Digital to analog instrument cluster?

[Strokerswild]

To be fair, the GT350s all had analogs as should be the case for a performance-above-all-else car. But apparently the dash in the GT500 had to match the techno-wizardry of the DCT. Oh well.

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[fishpick]

Don't forget to "update" your car phone to match the dials... I'd be doing the downgraded dials myself but I gotta go get these kids off my lawn...

 

[kilobravo]

That is quite the photo. Any guess on the date? Looks like about Dinah Shore's "See The USA" timeframe.

 

[Strokerswild]

Dinah who?

 

[Jmeo]

Dinah who?

That’s “dino-saur” for all the dinosaurs of this forum

 

[Epiphany]

That is quite the photo. Any guess on the date? Looks like about Dinah Shore's "See The USA" timeframe.

That's actually from an ad for the stillborn "Nag Master 1000." Men complained that their wives weren't at home in the kitchen making sammiches so the cigar smoking, gas guzzler driving, womanizing, male corporate executives of the era made the decision to kill the product immediately so they could go to the golf course/strip joint without fear of hassle from home or from women on the go.

 

[kilobravo]

You never fail to make me laugh, Tob. TOO funny.

 

[Idaho2018GTPremium]

I agree that a digital gauge cluster is a gimmick. It's a "solution" to a non-existent problem. My wife has a Volvo XC90 that has a digital gauge cluster. While it's cool at first, you quickly get used to it, the "wow" factor wears off, and then it's just a digital screen copying real analog gauges. A clear analog gauge is plenty easy to read; both speed and the tachometer. To top if off, digital gauge clusters mostly mimic round analog gauges in many settings. I feel like they are screens just for screens' sake.

I easily go back into my GT Premium with analog gauges and don't miss the digital cluster at all. It doesn't even feel dated to swap back and forth. Probably because the GT gauges are really good and clear.

Now to be clear, I do like a good information screen between the gauges, like the Camaro ZL1 (much bigger screen than the Mustang's center screen). I do like how the Navigation map shows up between the gauges in the XC90's digital gauge cluster, but then again, that can be done with a smaller screen between two analog gauges.

Anyone who can't shift properly with a regular round analog tach. needs practice. They worked fine for decades. Now all of a sudden people need a long horizontal tach to shift at the right engine speed? Nah. Gimmick; like I said, a "solution" to a non-existent problem.

That said, even though I prefer analog gauges, I wouldn't let a digital dash dissuade me from buying a GT500 (the ZL1 on the other hand, did dissuade me from ponying up the extra money for a GT500). And I wouldn't let the longevity concerns make me worry about replacing it with analog gauges when it was still working fine. Most likely it would be easier to replace the screen with another screen in the future if it does happen to go bad.

BTW, I'm 5'10" and 197 lbs; muscular build with wide shoulders and back, and I would never get the Recaros in the GT500 either - they are too tight for me. The ZL1 Recaros are much better for my build and more comfortable. I also like the standard GT Premium leather seats.

 

[Snakecollector]

I agree that a digital gauge cluster is a gimmick. It's a "solution" to a non-existent problem.

You can draw almost an exact parallel to modern aircraft. I don't think you can even buy one without a glass cockpit anymore. Most pilots (myself included) seem to agree that well designed digital instrumentation improves situational awareness, safety and can reduce task saturation. Similarly when it comes to the GT500, I for one love being able to pretty freely configure what I see in front of me and declutter the view as needed.

Required? No. But technology moves on.

 

[fishpick]

I'm always a huge fan of the "They worked fine for decades" argument about technology advancements...

Other things that worked fine for decades...

Not this forum
Not the internet
Not your phone you are on using this forum and the internet
Not the keyboard you will reply to this on

@Snakecollector is right "...technology moves on..." - coming from the Corvette world I think watching the New Balance crowd lose their minds over "what is a Corvette" now that the engine is behind them is agonizing...

