Digital vs. Analog Speedometer
 

Just wanted to see what most people thought about the digital speedometer that seemingly will make it's way to the production model.

From interior shots, the instrument cluster includes a large, center-mounted tachometer. I love this setup; it reminds me of my '94 RX-7. Nevertheless, I'm a little wary of the digital speed readout in the bottom left corner of the tach. Here's a reminder for everyone:

http://images.rotarynews.com/images/.../24rx8-mtp.jpg

Some of us might remember digital speedometers as a novelty in the 80's; a symbol of how "high-tech" the car was (T-birds, Cadillacs, even some Corvettes if I remember correctly). Did Mazda forget how annoying these digital speedometers were? One second you're cruising at 75, slow down, and then suddenly the car reads 45. What happened to the thirty miles in between? No digital readout clicking away numbers can compare to the pure joy of seeing a needle swing from left to right as you pass 40, 60, 80, 100....mph. Besides, the rate of change on the needle itself (velocity) gives you an indication of acceleration. Watching a number go from 46 to, let's say, 66 in one second is hardly as satisfying.

Hopefully, enough people know what I'm talking about. Of course, differing opinions are always welcome. Post your thoughts please.

I think digital speedo's have come a long way lately.

Personally, I wasn't a fan of them, either. However, recently I've ridden a couple of people's motorcycles which have digital speedo's (my bike's is analog), and it was nicely done. I have to say, I really liked it.

So long as there's an analog Tach, a digital speedo is fine by me. Just realize that technology has come a long way in the past 15 years.

I personally would perfer analog instrument, but I will reserve judgment until I see it in production.

i think the 92-96 prelude is reason enough we should stick to analog. i hate digital speedos, too hard for me to judge my speed by using peripheral vision.

porsche-boxter-like tach is very nice though, i love what they did with the cluster (speedo excluded of course).

Give me an analog tachometer and speedometer any day of the week.

I wish I could also reserve judgment like Styjan is but I am on the preorder list. If Mazda puts anything digital in the cockpit please limit it to the clock.

I’ll take mine the old fashion way.

Big analog tach in the middle, big analog speedo right next to it.

Why was everyone talking about a 8500 rpm to 10 000 rpm, when according to that picture we're looking at a red line of 8000 rpm. Whats the deal?

According to Road & Track:

Digital speedo is a HUGE negative
 

I was hoping that digital speedometers went out with Knight Rider. I have driven several cars with them and I have hated them all. I'm glad that most foreign manufactures have stayed out of the digital speedometer game for the most part. You normally see them on soft American cars marketed at soft middle-aged women. Yeah, I remember them on the Vette and other sportier cars, but they were a mistake.


I remember taking an instrumentation course back in school where the pros and cons of digital vs. analog were discussed ad nausium. Digital instruments are great for accurately displaying precise measurements that do not change rapidly. Analog gauges are much better for displaying data where not only the current results are important, but equally as important is the direction and rate of change. Position, direction of change, and rate of change are very important on automobile speedometers and analog gauges are inherently much better at displaying those things.


This is the same reason why electricians, electronics technicians, and engineers have to use analog Ammeters and Voltage meters when troubleshooting a circuit in which a current or voltage spike is tripping breakers or causing other damage. You can see the spike on an analog meter and you would never be able to see it on a digital multimeter. DMM’s display great accurate information if the data isn’t changing, but if it is changing, the display can’t keep up with the results.


Please Mazda, tell me that the digital speedometer on the RX-8 dashboard was just a quick eye-grabbing thing they through together for the demo car. Please put a real speedometer on the production car, a nice big one, right next to the tach.

Count me as one of those who don't like digital speedo's, but the technology has progressed pretty far. I think new digital readouts do a much better job tracking rate of change than they used to. I would still prefer an analog speedo, but the presence of a digital speedo won't turn me away.

The attached image above does show room for a voltmeter. Can we get full instumentation?

BTW, I currently own a GM product that came from the factory with a 5 speed manual, and no tach on the dash. What the hell were they thinking?

Digital speedo - no
Digital gas meter (newer celica)- yes... I'm tired of having to smack the top of the dash for the flippin thing to read correctly-

---

after looking at the gas meter again... I like it's placement in the RX-8... as long as it works accurately

I agree. As long as the tach is analog, I don’t mind the digital speedo. For performance driving, I usually concentrate on the tach anyway, and it seems that they understood that by making a the tach more the focus and the speedo secondary.

I prefer instruments similar to those in the 3rd gen. RX7 (analog). I also prefer gauges with numbers....not just a few lines.

Todd

IMO, digital is for recordings and photos. Analog is for gauges. :D

Mod # 1: Replace exhaust with free flowing exhaust.
Mod # 2: Make or buy gauge faces that lose the digital displays. ;)

hottrodder
 

As I read this thread it made me think about my recent speedo purchase. I'm an avid performance boater and as such realize that allot of boaters are also 'ench racers'. Every guy I know with a jet boat runs at least 80 and I don't think a v-drive was made that turns sub 100 passes. The accuracy of marine speedos is pitiful. A pitot tube hanging off the transom approx. 2-3 inches below the hull getting stuffed with sand, silt, air and whatever else is suspended in the water your running in. It's no wonder they're inaccurate. I just purchased and installed a GPS speedo for one of my boats and while I didn't pick up any speed on the top end it was far more accurate on the low end. And because of the memory feture the next time someone disputes the claims of my twin turbos I can simply stroll over and mash the recall button.

