I have purchased two gauges for my cobalt now. I have a Air/Fuel Ratio and a Water temp gauge (Auto Meter Series/w Cobalt in the middle of them) because I have yet without a doubt DO NOT trust my Drivers information center for that info.

One thing I forgot to do was research a pillar pod that can hold three gauges comfortably on the same side the boost gauge is on.

I've done some web searching but the best I can find is a two gauge pillar and not a three.

Help here? I need a universal that can hold all three but these vendors on the webpage here don't see it seems?

Any help would be greatly apperciated. Thank you

 

Could you post a link to the 2 pod one? I looked a bit ago and couldn't find ANYTHING cobalt specific.

 

If you get this done put some pictures in the gallery. I would be interested to see pictures of this if it's possible.

 

Last I checked there were no complete Pillar assy's available yet. Not even Autometer has a listing.

 

I take that your car doesn't have the optional airbags.

 

What does that have to do with my gauges? Anyways, I only have the standard air bags. no curtain bags.

 

He asks because the optional side curtain air bags effects what kind of pillar pod you have. However, I have looked into this extensively and will share what I know:

The side curtain airbags deploy from above the door sill. They are not stored in the pillar, and you could safely install a pod there. I know because I purchased a replacement pillar for my side curtain airbag equipped car to practice doing a pod install on so that I wouldn't screw up the pillar currently installed in my car.

You will not be able to fit 3 pods on your pillar without one of them being very high near the top of the pillar and only then with extensive modification. And then you would hit your head on it every time you get in and out of the car.

The only way to get 3 gauges on the pillar without those modifcations is to use an SS pillar with the first bezel molded into the bottom, then attach a dual pod above that. The problem now is cosmetics, the gauge bezels won't match. But you will now have 3 gauges.

Autometer does not, nor do they currently have plans to, produce a pillar pod for the Cobalt. this will probably change, but for now, they don't. They do make one for the Cavalier, and I bought a single pod from them to see how closely it fit with the Cobalt pillar. It is a close match, and can be used with just a little modifcation to the Gauge pod.

After looking into this, I have decided NOT to go with pillar mounted pods. The Autometer pods are black plastic, they would have to be modified and painted, and then attached to an unpainted pillar. (The new pillars from GM are not painted, they are molded to color). Since I will be installing 3 gauges, It would be too crowded and unattractive. I am now working on a custom designed pod that will sit on the dash directly in the center above the air vents. This will work much nicer for my intended application.

Hope that help, write me if you need anything else.

 

From what I've read on the ****************** I wouldn't hold out much hope for a company to produce a SS/Red Line specific pillar gauge pod. A few members have been told that it is illegal to make a pillar pod because of the available side curtain airbags.

Some people have used a gauge pod from first gen eclipse/talon. I believe there is some trimming involved and also you'd have to use a heat gun to heat the pod to form it to the stock pillar. It's not the best solution but it is the only one so far for the pillar mounted gauges.

 

Sort of off topic, but why don't you trust the engine coolant temp reading on the DIC? It's 100% accurate... in fact probably MORE accurate than an analog autometer gauge you'd buy....

 

I've noticed personally a delay in readings by about 5-10 seconds between what the *REAL* temperature is and what it displays. I know that it might sound far fetched but we stuck a meter to test the pressure at the dealership for my low coolant issue on one of my posts and what the dealership read and what my car read was two different things. It was off by at least 15 degrees or better for the 10 seconds it took for the computer to refresh a new reading.

Now, they said no meter is always going to be 100% and I know this to be a fact but i'd feel more comfortable to see a needle move back and foward rather then a computer to tell me when I am overheating. In those 10 seconds it's critcial to know if you have problems. I'm not willing to lose a head or a head gasket over a overheating issue.

My 2nd Gen 94 Z24 tells me a more accurate reading then my cobalt does.

 

that, and can any of us really trust our computers at this point?

 

i was thinking three pod gauge assembly like the STI or 350z in the center of the dash where it is flat and like mold it
anyone got a pic other than







like so



mine also has the side SRS in the tweed pillars, which sucks because i like a pillar gauges, had them on my last 2 cars

 

not a very big fan of those, I agree, I like the pillar ones better. Those kind of gauges are only common with STi's and older cobras/saleen mustangs.