I was looking at getting some gauges and wanted to know which gauge is better the oil pressure or the oil temperature gauge or what is the difference? Which one would be better to have? Thanks
Thanks, that what I thought.
Both are very important gauges to have. I have both. Oil temp and motor temp are not even close to the same.
FU Tuning
John Higgins wrote:Both are very important gauges to have. I have both. Oil temp and motor temp are not even close to the same.
I was wondering if you might elaborate on that a bit. My line of thinking was the same as Quiklilcav's post above. I'm honestly having trouble thinking of how separate oil and coolant temperature information would be of significant use.
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On a turbocharged car, you're going to need an oil temperature gauge. This will monitor the oil temperature as it passes over the bearings of the turbo(which can get extrememly hot at near full boost) while also monitoring the oil temperature covering the pistons. High oil temperatures will tell you that something is amiss in your turbo, egt, or are having alot of detonation which will cause cylinder temps to go up and so will your oil.. The oil temperature gauge will help you monitor this with more reliability than the coolant temperature gauge.
Oil pressure is just that, measuring the pressure of the oil from the pump.
For n/a applications, you really don't need a oil temperature gauge but a oil pressure gauge. The pressure gauge is a must for any car whether it's n/a or boosted.
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Thank you Dave and JBO! 
Oil temp is very important. It can tell you that something is not right. Oil is designed to work at certain temps, the higher the temp it becomes less affective.Since having a oil temp gauge I find myself playing in the car less when the oil temp is over 180 degree's. When it get's close to 210 I don't play at all.
FU Tuning
John Higgins wrote:Oil is designed to work at certain temps, the higher the temp it becomes less affective.
Wrong. Oil is designed to operate optimally within a (huge) temperature range. This doesn't mean "the higher the temp, the less effective" it is at lubricating. The weight of the oil comes into play here... if you are running 5w30 oil, the oil will be extremely free flowing while cold... clear down to the negative temperatures. The oil is designed to become more viscous as it heats up to provide sufficient protection to the engine. Obviously there is a point where the oil is trashed, but oil itself is fine at 300 degrees in an engine. After all, this is the temperature on which the "30" in "5w30" is based on.
John Higgins wrote: When it get's close to 210 I don't play at all.
That oil is fine, pay more attention to the engine coolant temp.
jimjones wrote:John Higgins wrote:Oil is designed to work at certain temps, the higher the temp it becomes less affective.
Wrong. Oil is designed to operate optimally within a (huge) temperature range. This doesn't mean "the higher the temp, the less effective" it is at lubricating. The weight of the oil comes into play here... if you are running 5w30 oil, the oil will be extremely free flowing while cold... clear down to the negative temperatures. The oil is designed to become more viscous as it heats up to provide sufficient protection to the engine. Obviously there is a point where the oil is trashed, but oil itself is fine at 300 degrees in an engine. After all, this is the temperature on which the "30" in "5w30" is based on.
John Higgins wrote: When it get's close to 210 I don't play at all.
That oil is fine, pay more attention to the engine coolant temp.
You do not know what you are talking about. 5w30 oil is thicker at start up and thins out as it get's warmer. So as oil get hotter it gets thinner and can allow other parts of the motor to run hotter (like bearings).
Watching the coolant temp will not tell me anything about oil temp, or oil pressure. Oil temp will move up or down quicker than a coolant temp ever will.
FU Tuning
