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2012-2013 BOSS 302

Laguna gauge pod installation

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Old 7/16/11, 10:40 AM
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Laguna gauge pod installation

Doesn't look easy to me:

http://www.fordracingpartsdirect.com...structions.pdf
Old 7/16/11, 11:01 AM
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too bad that doesn't have any color photos with it.
Old 7/16/11, 11:03 AM
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Thanks for finding this. It does look involved.

Something to consider to those installing the guage pack after living with the guage pack in my LS. I would prefer to have the "Performance Guage" in the left most position of the guage pod instead of the center position. The Perfomance Guage has both a digital numeric display as well as a graphical display around the perimeter of the guage face. When the guage is installed in the center position, the guage bezel blocks the the left edge of the guage face perimeter so that the driver cannot see the graphical display unless the driver leans towards the center of the car. By trading guage pod locations between the performance guage and the oil pressure guage the driver will be able to see the graphical display while in the normal driving position.

The guage pod is mounted facing straight back. I presume the reason for this is so that the lateral G and forward G readings will be correct. If this is the case, it is not an option to rotate the guage pod towards the driver.

I plan on swapping guage locations on my LS. I looked at it last weekend and decided I needed to remove the pod from the car so I could un-tape the harness inside the pod to allow me to move the guages.

I would have preferred to have an oil temperature guage instead of the performance guage. IMO the performance guage is entertaining for an afernoon but not much use after that. ~Your mileage may vary~
Old 7/16/11, 11:19 AM
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Originally Posted by 2012-LS134
The guage pod is mounted facing straight back. I presume the reason for this is so that the lateral G and forward G readings will be correct. If this is the case, it is not an option to rotate the guage pod towards the driver.

I plan on swapping guage locations on my LS.

That may also be the reason the G-Meter guage is in the center position. Moving it away from it's designed centerline of the car may affect it's accuracy. I don't think I would move it.

Last edited by 1FAFP90; 7/16/11 at 11:20 AM.
Old 7/16/11, 12:10 PM
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Originally Posted by 1FAFP90
That may also be the reason the G-Meter guage is in the center position. Moving it away from it's designed centerline of the car may affect it's accuracy. I don't think I would move it.
The gauge needs to be square with the primary longitudinal and lateral axes of the car to measure accelerations in those directions. While moving the gauge to the left will theoretically change the rotational acceleration about the vertical (z) axis, it will have little to no effect to the x and y axes. The factory dashpad location of the pod is not in the geometric center of the four tires...it is forward of the geometric center. Think about it.

Besides that, do you really think Ford would put a high precision instrument in a car sold to the general public? Not a chance...especially when considering their limited niche marketed "Racecar With A License Plate" doesn't have a way to add negative front tire camber, has a rear axle that pukes oil when driven hard, has hard to fit with R compound tires; stylish 19-inch wheels and appears to overheat the engine when driven like a race car for more than 2 or 3 laps. It's a great car to build on, but the mass majority of people want them as garage queens and weekend cruisers which equates to a nice helping of bling to go along with the performance.

Last edited by 2012-LS134; 7/16/11 at 01:26 PM.
Old 7/16/11, 01:59 PM
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Originally Posted by 2012-LS134
Think about it.
I said CENTERLINE and not geometric center.

Last edited by 1FAFP90; 7/16/11 at 02:17 PM.
Old 7/16/11, 03:24 PM
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Originally Posted by 1FAFP90
I said CENTERLINE and not geometric center.
Okey Dokey, Centerline it is.

Did you consider, centerline of what? The car can have more than one centerline. Apparently the one you are referring to is the centerline of the long dimension of the car. I call that the longitudinal axis. The factory location of the G-Tech gauge lies on this longitudinal axis – assuming the left and right half dash dimensions are identical, I haven’t measured. If the car is accelerating absolutely (not turning) along this longitudinal axis it does not matter where on the dash the G-Tech gauge is mounted – it will measure the same acceleration in the direction of the longitudinal axis whether it is mounted in the center of the dash or outside the car on the door rearview mirror.

Now, let’s say the car is accelerating while turning right. Somewhere way off road to the right is the theoretical center of the circle of the curve we are driving. The distance to the center of the circle is the turn radius. The G-tech gauge sitting on the longitudinal axis is seeing the average acceleration of car. If the gauge is mounted one pod space to the left, it will have a slightly longer radius and for the same angular acceleration it will measure a slightly higher value. As an example lets say our curve has a radius of 500 feet. Move the gauge to the left and the actual radius is 500 feet 3 inches, about a 0.05 % increase. The trick Ford Racing performance gauge doesn’t measure to this accuracy – so moving the gauge in the pod doesn’t matter. If the gauge were mounted on the door’s rear view mirror the 3 foot radius increase in this example would be 0.6%. I still don’t think the supplied gauge is accurate enough to discriminate this difference in longitudinal acceleration.

