If you have both a digital & analog speedo . . .

[Benzadmiral]

. . . which do you use?

Since Buick gave me two ways to monitor my speed, I've always run the car with the digital speedometer showing, and have used that. The analog gauge (blue-lit, with a red needle) is great-looking, and I wouldn't want GM to remove it. But with the digital readout, you know exactly how fast or slow you're going -- not "a notch or two above 40," but "43 mph." Plus the other readouts on the Driver's Information Center are not something I want up there all the time. The mpg readout is depressingly low for a 4-cylinder car; I don't have any desire to look at the tire pressure readouts, and average speed driven, or the oil life monitor; and I don't have navigation on my car.

How about you?

 

[spackard]

But you don't know exactly how fast you are going; auto speedometers are set to read from 0 to 10% faster than actual.
So it lies, but some think it's accurate because it's digital.

You need a GPS for accuracy, but then it lags by a few seconds. So, forget the digital, analog is easier to glance at.

 

[Quattro Pete]

In wife's truck, unless Nav directions are being displayed, I usually observe the digital speedo since the analog one is a bit small, or maybe the age is catching up with me and I just can't see it that well.

In my car, the analog speedo is very legible and the digital one is very difficult to get to (plus it only shows km/h, not mph), so I stick with analog.

 

[weasley]

My Audi has an analogue speedo with the option to display a large digital readout on the dashboard. After playing with it a couple of times, I never use it. I prefer a dial - you can get a good idea of your speed at a glance, rather than having to actually read a digital display. In peripheral vision I can see whereabouts the needle is pointing and know roughly what the speed is. If I need a detailed reading I can look closer. If I need to make sure I don't go above a certain speed I use the cruise control and I have a maximum speed limit warning set.

I did have a car with only a digital speedo once - the Mazda RX-8 - it worked out OK but I prefer a dial. During fast acceleration/deceleration the digital one is also not great to read as it is constantly changing.

We are, by design, analogue animals! Look at watches - digitals have their place, but analogues are what we love.

My favourite ever speedo/dials were in the Lamborghini Aventador, which are 'digital' analogue. They come at a price though.

 

[CT8]

I am not that picky

 

[Benzadmiral]

Originally Posted By: weasley


. . . We are, by design, analogue animals! Look at watches - digitals have their place, but analogues are what we love.


I'm a big watch aficionado too, and you'd think I'd prefer the analog -- especially since nearly all my cars have had one. (Only the '89 Olds Cutlass had a digital-only readout.) But somehow, on this car anyway, digital works better for me.

That's just the speedo though. The tach is analog only, and I'm glad of it.

 

[CharBaby]

I like analog on any car gauge and clock, it just my preference! I like seeing where I am going and where I've been, so to speak! Digital only shows you where you are. Again, just a preference!

 

[AandPDan]

Analog.

You don't have to read an analog gauge as such.

You do have to read all the numbers on a digital.

 

[Sierra048]

Like you, my Sierra has both. I forget the analog speedometer is there most of the time, sitting to the furthest right in my instrument cluster. The few times I have compared the two, they both mirror each other in the speed traveled.

 

[datech]

I like looking at the Driver Information Center on long trips. I cycle through, sometimes verify the tire pressure, temps. etc. I do like to know the average mph on various routes so I can compare to see the quickest way. I usually monitor the instantaneous MPG most of the time, it does help me get better fuel economy.

 

[dishdude]

I like the digital readout feature, it's nice being able to just glance down and see the speed. Yes, I know you can do it with the analog...

 

[bsmithwins]

Originally Posted By: spackard
But you don't know exactly how fast you are going; auto speedometers are set to read from 0 to 10% faster than actual.
So it lies, but some think it's accurate because it's digital.

You need a GPS for accuracy, but then it lags by a few seconds. So, forget the digital, analog is easier to glance at.


The low tech alternative requires a stopwatch, a passenger, and a stretch of road with mile markers. Set your speed to 60mph and start the watch when you're alongside a mile marker, stop it when you pass the next (or do 10 miles) and compare with the stopwatch, you'll kmow exactly how far off your speedometer is.

BSW

 

[earlyre]

I look to be the digital lone wolf here...
I loves me a digital readout.
My watch must be digital, i can tell at a glance what time it actually IS, not "a little after XX:YY"
in my car, the demarcations on the analog Dial are too Few and Far between, esp at night, when all you can see are lines at the 10's and the number only at the 20's(during the day there are little hash marks for each MPH, bu they disappear with the back light)

Day

Night

so i added the scangaugeII I had in my neon, mounted it right in front of the Speedo. with MPH as the upper right readout.
again, i can tell at a glance what my speed is, instead of around "around 45-ish?"
interestingly the scangauge speed, (which comes from the computer via the OBDII port) is always a few MPH+/-the speedo, and may or may not agree with the gps.
I've had 3 different reading many times, usually with in a 3mph spread

 

[d00df00d]

Having gotten used to a digital speedo in my car (no analog option), I seem to prefer it to analog. Digital is just easier to process.

There's definitely something... classier? about the look of an analog speedo, though.

 

[440Magnum]

There are 3 ways to see speed in my Challenger: analog (processor driven servo) needle, digital readout in the Electronic Vehicle Information Center (located below the analog speedometer), and on the navigation display. I normally use the analog speedometer, and use the EVIC to display either oil pressure, oil temp, or outside temp. The nav system isn't always on, but I frequently leave it in the "view map" mode so the digital display is there- its outside my normal gauge scan, but if I want to check my speed down to single mph level, its often quicker than getting to the EVIC speed display with my thumb on the steering wheel control button.

But by a wide margin, the analog display is the most useful. Instantly interpretable, always there, no lag or delay. My only minor gripe with it is that its not as precise as I'd like. Since its a 180 mph sweep in the same space as a standard 120 mph sweep, a needle width is >2 mph instead of

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: 440Magnum
My only minor gripe with it is that its not as precise as I'd like. Since its a 180 mph sweep in the same space as a standard 120 mph sweep, a needle width is >2 mph instead of

I'm seeing a dual scale on some speedos to help address this. The lower speed numbers are more widely spaced for better precision/visibility, taking up majority of the sweep. The higher speeds take up only a small fraction of the sweep, since they are rarely utilized.

 

[skyactiv]

My GTI. I use the center digital readout.

 

[weasley]

Lexus claim that they had to make the rev counter in the Lexus LF-A an LCD analogue dial because a real analogue needle couldn't sweep fast enough to keep up with the engine (which could go from idle to redline in 0.6s).

 

[supton]

I dunno, haven't had an analog readout yet for speed. I think I'd be fine with digital for all but tach. Digital is great for precise reading, but analog shows trends.

It is nice to look at water temp and oil pressure and see indicators pointing dead straight up. But given how most gauges are idiot gauges today, and how most anything other than engine speed varies at slow speed, I could be fine with digital. Doesn't look as good, but functionally it's the same.

 

[KrisZ]

Originally Posted By: weasley
Lexus claim that they had to make the rev counter in the Lexus LF-A an LCD analogue dial because a real analogue needle couldn't sweep fast enough to keep up with the engine (which could go from idle to redline in 0.6s).


It's a nice marketing "side story" that is guaranteed to be repeated without a second thought by car magazines. Servo motors can easily do it.