Recently installed metric signage on US Interstate

[CR94]

Originally Posted by Dinoburner
If memory serves back in the early days of the automobile it was decided that spark plugs would be metric and tire sizes would be the kings inch ...
So why are automotive tire sizes a crazy mix of inch diameter and metric width? Standard bicycle parts and threadings are a confused mixture, as well.

 

[JLTD]

Originally Posted by meadows
The standard rail is based on the wheels of a chariot.

And we could measure fuel efficiency in furlongs per hogshead.

The units are arbitrary, really. To me, it makes much more sense that all humans use the same measuring system.

 

[Silk]

Originally Posted by CR94
Originally Posted by Dinoburner
If memory serves back in the early days of the automobile it was decided that spark plugs would be metric and tire sizes would be the kings inch ...
So why are automotive tire sizes a crazy mix of inch diameter and metric width? Standard bicycle parts and threadings are a confused mixture, as well.


The Spark Plug - Robert Bosch.

The Radial tyre - Michelin.

 

[bbhero]

Originally Posted by A_Spruce
Truth is, the US actually does use the metric system, the general populace just doesn't know it or use it themselves. Science, medicine, and industry all use it. Had a buddy that worked in a local commuter train factory, all measures were in metric.



This is exactly right ^^^^^^^

Powers of 10...

Can kill someone really quick... And does.... A lot more than people realize.

I saw a video in school in which a very young child died from Heparin being given... 10 times stronger dosing than it should have been. The child died from it. The parents did not ask for $$$... They made the hospital make a very well made production video about what had happened and what they had done to keep it from happening again in their facility.

 

[Hall]

Originally Posted by CR94
So why are automotive tire sizes a crazy mix of inch diameter and metric width? Standard bicycle parts and threadings are a confused mixture, as well.

With tires, the width and height (in mm) aren't overly critical so that was easy to switch to metric by the industry. The wheel diameter, while it could be switched to metric, a 17" tire can be called 431.8 or maybe 432. I'm sure that if someone was designing a wheel they wouldn't pick 431.8 or even 432 but would go with 430, 435, or some round (no pun intended!) value.

I'm sure there's been some fully metric tires/wheels done too. I remember when Ford imported the XR4Ti (?) here and it had metric wheels/tires. I'm sure that was interesting when it came time to replace those !

 

[PimTac]

This is the kind of stuff the Pee Chee was made for.

 

[supton]

I've always thought that, when highway signs were being redone, that they should redo in km from starting point. Much like how many (some?) states do that but in miles. Just do it in km. For most people, they just get off the exit that the map says to. The number is all but arbitrary; knowing that it's a distance might give heads up how far away it is (but these days the GPS tells us anyhow).

No small money to redo signs, so just wait until some tipping point to change. I saw that Maine converted from sequential numbers to mile markers a few years ago and thought it would have been a great time to do in km. [Do they have km listed also? been years since I drove up there.]

 

[Alfred_B]

It's quite funny to see a sign for the next exit in 1.6km

 

[A_Spruce]

Originally Posted by Cujet
Originally Posted by joegreen

Had a buddy that worked in a local commuter train factory, all measures were in metric.


Standard rail is 4 foot, 8 and 1/2 inches across. It's a standard measurement and it's used in North America, Western Europe, Australia, much of North Africa and China.


I said commuter train, not standard rail. Commuter trains are the electric ones running all over most urban environments these days

 

[Smokescreen]

 

[supton]

Originally Posted by Alfred_B
It's quite funny to see a sign for the next exit in 1.6km

Yeah, that is kinda funny. I suppose for "those in the know" it makes sense, but most anyone else would just call it 2km. [I often wonder just how accurate those signs are, I mean, do they pull out a tape measure and make sure it's right at the 1 mile mark? I'm guessing a hundred yards either way is well with the margin of acceptable error for anyone traveling at highway speeds.]

I bought a 2000 Saturn way back when. The owners manual said to add oil if the level was 3.14mm low. You know, 1/8th of an inch. 'cuz people do hundredths of a mm just as well as fractions of an inch.

 

[Hall]

Originally Posted by supton
I bought a 2000 Saturn way back when. The owners manual said to add oil if the level was 3.14mm low. You know, 1/8th of an inch. 'cuz people do hundredths of a mm just as well as fractions of an inch.

Using a value like 3.14mm, when referring to oil level on a dipstick, is asinine. But, some (non-metric) people are afraid of rounding the wrong way ! If a metric-centric person wrote those instructions, they'd say "3 mm", not 3.14.

 

[supton]

I agree.

I looked up 3.14 and it's an eighth of an inch, but you know, I swear it said 3.76mm Which doesn't round to anything nice. So I have to question my judgement. Either way. 3mm, 4mm, close enough. Someone got told to use metric, and they did precisely what they were told.

 

[Pew]

Originally Posted by hallstevenson
Originally Posted by supton
I bought a 2000 Saturn way back when. The owners manual said to add oil if the level was 3.14mm low. You know, 1/8th of an inch. 'cuz people do hundredths of a mm just as well as fractions of an inch.

Using a value like 3.14mm, when referring to oil level on a dipstick, is asinine. But, some (non-metric) people are afraid of rounding the wrong way ! If a metric-centric person wrote those instructions, they'd say "3 mm", not 3.14.


Better than the manual saying to add oil at π

 

[Hall]

I used to know many of these equivalent values by heart. I used to do product design and for design revisions, the originals were done in Imperial units so we stuck to those. Since our parts could be manufactured globally, we created a metric layer and "All fillets are rounds are 1/8" unless otherwise noted" was a standard note on all parts. That was converted hard to 3.14 (mm) on paper. If I was creating a new part, it would be done in metric units and those same fillets and rounds would be 3 mm, not 3.14 !

 

[LoneRanger]

I can think of more productive uses for federal highway funds that slapping up signage in metric. Since it's government ran, one sign probably costs around $3947.32 to setup start to finish, including all material and labor costs.

 

[AC1DD]

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[AC1DD]

I wonder if this is a major route for international trucking? Lots of mexican and canadian truckers on the road in the US today.. That being said isn't there a few Toyota and Nissan plants near that area too?

 

[BMWTurboDzl]

Originally Posted by Cujet
Originally Posted by joegreen
As much as i really do like the metric system I like more the fact that america is different from the rest of the world because of how we measure things. We dont have to be like the rest of the world just because they want us to be.


I agree. While being different is not necessarily better, we do have something pretty awesome going on here!

Originally Posted by A_Spruce
Had a buddy that worked in a local commuter train factory, all measures were in metric.


Standard rail is 4 foot, 8 and 1/2 inches across. It's a standard measurement and it's used in North America, Western Europe, Australia, much of North Africa and China.


I suppose we could kinda of thank the Romans for that.

 

[Fawteen]

Originally Posted by 92saturnsl2
Anyone see anything similar in other places, or is there a reason why the road signs are done this way?


It's some "enlightened" pinhead making decisions at the state DOT level that thinks we should follow the 2nd world countries that tout the metric system. But they don't put the speed limit signs in kilometers per hour, and the exit numbers are all still in standard miles, so you end up with a lot of confusion.
Originally Posted by supton

Yeah, that is kinda funny. I suppose for "those in the know" it makes sense, but most anyone else would just call it 2km. [I often wonder just how accurate those signs are, I mean, do they pull out a tape measure and make sure it's right at the 1 mile mark? I'm guessing a hundred yards either way is well with the margin of acceptable error for anyone traveling at highway speeds.]


They're actually quite accurate. When we travel we use a Garmin in addition to a real map, and those signs are usually dead-on.