What's with a 220kph speedo in a new 1200cc Swift? Speedo has a 270degree sweep from 6oclock to 3oclock positions. 100kph is at about 10oclock. I drove a new one yesterday and it was a pain trying to keep speed at 30 and 50 around town because the graduations are too close together. Put me off the car. Would have to fit a GPS speedo display to drive around town.
Why do manufacturers fit speedos with such excessive, and illegal, displays?
db.price,
Jul 28, 10:49am
I prefer a speedo so that the 100 is pretty much in the 12 Oclock position. However I must say that I LOVE our heads up display in our car now. Almost never look at the main display these days. All the important info is shown just below eye level including the actual speed limit. Even the blindspot monitoring flashes there.
I think a HUD should be standard equipment on all cars.
saxman99,
Jul 28, 11:39am
Every car I've ever driven has a speedo that goes beyond the car's capability. In some places the speed limit is higher or nonexistent and I guess the manufacturer doesn't want to make individual speedos for each version of a car they make and the country it is destined for. One of my cars reads 0 at roughly 8 o'clock and 300k (yeah right!) at roughly 4 o'clock but I don't have any trouble reading the speedo as I drive.
vtecintegra,
Jul 28, 11:55am
I don't see how they're illegal.
My old Mazda3 had quite an extreme example but I never had any issues working out how fast I was going https://imgur.com/vaqpBE2
db.price,
Jul 28, 12:42pm
Yes the biggest clue about how fast you are going is the needle pointing at the numbers.
socram,
Jul 28, 1:26pm
Don't forget that NZ has one of the lowest maximum speed limits of any developed country.
They don't fit country specific speedos, other than MPH/KMH.
Whilst that may be a 1200cc unit, why would they want to swap speedos if they came out with a 2 litre turbo? You keep costs down by standardising equipment wherever possible.
Well gone are the days when small boys would squint through a side window to read the maximum on the speedo - not knowing back then that it meant nothing. And it still doesn't.
Personally, I tend drive on the rev counter anyway.
vtecintegra,
Jul 28, 1:33pm
Interestingly for the Swift the Sport model does have a different gauge cluster complete with 260km/h speedo
kazbanz,
Jul 28, 1:34pm
Sparkyz-I do kinda agree with you. The Jap market stuff generally has a speedo that goes to 190km/h (haven't checked the really new stuff.) It DEFINITELY is not illegal but equally its a pita for our speed limit and even if the speedo went to 100mph/ 160km/h it would be usable for most of the world.
vtecintegra,
Jul 28, 1:40pm
Otherwise keep the maximum where it is and do a non-linear scale like German cars tend to have - that means you get a decent usable range for lower speeds
morrisman1,
Jul 28, 1:53pm
My falcon goes to 270 on the gauge, but past 150 the increments start to become larger and numbers grouped closer, so its a long way from being a linear scale.
sw20,
Jul 28, 1:59pm
My 33 year old Corolla GT has a 240km/h speedo. It would struggle to hit 200. Would sit on the ton all day though.
martin11,
Jul 28, 2:22pm
And sometimes because of the shadowing effect of the building the GPS speedo will be incorrect .
esky-tastic,
Jul 28, 8:30pm
PA Vauxhalls had a speedo that went up to 120mph.
esky-tastic,
Jul 28, 8:32pm
Yankee cars and bikes in the early 1980s had speedos that only went to 80mph (130kph)
electromic,
Jul 28, 8:43pm
Triumph P.I. had a 140mph speedo. 1981 Mini GT had a 200km/h speedo.
franc123,
Jul 29, 1:49am
Because they can. Not everybody has a minimalist driver education system like we do and a sheep like 100kph speed limit to go with it that fully reflects the expected minimum skill level.
the-lada-dude,
Jul 29, 8:23am
You may not believe it, but the Lada is calibrated in Mach numbers !
stevo2,
Jul 29, 8:36am
You're right. I dont believe it! I thought they were calibrated using "Roman Numerals"
sw20,
Jul 29, 9:14am
Calendar may have been more appropriate ?
richardmayes,
Jul 31, 12:38pm
Triumph PI can do about 115MPH so at least it can get most of the way to the top of the Speedo!
Dad had a 1986 Rover V8, the very 80s Speedo and rev counter moved thru a sweep of just a little bit more than 90 degrees between zero and max. Iirc the needle was about as fat as a 10km/h graduation on the dial, not very reassuring if you are trying to comply with the law!
richardmayes,
Jul 31, 12:51pm
And 220km/h doesn't sound too outrageous for a new swift? On a private road to aunt-in-law's farm once Mrs Mayes' 1300cc sohc carb laser from the 80s got a bit rattly at 150km/h. 4th gear was just starting to pull nicely at that speed, she would have kept going a bit faster if the wheels had been better balanced!
I would expect a modern 1200 with variable valve timing to blow the doors off that car. ?
slarty45,
Jul 31, 12:52pm
could be worse Morrie Minor with a dry cable, the needle would oscillate about 15 mph In the middle of the oscillation was approximate
tgray,
Nov 8, 2:11pm
Really? I have seen plenty at 180 but never seen one go to 190.
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