Honda: Our odometers roll too quick

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Feb 23, 2007 | 10:25 PM

#31

flowmotion

Registered User

Joined: Dec 2005

Posts: 1,502

Quote:

Originally Posted by rlchv70

Did you know that this was done deliberately? They have done studies on how people perceive the gas gauge readings.

I first noticed this on 1980s Hondas that hung around "F" for seeming way too long, but also would float on the reserve mark forever before actually running out of gas.

I think GM tried to copy this and got it horribly wrong because a lot of their 90s cars seemed to have badly inaccurate gas gauges.

Feb 23, 2007 | 10:29 PM

#32

R377

Registered User

Joined: Nov 2000

Posts: 2,712

From: Ontario

Quote:

Originally Posted by Slappy3243

I kind of wonder about my GTO sometimes. I mean, I am fairly certain GM recalibrated the sensors and computer to properly measure in miles but it is a car that natively uses the metric system in Australia. I am probably just being silly but you never know.

The sensors don't change, just how the computer processes the signals to send voltage to the speedo. I'm reasonably confident GM knows that 1 mile = 1.609 kilometres

. Besides, almost all new GM cars have IPs that switch between imperial and metric at the touch of a switch

Feb 24, 2007 | 07:50 PM

#33

Todd80Z28

Registered User

Joined: Feb 2003

Posts: 439

From: Northern VA

Quote:

I think the only deliberate thing about it is that they stay on Full for the first 100 miles so it looks like the car gets great gas mileage, as in "Look Martha, we've driven 100 miles and the tank is still full! This car must be great on gas". GM gauges have been this way for as long as I can remember, while almost every other automaker is more linear.

Yep. My 70 SS350 was like this, as was my '81Z, and my '80. With the '80, since I put the T56 in (way back in '95), I actually *CAN* go 100 highway miles without dropping below Full.

I did some GPS testing with my cars-

1. 2002 TL-S- Speedo is dead nuts. Odo showed 22.4 in 22.2 miles.
2. 2006 TL- Speedo is 1-2 fast. Odo shows 18.6 in 18.5.
3. 1995 Accord EX- Speedo is 5 fast. Odo showed 16.1 in 15.7.
4. 1980- programmable speedo. I have my choice of dead-on speedo with ODO 3.5% low, or 3.5% fast with dead-on ODO.

The gas gauges behave linearly on the Hondas. If anything, they seem to drop a little too fast at first. The Accord, in particular, seems to take FOREVER between 1/4 and E.