Does your Maruti Swift speedo over-read?

[sgiitk]

I think the European specs are something like -0% to +7%! They do not want you speeding and then blaming it on the speedo.

[Eddy]

Originally Posted by Bubby

Hey Hitanshu... lets test it on my MJD, but not on weekend yaar.

I am game for it for today and tomorrow, today any time between now and 2100 hours, tomorrow any time between 0900 - 2100 hours.

Let me know.

Let me know when you guys are doing it, might join

[.anshuman]

My Punto is out of town for some time, but ill be glad to join you guys for any such thing.

Anyways i still have Elantra and Scorpio with me nowadays.

[Zappo]

I already posted a thread on this in the tyres section. I was surprised to find a 8% over-optimistic reading in my Indica NA. Surprised because although I knew about prevalent error in all speedos I never thought it will be as high as 8-10%. I am now planning to straightaway upgrade to the 14 inchers with wider tyres. My calculation says that the speedo error should get rectified with that swap on its own.

[srishiva]

Something that Honda did and pay for it.
Honda paying out $6 million for 'overclocked' odometers

[extreme_torque]

I started the same thread for my Palio 1.2! My Palio's Odo under reads by 4-5% and that coupled with the positive error in other cars would make a difference of around 15% in FE alone and its huge!
So in effect if I am getting 10 kmpl from my Palio 1.2, I would have got close to 12 kmpl in a Maruti!

You can read more here http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...efficient.html (A Study:Is Fiat Palio 1.2 Pre-NV really fuel in-efficient?)

[jacksons]

I think my palio used show 10% less figure than usual because Fiat could not get exact tyres in India as needed according to its speedo meter hence fuel average was less than actual.
This was published in somewhere but long time back so don't know the source but when I calculated it with other cars by measuring distance I used to cover from point A to B.

[phamilyman]

@Everyone: Thanks for your responses. I was actually looking at comparing with the VXi and ZXi.

@Bubby: will let you know tomorrow if there's a good time - else on Monday

[architect]

Let me know when this great meet happens.

That said, my Palio seems to over-read as compared to my Pulsar 150 in absolutely stock tyred condition. By how much, I am not sure, need to check when I see my bike after 6 months. (maybe my Pulsar under-read hence my poor FE of 45-50 kpl)

Bubby, keep in mind that the 185/70 A-drives that both of us have on our cars has a 1% under read as compared to the stock 165/80. So if there is any over-reading then we have corrected it by 1% already .

[carboy]

Originally Posted by jacksons

I think my palio used show 10% less figure than usual because Fiat could not get exact tyres in India as needed according to its speedo meter hence fuel average was less than actual.

Good Tyre shops in the US have equipment to recalibrate your speedometers - i.e. when you buy oversize tyres, they can recalibrate your speedos.

Doesn't the Fiat factory have the tools to calibrate their speedometers for their stock tire sizes?

Maybe next time they renew the contract with Fiat Italy, they should explicity ask for this transfer for technology.

[Bubby]

Hitanshu, scene kya hai yaaar???

When are we planning to have the mega event

[McLaren Rulez]

Originally Posted by esteem_lover

It's the manufacturer's way of making you feel good.

No its not! There's a very good reason why speedos overread as sgiitk has pointed out. In most parts of the world, speed limits are obeyed. Hence, to keep you from accidentally breaking the limit, manufacturers make sure there is a positive error.

[anujmishra]

Well, everybody saying my car overreads or underreads. How do you benchmark? With other speedo? Even we do not know other speedo is correct or not ?

Is there any benchmark method available? GPS is there but would we trust it will be correct ? As roads have many deviations and turns. From one point to another point in straight line we can rely on GPS. Other wise we cannot.

[McLaren Rulez]

Originally Posted by anujmishra

Well, everybody saying my car overreads or underreads. How do you benchmark? With other speedo? Even we do not know other speedo is correct or not ?

Is there any benchmark method available? GPS is there but would we trust it will be correct ? As roads have many deviations and turns. From one point to another point in straight line we can rely on GPS. Other wise we cannot.

GPS is unaffected by you taking a curved path. It gives you an instantaneous speed. But you're correct in saying that there may be an error in the GPS systems too. One would expect it to be too small to be of significance though.

[GTO]

All speedo's throw out optimistic numbers. My C220 at an indicated 245 kph. GPS says 229. Vtec at 190. GPS says 178.

I'd say manufacturers intentionally build in speedo errors. Why? Simple:

- You think you are getting more fuel efficiency!

- Stay well within speed limits (of course, when you are adhering to the signboards).

Originally Posted by extreme_torque

My Palio's Odo under reads by 4-5%

Early model Palio? It was a guffaw by Fiat. They mis-calibrated the speedo and this, partially led to their reputation of guzzling cars. Was corrected later.