Although there is something exhilerating about the clockwise sweep of the arm. Not to mention being able to catch it out of the corner of your eye and having an idea of your speed.

Digital Speedo
 

Digital Speedo. NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!

DIGITAL SPEEDO
 

Tell me this is not true. I hate digital speedo's. What the he_ _ is wrong with Mazda. Please tell me this isn't true.

Digital Speedo
 

Yes, I'll still definitely buy one. I now just have to expend $$$ for an aftermarket analog speedo.

I want it all and I want it now!!!

I kinda like the digital, for track use since you can instantly glance and know your speed instead of looking at the needle then, looking for the tic mark and then the closest number, which is good since all you'd look at is the tach, and how much space is left till redline, then maybe check the speed. Digital would make it easier for knowing just how fast you can take a particular turn.

However, on a normal driving basis, the flickering of the numbers would drive me pretty crazy. (in a bad way)

i think that just saving the stupid options for luxo-mobiles should be a priority, and just keep the digital metres in the prototype show model... EXCEPT FOR THAT DIGITAL FUEL METRE!! OH CRAP, YA!! awesome suggestion Strider...

-Andrew

i don't really like the digital tach anymore, since i have one on my daily driver. The car has been sitting in the back yard for like 5 years, before i got it up and running again, and at times the tach will disappear on me, and i can't even tell how fast im going. Well i can, just not to the exact KM.

I prefer with the analog, but really i won't care as long as i have an rx8 :)

The 4th gen Prelude has analog speedo/tach gauges... What are you talking about? :confused:

I also prefer analog over digital but as long as the tach is analog I'm happy. I don't really care for the speedo.. Don't look at it much anyway. I usually go by the rpms/gear and know roughly what speed I'm at. As for track/auto-x I might as well not have a speedo at all.. :)

I gotta say it guys...

I LOVE the digital speedo... you need the Tacho to be analogue I grant you... but the speedo is to tell you how fast you're going, and you can get that more accurately from a digital one.

If you need to see how fast it's changing, look at the tacho or feel the g force. I prefer to glance down at the digital number and then back to the road while my brain decodes the number... rather than trying to peer at a dial to see what the exact speed is.

Yes, I've had digital speedo's before, and infact I've had digital (Sorta) tacho's before... the tacho was a LCD bar chart in the layout of the power curve... it was actually pretty cool.

I have no problem with a digital speedo. In fact, if it means that I can get some real secondary gauges (oil temp, pressure, water temp, etc.) instead of idiot lights, I would celebrate the use of the digital speedo.

Some people have mentioned the fact that it is easier to see changes and movement in an analog gauge. This is very correct, which is why an analog tach is preferable. The tach changes quickly, and you need to follow it at times.

But a speedometer is rarely a gauge that moves quickly. And frankly, when it is moving quickly (under heavy acceleration or braking), there are many other things that you need to be watching instead of the speedo. You are normally checking a speedo when it is steady, and therefore easy to read.

In personal experience, I had a Pontiac GTP with the Heads Up Display. It was a digital speedo, of course, and it was very easy to follow. In fact, I found it easier to follow than the analog speedo gauge in the instrument panel below. I don't see the digital speedo in the pictured instrument panel being any different for me.

---jps

I would prefer analogue myself.

But... As long as it has a rotary engine, I don't care if the instrument cluster had Olympic judges holding up cards with the speed written on them!!! :cool:

I basically learned to drive with a digital speedo so I love them they are much easier to read when you just glance because I rarely pay attention to my speed that closely more of the pace of the traffic around me. Also all of the new sportbikes have digital mph/kph so I think the high performance asian market may follow with their cars. For you guys that don't like it buy an S2000, oh wait that has a digital speedo and tach that just happens to match the rc51. Coincidence I think not.

What he said..... But I gotta say I prefer digital for speed, if not tacho

I have never actually owned a rotary, but I've always been facinated and to be honest, I thought there'd never be another one!

You guys that want the analogue... tell me... discounting rate of change... at a steady pace do you actually think it's faster to read a dial??

I might be a special case as I was/am dyslexic and so probably use different mental processes to actually read symbols... but I can glance at a digital number for just about the same time as it takes to blink and look back at the road... it'll be a second or so before the speed arrives in my conciousness... but the time I actually had my eyes off the road was milliseconds.....

I can say that with an analogue dial, it takes me looking at the dial far longer for it to stick, and WAY longer to actually know what the speed is.

True, at a constant (or nearly) rate, digital is just as easy. When I test drove the S2000, I couldn't read the speedo from 4k to redline. The only way I could figure out how fast I was going was to slow down so the numbers weren't flying by. Besides, I don't need to look down on an analog speedo, I can usually see it out of the corner of my eye. It's tougher for me to do with a digital gauge. Also, the digital speedo and tach on the S2k washed out in direct sunlight. It's also not possible (or much harder) to replace a digital speedo than to replace an analog one if you want to customize your look. Last, I just plain prefer analog gauges in everything I do, except those places where there's a distinct reason for digital.

