Speedometer

[Hippogriff]

I was thinking about this earlier...

http://www.hmusiccentre.org.uk/forumimages/Speedometer.jpg

I wish I just had the digital speedo. and not that clunky analogue thing.

[troc]

That speedo really is weird - in my S4, 160 Kph (100mph) is at 12 o'clock and the dial goes all the way to 300...... :)

Delimited it'll do around 280 or so, so that makes some sense but the layout on yours is really silly. The Mph/Kph thing is a stupid EU regulation but there's no excuse for the daft scale.

John

[Hippogriff]

My point really being - why do I even need it at all?

Any EU regulation that says a car must show MPH and KPH at the same time is just bonkers, especially if you have a digital speedometer that can show either, as required.

Our road signs don't - yet - show Miles and Kilometres.

[Bratty]

What I do find strange is that Hippo has a totally MPH/KPH speedo than was fitted to my car (to achieve UK homogolation). On mine th MPH are in bold white but goes to 175mph and The KMH scale is in a VERY! dark red that is (was!) totally unreadable at night (which is what disturbed me when I eventually picked my car up!)

Also the KMH speedo fitted to my car (swapped at AUDI expense at 60 euro) is just that!! ONLY KMH, so it cannot be a Euro rule, think you need to ask the Department of Transport people:confused:.

Dunk

[troc]

The EU rule is that speedo's must display kph. Mph is fine as long as kph is displayed as well.

That's why they don't have only mph in the UK, despite the digital speedo being available, as you can choose to not dpsplay the digital speedo.

I think (not checked) but even if you check a UK car with a fully digital dash, it will always display kph as well as mph.

In my case, I have an euro display and they have no requirement to display mph (although the digital speedo, set to mph is very useful in the uk)

I agree 100% with you Hippo that the analogue speedo's (especially on UK cars) are often useless. The one on our Mini is nice though (except for it's location) as it's huge :)

[Bratty]

Just had alook at my MPH speedo! and it is not an original AUDI part:confused:.

It is made by a firm specialising in unique/custom dials and conversions.
The firm is "Lockwood International Speedometer"and the one that was fitted to my car by AUDI UK was the C188 10 08, and Hippo if you would prefer this layout then PM me and you can have it for nothing (it will cost about 50 Squids at a dealership to swap them over).

Dunk

[Bratty]

What I enjoyed about my speedo yesterday (Monday German Local Holiday!) was that when I set of for work (at 05.10:mad:) the Autobahn was completely empty, and I MEAN EMPTY!! ) as I pulled on, after the car was warm, I floored it. Foot flat to the floor for fifteen solid minutes, OK its only a 1.8 TFSI but it behaved respectably, staying above 220KMH (ca.138MPH) the whole time rising to a MAX of 240KMH at points where it was flat.

Irresponsible, NO, it is allowed (tolerated) in Germany and sorry if you buy a car, then if it says on the packet that it can do something, then thats it!

The car was stable and solid no bouncing about, very comforting.

Dunk

[SirFallot]

I agree its rubbish.:aargh4:

With both mph & kph inside the markers the dial is very cluttered. (I'm pretty sure my previous car had mph outside the markers and kph inside.)

I have also driven an Audi with the speedo in kph and it had a change in scale around 100kph which made it easier to read for lowers speeds (one marker for each 10kph upto 100kph, one marker for each 20kph for higher speeds.)

No markings for 30mph, 50mph and 70mph! And the legal speed limit reached in less than a third of the dial.


Another poor detail in the conversion for the UK along with offset pedals, the coin holder not holding £1 coins and hidden fog light switches

[Hippogriff]

Just had alook at my MPH speedo! and it is not an original AUDI part:confused:.

It is made by a firm specialising in unique/custom dials and conversions.
The firm is "Lockwood International Speedometer"and the one that was fitted to my car by AUDI UK was the C188 10 08, and Hippo if you would prefer this layout then PM me and you can have it for nothing (it will cost about 50 Squids at a dealership to swap them over).

Dunk

That's really kind - and it's good that it has 30mph, 50mph and 70mph on that dial. However, my point is really that I only use my digital speedo. now and my suggestion (to whoever will listen) is that the analogue speedo. in the A4 is something else that I class as an unnecessary (space consuming) anachronism. Hope someone else will take it off you and use it, though.

[Bratty]

Fact is that if you have the inspiration (and Drive) you could contact these people to commission your dream (as per your post).
As I say too the pilots that complain endlessly too me!! IAM SORRY I AM NOT BILLY BOEING!! WHAT DO YO WANT ME TO DO RE_DEFINE THE COCKPIT FOR YOUR IDIOSYCRYICIES;)!(Speeling?)

Dunk

[pitch3110]

It really use to annoy me how if using satnav it would not show digi seedo just turn info.

But..........found how to sort this at the weekend and happy.

Never use the dial any more

[givenchy513]

Wow, i was feeling headache about the dial problem since January this year on the way home from collection. I was also thinking it might be a personally habitat problem.
Once i figured out the digital speedo another day after collection, I never looked the analogue speed dial. Of course, in my deep heart, I have to say I will stick with the heartbeating analogue rev counter.

In my opinion, Audi as such a big manufacturer, they must have made a mistake on speedometer design, as you can easily go speeding cos you can't spot 30MPH at a short glance. But who wants to spend more than 3 seconds to find where 30MPH mark is, it will cost your life.

