Tag Archives: Bar

Defi Advance CAN Driver Now Available!!!

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We made mention of this newest offering from Defi a few months ago, and finally they’re here!

Just a quick rundown of what it is and what type of customer this is applicable to:

It’s a plug & play kit for OBDII vehicles. Let’s say you want high precision gauges in your car (which of course Defi makes!!!), but the hassle of having to install each gauges (temperature and/or pressure) is too time consuming, or even costly (especially if you have a technician install them). The Advance CAN Driver is your type of system!!!

By using the included OBDII Harness Kit (comes with part number DF15601), you simply hook up to the On-Board Diagnostic port, then link whichever Advance Series of gauges using the Daisy Chain meter wire from the CAN Driver to the gauge (and each subsequent gauge; up to three gauges can be installed). All that’s left is where you plan on mounting the CAN Driver unit and your gauges!

Installing gauges this way not only simplifies the installation process, but it also takes advantage of pulling all the engine data from the ECU. Afterall, the issue with OE gauges isn’t that their sensors are faulty or too slow. They are, in fact, quite accurate and quick. The real issue lies with how quickly the gauges return this real-time data into something you can see. The response time for OE gauges, as most of us know, is relatively slow. Now, with Advance CAN Driver operating your Advance series gauges, you have a high precision and fast functioning gauge setup, and all it took was a couple of minutes to hook up and get going!

However, some readings aren’t readily accessible from the factory ECU, such as engine speed (RPM). So, in order to use Advance CAN driver for other parameters like engine temperatures or pressures, you can still use Advance CAN Driver. But to get engine speed, you will need to use Defi’s Advance Control Unit in conjunction with the Advance CAN Driver.

So far, we have two available kits:

Defi Advance CAN Driver
part number: DF15601

MSRP: $189

Includes: Advance CAN Driver Unit, OBDII Harness Kit, Adapter Wire, Power Source Wire, Speed & Tachometer Signal Wire, and a few small installation parts.

CAND_Meter_ZD

*does not include gauges faintly visible in the background.

 

Defi Advance CAN Driver + Advance BF 80mm Tachometer (White)

part number: DF15702

MSRP: $412

Includes: Advance CAN Driver, Advance BF 80mm Tachometer in White (11k rpm), Power Source Wire, and a few small installation parts.

set-BF80

Contact your nearest authorized TEIN dealer to order!

Defi Advance A1 Gauges

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In an era of LCD and heads-up type displays that are now included in so many high-end cars, there’s still something about having a dial type gauge to get readings. Whatever it is, we just find it more attractive. Maybe it’s because it is just familiar. Defi has always been at the forefront when it comes to engine metering. Defi’s parent company, Nippon Seiki, is responsible for manufacturing many of the factory car gauge clusters. From simple analog gauges, which most cars still use, or LCD type readouts, or even the aforementioned heads-up displays (which Defi also makes), Defi/Nippon Seiki has been leading the way.

One issue is, as many of you in the performance world already know, factory gauge clusters tend to have quite a bit of lag, and many are not even calibrated properly (false readings). That’s mainly due to the budget constraints that car manufacturers give Nippon Seiki. A simple “good enough” gauge is what gets approved and is what ends up in our cars.

Defi, on the other hand, prides themselves in making highly responsive and accurate metering devices. The Defi marque is aimed towards high performance.  And, to the performance world, an accurately reading gauge an absolute necessity. Building your engine to produce more power can potentially produce more problems. You have to keep a much closer eye on your engine’s vitals to make sure everything is running correctly. Precise readings also aids in tuning your car properly. Precision is Defi’s aim, and they’ve consistently made that with every product since their inception.

New from Defi for 2016 is the Advance A1 line of gauges. Taking all the experience that Defi has to make a accurately reading gauge using their stepping motor technology and high quality sensors, the only thing left for Defi to do is make a highly attractive gauge.

a1_lineup-600x454

Using Defi’s Advance Control Unit, all gauges (up to 7 gauges) are linked using a daisy chain method which has a single meter cable from the control unit, then from one gauge to the next, and so on. This simplifies installation and also reduces the clutter typically associated with aftermarket gauges. All sensors (temperature, pressure, etc.) hook up to Advance Control Unit, which can be mounted anywhere within the car’s dash, further eliminating a clutter of wiring in your car’s interior. The Advance Control Unit is where end users can set all peaks and warnings, as well as illumination and sound settings.

daisy_chain_bfdaisy chain setup

 

The new Advance A1 line offers an ultra clean and modern look that will complement many late-model vehicles.

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Even the glass used to protect the gauge is something not seen before. It has very low reflective and glare properties, making it easy to read the gauge at multiple angles and even in direct sunlight.

Gauge illumination is in white, and even the needle is fully illuminated to provide clear view of engine vitals.

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Gauge facing has a machined look with gray outer portion and black center. As with all gauges in the Advance series, peak/warning lights are fitted within the bezel and only visible when programmed peaks and warnings are reached.

Audible warning can also be set for each gauge. For example, if water temp reaches past your programmed peak, the Water Temperature gauge will emit an audible buzz to inform you.

Available in Boost (Bar), Water & Oil Temperature (Celsius), Fuel & Oil Pressure (Bar), Exhaust Gas Temperature (Celsius), and also in a Tachometer.

