nGauge: More Than a Tuner

by Mat Cote March 01, 2018

Can the nGauge compete with industry giants when it comes to handheld tuners?

For years now, one company has been the big dog in Mustang tuning.  It offers an easy to use interface, an attractive design, and brand recognition and reliability.  And then there’s the nGauge, the lesser-known and somewhat-new kid on the block.  So why then, after years of singing praises of the leading tuner brand, would you consider the nGauge?  Easy, more!  The nGauge offers more of everything you care about.  I know what you’re thinking, “what more could I want from a tuner than to load my tunes in a hassle-free, reliable format?”  Although the nGauge is technically a tuner, it’s also so much more.  This sleek new device has a lot more going for it than meets the eye.

What’s in a name…

The nGauge, at face value, offers the same functionality as a typical handheld tuner.  You load a tune onto it, plug it in the car, load the tune to the car, and off you go with more power.  (Or fuel economy… I guess.) This is essentially where the tuner’s job is complete, and the nGauge’s begins.  So what’s it do?  It’s all in the name: gauges.  The nGauge is meant to be mounted in your car as a permanent fixture, and this is where it starts to shine.  This unit essentially replaces almost any gauge you would think to add.  It monitors and displays up to 13 signals from your car’s computer and outputs the data to a customizable gauge cluster.  You can monitor AFR, Intake Temps, MAF, and a slew of other useful info.  The gauges are easy to configure into a six-pack format and can be changed seamlessly with the touch of a finger.  

Data, data, and more data!

One of the biggest tuning challenges is recreating real-world conditions to better optimize a tune.  This is where we see the real benefit of this unit over a standard tuner.  The nGauge can datalog up to 23 different PIDs while you’re driving to gather real world data.  It can also store multiple datalogs on the provided SD card.  The SD card can then easily be removed from the unit, without removing the unit from its mount, and its files can be uploaded to your computer with ease.  This allows you or your tuner to see just how you Mustang is performing in track (or spirited street) conditions.  With more accurate information, a better tune can be written.  Simple as that.  So all these extra features must come at a much higher price point, right?

So why buy?

Although we’ve touched on some features that set the nGauge apart from its competition, the truth is it does even more than that.  The unit can read and clear DTCs, store upwards of 10 tunes, offers programmable shift lights, and quite frankly, looks amazing.  The best part?  This unit retails for slightly more than a common handheld tuner.  What’s not to love?  If you’re in the market for a tuner and you haven’t quite made up your mind yet, we strongly recommend the nGauge.  The value for your dollar is unbeatable and after playing around with the unit for about 10 minutes, (we actually loved this thing so much we couldn’t stop playing with it) we were comfortable enough with the navigation of the touch screen and software to easily find and change any parameter we desired.  

This product is user friendly, attractive, and a must for any modded Mustang owner.  We promise that you’ll love this powerful little tuner as much as we did.