[SilverSVT]

I'm curious to see if anyone else has run into this. You know how they have these Boxes in the sholders of the road that tell you how fast your going down the street (normally where people are doing 15 MPH+ over the limit)..well I've noticed with my SVT that it seems like the machines are reporting 5-10 mph LESS then I'm going. I was doing 50 in a 40mph zone the other day and the thing was reporting me doing 45 mph. Its happened with other places too but I just though that maybe the calbration was screwed up on it.

 

[Shiva Chaos]

our speedometers are off

 

[njfocus]

what to know for sure there digital area in your car has a way to show you you're ture mph and also true rpms hold down the trip reset button and turn the car on in about 5 seconds you will see and then just keep on tapping till you get the mph and then drive by it and see...

 

[SaTaNcLaUz]

yep, my needle says about 3 mph faster than the digi

 

[SaTaNcLaUz]

Originally posted by njfocus: edited by SaTaNcLaUz
want to know for sure? your car has a way to show you your true mph digitally in the speedo area which also displays rpms and other things (that you really dont need to know).

</font><ul type="square">[*]<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">start with your car totally off, and key out</font>[/list]<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial"></font><ul type="square">[*]<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">hold down the trip reset button</font>[/list]<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial"></font><ul type="square">[*]<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">turn the car on but do NOT start it (you should be still holding the button in)</font>[/list]<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial"></font><ul type="square">[*]<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">in about 5 seconds you will see all the items in your cluster move and light up</font>[/list]<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial"></font><ul type="square">[*]<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">just keep on tapping the button and you will cycle thru the different modes</font>[/list]<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">is that a little better?

 

[Rob G]

yup, i've also noticed this. the digital speedometer is slower than the needle one... i have stock wheels and tires, so maybe it's different with others?

 

[focusbot]

Well that makes me feel better. I thought I was just me

 

[Whayong]

Yup, me too.... So which one is not accurate? our speedometers (most likely), or the radar box thing (most unlikely), or perhaps both?

 

[GTIspirit]

Originally posted by Rob G:
yup, i've also noticed this. the digital speedometer is slower than the needle one... i have stock wheels and tires, so maybe it's different with others?

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">I'm not absolutely positive, but I believe the needle speedometer is also electrically driven, no speedo cables on the Focus. So in a sense both are digital, but the needle one has an analog interpretation of the signal and the actual cluster markings might be off. I believe the SVT has different instrument panel printing than regular Foci, no? Perhaps the SVT printing isn't quite calibrated to the needle or vice versa.

 

[MichaelXi]

Our Speedo's are FINE. The "Roadside Deterrent" is a Gimmick, and it's calibration is not precise.

 

[Engien]

I don't see why they would be any less precisely calibrated than the radar gun that stands up in court.

I thought it was common knowledge that our speedo is a few mph fast ... I use this knowledge when speeding so I can think to myself.. well, i'm really doing 3mph below what that says!

 

[3redzx's]

What I've noticed is that the radar will not pick up my car unless there's nothing else around or I'm right on top of it!

 

[waterspot]

Those boxes on the side of the road are not calibrated as often as the individual radar guns. If a cop saw you blow by one and it flashed 10 over the speed limit, it would not stand up in court, unless he could prove it was calibrated recently, and/or he clocked you with his own radar gun.

[ 04-27-2003, 03:13 PM: Message edited by: waterspot ]

 

[streak]

i have always found that mine is spot on with those things. i have remember a long while back a thread was started about how bad some peoples speeds were off. just depends what you got from that factory i think. i was lucky and mines perfect.

 

[JLR tuning]

Mines off also recently I ran at the track I was hitting the traps at 93-94mph on the speedometer but the timeslips said 88mph.