They usually show which range is selected, rather than what gear you are in unless in a Tiptronic or similar mode.
It would be difficult to make an ordinary manual display this due to the complexity of the linkage and the fact it has no electronics already.
Edited by Hamsafar on 10/11/2008 at 09:45
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There's a little device for motorbikes which works out the gear by analysing the relative speeds of a couple of (existing) sensors - the front/rear wheel (speed) and the rev counter. You could always fit one if you were desperate!
www.bikehps.com/ProductFiles/DigitalGearIndicator....l
Edited by Marlot on 10/11/2008 at 10:21
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Except as part of an economy system I can't see any use for this on a manual.
I'musually aware of the gear, except occasionally after droping to fourt on the motorway. Can check by glancing at or feeling the gear lever or by x/checking revcounter against speedo.
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maybe the moron needs confirmation that they are actually in D and not R before putting their foot down
That appears to be a valid reason especially because in autos R comes before D.
In manuals, it is more difficult to put reverse accidentally .
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If I remember correctly the Fiesta MK1 used to have this display. It is a bit pointless though sometimes I am not totally sure (have no rev counter) so I just feel it so I then know.
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If there is any need for this anywhere it's on a conventional manual motorcycle, where the foot-operated gear lever on the sequential gearbox returns to the same rest position after every gearchange, regardless of the selected gear. Even then, you just manage fine without it by being accustomed to the revs at a given speed in a given gear. You can add them aftermarket as mentioned above, but I don't know anyone who has done so.
In a car, as well as the revs, you have the gearlever position, something you can establish by feel rather than sight. Safer surely than looking at an indicator on the dash.
Edited by DP on 10/11/2008 at 11:42
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Do drivers need yet another display to take their attention off the road? I really don't believe this thread. I guess this is another symptom of the 'six-speed' box syndrome. If you don't know what gear you are in you've probably got too many...
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When taking driving lessons, I was told that looking at the gear lever to check which gear you were in was an instant fail.
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Yep same here, if you're doing 40mph and you take your eye of the road for 1 second looking down at the gear lever that could make the difference between running over a pedistrian or missing them.
I am focing myself atm not to even adjust heater controls while moving, and always do it while I am stopped, hopefully eventualy I will get to know where they all without taking eye of the road and still moving.
The only gear I have to sometimes look down for is reverse it seems a little bit difficult to engage on my car.
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i must be a really great driver cause i can tell what gear i am in just by having my hand on the gear stick :-)
Edited by welshlad on 10/11/2008 at 17:05
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Francis-Barnett motor-cycles back in the 50's had a gear indicator built into the headlamp nacelle-cable operated from gear-box.
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As for the motorbike gear indicators, if I remember correctly Triumph bikes used to have a tiny pointer next to the gear lever. I can't recall meeting anyone who actually used it though. Probably because they were dead.
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It was to help you find neutral before you operated the kick-start;some motor cycles had the kick start on the engine and some on the gearbox and these had to be in neutral to be kick-started.
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I should add that a number of motor-cycles had a Neutral light fitted.
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The new A4 Avant manual I had a couple of weeks ago had a 'nanny' gear change indicator. It was about 8 point type in the bottom of the dash so dangerous to actually look at anyway. Thankfully I quickly found out how to turn it off on the MMI.
If I'm in third in a 40 zone and approaching a 1 in 7 I am not going to be changing to 4th anytime soon, despite what the car tells me.
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I don't need a dash-mounted gear indicator on an ERF which has a 16-speed ZF box, never mind on a car with six. I know which gear I'm in by the position of the gear lever and the splitter and range-change buttons, combined with the way the truck's pulling and the road speed.
I would suggest that anyone who seriously thinks he needs one of these did not have enough toys as a child!
Further to motorcycles, Suzuki offered a digital gear indicator on the GT380 in the mid-70's; they were dismissed then as a gimmick, but I have to confess that when I went from a 4-speed Electra-Glide to a 5-speed, I stayed in fourth gear on the motorway a few times before I clicked on!
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Yep same here if you're doing 40mph and you take your eye of the road for 1 second looking down at the gear lever that could make the difference between running over a pedistrian or missing them.
The only gear I have to sometimes look down for is reverse it seems a little bit difficult to engage on my car.
But you wouldn't be engaging that gear at 40mph, would you?
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It would be difficult to make an ordinary manual display this due to the complexity of the linkage and the fact it has no electronics already.
Nonsense.
it's very simple. Microswitch on the cluth so the ECU known when drive is engaged. Then for any given speed and engine RPM, the gear can be calculated.
AUDI have been doing this for years - both my previous Audi and my current one have it.
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It should be quite simple. Even many bicycles do these nowadays (well I know their system works differently though)
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A couple of hire cars I had in Germany (I think they were both Golfs) had this. It took me a little while to work out what it was...... on the display was a number either by itself or with an up/down arrow - the arrow indicating whether you should change up/down gear. It must have been a slow week at VW......
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