Navigation Speedometer
#26
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Nav Pic 6
and Voila! You will have a screen representing the wiring systems monitored by your GPS(!)
The bar labeled "Speed" is what we are all talking about. I took this while the car was sitting in the driveway, so it doesn't show the yellow bar that moves horizontally across the "speed" bar - supposedly indicating your speed. (If I got pulled over for just messing with it while driving, think about the ticket I would get for taking pictures while driving!)
The bar labeled "Speed" is what we are all talking about. I took this while the car was sitting in the driveway, so it doesn't show the yellow bar that moves horizontally across the "speed" bar - supposedly indicating your speed. (If I got pulled over for just messing with it while driving, think about the ticket I would get for taking pictures while driving!)
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Nav Pic 7
This is what you would have gotten had you clicked "GPS" instead of "Wiring Check". Pretty cool - it tells you all the satellites that you GPS is currently using for positioning and where those satellites are positioned above Earth. The "*****" representing the satellites even move across the image of the Earth as the satellites move. It will even show when a particular satellite becomes active or inactive for positioning to your GPS.
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Nav Pic final
Finally, here is another bit of information that one of the backdoors will tell you - the version of your software. Looks like I probably got an older version (I think I hear the Mazda vacuum sucking more money out of my wallet for the "newest" version of NAV software!) Does anyone know the "newest" version?
So, one thing I was thinking: The "Speed" indicator on the Nav system (see previous pic) that we are talking about... as I said, it is not accurate. For example, it is consistently "low" and certainly lags behind by several seconds as you change speed. Is this because it is actually obtaining its reading from the satellites and not my car (speedo)? It really wouldn't be that far-fetched: The satellite knows - and feeds my GPS info about - where the car is and where it is moving, therefore it knows how fast it is going. The time-lag (i.e., I speed up to 65, but this NAV speed indicator takes a few seconds to climb up to 65) would make sense, because it takes a few seconds for the signal to go up to the satellite(s) and back to my system.
I dunno, but it wouldn't seem that difficult for anyone to monitor where you are (or how fast you are going) from satellites - at any time!
Big brother is watching!
So, one thing I was thinking: The "Speed" indicator on the Nav system (see previous pic) that we are talking about... as I said, it is not accurate. For example, it is consistently "low" and certainly lags behind by several seconds as you change speed. Is this because it is actually obtaining its reading from the satellites and not my car (speedo)? It really wouldn't be that far-fetched: The satellite knows - and feeds my GPS info about - where the car is and where it is moving, therefore it knows how fast it is going. The time-lag (i.e., I speed up to 65, but this NAV speed indicator takes a few seconds to climb up to 65) would make sense, because it takes a few seconds for the signal to go up to the satellite(s) and back to my system.
I dunno, but it wouldn't seem that difficult for anyone to monitor where you are (or how fast you are going) from satellites - at any time!
Big brother is watching!
![Wink](https://www.rx8club.com/images/smilies/wink.gif)
#30
Interesting... Bruce you must have the newest firmware. I'll go tinker with mine later this afternoon, but I don't get any fancy-schmancy car picture in my backdoor (wait, that didn't sound good). I don't believe there's a wiring check that's accessible through the hidden menus on mine. I'll go play with it after work, but I'm wondering what else mine doesn't do...
As for big brother watching... your car would have to transmit something back to the satellite for it to know where you are. And unless there's a big conspiracy going on <looks around suspiciously>, your car shouldn't be transmitting jack. Just like radio, you pick up the signals broadcast out over everywhere.
As for big brother watching... your car would have to transmit something back to the satellite for it to know where you are. And unless there's a big conspiracy going on <looks around suspiciously>, your car shouldn't be transmitting jack. Just like radio, you pick up the signals broadcast out over everywhere.
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Boozehound - let me know what you think about the accuracy of the Nav Speedo (and if you think my guess is right that the satellites are measuring your speed, rather than internally.)
