HONDA ENGINEERS SUCK!

OK, but that has nothing to do with DRIVING. That is a navigational issue,
or maybe a time issue. Think of it this way . . . could you get back to
your office safely if your speedometer was broken? If so, then you see my
point. -Dave

 

Yes, but if they are ever on a speedometer, even for a split second, then
safety is decreased somewhat. -Dave

 

But you can get from point A to Point B safely without the dashboard
altogether. You don't need an oil warning light, gas guage, temperature
guage or light. But all those are part of intelligent driving. People who
disregard those or the speedometer are not making use of the valuable
instrumentation. At least one small airplane from bygone years had a single
instrument - a compass - but that doesn't make the grade in today's world. I
know you are not suggesting we should do without instrumentation altogether;
we just disagree about the importance of a speedometer.

If you never look at your speedometer but rely on experience to judge your
speed, you are actually relying on the drivers around you to look at their
speedometers to calibrate your own perception. I have little faith in
perceptions, though. Anyone who travels highway 89 from Flagstaff to Page,
Arizona, regularly has been behind Navajo drivers, many of whom never look
at the speedometer either and have had little experience with others around
them keeping an eye on theirs. 15 mph fluctuations are common.

Mike

 

Neither should you, now that you mention it.

 

I think you're digging yourself in even deeper the longer you continue
with this line.

 

Wrong. The driver whose eyes are glued, unblinking, to the road in
front of him is far more dangerous than the driver who is aware of his
surroundings, including the speedometer, mirrors, and surrounding
traffic.

 

Are you speaking of the 'new' Mini or an older model?
I had a 1985 Cooper S, it was a blast to drive way back then.

Brian

 

Are you telling us that you don't look at the speedometer, fuel gauge,
clock, radio or any of the myriad of gauges that can be on the dash of a
modern vehicle? Not to mention the outside and inside mirrors, and turning
your head to view as much as possible of what is happening around your
vehicle when you're operating it? If that is what you are saying, you should
have your driver's licence revoked, you are dangerous.

Brian

 

Great point. I wonder if that person has ever seen a picture of the
cockpit of a huge jet such as a the "747". I seen such a picture and there
must have been over 50 instuments. I wonder if the person thinks that
airline pilots should never look at the cluster of instuments while flying
the jetplane?

 

Of course flying an airliner is a long way from cruising the
interstate but it is goofy to suggest that cars shouldn't have
speedometers. It can be very difficult to judge your speed under some
conditions.

I was on vacation in Montana with my wife. After cruising down
country roads for a few hours we got onto the Interstate. There was
no traffic and within a few minutes I looked down and noticed the
Volvo station wagon was going 93 mph. My wife was serenely staring
out the window. There was no posted speed limit on Montana
Interstates at the time so I very gently pushed it up. After a few
minutes I calmly said, "Gee these Montana Interstates are nice. You
wouldn't think we were doing 100 mph." She had already said, "We're
not going a hund..." before she saw the speedometer and uttered the
famous two word expression that begins "Oh..."

That's why cars have speedometers.

 

The only time I ever look at the speedometer is if I'm concerned about the
speed limit (police officers nearby) or testing something on my machine.
That's about it.

A tach is much more useful to me than a speedometer but still shouldn't be
looked at while driving unless tuning/fixing something.

Of course, they are only there to convey information that you might need.

 

We're talking about cars here, not jets. There's a big difference.

 

The only one I "need" is the gas gauge because I don't want to be stranded
anywhere. The rest are useless most of the time unless checking up on the
vehicle and how it responds to certain conditions.

In that case, you shouldn't be on the road at all.

Your real concern is the speed limit and not the speedometer. You fear
getting ticketted or you don't trust yourself as a driver. Either way, it's
not the safest choice while you're out there sharing the street with other
drivers.

 

Brian, get on topic. The discussion is concentrated on speedometers and
their effect on driving.

I agree with Bob that you have to know what's going on around you at any
given time but I don't agree that you need a bunch of gauges to know that.
Gauges are there to provide feedback as to the vehicle's condition and not
the surroundings. You have to feel the car and be one with it. That's the
ultimate goal.

Drive skillfully!

John

 

What's your point professor? Just because someone doesn't like the way their
car sits, doesn't mean that everyone has to take that stance. I lower if
it's too high, or higher if it's too low. I like balance and compromise as
little as possible. I don't care about what intelligent people or what
ricers think. I care about how I want my car to behave.

 

I'm on topic.

A large part of driving, involves knowing how your vehicle is operating.
Some of those conditions are only readily available through the use of
gauges. Such as coolant temperature, oil pressure, engine speed, battery
condition, charging system condition, etc..

Constantly, through being aware of every aspect of what is happening around
me, that's inside the vehicle and outside, for you novice drivers.

Brian

 

On the contrary. For the average American car, you COULD remove the entire
dashboard, and it wouldn't make that much difference to a well-trained
driver. But then a well-trained driver would want certain guages that are
missing from the average American car to begin with. As far as driving
goes, a speedometer is useless. (if you don't know your speed is proper
without consulting a guage, you really shouldn't be driving) At least an
analog oil pressure guage would provide useful information. Now try to find
one in any vehicle on the road in the U.S. Good luck on that. -Dave

 

OK, but that has nothing to do with DRIVING. That is a navigational

OK, then enlighten us. What does a speedometer have to do with *driving*?
Now answer that question without referring to speed limits, speeding tickets
or cops in any manner. Good luck. -Dave

 

My eyes are constantly in motion while driving. . . but hardly ever hit the
speedometer. Did I mention I've got thirty years and well over a million
miles of spotless driving record? That's because I'm a driver, not a
speedometer watcher. -Dave

 

Of course flying an airliner is a long way from cruising the

If you have to wonder, SLOW THE HELL DOWN!!! (sheesh, isn't that
bvious?) -Dave