 

[Strokerswild]

coming from the Corvette world I think watching the New Balance crowd lose their minds over "what is a Corvette" now that the engine is behind them is agonizing...

Which is something I thought needed to happen to the 'vette a long time ago. But that's another topic.

Like it or not, I'm still curious if an analog swap is possible....but it's great that the digital one is configurable. I didn't care for the default, that's for sure.

 

[Idaho2018GTPremium]

I'm always a huge fan of the "They worked fine for decades" argument about technology advancements...

Other things that worked fine for decades...

Not this forum
Not the internet
Not your phone you are on using this forum and the internet
Not the keyboard you will reply to this on

@Snakecollector is right "...technology moves on..." - coming from the Corvette world I think watching the New Balance crowd lose their minds over "what is a Corvette" now that the engine is behind them is agonizing...

I use the internet/laptop for work, this forum for entertainment/information, and those are improvements to what was before (i.e., had to be in an office, no national car enthusiast network to share data/info., etc.).

A digital screen is just tech. for tech's sake IMO. For me, personally, it's not a selling point.

Some things "it's worked for decades" is true because there really is no better way to do something - i.e., a wheel, disk brakes, or a 1911 (i.e, modern 1911s are mostly just modern manufacturing techniques applied to a timeless design), etc.

You can draw almost an exact parallel to modern aircraft. I don't think you can even buy one without a glass cockpit anymore. Most pilots (myself included) seem to agree that well designed digital instrumentation improves situational awareness, safety and can reduce task saturation. Similarly when it comes to the GT500, I for one love being able to pretty freely configure what I see in front of me and declutter the view as needed.

Required? No. But technology moves on.

How cluttered is an analog tach. and speedo? I'd argue the standard GT gauges are not cluttered at all. They are quite clear, with higher resolution than a digital screen.

How configurable/customizable is the GT500 digital gauge cluster? The Volvo XC90 has a few different style options, but it is not customizable. The center portion can be configured differently as well (i.e., to show the Nav map, or to show the infotainment, etc.). But the digital gauges (mimicking real round analog gauges), well, they are what they are and you have a few designs to choose from.

 

[Snakecollector]

How cluttered is an analog tach. and speedo? I'd argue the standard GT gauges are not cluttered at all. They are quite clear, with higher resolution than a digital screen.

When pushing the car I could care less about the speedometer honestly and the F1-style / 'sideways bar' tach provides a good visual cue in your peripheral vision and is very easy to read.

I'm MUCH more interested in all the critical temp and oil pressure information that you can freely configure on the digital dash. I've yet to see this implemented well on an analog or analog/digital dash.

Personal preference I suppose. But if one truly wants a GT500 and claims they didn't get one because of the digital dash, well. Doubt you would have / could have gotten one anyways. Sorry.

 

[kilobravo]

Analog to digital is pretty much all about cost. Often, one digital unit can be used for multiple purposes unlike most analog instruments. And analog instruments are far more expensive to manufacture and maintain.

 

[Idaho2018GTPremium]

When pushing the car I could care less about the speedometer honestly and the F1-style / 'sideways bar' tach provides a good visual cue in your peripheral vision and is very easy to read.

I'm MUCH more interested in all the critical temp and oil pressure information that you can freely configure on the digital dash. I've yet to see this implemented well on an analog or analog/digital dash.

Personal preference I suppose. But if one truly wants a GT500 and claims they didn't get one because of the digital dash, well. Doubt you would have / could have gotten one anyways. Sorry.

Yep, to each his own. It sounds like you're saying that I claimed I didn't get a GT500 because of the digital dash - just to clarify - I did not say that. I said it wasn't really a selling point to me since I find them somewhat gimmicky and IMO they are "tech just for tech's sake". Maybe if I had one I'd change my mind about digital vs. analog gauges, but since I will be in a new ZL1 in a few weeks (or sooner if I'm lucky -- it's in transit to Idaho as we type), that's unlikely to happen.

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