Cars from miles to kilometres?

hughjohn

In what year did the dashboard display on new cars change from mph to kph ?

Big Nasty

I'm pretty sure it was 2004

colm_mcm

Yep. Came in autumn 04 for 05

Hal Decks

First cars appeared in 2004, it was mandatory for all cars in 2005. (The introduction was delayed due to some importers having MPH cars in stock)

L-M

In some cases cars imported cars can have their clocks changed from Miles to Kms so don't automatically assume a KM car is Irish, but it's still something to go by 99% percent of the time.

Yakuza

Jan 2005 was when the signs changed IIRC, most new cars from a few months previous would have had km clocks. I remember someone ringing in a chat show (may have been Gerry Ryan?) to complain that their new X5 they took delivery of in late '04 was marked out in miles when he'd asked for km, so BMW swapped it for a brand new one for him.

Marlow

Also, in most cars, the odometer can be changed with diagnostics equipment, if they're showing km or miles. Internally most german cars would count km's anyhow and then just show, what they're set to.

I find the mph dials handier, because they have both km/h and mph on there, so I actually swapped the instrument cluster in my (originally german, LHD) VW Caravelle for a UK one, then set the cluster to show distances in km.

/M

Mint Sauce

Marlow wrote: »

Also, in most cars, the odometer can be changed with diagnostics equipment, if they're showing km or miles. Internally most german cars would count km's anyhow and then just show, what they're set to.

I find the mph dials handier, because they have both km/h and mph on there, so I actually swapped the instrument cluster in my (originally german, LHD) VW Caravelle for a UK one, then set the cluster to show distances in km.

/M

Was that much of a job. I do miss the MPH guage when traveling through the North.

Marlow

irish-stew wrote: »

Was that much of a job. I do miss the MPH guage when traveling through the North.

It really depends on the car. Some are easy, some are not. And you'd most likely need diagnostics to code the new instrument cluster in.

With some clusters, you can also just change the dials behind the needles.

It's exactly for travelleling in the north or in the remainder of the UK, that it's dead handy.

/M

lifer_sean

Yakuza wrote: »

Jan 2005 was when the signs changed IIRC, most new cars from a few months previous would have had km clocks. I remember someone ringing in a chat show (may have been Gerry Ryan?) to complain that their new X5 they took delivery of in late '04 was marked out in miles when he'd asked for km, so BMW swapped it for a brand new one for him.

I have had early 05 Irish reg cars with mph clocks, obviously old stock that didn't get sold before the end of 2004. Rare enough though.

colm_mcm

Marlow wrote: »

Also, in most cars, the odometer can be changed with diagnostics equipment, if they're showing km or miles. Internally most german cars would count km's anyhow and then just show, what they're set to.

I find the mph dials handier, because they have both km/h and mph on there, so I actually swapped the instrument cluster in my (originally german, LHD) VW Caravelle for a UK one, then set the cluster to show distances in km.

/M

Would have thought those cars would be in a minority. Mst older mph cars had the old fashioned dual speed dial

Marlow

colm_mcm wrote: »

Would have thought those cars would be in a minority. Mst older mph cars had the old fashioned dual speed dial

I'm not talking about the dials. I'm talking about the odometer. It's the dual speed dial I prefer, especially as I'm often enough over the border.

Since the early 90's most cars have a digital odometer. And in most cars that can be set between miles and km with diagnostics.

/M

colm_mcm

I have you now

CiniO

Marlow wrote: »

I find the mph dials handier, because they have both km/h and mph on there

I didn't yet drive a car with double meter (km/h and mph) where km/h figures would be big enough to read.
I always give a really quick glance at speedo, and MPH is the most I can read on those double ones.
That's why I hate them.

But my current car is actually not too bad and obviously as in any car speedo is reading too high comparing to real speed, so what I discovered is that if you multiply speedo MPH speed by 1.5, then you get real km/h speed.

Threrefore it's very easy to convert:
20MPH = 30km/h
40MPH = 60km/h
66.6MPH = 100km/h
80MPH = 120km/h
120MPH = 180km/h
133.3MPH = 200km/h

And I'm happy with that.