But seriously, make sure you take a passenger along while you mess with that - it's too easy to get distracted from the road while your eyes are darting back & forth between two speedos!
But seriously, make sure you take a passenger along while you mess with that - it's too easy to get distracted from the road while your eyes are darting back & forth between two speedos!
#33
Between the two Nav speedos, they both seem slow compared to what the actual gauge shows. The bar graph is hard to read, but the the other nav speedo (in km/h) is much easier to compare when you switch your gauges to metric. You were right about the update speed for the bar graph, it sure seems slow to refresh (probably only updates once a second).
I don't know if one of the two nav speedos is reading what the car is sending it, or what the satellites are providing. If I had to venture a guess, I'd say that the satellites provide data for the bargraph (b/c of the slow update) and the other may be the car - but I could be totally backwards.
I don't know if one of the two nav speedos is reading what the car is sending it, or what the satellites are providing. If I had to venture a guess, I'd say that the satellites provide data for the bargraph (b/c of the slow update) and the other may be the car - but I could be totally backwards.
#34
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Originally posted by blksf8
... is there anyway to show the speedo and rpms on the nav in a format that looks like round gauges w/ a needle? I could have sworn I have seen this before on maybe one of the japanese sites.
... is there anyway to show the speedo and rpms on the nav in a format that looks like round gauges w/ a needle? I could have sworn I have seen this before on maybe one of the japanese sites.
I believe it originally was show last year in a special Road & Track RX-8 edition what was only available to their subscribers. When I went to last year's Rev-It-Up event, I got the same mag but without this picture.
Just last weekend I was at this year's Rev-it-up and went over to the Mazda Speed RX-8 display tent – but sadly, no one there had any idea of what I was talking about.
![Frown](https://www.rx8club.com/images/smilies/frown.gif)
Last edited by bwayout; 04-07-2004 at 12:50 PM.
#35
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Hey, that steering wheel is on the wrong side! ![Wink](https://www.rx8club.com/images/smilies/wink.gif)
Well, you can tell that the image wasn't photoshopped in - so *somewhere* someone has devised a nav-speedo. Although I have no way of verifying this, it looks like this is a non-functional mock-up. It *looks* like you can discern stationary objects outside in the background - no more than about 50 yards away. It is my belief that you couldn't get a car going 128kph (80mph) and take a (digital) picture without the background being a complete blur.
However, if someone tried hard enough, I don't think it would be impossible to customize this kind of speedo. I'm surprised that someone hasn't already done it. I'll do some research and anyone else interested should do the same... and we'll all meet up later and compare notes! :-)
![Wink](https://www.rx8club.com/images/smilies/wink.gif)
Well, you can tell that the image wasn't photoshopped in - so *somewhere* someone has devised a nav-speedo. Although I have no way of verifying this, it looks like this is a non-functional mock-up. It *looks* like you can discern stationary objects outside in the background - no more than about 50 yards away. It is my belief that you couldn't get a car going 128kph (80mph) and take a (digital) picture without the background being a complete blur.
However, if someone tried hard enough, I don't think it would be impossible to customize this kind of speedo. I'm surprised that someone hasn't already done it. I'll do some research and anyone else interested should do the same... and we'll all meet up later and compare notes! :-)
#38
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I don't know how they do it where you're from, Pavehawk. But my steering wheel is on the left side of the passenger compartment! (Just kidding with ya... You didn't know I wasn't talking about the nav guages with my first comment) ![Wink](https://www.rx8club.com/images/smilies/wink.gif)
Take a look at the pic again - the steering wheel and instrument cluster is on the right side - so that must mean that the RX-8 pictured is not from North America. All the stereo controls are in English, so maybe this was in Australia or England?
And Bwayout - hear, hear! We could use a real battery/amp guage AND a functioning oil pressure guage. But from what I've read, that would be a huge undertaking, because you'd have to add a different sender unit to the engine block and hack or bypass the emissions sensors.
If somebody came up with all of this (nav speedo, oil pressure, voltage, etc.) I guarantee it would sell in the thousands.
