Choosing between the two types of gauges isn’t a make-or-break moment, but it can be important to the look of your car. Neither one is better or worse, but one could suit your needs more than the other.
The 52mm gauge is generally the standard for aftermarket gauges, as it’s fairly easy to read and can fit into many places. Being smaller than the 60mm gauge, it is cheaper and offers more fitment options in your car.
The 60mm gauge, being larger, is easier to see at a glance and allows more information to be displayed on a single gauge. Because of this, a single 60mm gauge can take up less space than two or three 52mm gauges.
The price difference between the two types is noticeable but not a deal breaker. When comparing ProSport oil temperature gauges from AEM and IAG, the 60mm gauges were 5.3% and 12.4% more expensive, respectively. Those aren’t huge jumps, but should still be noted when deciding between gauges.
But that’s the price difference when comparing similar gauges, which admittedly was hard to find. The only 60mm gauge that GlowShift sells is their 3-in-1 boost, engine temp, and pressure gauge, which was 3x as expensive as the other gauges on the site. The pattern with 60mm gauges tends to be that they are nicer and hold more information, but are far more expensive than 52mm gauges. This is very important to note before selecting what size you want.
Fitment is where the bulk of the decision is made. 52mm gauges are far more standardized and have a larger aftermarket backing them. They are smaller and thus easier to fit into tighter spaces like a single-DIN radio slot. And, you can fit one virtually anywhere with our brackets. The jump from 52mm to 60mm doesn't seem huge until you realise that means it has 33% more surface area. They can’t fit into single DIN radio slots, and they can look bulky in places where 52mm gauges fit perfectly. There’s a reason that its smaller counterpart is the more popular one.
But if you have a spare double-DIN radio or can fork out the cash for a column mount, the larger of the two can be far easier to read and add so much more to the car than a 52mm gauge.
As for which one you should choose, you should most likely go with the 52mm gauge. But if you have the money and a place to put it, 60mm gauges might be the right option for you. Before you pull the trigger, try finding some pictures of other people who have already made the decision.