But what about the other axis? The lateral axis. The centerline of this axis would be at the center of rotation about the vertical or z-axis. On a car like our beloved Boss that is steered with the front tires, the center of rotation when the steering wheel is moving would be in the neighborhood of the rear differential. When the steering is set the rotation point moves to approximately the centerline between the front and rear tires. The dash mounted G-Tech gauge is somewhat distant from both of these points. So the lateral G’s the gauge is measuring is slightly off. But no fear, the accuracy of the gauge is such that it doesn’t matter.

So, we get this really cool Ford Racing performance gauge with our Boss LS. However, where it is mounted I cannot see the trick blue and amber colored graphics without leaning to the right to see it even though I drive with the seat all the way back. The reason I would like to see the graphics is because I am going fast though our 500 foot radius turn and I want to see what the lateral G value is. But the dilemma is that while I am leaning to the right to see the gauge, I am not watching the road / track. Something I don’t want to be doing as undesirable consequences could follow.
Old 7/17/11, 12:06 AM
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they sell that same gauge alone and almost all of them end up in a pillar pod or one of the roush vent mounts. you can measures g's and stuff with the iPhones accelerometers and it matters not where you put it as long as its well mounted. i cant see that where the gauge is matters since the accelerometer has no idea if its in the center or pillar. as long as you calibrate the gauge on a flat level surface it should be fine.

FWIW if you want the gauges for oil press, water temp and such that package ford sells form the LS car is seriously over priced. you can get the LS gauge pod for like $100 and put your own gauges in it for about half the price. granted that LS kit may come with some sort of harness making the hook up easy idk. im not a fan of stuff on the dash like that, it puts them out of view to me. i'd prefer a speed of sound pillar pod and then you have no hole in the dash to contend with if you want to go stock again later. i think id rather have a aeroforce single gauge, roush pod mount, and then sensors for whatever it is you want to follow so the car still look stock.
Old 7/17/11, 01:33 AM
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Originally Posted by 2012-LS134

Okey Dokey, Centerline it is.

Did you consider, centerline of what? The car can have more than one centerline. Apparently the one you are referring to is the centerline of the long dimension of the car. I call that the longitudinal axis. The factory location of the G-Tech gauge lies on this longitudinal axis – assuming the left and right half dash dimensions are identical, I haven’t measured. If the car is accelerating absolutely (not turning) along this longitudinal axis it does not matter where on the dash the G-Tech gauge is mounted – it will measure the same acceleration in the direction of the longitudinal axis whether it is mounted in the center of the dash or outside the car on the door rearview mirror.

Now, let’s say the car is accelerating while turning right. Somewhere way off road to the right is the theoretical center of the circle of the curve we are driving. The distance to the center of the circle is the turn radius. The G-tech gauge sitting on the longitudinal axis is seeing the average acceleration of car. If the gauge is mounted one pod space to the left, it will have a slightly longer radius and for the same angular acceleration it will measure a slightly higher value. As an example lets say our curve has a radius of 500 feet. Move the gauge to the left and the actual radius is 500 feet 3 inches, about a 0.05 % increase. The trick Ford Racing performance gauge doesn’t measure to this accuracy – so moving the gauge in the pod doesn’t matter. If the gauge were mounted on the door’s rear view mirror the 3 foot radius increase in this example would be 0.6%. I still don’t think the supplied gauge is accurate enough to discriminate this difference in longitudinal acceleration.

But what about the other axis? The lateral axis. The centerline of this axis would be at the center of rotation about the vertical or z-axis. On a car like our beloved Boss that is steered with the front tires, the center of rotation when the steering wheel is moving would be in the neighborhood of the rear differential. When the steering is set the rotation point moves to approximately the centerline between the front and rear tires. The dash mounted G-Tech gauge is somewhat distant from both of these points. So the lateral G’s the gauge is measuring is slightly off. But no fear, the accuracy of the gauge is such that it doesn’t matter.

So, we get this really cool Ford Racing performance gauge with our Boss LS. However, where it is mounted I cannot see the trick blue and amber colored graphics without leaning to the right to see it even though I drive with the seat all the way back. The reason I would like to see the graphics is because I am going fast though our 500 foot radius turn and I want to see what the lateral G value is. But the dilemma is that while I am leaning to the right to see the gauge, I am not watching the road / track. Something I don’t want to be doing as undesirable consequences could follow.
Cliff notes?
Old 7/17/11, 06:09 AM
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Originally Posted by Big Vito
Cliff notes?
1. It doesn't matter where you mount the Ford Racing Performance Gauge (aka G-Tech gauge) in the car.

