GPS in your Car - do you have one?

[arpie]

i guys

Earlier in the year, I bought a cheapo GPS unit for $50 & wow! What a difference it has made to my driving performance!! I even took it to NZ with me in Oct & it zoomed me round the North Island with great accuracy, daytime or night, in areas that I had never been to before ....... so a terrific little device!

It also makes for a much safer journey, as it is like having a passenger in the car - telling you when to turn & whether you are going over the speed limit, and even gives an estimation of your arrival time etc ......... but by far, the most helpful thing about them is that they tell you the ACTUAL speed that you are going!! This may sound a bit odd - but most of us aren't going the speed that your Speedo tells you that you are going!! Doesn't make sense? Think about it.

Do you ever have trucks or cars tail gating you when you drive, particularly out on the open road, when the speed limit is 100kph or 110kph? You are sitting on or just above the speed limit, yet they are still tail gating you, driving you mad, whilst they wait for an overtaking lane? Chances are, they have a GPS & are going the correct legal speed, whilst you may be going up to 10kph UNDER the actual speed limit (particularly when doing 100-110k!!) driving them crazy!

How do I know this? My GPS tells me so!! My VW Transporter campervan trundles along nicely at what I thought was 110kph, but my GPS showed me that I was only doing 102kph!! So, nearly 10k UNDER the legal speed limit. Similarly, when doing 100kph, my GPS was showing that I was only doing about 92-93kph! No wonder cars & trucks were getting a bit narky!! Even when I sped up to 'over' the 100k limit, about 108kph, my GPS was showing that I STILL wasn't even DOING the legal limit of 100kph!!

Now all this 'not speeding' is good for not getting fined by the Speed Radar Cops & your fuel consumption ....... but in reality, it is taking you longer to reach your destination & usually, you aren't satisfied with the speed that you are going, so tend to 'speed up' a little anyway!! SO ....... you may as well know what ACTUAL speed you are doing & DO IT ........ so that all the cars & trucks that are behind you ('specially with country driving) don't tail gate you & get both of you angry & into a potential accident situation!

Have you ever been speeding & gone past a Radar Trap (before spotting it & slowing down) & wondered why you didn't get a ticket a week or two later (even tho you were going at least 10k over the limit?) Chances are, your Speedo reading is out by at least that much, particularly when doing the higher speeds!!

Conversely, when driving in city traffic - your '60kph' speedo reading MAY also only be doing an actual speed of 55kph! No wonder those zippy little cars are tailgating you, waiting for an overtaking lane, to 'zoom' past!!

Have you gone past a road construction site that has a 'speedo check' at the side of the road & noticed that they seem to read consistently lower than the speed that you think you are doing?? I had! For the last couple of years, I had been taking particular notice of those little speed machines - and my speedo was ALWAYS showing that I was going faster than the machine! Now you know why - you ARE going slower than you think you are!! LOL!

How does this make you a safer driver - by driving to the ACTUAL speed, rather than what your speedo is showing?

Because ...... when doing the ACTUAL 110kph, it is more than fast enough for anyone to drive on the open road & you are no longer tempted to go much over that limit!! OK ...... I may just go over 1 or 2kph, but that is about it - and you are still highly unlikely to be pinged by a traffic cop if you stay within that 'reasonable' speed limit.

When I drove to Canberra last week (en route to Mulwala) I was using the GPS for the first time on that particular trip - and Kim was surprised that I arrived nearly an hour ahead of my expected arrival time - purely because, over the 6-7hr drive, I was going faster than I ever had before, LEGALLY, so had a shorter trip of it!!

SO ..... when we headed off to Mulwala last week, I ducked ahead of Kim & showed her what 110kph 'ACTUAL' speed was (and also 100kph), relative to what she thought she was going - and her Subaru was ALSO out by about 10kph at the higher speeds! So, by her sitting on 120k 'speedo' speed, she was actually doing about 111kph ACTUAL speed!! We went thru one of those 'Average Speed Control' Towers & one of them had a machine that confirmed Kim's speed at 111kph, so that made her happier to see that as well!!

When driving home from Canberra earlier in the week, it was interesting to use this information along the way - you can actually guess pretty accurately which cars DO have GPS & which don't. The ones that DO - will overtake you & then pull in & maintain the Legal Speed Limit ...... whilst those who DON'T .... will often overtake you at speed then duck in & pull back to what they THINK is the Legal Speed Limit - which is actually closer to 100kph (not 110kph) and then you start 'leap frogging' along the highway as you overtake them because they 'slowed down', then they get the sh*ts & overtake you & then they slow down AGAIN, so you overtake them ....... and it can become a bit ugly - a bit of argy bargy on the highway!! I noticed that a couple of cars really didn't seem to like a VW overtaking them & tried this tactic a few times,........ but they weren't prepared to maintain their travel at what they thought was 120k+ so they would eventually drop back to their 'safe speed', probably being very smug & thinking - well THAT car will be pinged by the traffic cops ....... WRONG!!

