Road rage

[Greebo]

That could be a function of the age of your car vs the age of theirs. Cars made post-2008 are supposed to have speedos that inflate your speed by 10%, something to do with convincing people to drive more slowly. You can check it by driving past one of those passive aggressive speed signs you see outside villages that tell you your speed. Your speedo will say one thing, the sign will say another.

If, like me, you drive a pre-2008 car (saying nothing about my bikes *cough*), you'll be doing the speed your speedo says you are, but if you're behind someone who's sticking to what their post-2008 speedo is telling them, then yes, they will only be doing 27 or so. If they don't know their speedo is lying to them, they will go slower than they think they are.

No just old. I saw a review yesterday on a brand new BMW 440i for real world fuel economy and they checked the car speedo with gps and it was showing 73mph when the car was only going 70mph in real life.

older cars tended to have even worse speedo errors, varied from car to car.

 

[lovelyhead]

In my Nissan Leaf the Speedo reads 35 when I am actually doing 30, 46 when doing 40 etc.

It is actually quite annoying. Might even be illegal, not sure about that.

It wouldn't surprise me if it is deliberate though to make you use less electricity.

 

[tom_e]

In my Nissan Leaf the Speedo reads 35 when I am actually doing 30, 46 when doing 40 etc.

It is actually quite annoying. Might even be illegal, not sure about that.

It wouldn't surprise me if it is deliberate though to make you use less electricity.

As long as it over reads and not under then it's fine in the eyes of the law.

 

[lovelyhead]

As long as it over reads and not under then it's fine in the eyes of the law.

Cool. Good to know. Thanks.

If you you ever drive behind a Nissan Leaf going slowly it may be that they think they are doing the speed limit so be kind! Either that or they have 8 miles of range left!

 

[Neil777]

When I had my Leaf I always found going 10% over the signed speed limit meant I was doing the actual whenever driving past those road side signs that flash up your speed.

 

[Deleted User 298457]

In my Nissan Leaf the Speedo reads 35 when I am actually doing 30, 46 when doing 40 etc.

It is actually quite annoying. Might even be illegal, not sure about that.

It wouldn't surprise me if it is deliberate though to make you use less electricity.

That's quite the discrepancy - I always expect 10% to be normal. You're closer to 18% - has someone changed your wheels or tyre size from OEM?

Edit: I know on my old 2002 Fiesta the odo was specifically coded to reality minus 10% as there was a hack to bring up the digital speedo (which the car didn't have, it was a diagnostic function) and it always read bang on/GPS/speed sign value.

 

[lovelyhead]

That's quite the discrepancy - I always expect 10% to be normal. You're closer to 18% - has someone changed your wheels or tyre size from OEM?

Edit: I know on my old 2002 Fiesta the odo was specifically coded to reality minus 10% as there was a hack to bring up the digital speedo (which the car didn't have, it was a diagnostic function) and it always read bang on/GPS/speed sign value.

No it is on stock rims and standard tires. I wish there was a way to re-calibrate it.

 

[Deleted User 298457]

No it is on stock rims and standard tires. I wish there was a way to re-calibrate it.

Sounds like a dealer job? I guess they come with different size wheels so it shouldn't be too complicated.

 

[lovelyhead]

Sounds like a dealer job? I guess they come with different size wheels so it shouldn't be too complicated.

It's annoying but not annoying enough for me to pay a dealer money to fix it. So long as it is legal I can learn to live with it.

 

[ATiRubyfan]

On an old Focus, 75 means 70. So, similar to what you guys have described above.

 

[Scania]

I frequently pass cars in my truck doing a calibrated 55mph and notice the digital displays reading way higher, the most I’ve seen is 64mph which seemed way off to me.

 

[YehRight!]

Yeah but as a lorry driver you do realise you to have to share the road, why don't you not overtake at 0.5mph for instance, just do the same speed until you can complete a swift overtake.
I do try to stick with the faster lorries though ones doing the full 60.

I use Smart Cruise Control to follow lorries and I try and choose lorries driving at 60mph.
I have a hybrid so I am trying to get good mph especially now that the cost is ridiculously high and it’s a lot safer staying away from other drivers who can’t drive less than 80mph.
I had a lorry that was that close to me today that I could see the driver clearly and there was no way I could see his number plate.
Just because I wasn’t driving 61.5 mph he wasn’t going to move and I had to.
What is the problem with trucks where they can intimidate car drivers and get away with it. He was lucky I didn’t have a camera because I would be sending the footage to the police.
I am now seriously considering buying a camera as we don’t have any police presence and they are normally not interested unless I have an injury if I’m in an accident.
FFS! What is up with people in vehicles.
Personally I think we should have a mental check and a medical every year. It should be a privilege and a gained skill to drive on the road and not an expected right of pass when you get to 17 years old.
More lessons by a qualified driver and motorway lessons, night driving and advanced lessons.
If lessons become expensive because you need at least 30 certified instructors lessons, then you can’t own a car. Simple.
I will get some people responding quite negatively but it needs to be brought up about other drivers who don’t consider others on the road, anywhere.
Even if you wanted to drive at the local speed limit, you are on your own.
Not many drivers want to drive 30mph. That’s what you do in your lessons and test and you passed driving safely. Why can’t you do this after.
It’s cool to drive up someone’s rear end and intimidate and push people to their comfortable limits.
I urge a response but I also urge drivers to be considerate, not only in a vehicle but generally.

