GPS Vs. Speedo

Hey there, I have been having a frustrating problem with my speedometer barely ever working correctly. When it does work it's reading is substantially inaccurate because of the larger tires on the jeep. I'm tired of trying to fix this problem, so I've been thinking about buying a gps. I am looking for some advice, and hoping if I can get some good recommendations on fairly inexpensive gps units that will do the job (preferably the ones that suction cup to the dash). Thanks!

 

IF all you want is a MPH guide, you can figure it out using the tach. It's fairly eaisy to have someone follow you and let you know when you get to.....say 50 mph. Write down the RPM's at that MPH. Do it at 60. Do it at 40.

You can get a fairly accurate MPH graph this way. But if you want to have a GPS to tell you how fast you are going, any of them will work good. Pick up one a Walmart.

 

Just a tought...

Tell someone to go like at 60 mph, follow him and note the speed that read on your speedometer. Repeat for a couple of know speed limits, and just remember the numbers.....

 

Well, like you said I had a friend follow me a while back. When I was going 45 and 50 it showed that I was going around 35. I'm lucky though sometimes even if I get a reading from the speedo. I've heard about using the tach like you mentioned. I currently don't have one installed but will hopefully be mounting one to the steering column before to long.

 

I just picked up a Garmen Nuvi 200, its last years model , and its going cheap, 140 bucks. The speedo is fantastic on it. The maps for the U.S have all the forest roads.

 

Thats the one I was pretty impressed with myself. I believe it was the Garmin Nuvi 200w. Is that the one you have?

 

The easiest way to figure out how fast you are going is to get out on a highway that has mile markers.
Today's timepieces are extremely accurate. The time it takes to travel 1 mile can be converted to miles per hour. 60mph is 1 mile per minute.

I usually do the 10 mile segment and base my calculations on that. Will get a better read on the actual distance traveled, but try a level section so that you can hold the speed within a few MPH.

From what I have read, the GPS will give you speed, but there is a lag time in the display. Try telling the officer the gps said I was only doing 65.

 

No this one is the base Nuvi 200,, does a great job,, and i did see one internet site thes are going for 149 bucks.

 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000NVZE5M

This is the one !

 

Here is what I have done in the past on several older vehicles.
Remove the speedo cable from the rear of speedometer and pull out the cable inside, its got a square drive on the end. Slowly reinsert the cable while spraying on some white lithium grease to lubricate it. Should be more accurate then.

 

gotta agree. some of my neighbors got so tired of young drivers making speed record attempts in the neighborhood, they got the city to station one about a quarter mile from my house. kinda fun to see how fast you can get a bicycle up to

 

Here's the calculator that allows you to enter your gearing and tire size to get the correct reading for MPH vs. tach readout. Probably dead accurate on level ground, not so much in the mountains. You can get a decent tach for $30 if you look.

http://www.novak-adapt.com/knowledge/gearing.htm

I still want a GPS for wandering in the bushes. I'm not so sure I have the technosavvy to figure out how to work the thing though. From my research it appears there are different levels of accuracy for the things, I figured it would take a pretty high dollar one to work as well as the tach method, so I'm gonna wait for prices to come down.

 

My tach was 29.95 + shipping. Anything over that I would consider high dollar.

 

I have a Garmin C330 that does the job nicely. Not as slim line as the Nuvi 200, but I've seen them online in the $120s range.

 

I've got a Garmin GPSMap 60CX that I use for a speedometer whenever I'm in the Jeep. I bought a permanent dash mount so I can lock it in whenever I want. It runs off battery or 12V so it can stay on all the time. This model is meant for outdoor use so it's waterproof, dustproof, shockproof, etc. It has full mapping features so I can throw it in the car to find my way around the big city the few times a year we head there.

 

mike,thats a good idea! bob