LC-1 Vs AutoMeter Wideband
Thread Starter
TECH Enthusiast
iTrader: (4)
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 612
Likes: 0
From: Nashville, TN
LC-1 Vs AutoMeter Wideband Ok so which one is better? The auto meter cost more but is it that much better than the LC-1? I have heard some LC-1 horror stories and was a little worried about going that route.
Do you have any information on the Autometer unit? Not familiar with that one...
I've heard the same LC-1 horror stories, and I just can't figure it out...I've had my same LC-1 for over 2 years, and I've run it every single day in my car, and am still on the same sensor. Guess I was lucky, but still...this thing has been one of the most reliable things on my car.
I've heard the same LC-1 horror stories, and I just can't figure it out...I've had my same LC-1 for over 2 years, and I've run it every single day in my car, and am still on the same sensor. Guess I was lucky, but still...this thing has been one of the most reliable things on my car.
Dont know about the autometer but my LC1 is working over 1 year without fault. From what I've read I think the problem with LC1's is that people are not careful installing it.
I bought the LC1, what a piece of **** that was, constant problems, It pissed me off so bad i just threw it away. I recently bought the autometer, its great! so much easier to install and you don't have to do any of that free air or heater calibration BS!
It's not a "nice feature" to have your unit calibrate to that resistor rather than reality.
+1. They are a little voltage sensitive. A shoddy install WILL **** one up. I burned the analog outputs out of one when a gauge back-fed voltage INTO the outputs. Out of 3 in use, the only one that ever gave a problem was 100% MY fault. BTW, the serial output still works just fine on the unit with the burned analog outputs.
I ordered the LM1. It shows the AFR on the handheld unit so you can verify it's the same as what ur getting in ur tuning software. It seems that a bad ground can cause the AFR to be off between what you see on the screen vs what you see on the hand held unit. You wouldn't have that piece of info with just the LC1 so you could be tuning it waaay off and not even know it.
Trending Topics
Thats not a good thing....
LS1 Tech Stories
The Best V8 Stories One Small Block at Time
6 Common C5 Corvette Failures and What's Involved In Repairing Them
Pouria Savadkouei
Retro Modern Bandit Pontiac Trans AM Comes With Burt Reynolds' Autograph
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Greatest Cadillac V Series Performance Models Ever, Ranked
Pouria Savadkouei
Top 10 Most Powerful Chevy Trucks Ever Made!
Hennessey's New Supercharged Silverado ZR2 Has 700 HP
Verdad Gallardo
Coachbuilt N2A Anteros Is an LS2-Powered C6 Corvette In Italian Clothes
Verdad Gallardo
Awesome K5 Blazer Restomod Comes With C7 Corvette Power
Verdad Gallardo
10 Camaros You Should Never Buy
10 LS Engine Myths That Refuse to Die
Verdad Gallardo
TECH Enthusiast
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 604
Likes: 0
From: Loganville, GA
Well the free air and heater cals are what keep them accurate... those cheap bosch O2s wander over time, and the fixed calibration resistor doesn't drift like the sensor, so without those cals, their accuracy will fade much quicker than when the same sensor is used with the LC1/LM1s.
It's not a "nice feature" to have your unit calibrate to that resistor rather than reality.
It's not a "nice feature" to have your unit calibrate to that resistor rather than reality.
Not neccessarily the best, but better. That calibration keeps things more accurate since the sensor drift over time. The units that calibrate against the resistor on the O2 can't keep up with the sensor's natural drift. The LM1 is the same and it's not hyper sensitive to grounding like the lc1
The setup on the LC-1 is critical in my book...that means you need to read their directions (which are actually pretty good IMO), and know what the hell you are doing when it comes to wiring...
I grounded everything to my engine, and the power comes from the 12V switched power source on the driver's side fuse panel. Verification between what the unit reads with its software and what your tuning software reads is essential...
Basically, you need to take your time, and verify everything rather than trust blindly. It almost bit me in the beginning...
I grounded everything to my engine, and the power comes from the 12V switched power source on the driver's side fuse panel. Verification between what the unit reads with its software and what your tuning software reads is essential...
Basically, you need to take your time, and verify everything rather than trust blindly. It almost bit me in the beginning...
TECH Enthusiast
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 604
Likes: 0
From: Loganville, GA
Not neccessarily the best, but better. That calibration keeps things more accurate since the sensor drift over time. The units that calibrate against the resistor on the O2 can't keep up with the sensor's natural drift. The LM1 is the same and it's not hyper sensitive to grounding like the lc1
From what I've gathered, I wouldn't want to be going with a sensor that has a "natural drift" because I don't want to be leaning out and reading richer than I really am. I'd drop the cash on doing it right, is there an O2 that won't drift?
I'll definitely avoid Bosch if there's something better. Inform me, I'm on Page 1 of electronics here it seems.
For sub 4-500 dollar systems, most have moved over to the bosch lsu-4.2 sensor and that's nice, since 60-80 bucks gets a replacement sensor. I don't really have an opinion as what is absolute best, as I have done no testing myself, but there is a comparo post floating around... damn search though, I couldn't find it. That sensor comes with an internal resistor that reflects it's cal at time of production. The systems that use free-air calibrate calibrate the sensor against free air rather than the resistor. Over time as the sensor drifts, this method shows it's merit. Or you could get one of the units like the PLX (or autometer as noted above) and just replace the sensor every 3-4K miles. If you only drive that much in a year, then 60-80 bucks isn't a bad maintenence cost. I like the free-air cal. If the car has been sitting unstarted for a day or so, it can just be calibrated in the pipe.
