I'm sure this has been asked plenty times in the past, but unfortunately I have not seen any discussion on why NASCAR TEAMS don't use a speedometer in the cars?

I play NASCAR "09 for the XBox 360, and have no difficulty handling the extra info as speedometer provides. Could someone please explain to me why there is no speedometer in the cars? Thanks....


Troimer in Tucson, AZ.

Because 1) they don't need one and 2) it's NOT a video game

They are interested in the temperature ( OIL & WATER ) and the tach. They know to do a certain RPM in a certain gear for pit speed. Everything else is a distraction on what they are doing. RIDING THE COUCH ISN"T THE SAME!!!!!! AA JMHO

Bill

NASCAR fears that anything electronic can somehow lead to traction control.

A digial speedometer would involve placing a VSS on the car which I suppose could be dangerous in the hands of Nicola Tesla.

And a cable speedometer has to have a maximum point 50% greater than the vechile's speed so it would have to max out at 300mph at Talladega (not easy to read 55 on that).

I'm with the consensus, it's one of those "If it ain't broke" things. When stock cars went from being cars from the showroom to purpose-built machines, the builders didn't see a reason for including a speedometer. Why add an extra gauge to the cockpit when you can ballpark it pretty close using a calculator and a formula.

I agree, no need for a speedo in race car. I don't even have an accurate one in my truck, I drive off the tach, far more accurate, if you know how to figure out speeds by rpm, gear ratios, and tire diameter.

Why? Aside from pit road, they really don't care how fast they're going relative to the ground, only relative to the other cars. Also things like water/oil temp and pressure are much more important in a race car.

I would also figure that the constant recalibrating of the speedo would be a pain in the keister.

Every time you change the rear gear ratio or the transmission gear ratio's, you would have to recalibrate the speedometer. It's got to be a whole lot easier to just go off the tach reading you get at the beginning of the race.

mustang6172 - 23 August 2008 06:21 PM

NASCAR fears that anything electronic can somehow lead to traction control.

A digial speedometer would involve placing a VSS on the car which I suppose could be dangerous in the hands of Nicola Tesla.

And a cable speedometer has to have a maximum point 50% greater than the vechile's speed so it would have to max out at 300mph at Talladega (not easy to read 55 on that).

Toonces ... the cat who could drive a car.

somewhat related, what do those red LED lights mean on the dashboard. Sometimes I'll see the cars in the garages and it appears the steering wheel is off and I see two rather large (4" in diameter or so) circles in red LED flashing.

eddo - 25 August 2008 01:40 PM

I would also figure that the constant recalibrating of the speedo would be a pain in the keister.

Every time you change the rear gear ratio or the transmission gear ratio's, you would have to recalibrate the speedometer. It's got to be a whole lot easier to just go off the tach reading you get at the beginning of the race.

Not necessarily. They could use a setup like an ABS ring and sensor on a front or rear hub.

But a tach reading should be more accurate, especially if they were to use a digital readout rather than the analog types commonly used.