GPS Speedometer

I have a 55 F100 and I am going to change my gauges and was wondering about going to a GPS speedo. I would like to know the + &- of using that set up.

 

I also have thought about this. It would be an easy set up. Anyone running one.

 

I have a gps ap speedo on my cell phone. It gives me all the information I could use. Set it on the dash and when I get above the speed limit the speedo changes color. Just a thought.

 

There was thread, or maybe a post on another thread, about this in the past month or so. Sounded all thumbs up!

IIIRC, the poster was using an Auto Meter unit.......but others manufacturers are offering these products too.

Ray

 

I have thought of them as well. Not exactly traditional but might be the answer in some conditions, especially a quick change rear.

 

Free iPhone app called Dashboard that I use.

 

thanks tnich, just installed speedo on my phone. guess the speedo in my pickup will forever read 28 miles. It's read that for about 120 tanks of fuel.

 

I use my Tom Tom GPS, out of my service truck, when ever I run my crusty cruiser to an event out of town. It plugs into a 12 outlet I wired up just for it. It gives me a map of where I'm going, as well as a speedometer. What's nice about the speedometer, it will show up in red anything over the posted speed limit. This picture clearly shows the GPS attached to the windshield as I wait for a Ferry Boat to Port Orchard.
Thinking I should step up and just put a GPS speedometer in the dash.

 

I use an Android app called UlyssesSpeddometer, it shows the speedo in the senter with other info like distance travelled, max speed, etc. It has a HUD (heads up display) feature that is cool at night, the numbers are backwards, set it on the dash and you can read the speed projected on the windshield.

 

My GPS is capable of losing it's signal whenever I drive into a tunnel, drive near big buildings downtown, when it's cloudy out (which happens a lot in Portland), when it sees something shiny, or when it has a "senior" moment and gets confused. I don't need my main instrument blinking out when it loses it's satellite hook-up. No thanks.

 

Dakota Digital & Cl***ic Instruments both have a GPS device that will work with any electric gauge. The one from Cl***ic works darn near perfect and is made in the USA

 

Installed a Cl***ic unit and used a SW electric gauge in my roadster 2512 miles ago and wondered why I would ever use anything else. it is great, ultra simple to install and cal.

 

With a name like that for a device, I ain't touchin' it..
It might leed you too the "Blue Oyster"(sp?) by mistake...

 

.......So the Cl***ic Instruments "receiver" is compatible with the S/W electric speedo? Did you have to determine this before purchasing the unit or just take a shot that it would be? How about the price for the "receiver"? I'm really interested in doing this with my old "Moon" speedo. It's a Cl***ic Instruments electric unit. I think they made them for Moon back in the 90's. Thanks for any advice...Don.

 

I use a 200 MPH GPS speedometer in my Landspeed 56 Corvette.
It seems to be very accurate from 5 MPH to 197. It stops at 200 MPH, but will
allow a recall up to 500 MPH.

Dave
Carlisle, Pa

 

I bought a Garmin once on a business trip to LA. It suction cups to the windshield and I love it. Especially because I can travel with it. I installed a TomTom in the dash later but I still like the Garmin better.

Just out of curiosity, I checked the Garmin on a plane ride and it tracked well over 200mph.

The red speedo on the TomTom is a nice gesture but it's always red in my car.

 

What about battery drain while garaged? Antennae mounting on traditional cars?

 

.......I think the antennae can be mounted under the dash and I guess you could connect to a switched 12v source if battery drain became an issue. Don't know about how they function with 6v system Hopefully more people who have used them will chime in with more info.

 

Just like any other gauge they do turn off and not draw power when they are off.

I've used my hand held gps as a speedometer and to check speedometers in a number of vehicles. It beats the hell out of hoping that your buddy's or your family car's speedometer is spot on while you run down the road side by side or in tandem with them while checking the speedometer in your hot rod.

With so many of us having fought and not always won the battle of there is no way to get the speedometer cable from the trans to the speedometer the GPS speedometers seem to be a pretty viable option. And they don't care a bit if we swap gears or tire sizes.

 

One minus is sun spots, or solar flares. When there is a solar storm it disrupts the satelites, they are disrupted enough to have to reroute air traffic and stop surveoyrs from working. At least that has been the case over the last ten years or so, we are in an extreme solar cycle according to people that study and understand such things. It is said that it should peak in the next year or so.

Other than that it is kist like anything else electronic and subject to the same problems as anything else electronic.

 

The speed feature on my dash mounted gps woks well and closely mimics my stock speedo in accuracy. I do a lot of cross country driving
and it seems to work well in all areas. I can see where it could simplify
speedo problems with regards to tire size gearing over drives ans such things.

 

I have included a couple of pics of the GPS speedometer in my 62 Vette. It is made by Speedhut. They may be a bit pricey but worth it to me. I have owned the car for 35 years and have had a few speedometer cables in the car. For whatever reason, the speedometer gods have not liked my cables or tach drive distributor so I went with this unit two or three years ago. I am really happy with it and am putting another in my current project.


I run different tire sizes so no problems with calibration there.


You will note the black ****on on the lower right and that allows you to see various readings in the liquid crystal display. It shows your 0-60 mph times or your quarter mile ET and speed. Kind of a hoot when you get the urge. You will note the antenna is a mag mount that I have routed from under the dash to the top of the speaker. I am sure there are other models out there with other options. I have no negative issues with mine. When I start the car it takes a moment to find the satellite and when it goes under a bridge you may lose the signal momentarily. If that is the biggest issue to worry about then we lead different lives. Nothing but positives for me-Jim

 

That sounds like evidence to be used against you in court to me.

 

This link shows the SkyDrive unit http://www.c-a-i.net/Pages/skydrive1.htm
It is EXACTLY the same as my Cl***ic Instruments unit so I guess that's who supplies Cl***ic.
Easy to cal.
Mounted in under the package tray on the 39, cannot see anything from inside or outside the car related to the GPS.
This thing works a zillion times better than the iPhone app...of course, the speedo needle is better than a phone display.....althought the heads up phone app that someone described above is kinda neat if you have a dash with a flat top.

mike

 

Your right Dr J but then I could say I left out the caveat "Only on a closed course or your local drag strip". That's believable-Jim

 

I use my Garmin to reset my speedo after changing tire sizes or gear ratios and I've used it instead of the speedo when I was still wiring the truck. If there is a drawback it is that there is a short but noticeable time lag in the reported speed. But you'd never notice it unless you had it right along side the car's speedometer. We drove 3,000 miles on vacation this year and I never had a dead spot or strength of signal issue. Solar flares only affect the high precision units, like the Trimble R8's we use here at work. Mounting the antenna under the dash though sounds like inviting trouble.

 

$250! gonna have to p***.

 

Don't know about how they function with 6v system Hopefully more people who have used them will chime in with more info.

i wired a garmin in my `37 ford 1/2 ton with 6 volt system, it works just the way it`s supposed to. i believe all GPS units run on 5 volts. the only thing i had to do was isolate a seperate circuit for the GPS with negative ground.

 

Thanks Guys! You are helping make my mind up. Keep it coming!

 

I'm planning on going that route. Jegs has one with their label for $100. Works with any electric speedo at 4K, 8K or 16K. Part #555-41612