![Wink](https://www.rx8club.com/images/smilies/wink.gif)
Take a look at the pic again - the steering wheel and instrument cluster is on the right side - so that must mean that the RX-8 pictured is not from North America. All the stereo controls are in English, so maybe this was in Australia or England?
And Bwayout - hear, hear! We could use a real battery/amp guage AND a functioning oil pressure guage. But from what I've read, that would be a huge undertaking, because you'd have to add a different sender unit to the engine block and hack or bypass the emissions sensors.
If somebody came up with all of this (nav speedo, oil pressure, voltage, etc.) I guarantee it would sell in the thousands.
#39
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Well, from the looks of the graphics, that nav-speedo comes from MazdaSpeed. Here is their website:
http://www.mazda.co.jp/customize/rx-8msv/
If anyone reads Japanese, (or even if you know anything else about them) I'd be curious to know what is available here in the states.
http://www.mazda.co.jp/customize/rx-8msv/
If anyone reads Japanese, (or even if you know anything else about them) I'd be curious to know what is available here in the states.
#40
Originally posted by nosubstitutec4s
Quote - RandyRX8:
I read on another forum that the speedometer is seperate from the mileage counter, to reduce liability with insurence (or something like that). I could be completely wrong, but i think the mileage is calculated correctly and the speedometer is faster so that if we think we are speeding, we arent speeding by as much. But then again, i dont remember all that well.
Quote - RandyRX8:
I read on another forum that the speedometer is seperate from the mileage counter, to reduce liability with insurence (or something like that). I could be completely wrong, but i think the mileage is calculated correctly and the speedometer is faster so that if we think we are speeding, we arent speeding by as much. But then again, i dont remember all that well.
I drove 50 miles on the Mazda odometer
My Gps trip odomometer said I went 49.0. They may be separate but they seem to be consistant, 2% Faster and 2% more miles.
#41
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My question is why Mazda would intentionally make either the odometer or the speedometer inaccurate? The insurance answer doesn't fly with me - because in my experience with insurance companies (paying a lot of it!... and former attorney for State Farm & Farmers) I don't think it would make any difference in their underwriting considerations.
One thing does come to mind - if your gps is accurate and said you went 2% less far than your car odometer said, then that means I am getting 2% less gas milage! (right?) I guess that would be incentive for Mazda to be misleading...
One thing does come to mind - if your gps is accurate and said you went 2% less far than your car odometer said, then that means I am getting 2% less gas milage! (right?) I guess that would be incentive for Mazda to be misleading...
#42
Originally posted by BruceInColorado
One thing does come to mind - if your gps is accurate and said you went 2% less far than your car odometer said, then that means I am getting 2% less gas milage! (right?) I guess that would be incentive for Mazda to be misleading... [/B]
One thing does come to mind - if your gps is accurate and said you went 2% less far than your car odometer said, then that means I am getting 2% less gas milage! (right?) I guess that would be incentive for Mazda to be misleading... [/B]
#43
Are odometers held to a gov't standard? I would guess that'd be the case to eliminate said "shuck'n and a jive'n."
I guess I figured the odo and the nav speeds would be accurate, while the speedo gauge would be reading fast for whatever kind reason they want their drivers going slow... You know I don't think I've owned but one car that's speedometer matched a GPS readout, and it was a Buick Park Ave - outside of it, everything else registered faster on the gauge.
Who knows, when in doubt, blame it on selective availability...
I guess I figured the odo and the nav speeds would be accurate, while the speedo gauge would be reading fast for whatever kind reason they want their drivers going slow... You know I don't think I've owned but one car that's speedometer matched a GPS readout, and it was a Buick Park Ave - outside of it, everything else registered faster on the gauge.
Who knows, when in doubt, blame it on selective availability...
#44
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Originally posted by BruceInColorado
My question is why Mazda would intentionally make either the odometer or the speedometer inaccurate? The insurance answer doesn't fly with me - because in my experience with insurance companies (paying a lot of it!... and former attorney for State Farm & Farmers) I don't think it would make any difference in their underwriting considerations.
