of close to $500. That's a tough one to get by the investment manager (a.k.a. my wife).

After talking to a buddy of mine who still has his STi, I was convinced to give the Prosport gauges a look. I dug around on their website and also on some of the Subaru forums and these gauges got great reviews with the mantra of "I can't believe how nice these are for the money!"

Well, I took the gamble and have to say that I completely agree. I've attached some pictures that don't at all do them justice (some with flash, some without--sorry, I'm not a photographer). They are very easy to read (the gauge lens is a magnifier), *very* bright lighting, and you have the option to make the lighting change from white to green (or amber or blue if you order those gauges) when you turn your lights on. They come with a nice plug-in wiring harness, good general directions, the senders, and even the hood/angle ring (I used it as a hood).

Basically, these have a similar look to the Nexus gauges (did I mention how nice the lighting is? ), but are a FRACTION of the cost--but they don't have all the frills the Nexus gauges have (like the 7 different colors and the warning setting). So far, performance of them seems just fine (temps and pressure reading as expected). Also, their customer service seems to be good, too. I emailed them with a quick wiring question and they got back to me within a few hours.

I'll post updates if I get some good pictures of them.

Oh, as for installing the senders, most of this has been covered in other posts (thanks, Dustin and others). For the coolant temp sender, I used the Autometer adapter #2268 which threads right into the block on the drivers side just before the tranny bellhousing.

For the oil pressure sender, I used the Autometer extension tube #3234, a -3AN to 1/8" NPT adapter on each end of it, with the 1/8" NPT end threading into a 1/4" NPT to 1/8" NPT reducer. One end threads into the 1/4" NPT port in the block, the other end I threaded into a 1/4" NPT T-fitting. The stock oil pressure sender threads right in, and then the new sender takes another 1/4" to 1/8" NPT reducer. I used teflon paste for all the fittings and have no leaks.

For the oil temp sender, let's just say the way I did it isn't for the faint of heart. I don't trust any of the oil filter plate adapters yet (seems like our oiling system is pretty sensitive due to the VCT and I haven't come across anyone using an adapter plate yet--I'm sure someone will chime in and say it works just fine... ). Also, I wanted to take the oil temp in the pan. T-ing off the stock fitting wasn't a great option, since both senders would not be in the best contact with the oil.

So..... I did the Vortech punch-a-hole-in-the-pan method! I used a brass plumb bob that tapered to a sharp steel tip and went to town about an inch below the stock sender and a little to the left (it's tight due to the K-member). I figured worst case I'd be ordering a Moroso replacement oil pan if it didn't work.

Well, after some banging away, I punched a large enough hole in the pan and threaded it with a 1/4" NPT tap. I used plenty of grease on the tap to catch the little metal shards. Then I smothered a stainless 1/4"NPT to 1/8" NPT reducer fitting with JB weld, torqued it into the pan and let it cure overnight. Installed the temp sender into the fitting the next day, flushed the old 6 qts. of oil through twice just in case any filings were left, then filled it up. It worked great and after a few days of some hard driving there are no leaks!

Anyway, I am floored by how nice these gauges are for the money. Here's Prosport's website: http://www.prosportgauges.com/ (yes, I cringe when I see the Drifting magazine on the homepage... ) And again, sorry for the crappy pictures, but it at least give an idea of their lighting. Their website has some nicer pictures. Two big fat thumbs up for these gauges!

 

Looks good- way to go! Congrats!!

 

They look fantastic!

 

Nice! Also cool to be "different".

 

You might look into mounting them on your a-pillar.

Attachment 16687

Attachment 16688

 

Do they come in 2 1/16

 

This is not for me!

 

"holy drilled holes in the dash Batman!!!"

A-pillar pods or the center dash pods are my preferred method of putting gauges in. I had a car that i wanted to return to stock and had holes in the dash that I couldn't cover up when I traded it in... looked really bad.

but...

to each his own....

it looks nice!!!!

 

Yup, that's what mine are.

 

I thought about both the A-pillar pods (Speed of Sound look very nice) and the center pods (not so nice looking). The A-pillar pods block my left side line of sight too much. I have a hard enough time locating the front corners of this car as it is, putting an A-pillar pod in and wearing a helmet (even more limited view) just isn't what I wanted for autocrossing.

No holes in the dash, either. It's just a stick on top pod I fabbed up. *Very* easy to spot the gauges with barely any eye movement from the road, and no blocking visibility out the windshield.

 

It's different and looks good. Way to go against the grain! I like it~