SO - what is the point of this thread - if you DON'T have GPS, borrow one from friend, so that you can calibrate your own speedo to see how inaccurate it actually is!! Leading up to this Festive Season - you may as well be doing the LEGAL speed & be happy with it, than be tail gated by trucks & cars that KNOW the legal speed limit but you are ahead of them & preventing them from doing it!!

I bet that you will have a much happier driving experience, knowing what ACTUAL speeds you are doing.

They are not that expensive these days - some of them even come with bluetooth capability, so you are hands free with your phone too (being much more policed now that they've increased the fines & tightened the rules!)

Do yourself a favour - if you don't have one, put it on your Xmas list - for about $100 - it may just save your life, or at least your marriage!! Keith & I don't argue about when & where to turn off any more, cos it tells me 800m ahead to prepare to turn, then 300m ahead to get ready to turn, then 100m ahead, virtually says to turn!! No more yelling & shouting!!

If you do a lot of long distance driving on your own, it really will help keep you alive, as it DOES speak to you & let you know when fixed Speed Cameras are ahead! You can turn the sound down so that it is not too intrusive, but I actually like to keep it loud enough to keep me aware of where I am & what speed I am doing (it tells you when you go over the designated speed limit, too!)

An interesting little poem .........

I have a little Satnav It sits there in my car

A Satnav is a driver's friend It tells you where you are

I have a little Satnav I've had it all my life

It's better than the normal ones My Satnav is my wife

It gives me full instructions Especially how to drive

"It's sixty kilometers per hour", "You're doing seventy five"

It tells me when to stop and start And when to use the brake

And tells me that it's never ever Safe to overtake

It tells me when a light is red And when it goes to green

It seems to know instinctively Just when to intervene

It lists the vehicles just in front And all those to the rear

And taking this into account It specifies my gear.

I'm sure no other driver Has so helpful a device

For when we leave and lock the car It still gives me advice

It fills me up with counselling Each journey's pretty fraught

So why don't I exchange it And get a quieter sort?

Ah well, you see, it cleans the house, and Makes sure I'm properly fed,

It washes all my shirts and things And - keeps me warm in bed!

Despite all these advantages And my tendency to scoff,

I do wish that once in a while I could turn the damned thing off

cheerio & safe driving!!

Roberta

Edited December 7, 2012 by Roberta

[rockfisherman]

I own one but only generally use it when travelling, other wise my iPhone does the trick in and around Sydney.

Helpful hint: wipe the suction cap mark off the wind screen of your car, this reduces the probability of having a theif break in.

Fishingphase

[arpie]

.....Helpful hint: wipe the suction cap mark off the wind screen of your car, this reduces the probability of having a theif break in.....

Good tip, mate!! I tend to put it on the driver's window, I find it less annoying than on the front windscreen.

Prior to going to Mulwala, I also invested in a cheapo 'Crash Cam' as well, that sits on the front window down at Dashboard level ...... tho I am sure that you should be able to buy one that is built into the rear vision mirror showing both front and rear travel, with bluetooth so no wires! I just got mine from the post office for about $80 + the micro sd card - I figure that if you ARE doing big Ks, you may as well have an independent video of your journey (and crash if unfortunate enough to have one.) Many insurance companies will give a discount if you have one (I must check with NRMA!! )

If there is a fatality (hopefully not YOU) - the video may well confirm that you were in the right, whether you survive or not. This could affect insurances (both car and personal) as they will not pay out if you are at fault. This could make the difference between your family having a comfortable existence if you have died, or poverty, if they won't pay out. Some insurance policies pay out double or even triple in the case of 'accidental death' so well worth $100 to have one fitted, as all these things can be factored into whether you get a crashcam fitted to your car.

Let's face it - trucks are involved in more fatal collisions than cars (even tho they are about 1% of vehicles on the road, recent figures show that they are involved in 20% of crashes, many of them fatal to the car driver, but the truck driver survives.) He who survives, tells the tales & I am sure that many deceased car drivers have been 'blamed' for the accident, when in reality, the truck driver may have been the cause of the crash & was alive to tell the tale. Tho Crash Investigators are much better are reading the signs now than they ever were before & can often refute a dodgy truck driver's tale of no negligence.

Just like the victor writes the history books (not always showing an accurate record of the war or occupation of a country) - the surviving truck driver's account msy be considered as more truthful when in fact, it may be flawed.

So, if driving big distances on a regular basis, or even just up & down the coast over the Xmas/New Year ......... consider getting a crashcam as well!! They keep recording over & over during a trip (I have a 32gig card in mine) - & if a crash occurs & the engine turns off .......... they should turn off as well, keeping the final hours/minutes of the trip for the Crash Inspectors to see what actually caused the crash.

cheers

Roberta

[arpie]

.....Helpful hint: wipe the suction cap mark off the wind screen of your car, this reduces the probability of having a theif break in.....

