in a car with a real temp indicator, you can see the engine temperature vary with load, speed, when the fans kick in, etc. GM (along with many other mfrs) doesn't want Joe Average getting worried with this normal variance, and so programs it to not respond to these changes. It's one small step above an idiot light.

 

it would have been awesome if the tq gage was actually a legitimate indicator of tq, and would read over or up to 600.
then it would be sort of a built in dyno, in theory
it would read what the h/c u just installed is really or close to putting down.
by using the hp/tq conversion formula tq x 5252rpm=hp
maybe im just tripping

 

Mine works BAHAHAH. It takes 1 mile for it to get on the guage, then another 4 to get to 160 and it stays there unless I come to a stoplight and it goes to 200. Thats when I kick the SLP switch on and watch it drop FAST.

Early 98 for the win

 

I'm guessing it was the boost gauge for the Z28...I believe it even has the little twinscrew symbol like the ZR1's gauge. (not positive on this though)

 

I wonder if GM didn't put in a HP guage because n00bs would wonder why they were only making 100 HP tooling around town

 

I was thinking this myself......... But I hope I dont buy an Ls3 if they do come out with a z28 short time later.

 

^^^ then you just trade it in or mod the SS

 

You'd probably come out ahead modding the SS anyways. If the Z28 does get made, it won't be anything resembling cheap.

 

I think so too. I received an email about 6 months ago from our Jim Billings (head of the Camaro platform) where the last line said "The LS9 represents the first of several supersharged engines that will be available in future models..."

 

I drove a Tiburan and it had one of those. It was closer to the dash though. Really useless.

 

Wait, a Tiburan with a TQ gauge???

 

Yes you have heard correctly.

me ->

 

The press release material says it is a tranny temp gauge. Hopefully the auto gets that and the manual can have the torque gauge. Then I wont have to worry about stripping out a useless gauge and finding something useful to put in its place.

 

i'd rather have a wideband 02 gauge.

 

The gauge cluster will be optional.

 

Me too boy what a present widebands would be.

Maybe this torque gauge is to scare "tuners" you know a-pillar 5" tach man. Oh my god if its making 270 torque cruising you'd woop me at redline. Believe me there are plenty of people out there that will eat this up. Think about it 18-25 yo men not into cars asking the sales man is it fast. Dealer says look that that gauge and you tell me. Wow your right that's a lot and I didn't see that in the mustang I test drove.

Only because most of us deal with cars everyday does this look wrong. We know what the current GM motors do on dynos. Look at my uncle who is a good hearted man but doesn't follow cars would bite on whatever a dealer says this gauge does.

Hell my mom had an awesome 87 T-bird but the boost guage broke but you didn't need it to know the turbo was working. Yeah, knowing now that's should have been fixed but I was 12 at the time never touched a quart of oil.

 

I'm with Nine Ball on that one!

 

It seems useful. Nice that you can dyno your torque on the streets. Who would have thought?! At least one can see when their engine is down on tq or show off to the next guy that they're making more torque than him. Hopefully GM will incorporate the notion that their Camaro's are being modified into the torque gauge and have the reading's go up to 600lbs.

 

My dad had an 05 SSR. The torque gauge came with the optioned auxiliary gauge pack. It is definitely a preset thing. The needle moves very smoothly and slowly. It is just a novelty piece. The 3 gauges measured volts, torque, and outside temp. Located at the front of the center console near the shifter.





Close up view

 

Preset gauges are garbage. Id rather have actual readings or nothing at all. The 99+ have dummy water gauges.....whats the point?