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There are many ways to get real time performance and fuel consumption data or see what the engine on your car or SUV is doing without costing too much more of your hard earned dollars. The most common solution to see what your your car’s or SUV performance in real time is to purchase a OBD II reader (On-board Diagnostics system). These ODB II readers are very popular with the JDM car enthusiasts and indeed in Japan but not widely used elsewhere. If you’re lucky enough to have a car that can show some performance data like a Prius, Skyline GTR etc.. you can get most of the key details on the standard dashboard. However many modern cars still do not the what we describe as the basics.
What performance data an you get from a OBD II reader? Lots of performance data…but it is dependent on what sensors your car or SUV has. The following information can be read: Engine fault codes, Revs, fuel use, fuel level, throttle position, Engine HP and Torque, intake air temperature, mass air flow, battery charge, co2 omissions, speed according to the engine, turbo boost, voltage and much much more!
There are a number of wired OBD reader options to choose from and the leading ones are the ScanGauge module and currently less common bluetooth based OBD II readers. ScanGague is a brand of wired OBD II reader with a small screen that plugs into your car (but you need to know how much wire you need.) A bluetooth OBD2 reader is one that plugs into the car’s port but doesn’t require any wires to see the information since you can use your mobile phone, tablet or even PC to see the cars information! There are plenty of Bluetooth OBD II interface models and brands to choose from and if you purchase from a reputable seller will have not problems with it (as we have).
The current ScanGauge 2 module works no question, one of us used to have one until it broke. Since the data was never really that useful for general motoring or compelling enough she never bothered with a replacement. The ScanGauge II module is expensive usually twice the price of a bluetooth enabled ODB II adapter and not exactly easy to install in an integrated fashion. Let’s face it the average SUV owner is unlikely to have the time to do a custom install. That’s where a bluetooth based OBD II reader is the best solution.
To install either ScanGauge or a Bluetooth into your car of SUV is a matter of finding the socket and plugging it in. The OBD2 connector can usually be found under the dashboard near the steering wheel and it also supplies power to the adapter. The extra step for the bluetooth OBD is to get an App that interprets the data and pairing it with your phone. If you have a newish mobile phone you will be able to connect more than one device, we currently have three paired and running at the same time, eg. streaming to the stereo for music and phone calls, Smartwatch and the OBD II interface.
There are a number of Apps you can than install on your phone or tablet to read the data. If you have an iPhone you’re out of luck there are NO decent Apps to choose from very disappointing. Thankfully if you have an Android OS phone than you have a few great ones to choose from. We are still going trying the various Apps out to see which ones are the best so you’ll have to visit for the App or software review.
So the only conclusion so far is that the more flexible bluetooth ODB II reader is the best all round option. The App reviews will come later.