What works better for you guys when driving?

[vi edit]

i can tell how fast im goign with out looking as well. i guess after you drive 400,000 miles you can tell? some cars its harder tho like lexus being so smooth

Yeh. I had a V8 "S Series" Jaguar for a rental for a week. That thing was so smooth and quiet that 80 felt like 50 in most other cars. It just felt so relaxed at high speeds. That's why I made the comment about knowing your car well.

 

[CraigRT]

i love a good set of clear analog gauges

 

[TwiceOver]

I don't think either would really make a difference to me. I've had both, either does the job just as well as the other.

 

[LordMorpheus]

My car has a digital dash.

I've gotten used to it, and it's a little strange to drive another car that doesn't have it, but I don't really have a preference one way or another.

One cool thing is I have an english/metric button that changes everything to metric. The thermometer goes to celsius, the speed goes to km/h, the fuel goes to to liters, mileage to liters/100km, etc.

Find of fun to switch at highway speeds and see the speed go triple digit.

 

[brblx]

i'm not a big civic fan, and initially hated the dash, but i'll be goddamned if that instrument cluster isn't absolutely PERFECTLY executed. analog tach is entirely visible through the steering wheel, very well-done digital speedo is right above the rim.

 

[FeuerFrei]

Digital seems so 80s, as in '88 Buick. Thought it was dumb back then and still do.

Analog for me, please.

 

[kalrith]

My car has a digital dash.

I've gotten used to it, and it's a little strange to drive another car that doesn't have it, but I don't really have a preference one way or another.

One cool thing is I have an english/metric button that changes everything to metric. The thermometer goes to celsius, the speed goes to km/h, the fuel goes to to liters, mileage to liters/100km, etc.

Find of fun to switch at highway speeds and see the speed go triple digit.

Mine's the same way although I only switch to metric when I go to Canada.

I like the digital and analog about the same. With digital I get too picky over what speed I'm going, so it becomes more of a curse than a blessing. With analog I know about what speed I'm going even if I can't tell whether it's 62 or 63 .

 

[Felisity]

Most of the newer cars now have a digital speedometer that will show you in numbers on how much MPH you are going.

I really don't think there's much truth to this statement if you're referring to newer cars in the US.

Out of everyone I know that has a 3 year old or newer vehicle, none of them have a digital gauge for speed or distance. I think that was more of a fad / short lived addition at best. It's akin to the "heads up display" or "automatic seat belt", both of which are mostly unused features these days.

EDIT: I don't know anyone who has a newer civic. Apparantly that's one of the few that has digital.

 

[ViviTheMage]

I would not mind a HUD with RPM...otherwise I like my old school odo.

 

[Harvey]

The Highway Patrol doesn't care if you're going 64 or 66 MPH; they care if you're going around 65 or closer to 85 MPH. Visually, an analog spedometer is safer because it takes less time to get the most important info (the approximate needle position) from it than it does to integrate the info from a digital spedometer, which is always flickering between exact values.

 

[vshah]

i have a civic Si, and i like the digital, its always in my field of view. and my tach is bigger and easier to see as a result. also the shift light right next to the digital speedo is cool

 

[chorb]

I have both also, but I'm starting to prefer the digital read out over analog for speed. For my revs I would never deviate from an analog guage.

off topic: my friends old manual toyota truck didn't have an rpm gauge; had to go by sound alone to know when to shift. Easy to do once you've driven for a while, but not so great for him as his first car ever.

 

[Imp]

Drive a Civic and love the digital speedo to death, but I love this Honda designed speedo, no just any digital. I've been in a Prius, and it's like they're using surplus '80s monitors. Whoever designed that POS should be shot. Placement is poor, green numbering on black is terrible, and there's clutter all around your speed.

 

[JulesMaximus]

From a standpoint of ease of understanding it makes no difference to me whatsoever. My car has standard gauges and my bike has both digital and standard (mph is digital, tach is a traditional gauge). That said, I prefer traditional gauges with numbers and needles that sweep across.

 

[iCyborg]

I prefer analog for the same reason I prefer analog watches, they seem more classy and elegant. I don't really think there's much difference in the ease of use. And my GPS has a digital speedo if I really wanted it...

 

[BoomerD]

Are you also one of those people who prefers a digital watch to an analog watch...with dials and needles?

I'm an old fart...I know how to properly read watches, gauges, and speedometer dials.

 

[grrl]

Old school. Easier to check all the gauges at a glance.

This. I find digital annoying, even in clocks.

 

[zerocool84]

Digital speedometers are known to fail very frequently. Needle gauges can work forever. That's like saying you prefer a digital watch to an analogue one.

 

[xSauronx]

that would annoy the everliving fuck out of me

 

[Imported]

Analog.

Though I find it funny how large the display in the Civics are.. you can read the MPH of the Civic two lanes over!

 

[GeekDrew]

I'll tolerate either, but I *very, very much* prefer to have an analog speedometer in the dash, and a digital speedometer in HUD. The last car I had like this was an 04 Pontiac Grand Prix. Having no HUD is my #1 complaint about almost every vehicle now. I loved it.

 

[Anubis]

that would annoy the shit out of me

 

[vi edit]

Originally Posted by cheezmunky http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3270/...5444a4.jpg?v=0 that would annoy the shit out of me

Would that work with polarized sunglasses?

 

[shortylickens]

If ever I get a BMW I'll make sure it has a HUD.
The Prius version did not impress me though.

 

[Meghan54]

Having had digital readouts, not HUD though, in a few cars, give me analog every time. Analog I don't have to read, just glance and know if needle is where it's supposed to be.

Also, during certain times of day with the sun just right, the glare off the steering column can wipe out digital readouts or make them hard to read. Damned aggravating.