subject: Switching to a Wideband O2 Sensor [print this page] Switching to a Wideband O2 Sensor Switching to a Wideband O2 Sensor
So you are looking for a new oxygen sensor to tune your vehicle. There are 2 wire, 3 wire, even 5 wire sensors. What are the differences between the sensors and which sensor is best for your car's needs? If you are tuning your car yourself, then the more information you have about your car's components the better you can increase the performance. A wideband O2 sensor is an example of a component that can give you a lot of information about your car and help you to determine what specifications work best for the engine performance that you desire. Wideband gives you exact air to fuel ratios while the standard oxygen sensors units only let you know when you are at a specific air to fuel ratio namely 14.7:1.
The temperature of a wideband O2 sensor is very crucial to getting an accurate reading on the air to fuel ratio. Since older model sensors only have one wire, they do not heat up as quickly or as efficiently as a wideband sensor with multiple wires. A dedicated wire operating the heating circuit allows the sensor to get up to the temperature necessary to provide accurate readings on the air to fuel ratio. A computer management system can only make the adjustments necessary to the air to fuel ratio once it is working with accurate data from the oxygen sensor. While more expensive than standard oxygen sensors, a wideband sensor provides the data your performance system need to accurately adjust the ratios you need to run at optimal levels.
Maintaining the optimal sensor temperature throughout operation is another important characteristic to look into when choosing a good wideband O2 sensor. When you are wiring the wideband sensor into your system, it is important that the electronics communicate with one another properly. If your computer controlled engine management system is going to be making minute adjustments to the air to fuel ratio while you are driving, to maintain optimum performance it is essential that it makes those adjustments based on accurate information.
When tuning an engine, accurate information or the lack thereof can make a big difference in the final performance. If you are tuning, you can not do a good job these days without a wideband O2 sensor. Running engine tests with a variety of different mixtures can help you to determine the air to fuel ratio that is best for your engine. Perhaps you want to run different ratios depending on what you are using your car for. This can be accomplished through a performance management system, but only if the unit is being fed accurate data.
If you are using a standard oxygen sensor you simply do not have enough information to tune your engine correctly. Make the switch now to a high quality wideband O2 sensor. Wideband is the only way to get the accurate information you need to properly tune your engine and achieve the performance qualities that your engine is capable of. Once you switch to wideband you will never go back.
