Digital petrol guages

[Dogbreath]

That is entirely down to the individual, and is often dependent on the person's age and/or what they grew up with.

I work much better with a digital display of a number for stuff like speed.

It's been proven numerous times that people can read an analog gauge more quickly than a digital, as you only need to see the position of the needle rather than actually read several digits (once you are familiar with the scale). An analog gauge also gives you trend information which a digital gauge does not, or at least requires a significant level of interpretation to judge. It's also far easier to read an analog gauge with peripheral vision. Look at a flight deck - even now critical gauges will be analog, even if represented as graphics on a display.

Digital is great where you need to read a static, or very slowly changing value to a large degree of precision, but that doesn't include speed or RPM and even engine temperature and fuel level are better indicated by analog gauges as you can immediately tell if there is a problem just from needle position.

 

[Hate]

My Prelude's one used to be pretty predictable and the Celica's analogue one almost comical - if you took a left corner too quick you could lose 1/4 of the tank!

 

[Lum]

It's been proven numerous times that people can read an analog gauge more quickly than a digital, as you only need to see the position of the needle rather than actually read several digits (once you are familiar with the scale). An analog gauge also gives you trend information which a digital gauge does not, or at least requires a significant level of interpretation to judge. It's also far easier to read an analog gauge with peripheral vision. Look at a flight deck - even now critical gauges will be analog, even if represented as graphics on a display.

I still reckon it's down to the individual and how they process information.

If they do the same study again in 20 years time, when the Facebook generation have all grown up and gotten jobs and the results will probably be very different.

 

[Uriel]

My old Fabia used to count down in 5s. It was scary when it dropped from 5 to 0. That was usually about 30 miles after the fuel light came on though. Had a 'proper' gauge too mind.

 

[GT3]

Never really notice the fuel guage, just brim it when the light comes on! Works for me!

 

[Si.]

MIne shows the fuel in Litres, it varies wildly!! on a drive on Sunday it went from 15l to 2l and back to 11l in the space of 2 miles.

I just assume it's always wrong and keep it topped up.

 

[DRZ]

I still reckon it's down to the individual and how they process information.

If they do the same study again in 20 years time, when the Facebook generation have all grown up and gotten jobs and the results will probably be very different.

Not even slightly. You can get much more information in a split-second from an analogue gauge than you can from a digital one in the same space of time.

Take a well designed analogue gauge showing water temperature as an example. You do not need a high degree of precision, you just need to know where it is on the scale. A digital readout of the temp couldn't possibly give you that information without perhaps changing colour or something like that (giving you an analogue-esque feel to it).

Real-time trend analysis on a digital speed readout is also nearly impossible on a digital readout (you have to do mental arithmetic for a start) whereas it is a breeze on an analogue dial.

 

[wez130]

My est. miles left seems pretty accurate to within 10 miles, except when i fill up, i.e, if i put £40 in, the reading will read ~ 260miles of driving, then i'll drive say 40 miles on the A19, and it'll go up to 275 miles then once it starts decreasing, it's pretty accurate after that. BMW 525D btw.

 

[ubersonic]

Real-time trend analysis on a digital speed readout is also nearly impossible on a digital readout (you have to do mental arithmetic for a start) whereas it is a breeze on an analogue dial.

Actually once you have gotten used to having a digital speedo its pretty easy to use, the number is your speed, the speed at which its getting bigger/smaller is your rate of deceleration/acceleration. after you have used one for a while it becomes as easy to gauge as on an analogue dial, I wouldn't go back to analogue given the choice.

 

[DRZ]

Actually once you have gotten used to having a digital speedo its pretty easy to use, the number is your speed, the speed at which its getting bigger/smaller is your rate of deceleration/acceleration. after you have used one for a while it becomes as easy to gauge as on an analogue dial, I wouldn't go back to analogue given the choice.

Maybe my experience of them isn't as broad as yours but I found that they would jump speed - so if you booted it at some lights it would go 0, 4, 12, 18 etc. That isn't linear and is pretty tricky to "track" in comparison to watching a needle sweep!

 

[Gaijin]

mine is spot on up until the final 5 miles then it likes to scare me

I remember that gorgeous summer day with the wind in our hair (one of us more than the other ) where you demonstrated the multiple and subsequent ways your M3 would tell you we had no fuel.

