AEM's Wideband Air/Fuel Gauge

Each year, your tech editor spends one full week in January at a gathering called the Motorsports Parts Manufacturers Council Media Trade Conference.

Held in Los Angeles, MPMC gives members of the performance-automotive media an opportunity to sit face-to-face with representatives from several performance-parts manufacturers to discuss their new products. Often we make arrangements to do projects that include installing and testing some of these products for the technical reports that you read each month here in 5.0 Mustang & Super Fords.

In our 2009 audience with AEM, we were shown a variety of products that all are applicable to late-model, EFI Mustangs; items such as the company's engine-management systems, water-methanol-injection kits, cold-air- induction pieces, and digital/analog gauges. While all of the offerings were impressive, we chose to focus on AEM's wideband O2 sensor. It's a good idea for a Tech Inspection given the current state of enhancing power in street-driven 'Stangs-by way of blower and turbocharger-and how critical a combination's air/fuel ratio is to the overall efficiency of a boosted application.

We all know how cool and slick-looking the digital gauges are (and AEM does have a complete lineup of digi-gauges for air/fuel, boost, and other engine-system monitoring), but we chose the traditional gauge (PN 30-5130; $242.35) for installation on Chris McCollum's '04 Mustang GT. Chris' blown 'Stang has been on the dyno many times, using the dyno's wideband for calibrating the ratio. When a fuel-pressure gauge went on the fritz, we seized the opportunity to install AEM's analog instrument, which will let Chris know the quality of "the burn," when he's cruising the streets of L.A.'s San Fernando Valley or blasting down the freeway with the pedal planted.

AEM's wideband air/fuel gauge is easy to install, easy to read, and accurate within' 0.1 AFR, thanks to the included Bosch wideband O2 sensor.

Saul "The Surgeon" Gutierrez of Extreme Automotive put the pieces in place for this quick exercise (as you'll see in the accompanying photos). Any mechanically adept 'Stangbanger can do the same right in the driveway, provided a welder is handy for installing the included bung for the sensor.