[iqraceworks]

I want to monitor what’s going on with my N54…….I would like keep an eye on Boost and AFR. I have the option of either going with good quality Auto Meter gauges tapped into the manifold for boost, and the O2 sensor for the AFR gauge…..OR…..use the MHD wireless adapter and install a mount for a tablet in the car and just use the digital gauge on MHD to monitor things.

For those of you that use MHD to monitor the PID’s/Gauges…….do you ever have any glitches or issues? Do the gauges respond pretty fast, or are they laggy? I use Torque PRO on my truck, and the PID gauges have a slight delay before they respond….kind of annoying.

I don’t want to really install a big tablet in the car, but it sure would be easier than installing analog gauges…..and I can probably monitor a lot more stuff with MHD.

Pros/Cons of Analog Gauges vs. MHS PID Gauges?

[ewicky]

Dude, get a JB4.
No tablet required. No drilling holes in your dash. No delay on the gauge readout. No license, so it's resellable. Doesn't take up your OBDII port. No phantom draw. Excellent support. It's the best. MHD is good for flashing software, that's about it IMO.

[iqraceworks]

Originally Posted by ewicky

Dude, get a JB4.
No tablet required. No drilling holes in your dash. No delay on the gauge readout. No license, so it's resellable. Doesn't take up your OBDII port. No phantom draw. Excellent support. It's the best. MHD is good for flashing software, that's about it IMO.

JB4 will display boost and afr? Does it use the factory fuel gauge or something? Not sure I want to spend the money and do all that wiring for a JB4.

[Saif2018]

Originally Posted by ewicky

Dude, get a JB4.
No tablet required. No drilling holes in your dash. No delay on the gauge readout. No license, so it's resellable. Doesn't take up your OBDII port. No phantom draw. Excellent support. It's the best. MHD is good for flashing software, that's about it IMO.

MHD displays pretty everything JB4 does. Of course JB4 had additional features, but buying it for displaying gauges is a lot of money, doesn't make much sense.

[ewicky]

Originally Posted by iqraceworks

JB4 will display boost and afr? Does it use the factory fuel gauge or something? Not sure I want to spend the money and do all that wiring for a JB4.

Yes and Yes. Yes. It hijacks the fuel and oil temp gauges. You can configure the hijacking to be only when you're on the accelerator, so it shows regular fuel and oil when your driving back from the grocery store.
The wiring is pretty easy, plug&play, and totally hidden/clean.
Yes it is expensive compared to an app, but by the time you add in a decent dedicated tablet, car charger, sturdy mount, the fact that it's licensed software that has zero resale value, the broken window of someone trying to steal it off your dash, etc. Makes the JB4 look pretty good.
Speaking of resale value, you can sometimes get good deals on JB4s used. Plus you get all the extra features that come along with a JB4, including free back end flashes.
Also, about 10 threads back in this very sub-forum, was someone complaining about MHD freezing while monitoring.
This, BTW is coming from someone who has MHD.

[Smgs1992]

Just use MHD and your phone. It works fine isnt laggy at all. The module is pretty cheap and of course it now works with android and iphone. Get a $5 magnet mount for your air vent and youre set. I personally use a tablet setup but it is annoying at times and once the BT adapters become available again ill buy one.
Buying JB4 for the purpose of monitoring is really dumb. If you buy it for the other useful features that is one thing but solely for monitoring purposes is some of the dumbest advice ive heard.
There is also the P3 air vent digital gauge. I havent seen many people in the bmw world use them but theyre extremely popular in the vw audi community. It looks alot cleaner too.

[Tyc0]

I also use mhd on a 7 inch tablet with a suction cup mounted to the flat plastic below my idrive screen and I love it. The gauges can be a little slow if you use all 8 at once but I find with just six it's fast enough for me to see all the peak numbers while doing a pull. When I get out of my car I take the tablet off the magnetic holder and put it in my glove box or take it in the house to charge it when need be.

[iqraceworks]

Thanks for the info guys! Think I will just go with a smaller tablet and BT adapter.

Two questions.......

What's the cheapest new tablet I can buy that will work for this? Will a Fire 7 tablet work??

Is the only BT adapter that will work the one MHD sells? Or is there another brand that will work?

Thanks again!!

[Smgs1992]

The fire tablets work but you have to install android app store and its a bit annoying.
I went with a samsung tablet A its a bit more expensive but its nice and i use it for music and maps as well

[iqraceworks]

If I do go ahead and mount a dedicated tablet on the dash somewhere to use for monitoring using MHD…….is there a way to make the tablet automatically turn on and connect to the MHD wireless adapter every time I start the car? ….and turn off when the car turns off? Or will I have to turn it on, connect to wifi, and fire up the MHD app every time I turn on/off the car?

Is there a way to automate some of that stuff? I though there was an app that would monitor incoming power and turn on the device and start an app based off of a 12v signal on the charging port? Would something like that work? I guess I could hard wire in a charging cable to the car?

Ideas?

[Chris@VargasTurboTech]

MHD or JB4 is convenient but I always run a mechanical boost gauge in all my cars.

[Smgs1992]

Not sure with the wifi adapter but with the regular cable it opens mhd as soon as i plug it in

[iqraceworks]

Originally Posted by Smgs1992

Not sure with the wifi adapter but with the regular cable it opens mhd as soon as i plug it in

I'd like to stay away from a cable....I think I would be kicking it all the time having to leave it plugged down in the OBD port all the time.

Hopefully I can find someone selling the wireless MHD adapters soon...it seems like everyone is out of stock!

As far as mounts for the tablets go.....is one better than the rest? Is there anything out there specifically designed for the e90's? I had the look of the big bulky mounts that use those suction cups.

[Smgs1992]

Yeah once the adapters are on sale again i plan to buy one but the cable works fine for now.
For mounting. I use magnets that stick in the air vent and so far theyve held up to FBO pulls. I can post pics in a bit. Easy to take down for parking or charging too

[iqraceworks]

Originally Posted by Smgs1992

Yeah once the adapters are on sale again i plan to buy one but the cable works fine for now.
For mounting. I use magnets that stick in the air vent and so far theyve held up to FBO pulls. I can post pics in a bit. Easy to take down for parking or charging too

Post up picks when you get a chance!! Thanks!!

[Smgs1992]

Now i have a 10in tablet so mines probably a bit bigger than youre gonna get but it gives you a good idea

[iqraceworks]

Does anyone know of a vendor that's got the MHD wireless adapters in stock? I'm having a hard time finding one.