Anyone used Chinese wideband AFR (air fuel) sensor and gauge?

[RIP]

Chinese wideband sensor and gauge, seems to be a copy of AEM: £60
Original AEM: £200

Has anyone risked it and can comment?
This is for carb tuning, so i can see data when the engine is under load on the road.

 

[steveo3002]

aem ones are a bit sketchy so i dunno

whats the point using one at all if you cant trust it ? wouldnt expect it to last long but might be wrong

 

[jsf55]

It's really more down too the sensor, if it's not a quality part, it's not going to be any good ? I think it's Bosch LSU4.9s on the aem i have an upgrade from the old 4.2s that were ok ish with the innovate i had

 

[Misterg]

This is for carb tuning, so i can see data when the engine is under load on the road.

Are you aware of the 14point7 AFR gauges?

I came across them when looking for bits for a turbo conversion, but haven't used them. A bit cheaper than AEM, and seem to get favourable comments on various kit car forums (for the 'Spartan' version, at least).

UK distributor is DIYEFI (there may also be others):

14Point7 SLCFREE2 Wideband Controller & Optional LSU 4.9 Sensor

An ideal way to add full wideband air fuel monitoring to your ECU on a budget.

diy-efi.co.uk

 

[RIP]

Are you aware of the 14point7 AFR gauges?

I came across them when looking for bits for a turbo conversion, but haven't used them. A bit cheaper than AEM, and seem to get favourable comments on various kit car forums (for the 'Spartan' version, at least).

UK distributor is DIYEFI (there may also be others):

14Point7 SLCFREE2 Wideband Controller & Optional LSU 4.9 Sensor

An ideal way to add full wideband air fuel monitoring to your ECU on a budget.

diy-efi.co.uk

I wasnt aware of that, but it looks like just the kind of product I like. It's open source, comes from small, trustworthy manufacturer and considering quality I can deal with that price. Made in Canada, is a bonus at the moment.

 

[Morris]

I used a 14point7 Spartan 2 on wifey's Pop. I don't have a gauge with it as I don't need it.
Good price and seems to be good quality.

 

[Keithmac]

Chinese and a need for accuracy don't really fit in the same sentence.

I have found the LSU 4.2 sensors far more robust than the newer LSU 4.9's.

It would be a good idea to find a controller that is capable of running both.

 

[Munkul]

aem ones are a bit sketchy so i dunno

whats the point using one at all if you cant trust it ? wouldnt expect it to last long but might be wrong

I've used 3 AEM widebands for 3 different turbo cars, also checked against the rolling road reference wideband, never a problem.
Only had one of the sensors fail, and that was because I was running antilag and it was a bit too closely placed to the turbo.... Got a bit (red) hot lol. They're bosch sensors.
Also the analog output of the AEM works very well with most ECUs for either tuning or running closed loop.

I would NOT risk an engine running lean or badly with a chinese wideband. Absolute false economy.

 

[Keithmac]

I run Zeitronix ZT-2's with the oblong LCD displays.

They come with serial lead and software to allow datalogging on a Windows laptop.

Have used that in the past but use main PCM to log it all now on both cars.

 

[RIP]

How easy it to read a digital Air Fuel Ratio? I assume it'll be jumping around like crazy during road use? Will I be able to make sense of it?

 

[Munkul]

How easy it to read a digital Air Fuel Ratio? I assume it'll be jumping around like crazy during road use? Will I be able to make sense of it?

Yes, they usually have a sampling rate for the readout that's delayed enough to read and comprehend.
Under load in a high gear, the AFR will be more or less steady, that's the most important bit to tune. Once you have tuned the full load and part load areas of the map right through the rev range, it then interpolates down a long way for light load. Just watch if you have closed loop fuelling enabled, because if so, it'll jump around like crazy at light load.

 

[Keithmac]

My gauge is LCD and easy to read.

You want datalogging really, all my tuning is done after the fact with a cup of tea and the laptop.

You do not want to be concentrating on a gauge during a wide open throttle pull..