da67goatman

iTrader: (1)

I am trying to learn here, so please be gentle. I want to know what you guys are using for obd port monitoring as far as bluetooth dongles and apps go. Where did you get your dongle and what app do you prefer? I look forward to the responses and if you have installed pics those are always welcome.

firebirdude

iTrader: (3)

Cheapest bluetooth adapter I could find and the Torque app.
Newegg.com - ELM327 Bluetooth OBD-II OBD2 OBDII CAN-BUS Interface Auto Diagnostic Scanner Scan Tool
Really don't use it much to tell you the truth. Mainly just for viewing and clearing codes. lol

da67goatman

iTrader: (1)

Nobody uses this stuff instead of buying and installing gauges? Why not? Am I missing something?

nuke0907

iTrader: (2)

Accuracy

UrbanCowboy

iTrader: (1)

With those bluetooth adapters, you can only monitor what the car can monitor. So the most common gauges for NA set ups is coolant temp (which the car has a sensor for), oil temp and oil pressure (both of which have no sensors for). For oil, you need to install a signal sending unit, which will not be able to be picked up by a bluetooth unit, hence the need for external gauges.

For boosted set ups, you're looking at boost, EGT and AFR, all of which require additional sending units and gauges. Hope this helps.

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

Plenty of people use bluetooth OBD2 for reporting, the larger problem that many don't want to deal with is actually mounting the phone or tablet.

There are solutions to that though.

HU Replacement:


OEM Nav Hood usage:


Mounted in front of the HU:


Floor stand mounted (this is mine, though my MSM, I never got a pic of it set up in my RX-8)



There are huge advantages to hooking up a tablet or phone to the car, since it is an all-in-one option for navigation, audio, OBD2, weather, etc...

But, as Urban mentioned, you can only use OBD2 to monitor what the ECU reports. The two main things that aren't reported by the ECU are oil pressure and temperature. It does report AFR and Cat temp (which is somewhat close to EGT temps) though, and oil temp will closely mirror water temp, so going with other gauges is largely a matter of preference.

da67goatman

iTrader: (1)

I already have a solution for mounting, its replacing the dash cluster if I can get a tablet big enough. How is the responsiveness with the bluetooth, is there any delay or lag in the display? or is that all based on how good a tablet you get?

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

There is a reduction in reporting speed, don't get rid of the OEM dash cluster.

Edit: You can't get rid of the dash cluster if I recall correctly, the ECU is looking for it. Bluetooth OBD2 is primarily useful for things that are dependant on high speed updates with a high resolution. It isn't good enough for even vehicle speed, much less things like AFR based tuning or looking for anything that might change in a fraction of a second. It is good for general monitoring, not a cluster replacement.

Rx8guy191

I use this and its worked and served it purpose. I love the simplicity of it but would love to add some aftermarket gauges.

Braden

The issue with different bluetooth, or now even wifi units, is the PID's that it can report, and the sped that it can handle it. The cheap $10 and under bluetooth dongles are really delayed and can't report on very much at once. The better ones nearly mirror realtime and are more accurate. Certain ones will also have more capabilities. For example, my favorite one, the OBDLink MX from Scantool has better security functions, has a sleep mode so it won't use the battery when you've turned the car off, and streams at about 4 times the speed of any other bluetooth adapter. They run $99, but are way more useful rather than just being a novelty item like some of the others.

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

The bluetooth adapters don't have a PID filter in them. It would be more work for zero reason. The PID restrictions are from the app you are using, not the adapter.

Yes, the speed of the adapters is generally low for bluetooth, a bit faster for wifi, just due to the standard connection speeds of each, with the quality of the adapter playing a huge roll in the final speed you see.