Marlow

CiniO wrote: »

I didn't yet drive a car with double meter (km/h and mph) where km/h figures would be big enough to read.

You might need glasses

/M

CiniO

Marlow wrote: »

You might need glasses

/M

I already wear a pair.

Marlow

CiniO wrote: »

I already wear a pair.

That might be the problem :P

/M

CiniO

Marlow wrote: »

That might be the problem :P

/M

So how long it takes you (or anyone here) when looking at something far away to take a glance at something closeby and be able to focus your eyes on it?
F.e. quick experiment. Look at something 30 metres away, put a book about 0.5 metre away and take a quick look at it. How much time do you need before you are able to start reading? For me it takes about 0.5 to 1second, and then the same much to come back to something far.
So to take a quick look at speedo and be able to read tiny km/h scale, I would need to take my sight off the road for nearly 2 seconds.
At 100km/h I would travel over 55metres without seeing where am I going.

dgt

CiniO, the motors resident scientist :pac::pac::pac:

Mycroft H

I like MPH speedometers. Just seems right. Handy for the north too

MISSEYMOON

Hello I realise this is a very old thread, but can anyone tell me if it is mandatory for all Irish cars to have km/h on the dashboard

thanks

Noccy_Mondy

I don't think so, I know a lot of imported VW cars only have miles on the speedo. That said they have the option for km's in the digital readout.

Jesus.

Mycroft H wrote: »

I like MPH speedometers. Just seems right.

Me too. I'll always work in miles for as long as I live! Whenever I see a speed sign, a distance sign or look at the speedo I divide by 8 and multiply by five without even noticing I'm doing it.

ianobrien

The one benefit of KM is that your average speed is damn close to 60km on N and R roads (mine is on long journeys) so I know the journey's distance in km is about the number of minutes it will take.

Second Toughest in_the Freshers

It used to be 40 miles an hour in old money

Jesus.

Second Toughest in_the Freshers wrote: »

It used to be 40 miles an hour in old money

37

Sam Kade

The Yaris came with km and miles in 1999 so that was the first

_Kaiser_

I never understood why they didn't just reverse the clocks so that KM/H were the larger set but MPH retained as well.

I know it's not exactly difficult to convert them in your head and no doubt it's cheaper for manufacturers but KM/H only is just a bit silly for a market that used to be MPH but which also shares a border with a country that still uses that system.

bazz26

New vehicles sold here since around 2005 have to have kph clocks whereas used imports don't have to.

_Kaiser_ wrote: »

I never understood why they didn't just reverse the clocks so that KM/H were the larger set but MPH retained as well.

I know it's not exactly difficult to convert them in your head and no doubt it's cheaper for manufacturers but KM/H only is just a bit silly for a market that used to be MPH but which also shares a border with a country that still uses that system.

Sure we have different currencies too and we manage just fine. People just hate change.

DakarVert

I know of a 2007 Imported from new from UK that was in MPH.

Second Toughest in_the Freshers

bazz26 wrote: »

Sure we have different currencies too and we manage just fine. People just hate change.

aye, but at least we're getting rid of the 1 and 2 cents

Mint Sauce

Set the Natnav to MPH, if part or all of the journey is in N Ireland. Thats my solution.

The J Stands for Jay

Slam on the brakes in Aughnacloy and crawl through the place at 30km/h until you realise the sign was in mph.

pillphil

Mint Sauce wrote: »

Set the Natnav to MPH, if part or all of the journey is in N Ireland. Thats my solution.

I don't get this NI thing. The speed limits are (more or less) the same, regardless of what number is on the sign.

Mint Sauce

pillphil wrote: »

I don't get this NI thing. The speed limits are (more or less) the same, regardless of what number is on the sign.

Yes, but if you dont have a duel display you still have to think 30mph is approx 50kph, 40mph/60kph, 50mph/80kph, and so on. Then you have the black diagnal which usally means 60 or 70mph depending what road type you are on.

A satnav with a speed reminder comes in handy.

MarkAnthony

Hang on we've moved to KPH? Bugger, better slow down then :pac:

GSBellew

If you really want a dual display you could buy a Canadian spec instrument cluster, big kmph small miles, the reverse of our old ones.