My question is why Mazda would intentionally make either the odometer or the speedometer inaccurate? The insurance answer doesn't fly with me - because in my experience with insurance companies (paying a lot of it!... and former attorney for State Farm & Farmers) I don't think it would make any difference in their underwriting considerations.
for speedometers, it's federal law. Government requirements in most countries (including the US) prohibit a speedometer from indicating a speed that is lower than the actual speed of the vehicle. (ie, it's illegal to have a speedometer indicating 60 mph when the actual speed is 62 mph).
So, ALL manufacturers build in some margin of error on the high side to allow for manufacturing tolerances, etc. Many of us did GPS comparisons and found around 2 mph high indication at ~70 mph, ie indicated 75 mph was an actual 73 mph, etc.
There's no requirement for odometers - they're allowed to be as accurate as possible, and their readings are not linked to any speedometer variance (ie just because your speedo shows high does NOT mean that your odometer will read a greater distance than actually travelled).
Regards,
Gordon
#45
Originally posted by Gord96BRG
There's no requirement for odometers - they're allowed to be as accurate as possible, and their readings are not linked to any speedometer variance (ie just because your speedo shows high does NOT mean that your odometer will read a greater distance than actually travelled).
Regards,
Gordon
There's no requirement for odometers - they're allowed to be as accurate as possible, and their readings are not linked to any speedometer variance (ie just because your speedo shows high does NOT mean that your odometer will read a greater distance than actually travelled).
Regards,
Gordon
#46
Originally posted by Boozehound
Who knows, when in doubt, blame it on selective availability...
Who knows, when in doubt, blame it on selective availability...
I was trying to watch my gps this morning on the way to work. too much traffic to get a really accurate comparison between speedo and gps, but it looked like my speedo was between 2 and 3 mph faster than the gps reading.
it's funny, my 99 Mustang GT's analog speedometer was exactly 1mph faster than the gps. the mustang's digital speedometer exactly matched the gps (even down to the tenth of a mph).
#47
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The speedometer, and the tach, are a little bit off. If you think 2% is bad, I had a '96 MX-3 that read about 10% higher than how fast I was really going.
IF you don't like it, make sure you buy slightly larger tires when you replace them. Just don't forget that you're going faster than it says.
Regards,
OverLOAD
IF you don't like it, make sure you buy slightly larger tires when you replace them. Just don't forget that you're going faster than it says.
Regards,
OverLOAD
#48
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I used to switch out the tires and wheels when I restored classic Mustangs. The speedometer was always "off" as a result, so I would have to experiment with different speedo gears. I doubt we can do that with the RX-8, so make sure you do some math to make sure what your actual variation is going to be. (Either that, or get tires exactly the right size to account for the percentage difference in the speed: i.e., if your speed is 2% off, then you'd want to get 2% bigger or smaller tires. ) Since we're dealing with round shapes here, it isn't as simple as 2%, obviously... so there must be a formula out there for quickly figuring it out. Anybody have a formula like that offhand?
#49
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If you look on tire rack, they have # of revolutions per mile listed for most of the tires they sell. Get a tire that has 2% less revolutions than the stock tires. I belive that somewhere around 830 revs/mile is what the stock tires do. If you get one that has about 810 to 815 rotations per mile, it should be a lot closer.
Also, keep in mind that as you run the rubber down, it will take more rotations of the wheel to maintain the previous speed, as the circumference has been reduced as a result of the radius being worn down, as the tread wears down.
Regards,
OverLOAD
Also, keep in mind that as you run the rubber down, it will take more rotations of the wheel to maintain the previous speed, as the circumference has been reduced as a result of the radius being worn down, as the tread wears down.
Regards,
OverLOAD
#50
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Originally posted by BruceInColorado
Anybody have a formula like that offhand?
Anybody have a formula like that offhand?
Regards,
Gordon