Words: Jason Round

It would seem as though smoked gauges are the latest craze the gauge-world over, and we must admit, they are pretty cool. However, it can be a little hard trying to wade through the cheap, useless product that seems to be flooding the market and find something half decent out there. Thanks to Powerdigger and its Saber range of gauges, however, all your smoked-gauge problems have been solved.

The Saber range of Smoked-series gauges includes everything you’d need to keep a close eye on all your engine vitals, including oil pressure and temp, boost in PSI, air/fuel ration and water temp. They also make a great upgrade for standard factory gauges, which we all know can be rather dodgy in terms of accuracy, and that’s the last thing you want in a hard-tuned engine…

Visually, the gauge face appears completely black when the car is off. Turn the ignition, though, and the entire gauge lights up in diamond LED white. Too bright for night? No problem. They dim once the headlights are turned on.

That’s great, but if you’ve mounted the gauges high on the dash and are now suffering the dreaded ‘gauge reflection on windscreen’ syndrome, fear not, as each gauge comes complete with a visor to block this highly annoying ‘double image’ out.

Along with that, all instructions are provided in clear, legible English. Yes, English, with sensors and mounting kits provided so you don’t have to go forking out for extras when you crack open the box – something that cheaper, more dubious gauges are renowned for.

So, what’s the quality like? Well, opening a box in the office here, we were pretty impressed. Everything appears sturdy and well constructed, with all wiring tucked away neatly and with strong, well insulated connections. The sensors too, look like the real deal and the gauge faces themselves are covered in plastic so as not to be scratched should you get a little eager in the installation process.

On that note, installation should be a breeze considering each gauge also comes complete with mounting kit, which means you can either mount the gauge in an equivalent 60mm-size hole or set it up on the dash for maximum visibility.

Naturally, the fact that these gauges reside in Hybrid’s very own drift cars is testament to their quality.
Another benefit of Saber electronic gauges over traditional mechanical-style items is their accuracy. With a steeping motor and microprocessor, as opposed to the spring set-up in a mechanical gauge, you can be assured of an accurate each and every time, over and over again, and thus why stepping gauges are favoured the racing world over.

In fact, accuracy can be measured up to 0.1 of a degree, which is great peace of mind when getting a spot-on reading is absolutely necessary for tuning purposes.
Our personal favourite feature of the Saber range, however, is the opening and closing ceremonies. Started off by gauge giant Defi, when switched on, each gauge’s needle sweeps across the gauge face in a kind of ‘warm up’.

Yes, it looks massively cool and yes, you’ve just got to have it, but have you seen the price of Defi gauges lately? Add to that the fact that Defi gauges require a controller to work, and that’s even more moolah that has to be pulled from your hip-pocket.

Thankfully, all Saber gauges feature both an opening and closing ceremony, and none of them require an external controller device to work.

It’s for all the reasons above and more that we’ll be installing a set of Saber gauges into Project Mello in a two-part series over issues 152 and 153, so be sure to tune in and see how they come up. We have a sneaking suspicion they are going to look a treat.

Each 60mm Saber gauge comes in a stylish box, complete with mounting kit, gauge visor, all wiring and step-by-step instructions for around $180 RRP. Currently, the range consists of boost (PSI), water temp, oil temp, oil pressure and air/fuel ratio.

For more information, head to Powerdigger Australia, 3/8 Moorlands Road, Ingleburn, NSW 2565 or phone (02) 9829 7388, or email sales@powerdigger.com. Then again, there’s always the website too, at www.powerdigger.com.
We can’t wait!