2. Mathematically the g-forces experienced vary from point to point in the car. It depends on the car's particular direction and acceleration.

3. The gauge accuracy is not fine enough to measure the mathematical differences in g-forces.

4. The gauge measures really cool stuff that is critical to competitive high performance bench racing.

5. We are driving our cars, not performing lasik eye surgery.

6. At all times just remember to Have Fun.

7. Your mileage may vary from that of others.

Old 7/17/11, 07:57 AM
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Originally Posted by 2012-LS134
4. The gauge measures really cool stuff that is critical to competitive high performance bench racing.
LMAO. Your earlier comment about deleting the arcade gauge and installing an oil temp gauge is the way to go. About the only thing I'm disappointed with on the car is the stock gauge cluster. The speedo is hard to read and the only useful gauge is the tach which I'd prefer to be in the center. I'm not wild about the optional gauge pack either but might end up going that route if I don't install an Aeroforce gauge in the drivers side AC vent.
Old 7/17/11, 10:03 AM
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Old 7/17/11, 10:43 AM
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I definitely want oil pressure, oil temperature, and possibly water temperature. I'm going to sit on the sidelines until some comes up with an integrated solution.
Old 7/17/11, 10:51 AM
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Originally Posted by 4pipes
I definitely want oil pressure, oil temperature, and possibly water temperature. I'm going to sit on the sidelines until some comes up with an integrated solution.
the aeroforce gauge will do all of that with the right senders. probably cost you $500-ish for the senders and gauges plus $30 for the roush vent mount. that would be the most integrated solution.
Old 7/17/11, 11:00 AM
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I agree, since I will probably install this myself, I need to see where others locate the sensors first. Hopefully, some will post a procedure and pics.
Old 7/17/11, 05:10 PM
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I agree with 4 pipes and 5 DOT 0...I love this car and am continually amazed at whit it will do...so don't take this as a rabid complaint - I know that the highly-commited design team had to constantly bow down to the beancounters...but considering the outright value and performance it delivers and how it will be used by enthusiasts, I am bit surprised at the lack of useful engine monitoring guages. My friends who ride in the car are amazed with no oil pressure guage...WOW....I asked Steve Ling (who was with here with a number of team members and were a hoot to hang out with and talk to) about this at the Mid America Shelby meet in Tulsa, and he alluded to the fact that they had to differentiate the base Boss from the LS i.e. with the guage pod....but my response to him is that I didn't feel the LS guage pod was that much better....So like 4 pipes, I will wait for an integrated solution that doesn't require cutting a hole in the dash....Rusty
Old 7/18/11, 06:08 PM
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Just going to use my OBD Key and have the data sent to my android phone in "realtime" via bluetooth...mounting the phone to the windshield.
Old 7/18/11, 07:50 PM
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Originally Posted by 2012-LS134
1. It doesn't matter where you mount the Ford Racing Performance Gauge (aka G-Tech gauge) in the car.

2. Mathematically the g-forces experienced vary from point to point in the car. It depends on the car's particular direction and acceleration.

3. The gauge accuracy is not fine enough to measure the mathematical differences in g-forces.

4. The gauge measures really cool stuff that is critical to competitive high performance bench racing.

5. We are driving our cars, not performing lasik eye surgery.

6. At all times just remember to Have Fun.

7. Your mileage may vary from that of others.

Very nice dissertation and capsulation! Well thought out and artfully delivered....
Old 7/18/11, 10:36 PM
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You know, after thinking about it more, the most useful feedback for the track is a bright red, calibrated, low oil pressure light. You don't need to monitor pressure on track, just need to know instaneously if the pressure drops below a certain safe threshold.....in my big block Cobra that is set at 30psi.

After that, coolant temperature is important to know. Oil temperature can get to very high temperatures without damage...say, 135 degrees centigrade. The higher the better to boil off impurities caused by blow by.

So very simply oil pressure, with a warning point and coolant temp with a warning point.

I believe the Boss already has a warning light for low oil pressure, so maybe ECT is all I need.

Last edited by 4pipes; 7/18/11 at 10:37 PM.
Old 7/19/11, 05:24 AM
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Originally Posted by 06GT
Just going to use my OBD Key and have the data sent to my android phone in "realtime" via bluetooth...mounting the phone to the windshield.
Wait...the Boss has Bluetooth??


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