And the unorthodox novel strategy you employed being that by driving faster would be the best way to get us to the petrol station with no fuel.

I miss those days <3

 

[GravyMonster]

I my Audi the needle doesn't move from full until I've hit between 50-75 miles, depending on how many beans I've been giving it.

From then, halfway on the gauge is about 200-220 miles, but a full tank is about 330. Damn Germans and their newfangled maths.

 

[lordrobs]

The only time I find this annoying is when doing a splash and dash on a courtesy car and you whack some fuel in only for the gauge to not move despite only dropping by one bar a few hundred yards ago

Even more annoying is the obsession with rental places using the range indicator as a record of how much fuel is in the thing. "You've got 205 miles so bring it back with the same" as you pull out you find that the previous person had been nursing it back as it drops straight down to 180

 

[Jonnycoupe]

Maybe my experience of them isn't as broad as yours but I found that they would jump speed - so if you booted it at some lights it would go 0, 4, 12, 18 etc. That isn't linear and is pretty tricky to "track" in comparison to watching a needle sweep!

+1

 

[Will Gill]

I remember that gorgeous summer day with the wind in our hair (one of us more than the other ) where you demonstrated the multiple and subsequent ways your M3 would tell you we had no fuel.

And the unorthodox novel strategy you employed being that by driving faster would be the best way to get us to the petrol station with no fuel.

I miss those days <3

plenty more of those days to come dearest Dave! <3

*cough* make airsoft happen *cough*

 

[Lum]

Actually once you have gotten used to having a digital speedo its pretty easy to use, the number is your speed, the speed at which its getting bigger/smaller is your rate of deceleration/acceleration. after you have used one for a while it becomes as easy to gauge as on an analogue dial, I wouldn't go back to analogue given the choice.

Plus there's the fact that these days the main use for a speedo is for making sure you don't get done by a pedantic camera.

If I want an approximate analogue speed reading with an idea of my rate of acceleration and deceleration and/or if I need to determine whether the current speed is appropriate from a safety perspective, I'll just look out of the windscreen.

 

[BigglesPiP]

Most cars now do have a digital gague, even if there is a needle.

My beef is that they use a sensor with moving (floating) components. Some dude with a shed has done a better job: http://hackaday.com/2009/12/08/overly-complicated-gas-guage/

You would basically have 2 charged plates in your tank, no moving parts to wear out (like a pot). It works because liquid fuel used as a dielectric has a different permittivity than fuel vapour used as a dielectric. The capacitance of the plates would relate to the level in the tank. I bet this would be cheaper to produce once the development work is out of the way.

 

[Joshy]

Take a well designed analogue gauge showing water temperature as an example. You do not need a high degree of precision, you just need to know where it is on the scale. A digital readout of the temp couldn't possibly give you that information without perhaps changing colour or something like that (giving you an analogue-esque feel to it).

I don't see how an analogue temp gauge is easier to read than a digital one? At operating temp the bar simply sits in the middle of the readout scale. You can tell if your under/over heating with a simple glance.

Real-time trend analysis on a digital speed readout is also nearly impossible on a digital readout (you have to do mental arithmetic for a start) whereas it is a breeze on an analogue dial.

What Mental arithmetic is involved with reading a few digits?

 

[Locky]

The range computer and gauge are not to bad in my zafira tbh.

 

[semi-pro waster]

I hired a Van for a mate to move some stuff a few weeks ago. Picked it up with half a tank showing, they said to bring it back with the same in. Winner I think, hoping that it wouldn't budge.

Dropped from half to a quarter after half a mile, completed the run which was about 25 miles round trip. Figured I'd used about a gallon so chucked a tenner in just to be sure it's got enough in. Still reading a quarter. Another £5, no change. Has a word with mate who's covering the costs - he decides that I drive it the few miles back to the depot and see if it sorts itself out. No. Nip to the station across the road. Another £5 - Still a flaming quarter. Another £5. Grrr! Another £5. THREE QUARTERS.

Stupid Hateful idiotic things.

It's a bit daft having it half full and asking you to match that, a more sensible option is for the hire company brim the tank and then simply ask you to bring it back like that - then you're not messing about with trying to match fuel levels. I thought that's what most companies would do but then I've not hired many cars.