I was browsing the gallery at wieck.com, and noticed that there are 2 clusters, one for the manual, another for the automatic. I know this is typical for automakers to add the PRNDL indicators, but typically they would be very similar. The differences for the RX-8 are pretty unusual. Check these:

Auto http://www.wieck.com/public/*2PV_049742


Manual http://www.wieck.com/public/*2PV_049727


The left and right clusters seem to be flip-flopped. Also, on the auto cluster, what is the indicator just to the right of the PRND marker, above the odometer?

 

I think that the 'flip-flop' is because the manual gauges are from a LHD car and the auto gauges from a RHD car. I'm not sure what the integer on the auto gauge is: perhaps a gear number to give some visual feedback of what the box is doing? Pure guess and probably naive.

 

It definitely looks like that is to display the current gear for when your pretending your Michael Shumacher. The thing I think is funny is tach is the same in both. I would be pissed if I had an automatic and the tach still showed 9 grand just teasing me every upshift because I can't touch it.

 

Thanks. I was wondering whether Mazda would give the AUTO a different Tach since there red line is so much lower.

Yea, I know what you mean, it would really suck for the AUTO guys - the "red zone" in the tach starts at 8500rpm but the AUTO would cut fuel at like 7,000 rpm or something like that.

 

Probably photoshopped images, if you look closely at the dashboard around the instrument cluster you can see they are both LHD cars. I think Lensman and SPDFRK are right and it's a gear indicator next to the PRND markers.

The tach will have to display a correct red line, so that's why i believe this has been photoshopped.

 

I hadn't thought about the differing red lines for each - excellent point. Just thought it was odd that Mazda might go through the trouble of manufacturing 2 completely different clusters.

Guess we'll know for sure when the production units hit the streets.

 

Has anyone seen the s2000's tach? I was looking at it recently because I wanted to see if it had 10k listed on the tach and also I wanted to see the electric speedomenter. Anyways the tach ends at 9k and also its rainbow shaped. I must say its the cheapest looking thing I have ever seen. I really like the s2000 but after looking at the tach of the rx-8, I cant even look at the s2000's.

 

That is not necessarily true, my Silverado with the 5.3 V8 didn't even have a redline indicated on the tach. The redline is usually set to keep you from causing engine damage but we know that the engine can handle the revs, it just the slush box bolted to the back of it that can't. If I was mazda I would keep the same tach to punish the lazy people that forced them to dillute the power of their mechanical masterpiece. While I'm ranting I'm blaming you same people for making me wait for my car, if they took out the R&D and tooling time they wasted on making an automatic car and started production of the "real" cars most of us would be out driving instead of sitting here spanking our monkies over every new picture or review that comes out!!!

Sorry about that, but really I want my car now!!!!!

 

I am thinking maybe 3 years ahead.

The dash would be 2 high contrast, variable brightness LCD screens. One wide format for the driver info. The other one for HVAC, sound, lighting, & Nav. The selections would be made via a touch sensitive strip around the outside.

You could have an infinite choice of gage layouts & colors.

 

Already in development is a flexible polymer based flat screen (paper thin) that can literally be printed using inkjet technology. It's being worked on here in Cambridge very near to my office and has been well publicised. Basically it will be a full colour monitor in the form of a sheet of paper. One of its (many) applications is a car dashboard. The screen can be applied to the dashboard like a sticker and wrap around the contours, it can then behave as a single huge monitor. Should be fun.

 

Question:

There is a water temperature gage that reads...

C------H

There is a fuel gage that reads....

E------F

What is the gage that reads...

L------H

?????????????



Also, what about an oil temperature gage? Oil temp is actually more inportant than water temperature in telling you whether or not the engine is "warmed up". Anybody have ideas as to how an oil temp gage could be fitted to the RX-8 and still maintain the VERY attractive look of the stock gage cluster?

 

Oil pressure..........

 

Oil pressure.

Unfortunately, I have a bad feeling that the "gauge" is nothing more than an analog "idiot light" similar to the one in post-'96 Miatas. The Miata gauge is not a true indication of oil pressure at all - it simply jumps up to somewhere around mid-scale as soon as the engine is started, and remains there unwaveringly unless the pressure drops below a (too low) threshold, at which time it drops to zero. It's actually worse than an idiot light, which at least calls attention to itself by illuminating!

I do hope that my suspicions are unfounded, but every bit of footage I've seen of the dashboard has shown the RX-8 gauge behaving in exactly the same manner - jumping immediately to mid-scale and staying glued there no matter how the engine is revved.

 

I really think we all should get together & promote the virtual dash panel.
There could be a full 10 gage diagnostic display, or only a speed & idiot light selection, or anything in between, all driver selectable.

 

Has anyone here used winamp skins? You can code & swap your own faceplates. An old clunker pentium with a RAMdrive will run it.

Imagine - you could relocate gages according to driver seating & steering wheel position.
How about histogram displays for AF ratio, EGT, coolant & oil temps, Etc.