Part numbers and MSRP as follows:

DF14801- Boost 2 Bar ($304)

DF14901- Boost 3 Bar ($338)

DF15001- Oil Pressure ($349)

DF15101- Fuel Pressure ($349)

DF15201- Oil Temperature ($271)

DF15301- Water Temperature ($271)

DF15401- Exhaust Gas Temperature ($349)

DF15501- Tachometer 11,000 RPM ($282)

The new Advance A1 line will be available in limited quantities by late May/early April!

 

A Cleverly Mounted Defi Advance ZD!!

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Not too long ago, we were contacted by Mike Bratcher of Riseful. He was really interested in Defi’s Advance ZD unit as a solution for metering his engine without the clutter of gauge dials mounted on and around his dash.

He later followed up with us, wanting to order more Advance ZD units, and it seemed that it was because of his unique mounting solution on his NSX that it generated some buzz.

As mentioned earlier, Mike wanted to eliminate a cluster of gauges on his dash, preferring to keep with his car’s subtle interior design cues. His solution? Mounting the Advance ZD where the stereo screen. This of course meant the removal of his stereo screen, but since his died out, it made a perfect location for his custom mounting idea.

Here are some pictures that Mr. Bratcher shared on NSXprime.com:

 

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A very well excecuted job, Mr. Bratcher!!!

Interested in mouting your Advance ZD in similar fashion? Mr. Bratched seems to have documented this installation pretty well on NSXprime. Check out his post!

 

 

 

 

Defi USDM Racer Series High Boost Gauge (max45PSI)

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Defi will soon release their USDM Racer Series high boost gauge! We’re expecting them to arrive early Summer 2015.

These gauges will feature a peak reading of 45PSI. And yes, that is PSI and not kPa. That means a more familiar reading that most U.S. consumers understand, and also do tuning with! No need to know how to convert bar to lbs!!

rg_boost45

While we don’t expect this to be a very popular seller, being that most customers with turbocharged or supercharged vehicles have peak boost around 20psi or less, it is a great option for the drag racer or time attacker that puts out anything over 30psi of boost.

Defi gauges are not only known for their exceptional quality and fitment, but also for their precise readings and fast, real-time data. It is Defi’s top priority to provide a high performance gauge since knowing your engine’s vitals are of utmost importance.

Available backlighting in Red (DF14602), Blue (Df14601), or White (DF14603), all of which are super bright for greater visibility in low light or potentially glaring conditions. MSRP- $266.
If you have a vehicle with more than 30psi, don’t skimp on quality and use the more affordable gauge option. Don’t risk the chance of false readings. Use the gauge that you will be confident in knowing and seeing how your engine is performing. Use Defi!

Using Racing Harnesses

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I’d like to approach this topic by first stating that racing harnesses are not suitable for daily driving. When used properly, a good harness system keeps you relatively firm in place, minimizing your body movements critical during quick maneuvers on track. The idea is to keep you planted into the car and reduce any excessive body motions that just add hysteresis to your hand and foot inputs.

With racing harnesses, proper head and neck restraint systems should also be used. Obviously, helmets are for head protection, but you should also use a neck brace (or a HANS device, if you have the money) when using a helmet and racing harness in conjunction. It would be pointless to use a harness that keeps you pretty firm in your seat while your next could pivot around in a nice axis. In a frontal impact, your neck can easily swing forward in an unsafe manner. Add the weight of the helmet you’re wearing, and that just adds to the trauma.

Another important notice- the angle of the racing harness must be set properly. If the shoulder straps use a very low anchoring point (like right behind your seat and towards the ground), that can cause serious bodily damage (paralysis, or even death) due to the compression of your spine in a frontal impact. Mounting or setting the angle of the shoulder straps horizontal to your shoulders (+/- 20 degrees) can help prevent that. One of the safest ways is by using a harness bar. But they aren’t available for every vehicle. So you would have to find a secure, roughly horizontal (again, +/- 20 degrees) anchoring point for the shoulder straps to secure on to.

The picture above shows the suitable angles for mounting the shoulder straps.

The use of the harness bar allows the anchoring point to be placed low behind the front seats since the bar’s angle relative to the shoulder height is horizontal. So in a frontal collision, there wouldn’t be any compressive forces pushing down on your shoulders. Instead, the harness bar would take the vertical load as your body attempts to move forward in an impact.


Harnesses mounted without a bar. Assuming the seat’s backrest can take the vertical load rather than your shoulders, and the anchoring angle set within an acceptable range, this is okay. I’d prefer a harness bar, though.


Anchoring the harness using the bolt holes from the OE mounting is more than sufficient and secure for eye ring bolts included with some harness sets like Takata.

Regarding neck support (HANS, specifically), this is just as important as you can see in these photos with & without HANS


Fortunately, I was able to find much of this necessary information on Takata Racing’s website

http://www.takataracingproducts.com/guide.html

but I also looked up some images online and pulled up some interesting information.

By now it must sound like safety equipment is a very expensive proposition. But this shouldn’t be a factor that you decide to skimp on when preparing a vehicle for racing.

The Takata harnesses we sell include most of the necessary hardware to use factory belt mounting points. But optional longer eye bolts and mounting plates are available if you decide to make your own mounting point.

Also, if looping to a harness bar, a 3 bar adjuster will be needed. Pegasus Racing sells such adjusters from their website

https://www.pegasusautoracing.com/productdetails.asp?RecID=627

The Octane Report also did a great write up on how to install harnesses to a harness bar

http://octanereport.com/gallery-how-to-takata-safety-harness-loop

I hope this gives you some great insight on safety equipment, and what is necessary for setting it up correctly. Just remember, your safety is the most important aspect to consider.