Most of today's trucks come with a tachometer already installed in the cluster, so the need for a big, massive thing bolted to the dash is kind of redundant. Missed shifts lose races, but more importantly, can also cause the motor to go "boom," so it's nice to keep tabs on the rpm. If you modify the motor so that it twists higher than the factory intended, or you just want it for status, then you might need an aftermarket tach. If you're like us and want one of the other cool features that are usually the norm on these after market tachs, i.e. the shift light, then Proform has it.
Here is the light from Proform....
Here is the light from Proform. It works with just about all four-, six-, and eight-cylinder applications and doesn't require anything more to install but a few screws and some time.
Proform Parts recently introduced its stand-alone 3,000- to 11,000-rpm shift light. The shift light does not require a separate module and allows you to set shift points via a dial on the back. Basically, the shift light comes on at a certain rpm to let you know to push in the clutch and grab the next gear without taking your eyes off the road. We went to Circuit City in Buena Park, California, to have Brandon Smith, the road shop manager, throw it in. If you didn't already know, Circuit City does more than just simple stereo installs. Check out the company's Web site and see what it's been doing lately. If you're ready to see the light, then get your shift together and read on.
1. The first thing to do is...
1. The first thing to do is find your location. We chose to put it right next to the boost gauge. Make sure to leave enough room to adjust the dial on the back.
2. A couple of self-tapping...
2. A couple of self-tapping screws hold the base to the dash.
3. There are three wires that...
3. There are three wires that need to be hooked up: a power wire, a ground wire, and the signal wire that picks up the tach signal. There are wiring diagrams that cover most trucks in the instructions. We ran the wires down the pillar and picked up our power and ground from under the dash. The green wire was run out into the engine bay through a small hole in the firewall.
4. For our Toyota Tacoma,...
4. For our Toyota Tacoma, we had to find the green wire with the black stripe coming out of the ignition igniter located on the passenger fenderwell. (Special thanks goes out to Ron Crown for that information.) Brandon first checked the wire with a multimeter just to be safe.
5. After Brandon made sure...
5. After Brandon made sure it was right, the green wire from the light was spliced in and the connection soldered.
6. Now all we had to do was...
6. Now all we had to do was turn the dial to our desired rpm point and go out and bang some gears.
7.