Why 2 Speedos? - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

I've never seen this question asked nor even referred to here. Can anyone tell me why we have two speedometers? (And neither of them is accurate!)

because 3 was too many LOL I primarily use the digital one as mostly I look at the tach They read faster than actual by design. Something to do with German legal responsibility. Personally, I like that mine reads about 3 MPH high, it gives me a little safety from speeding tickets

The way I see it is that the rotary gauges are for styling purposes and the LCDs are more for practicality and easy visibility. I also really like having a speed reading right on the tach (the rotary speedo is too show off how fast it can go)

Some folk can't read. Some folk can't tell time. This car offers something to both.

I feel that the digital is for practical use as the analog goes in huge increments. Especially in the turbo. I feel that porsche just wanted to keep their classic 3 dial tach in the center layout and tossed in the digital to make it practical.

Neither is accurate, but if you know the degree of adjustment for your wheel setup, the digital one is more precise and thus useful when precision is necessary. The rotary one is by far easier to appreciate in peripheral vision for an approximate reading without taking your eyes off the road. Thus the rotary one is for ordinary and track driving, the digital one for when you just passed into the radar beam or when your buddy says " how fast will this thing do xxx"

So I don't have to drive with my reading glasses on. Digital is easier to see at a glance.

JoeB I respectfully disagree. Once you know where the numbers are on the analog dial, you don't have to actually read them to know your approx speed, you just have to use your peripheral vision or a very quick glance to appreciate the position of the pointer needle. On the digital speedo, the only landmark that I can appreciate without taking my eyes off the road is when it transitions to 3 digits.

My Escalade has the same setup.

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Unfortunately , the cops around here don't look for your approximate speed . The digital is far easier to read than the analog . In my 964 I have no idea what speed in doing between about 70 and 130 without moving my hand off the wheel and my whole body !! If you can't take your eyes off the road long enough to glance at the digital , you can't be using your mirrors and side windows very often ..... Your speed and surroundings are all part if driving safely . If you don't have time to do that you're probobly going too fast for your abilities . I'll be honest my speedo is way down the list whilst freeway driving around SoCal , as what is going on around me is much more important . That was once explained to a cop , and I got off the speeding ticket . It didn't work with highway patrol though although he did mark my speed down so I could simply do driving school

When I got my Pilots license years ago, one of the things you are taught is to regularly scan your gauges. Same thing for looking around to see what is around you. (they call that situational awareness). In a car, often scan your mirrors so if you have to make an emergency maneuver, you know where you can move to safely Over the years gauges have migrated to both analog and digital readout and many are just digital. The reason is that a digital gauge is easier to get a accurate reading faster. Yes, you do want to and need to keep your eyes on the road, but you also need to know what is going on with speed, RPM, temp, etc as well as where other cars are on the road. I personally find it easier to "read" the digital speed, for me it s faster to read than the analog scale. With the analog, I find myself interpolating and getting approximate speed. I guess a lot of it is just personal preference. Overall I do like the instrument cluster. It is easy to read and little things like the temp gauge at normal temp bisects the 8, easy to notice if its not normal, 4k sweet spot on the tach straight up, same straight up for normal 150 cruising speed on the speedo, etc

Analogue is blocked by steering wheel. Speedos read high by European regulation.

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Although there was a certain amount of intended irony in my last post , THIS is how I have my tacho

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Well I was referring to a 986 what cluster is that?

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Not for me. The digital is much easier for me to read (accurately) at a glance. If you're going 3 digits, what do you even need to look at the speedometer for anyway ?

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That the tacho from my 964 . The whole gauge is simply grabbed and spun to vertical redline in my 73 .. Old school style You can also spin the mph to make your desired range readable , but where's the fun in that ?

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I agree with this theory. Much easier to read the digital speed in the early I.P. layout. Yet another reason the 2000 is the best year!

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I'd be in jail if my tach looks like that... I'd tell the cop "Officer, I had to keep my rev up because it looked like my engine was revving backwards!"

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that WAS respectful!

There are 2 speedos because Blondes will think the analog gauge is a clock. The Digital one has MPH lit up on it which they can understand better.