As so many Europeans have problems with miles per hour, and the Brits and Yanks have problems with km/h, I was wondering how difficult it would be - especially with modern electronic speedometers, to produce one that changes from kmh to mph readout at the flick of a switch?(and maybe have an indicator saying "mph" or "kph".)
Maybe some technical boffin could consider this...
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My 1986 Astra GTE (digital speedo) had exactly this facility. Would have been useful if I had taken the old heap abroad, but I never dared....
Richard Hall
bangernomics.tripod.com
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No problem at all, a few extra lines of code in the vehicles software would probably do the trick.
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n the Middle East in 1984 I was driving a Mazda 929 or maybe a Toyota Cressida, I had both, and this facility was fitted.
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Yes, wide-arch Celica Supras had this with almost fully digital dash, including an, as it were, graphical tacho with increasing revs showing along a kind of torque curve shaped strip. Another trick was that the petrol gauge switched from nought to full to nought to a quarter, so one could see more exactly how close one was to involuntary stoppage. Curiously, the trip and total mileage indicators were mechanical; Toad has the exact reverse, analogue dials and digital dash.
The one drawback was that things were a little difficult to see if direct sunlight shone on them; on the whole I liked the system, but it had disappeared on the first "true" Supra; I think it would have been nice for Toad!
Tomo
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Should have been, analogue dials and digital miles. Sorry!
Tomo
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Ian
Dead easy with electronics. On my Vectra, holding the reset button in whilst switching on the ignition changed the odometer display to km, which was sometimes handy abroad. Analogue speedo, of course so double scaled anyway.
Interesting aside to this. When we went to Malaysia this year, my pal brought along a gizmo from Ralliart for an EvoVII that his friend in Malaysia had just imported. This did just what you describe (albeit not switched) - converted the speedo from km/h to miles/hr, for UK use. Odd, given that the Malaysians use km/h.
The reason? The car was a japanese import with a 140km/hr speed limiter (about 90 miles/hr). Thing was though that the limiter took the signal from the speedo head. Fit the gizmo and lo and behold the limiter still cuts in at 140, but this time it's miles/hr. Result - one happy Malaysian hooligan.
Regards
John S
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Toyota Yaris has this facity. All the Computer readings are metric or imperial, including fuel consumption, at the press of a button.
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Yet another myth the Americans cannot or don't use metric system.
Our American friends, especially in the astronomy field, use kilometers to measure all astrometric distances. There is a move to 'metricate' distance and weights over in the US.
However, as most cars still have a dial type speedo, it is difficult to make the change at the flick of a switch between mph and kph. The background with numbers on it would have to be an LCD type display. You could have the numbers stay the same but the display showing KPH in big letters but whats the betting a number of drivers would forget which scale they were on?
Many people don't seem to realise they are driving with no lights on in the dark so how often do these people actually look at the speed at night and if so, why bother with a change between mph \ kph?
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>>Yet another myth the Americans cannot or don't use metric system.
Wasn't that the reason one of their spacecraft ploughed into Mars rather than landing gently on it ?
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Actually THAT did make me laugh!
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I've got a fifteen quid cycle computer that does exactly that.
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Railways in Britain still use miles and chains.
No miles/kilometer switches on any steam locos that I've messed with. Lots don't even have a speedo -- the drivers of old knew the speed they were going by the noise the engine made.
The speedo on my old 1937 Morris 8 didn't work but when the steering vibrated you knew you were doing 30 mph, when the bonnet shook you were doing 40, when the wings flapped you were doing 45 and when you were flat out you were doing 47! (Only very slightly exaggerated!)
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I've never found it a problem personally. I mean to say, just half it, add a bit for luck and you're just about there!
Carole
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A factor to consider before a car journey is how warm it will be.
Centigrade or Celsius is no use for this, to me anyway; it is just a figure. But double that figure, add thirty, and I know how it will feel. Actually, the wheeze is quite accurate over the usual temperature range.
Tomo
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Tomo
Five, ten and twentyone,
Winter, spring and summer sun.
You've cracked it.
DVD
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>>Yanks have problems with km<<
Also a problem with gallons. My US built Merc ML430 has an MPG readout that I discovered uses US gallons. I switched it to l/100km to work out what it was. lo and behold it really does 20% better mpg.
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