Martinjmpr
Wiffleball Batter
(Cross-posted from http://www.t4r.org)
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.)
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.)
