The most popular rev counters used with the Rev Burner are those branded TYPE-R, probably because they are very cheap and widely available.
So I got one from NCC Tuning and I chose the 125mm 11.000 RPM model. This is really huge and cheap so I wanted to test whether it was reliable too.
I connected the Rev Burner and started the calibration. When I set the Rev Burner to 8.800 RPM the unit displayed only 8.000 RPM. So it is around 10% less, not very good but the calibration process would take care of that.
Then I calibrated the higher regimes. I tried to push the rev counter to 11.000 RPM but I only got 10.600 RPM maximum. The Rev Burner was sending 29.450 pulse per minute, that correspond to 14.725 RPM (tachometer set to 4 cylinders), but I was getting only 10.600 (-28%!)
So the tachometer is not very accurate, in particular in the higher range, but after a good calibration it is perfectly usable, apart from not being able to push it above 10.600 RPM. But having spent only £28 I can’t complain too much.
If you are looking for an accurate instrument, get something from Autometer or similar, but be prepared to pay a price 5-10 times bigger. If you want something cheap, the TYPE-R rev counters are a valid choice but they need a good calibration. Also I never got 11.000 RPM but for me 10.600 RPM is high enough, considered the cars I drive.