I'd imagine that a properly designed digital would be ok, but I've yet to see one that wasn't absolutely horrible.

You can still see the tach out of the corner of your eye, and it doesn't take that long to figure out that 3k rpm in 5th = 80mph.

As long as the tach is big, I like the digital speedo

Unless the tach is digital and washed out in the sunlight as well (as in the S2k). All of the problems with the digital speedometer applied to the tach, except you could see where it was regardless of how fast you were speeding up.

I vote analog. It's what I'm used to. Either way, if I am really driving the car hard, my visual focus is on the road and what is coming at me. I get a lot of my feedback about the car from engine sound, wind sound, engine vibration, etc. However, if I want to glance at my guages, especially in a car I am familiar with, it seems to me it would be much easier with analog. If you know the car, you should know the scale on the guages, and a brief glance or with peripherial vision would be able to give you better information than having to focus on some rapidly flipping digital numbers. As an example, the difference between 60 and 80 on an analog gauge is much easier to see than 60 and 80 on a digital. Mazda, read this. Analog, please.

You can get an approximate number very fast from an analogue dial, mabe within 10 MPH.... granted... But you can get that information from the seat of your pants without looking at anything... or from that Tacho...

When you really want to know the speed, you want to know it exactly... I'm perfectly happy with Digital, infact, so long as the Tacho is analogue I'd prefer digital speed.

I don't think we'll have to worry about the digital speedo washing out for two reasons. One is the gauges are set very deep into the instrument pod (check out pictures of the dash) and they have a large hood overtop. The other is I still don't think the 8 will come with a sunroof, which when the sun is overhead, is quite effective at washing out any digital instruments.

y cant we have both...kinda like the old casio watches, that had both kinds of time....i think that would make everyone happy if they did it that way....just stick a digital one in the middle of the analog one :)

I second that motion. :)

Dude, have some mercy with that "signature" of yours, it ain't a web page! ;)

Because if you included both, then you wouldn't have room for gauges like water temperature and oil pressure.

Wouldja rather have an analog AND a digital speedo with idiot lights, or wouldja rather have one and some other secondary guages?

I don't know about you guys, but when my eyes are focused on the road ahead, I have never been able to see the gauges "out of the corner of my eye", I've always had to re-focus to see them. So, an analog setup won't gain me anything there.

---jps

They might as well be idiot lights, based upon the pics of the gauges I've seen. Anyone with a Miata post 1995 will know what I mean.
The oil gauge basically tells you "yes, there is oil pressure" or "no, there is absolutely no oil pressure." Same goes for the temp gauge. Mazda has been using cheapo sending units and gauges in the Miata since 95 (many owners do a retrofit to a 90-94 oil gauge from the earlier cars). The gauges in the picture of the instrument pod are marked exactly the same as the current Miata - i.e. "L" and "H" instead of graduated numbers.

Mazda, please spend an extra $20 per car and give us a real set of gauges!

I was wondering if anyone would bring that up. I would still rather have that, because one would still be capable of making those gauges into working gauges. With my '99 Miata, all I have to do is replace the factory pressure sender with a real one, adjust the needle on the oil pressure gauge, and voila you have a working oil pressure guage. And with these guages, you don't need to have specific numbers, you just need to see if it's in the wrong spot.

If the factory doesn't even place "fake" gauges there, we would have to resort to A-pillar guages (*shudder*) or something.

Oh, and by the way, Mazda (and other manufacturers) don't use the "fake gauges" because of cheaper parts, it's because a lot of the general public doesn't know how to read a proper temperature and oil gauge, so they bring the car in all the time for warranty checks, thinking something is wrong. So instead of appeasing a few of us who aren't "nervous nellies", they appease the general public by installing idiot lights in the form of gauges.

---jps

Well, look at it this way--at least the digital speedo is better than the IS300 setup. :D

Well, thats true actually (although the better sender is a little more expensive last I checked). People see the oil press. needle move a little when the engine is revved and get nervous... :rolleyes: For those "in the know" its reassuring. The general public thinks everything is A-OK as long as
a) a multitude of warning lights are lit and chimes are sounding
b) the needles are rock steady and haven't moved... for several years...
c) the car is still moving under its own power. :D

Oh sure, they're saving a little money on parts while they're at it.

---jps

it was the same thing in the 3rd gens...all the guages sucked..the only one i pay attention to is the fuel..so i know when to fill up that

tach? speedo? what are those?? I drive my RX7 by the seat of my pants and the roar of the exhaust!!

Well I use the speedo to set the cruise control :)

having two Z's right now, one with, one without, I can say that digital dashes suck. I can't read the digital dash when the sun is anywhere near it (like when the tops are off, etc). They are very prone to failure (I've already had to replace one power supply unit). They are just all around pains in the @$$. I can tell you that given the option, it's analog all the way.