Wideband question

[Mr overkill]

Ok dont mean to sound dumb or anythihng but what does a wideband do ????


reason i ask is i need to get a new af gauge and was gonna get a dawns device from chris . Is a wide band a reallyyyy expensive af meter? does it do anything else ???


i already am running a autometer Egt meter



Alex

[Marcus86GLHS]

the dawes device is a narrow band a/f measuring device that measures voltage at the oxygen sensor and gives you only a "lean-rich" readout. you will not know what the actual a/f mixture is with a dawes device.

wideband devices use a dedicated probe in the exhaust system and provide you with an exact, actual a/f ratio not just a "lean-rich" characterization. you'll know within one decimel place of the exact a/f ratio.

put it this way:
a dawes device is like a low-oil pressure warning (idiot) lite.
a wideband is like a oil pressure gauge.

widebands are typically 5+ times the cost of a narrow band.

widebands are great for tuning your engine in conjuction with adjustable fuel pressure regulators, calibrations, manual boost controllers, or other fuel and air control devices. narrow band gauges (like the dawes devices) are great for getting a general sense of what is going on a/f wise.

[The S is Silent]

A wideband O2 sensor has a linear A/F to Voltage relationship, whereas a narrow band O2 sensor has more of a logistic relationship. The voltage increases slowly at the bottom and top of the scale, but in the middle (consequently where you want to be) the slope is much greater.