I was driving a Volvo S60 before this, the s60 dials were distributed from 7 o'clock position to 5 o'clock position for both, very clear and responsive when rev and acc. While the B8 A4, it covers from 6 o'clock to 3 o'clock. Surely there is NOT enough pitch to put so many stuffs inc MPH and KPH. Messy!

Fortunately, i am not alone!

[Soot1e]

We have just picked up a new Polo for the wife and the speedo is a picture of clarity. Simple dial with a good clear font, well spaced graduations and the EU kph rule has been met by a small digital readout in VWs version of the DIS.

As for the Audi speedo, whenever I am delivering cars to customers I always set the digital speedo and pay no heed to the anologue dial. Graduations and needle positioning acroos the range vary considerably so a quick glance would not suffice.

[thescouselander]

I hate digital speedos - analogue ones are far superior in my opinion. Having said that the design of the A4 analogue speedo is utter pants.

[penrecon]

My point really being - why do I even need it at all?

Any EU regulation that says a car must show MPH and KPH at the same time is just bonkers, especially if you have a digital speedometer that can show either, as required.

Our road signs don't - yet - show Miles and Kilometres.


I don't think this is a European regulation, as cars sold elsewhere in Europe don't have dual scales, just KPH. I agree that the speedo is badly marked, it seems pointless to only use less than half the full scale - and that's not just in the UK, in most of Europe it isn't legal to drive faster than about 85mph max. Germany being the sole exception to this.

Coincidentally I was commenting to a colleague in the car with me recently that I could actually happily drive the car on the digital display alone. Most of the instrument pack is really redundant on modern cars, when you think about it the temperature gauge serves no purpose as the DIS will alert the driver to excess engine temperature.

I drive using the DIS for range to run, so hardly use the fuel gauge. My car is automatic, so the rev counter is really for information only - so we don't need all of the instruments apart from the fact that the market presumably expects the conventional array of instruments

[givenchy513]

I hate digital speedos - analogue ones are far superior in my opinion. Having said that the design of the A4 analogue speedo is utter pants.

Yes you are right. Analogue is more heart beating, but if the dial design is terrible, then we have no choice rathan than looking at the fluctuating digital one.

[ScottyUK]

The Monaro has one number range and then you select whether it's mph or kmph. The needle then moves less or more accordingly.

I've no idea why no one else has done it.

[troc]

I don't think this is a European regulation, as cars sold elsewhere in Europe don't have dual scales, just KPH.

The Euro regulation is that a speedo dial must show KPH. So if you put an MPH scale on, you still need a KPH one. You don't need MPH in the EU.

John

[thescouselander]

I don't think this is a European regulation, as cars sold elsewhere in Europe don't have dual scales, just KPH. I agree that the speedo is badly marked, it seems pointless to only use less than half the full scale - and that's not just in the UK, in most of Europe it isn't legal to drive faster than about 85mph max. Germany being the sole exception to this.

Coincidentally I was commenting to a colleague in the car with me recently that I could actually happily drive the car on the digital display alone. Most of the instrument pack is really redundant on modern cars, when you think about it the temperature gauge serves no purpose as the DIS will alert the driver to excess engine temperature.

I drive using the DIS for range to run, so hardly use the fuel gauge. My car is automatic, so the rev counter is really for information only - so we don't need all of the instruments apart from the fact that the market presumably expects the conventional array of instruments

I disagree, the temperature gauge is important - you need to know when the engine is warm before pushing it - its not just for alerting to high temperature.

I also think the dash should have a boost gauge. I definitely wouldn't get rid of the fuel gauge either.

[Hippogriff]

Gauges for this, gauges for that... how about a big nautical wooden wheel that you spin madly around and around to make the slightest turn?

Gauges... pah!

[MFGF]

I disagree, the temperature gauge is important - you need to know when the engine is warm before pushing it - its not just for alerting to high temperature.

I also think the dash should have a boost gauge. I definitely wouldn't get rid of the fuel gauge either.

If you get someone with VCDS to enable Lap Timer mode in your Instruments module, you get both an oil temperature readout and a boost gauge available in the DIS.

Cheers!

MF.

[ScottyUK]

I've not come across the boost guage. You got some more info?

Sounds good :beerchug:

[MFGF]

Hi Scotty,

I simply checked the "Lap Timer Enabled" option in 17 - Instruments, Long Coding Helper. This added a Lap Timer screen to the DIS, which has turbo boost gauge, oil temp readout and multiple lap time readings. Here is a pic:

http://i559.photobucket.com/albums/ss35/MFGF1/MMI%20Pics/IMG00064.jpg

I assumed it gave exactly the same DIS options on the A4 B8. Is yours different somehow?

Cheers!

MF.

[ScottyUK]

Laptimer on mine is just lap timer :(

That looks good :beerchug:

[2.7 S-line]

Nooooo now i've got boost gauge envy !

[spellsinger]

Slightly off topic - but a damn good idea if you ask me - was at a local bike gathering, one of the bikes had a standard speedo dial, but instead of being calibrated in MPH and Km/h it had a single set of numbers and a light to indicate when Km/h was being used - a neat solution.

Mike

[ScottyUK]

Slightly off topic - but a damn good idea if you ask me - was at a local bike gathering, one of the bikes had a standard speedo dial, but instead of being calibrated in MPH and Km/h it had a single set of numbers and a light to indicate when Km/h was being used - a neat solution.

Mike

Read my post pn the previous page about the Monaro :D

[spellsinger]

Read my post pn the previous page about the Monaro :D

An excellent point - well made! :approve:

Mike