 

[Richie]

I use Smart Cruise Control to follow lorries and I try and choose lorries driving at 60mph.
I have a hybrid so I am trying to get good mph especially now that the cost is ridiculously high and it’s a lot safer staying away from other drivers who can’t drive less than 80mph.
I had a lorry that was that close to me today that I could see the driver clearly and there was no way I could see his number plate.
Just because I wasn’t driving 61.5 mph he wasn’t going to move and I had to.

Can you explain this a bit more?

I'm not excusing the intimidation from the lorry but when you say that you had to move, what exactly do you mean?

Was this a multi-lane carriageway?

 

[Greebo]

Can you explain this a bit more?

I'm not excusing the intimidation from the lorry but when you say that you had to move, what exactly do you mean?

Was this a multi-lane carriageway?

I presume he meant since he was following another lorry doing 60mph, with the other truck right up his ****, he had to pull out and speed up and overtake the the lorry in front of him.

 

[YehRight!]

Yeh, it was a motorway and I had to accelerate or ‘move’ to avoid a potential collision with the lorry behind as it was that close.
Look, I don’t have a problem with the’knights of the road’ I have a problem with intimidation and why people do it.
The future might be more smart motorways and you have no room for any escape if this continues.
Is it careless driving…is it careless people…is it lack of skill…is it any number of things…but the one thing it is…dangerous.
Reaction driving is okay if you are trained but when you are not…who knows what will happen.

 

[Meaker]

No just old. I saw a review yesterday on a brand new BMW 440i for real world fuel economy and they checked the car speedo with gps and it was showing 73mph when the car was only going 70mph in real life.

older cars tended to have even worse speedo errors, varied from car to car.

I got an American dash for mine and now it shows bang on where the original was around 8% over real speed.

 

[ATiRubyfan]

I was behind a European driver on the right lane of the M25 the other day and the guy kept braking constantly. I was a good distance from him. So, it was not as if I was tailgating. At first, I thought that he must be flashing his lights at the driver in front to move out of the way. I went to the middle lane and there was effin no one in front of him.
CAN SOMEONE EXPLAIN TO ME WHAT THE EF WAS HE DOING?

 

[ShiWarrior]

I was behind a European driver on the right lane of the M25 the other day and the guy kept braking constantly. I was a good distance from him. So, it was not as if I was tailgating. At first, I thought that he must be flashing his lights at the driver in front to move out of the way. I went to the middle lane and there was effin no one in front of him.
CAN SOMEONE EXPLAIN TO ME WHAT THE EF WAS HE DOING?

thought he was still another country where they drive on the right ?

 

[Steedie]

Never understood people raging and tailgating people for the sake for a few mph. Literally doing nothing to your journey time, especially when you just end up in front of them at the next set of traffic lights anyway.

Last year when I drove to Germany, first ever time on the autobahn, so naturally wanted to make the most of it in a C63. A couple of occasions I was sat at 150 (it was very early morning and roads were virtually dead) and you’d get BMW’s and all sorts flying up behind you, barely a car length behind and flashing their lights, gesturing like a madman as if you’re going 15mph not 150. Couldn’t believe it, but then I guess driving those roads every day you’d probably be used to driving at a certain speed

 

[Rroff]

I was behind a European driver on the right lane of the M25 the other day and the guy kept braking constantly. I was a good distance from him. So, it was not as if I was tailgating. At first, I thought that he must be flashing his lights at the driver in front to move out of the way. I went to the middle lane and there was effin no one in front of him.
CAN SOMEONE EXPLAIN TO ME WHAT THE EF WAS HE DOING?

I got behind someone a few weeks back who had a Dutch numberplate IIRC and was driving the speed limits as if they were in KM/H for about 5 miles or so before I think they adjusted to MPH - took me a few minutes to cotton on they were doing the exact KM/H of the MPH signs.

I've noticed an increasing number of instances around here of temporary/roadwork signs having distances in kilometres as well which is kind of bizarre.