Good tip, mate!! I tend to put it on the driver's window, I find it less annoying than on the front windscreen & I can still make adjustments if required, easier than if on the front windscreen. You just can't wind your window down, as it needs to be low in the corner, to not affect your side mirror!

Prior to going to Mulwala, I also invested in a cheapo 'Crash Cam' as well, that sits on the front window down at Dashboard level ...... tho I am sure that you should be able to buy one that is built into the rear vision mirror showing both front and rear travel, with bluetooth so no wires! I just got mine from the post office for about $80 + the micro sd card - I figure that if you ARE doing big Ks, you may as well have an independent video of your journey (and crash if unfortunate enough to have one.) Many insurance companies will give a discount if you have one (I must check with NRMA!! )

If there is a fatality (hopefully not YOU) - the video may well confirm that you were in the right, whether you survive or not. This could affect insurances (both car and personal) as they will not pay out if you are at fault. This could make the difference between your family having a comfortable existence if you have died, or poverty, if they won't pay out. Some insurance policies pay out double or even triple in the case of 'accidental death' so well worth $100 to have one fitted, as all these things can be factored into whether you get a crashcam fitted to your car.

Let's face it - trucks are involved in more fatal collisions than cars (even tho they are about 1% of vehicles on the road, recent figures show that they are involved in 20% of crashes, many of them fatal to the car driver, but the truck driver survives.) He who survives, tells the tales & I am sure that many deceased car drivers have been 'blamed' for the accident, when in reality, the truck driver may have been the cause of the crash & was alive to tell the tale. Tho Crash Investigators are much better are reading the signs now than they ever were before & can often refute a dodgy truck driver's tale of no negligence.

Just like the victor writes the history books (not always showing an accurate record of the war or occupation of a country) - the surviving truck driver's account may be considered as more truthful when in fact, it may be flawed.

So, if driving big distances on a regular basis, or even just up & down the coast over the Xmas/New Year ......... consider getting a crashcam as well!! They keep recording over & over during a trip (I have a 32gig card in mine) - & if a crash occurs & the engine turns off .......... they should turn off as well, keeping the final hours/minutes of the trip for the Crash Inspectors to see what actually caused the crash.

cheers

Roberta

Even a 'single vehicle' crash may have been caused by another vehicle forcing it into a swerve etc. The video will show that, even if no vehicle contact was made!

Edited December 7, 2012 by Roberta

[Paul]

Don't have a dedicated GPS system, I just use one of the apps on my phone which does the trick.

Besides the turn by turn benefits, it's also a great way of planning the trip(s) ahead by punching in Point A to Point B. The estimated times are calculated and it can also tell you if you need to pay a toll or even to avoid routes with tolls or motorways all together.

There are many things that have revolutionized fishing over the years and I think GPS is definitely one of them as they add to make the overall experience more pleasant. No more frustration with Gregorys, UBD or the paper maps that fold out to the size of your wind screen.

The only time you're in strife is when the signal drops .... like one time I was in down town San Francisco at peak hour coming back from Fisherman's Wharf

[arpie]

Agreed, Paul. Definitely safer than balancing a map or Gregory's on your lap or steering wheel!! Done that before today!

Sometimes, you even need to know where you are going to 'believe' the GPS route, too!! I was heading to Hunters Hill when in Sydney last - and it kept trying to take me up to the Pacific Highway & back towards Crows Nest! So, sort of silly if you can't necessarily believe it!! In strange cities, you just have to believe it!!!

I find that the signal is often lost (on a 12v plug one) when the plug slips away from the contact, but a quick whack & it comes back on again!! San Francisco wouldn't have been fun tho, 'in the dark' so to speak!! I guess I would just go 'round the block' til it came back on again, so I didn't get too far off the track!!?

Roberta

[LungFai]

Just a curious question, are the rims/tyres on your vehicle the stock size?

As for GPS units, Great units, even better if you have the portable (long life battery with walking options) that can capture the longitude and latitude of the exact spot you are standing/kayaking/boating where you hit the motherload.

Always brings a smile to my face when i scroll through my favourites and can tap a picture of a fish and the unit will start giving me directions to that sweet spot again.

[arpie]

....Just a curious question, are the rims/tyres on your vehicle the stock size?....

Funny you should ask that!! I have just sent a copy of my observations to my brothers & sister to see if they have GPS & noticed discrepancy in their speedos & I remembered the tyre size bit & added ......

WHY is my Speedo out by 10kph? It could be that manufacturers have done that deliberately to keep us safe? Maybe not. It could be that after market tyres and of course, rims (your tyres replaced after the factory fitted ones wore out) are a smaller circumference & need to turn 'faster' than the originally fitted ones, showing an inaccurate speedo? Any mathematicians out there to test that theory?

I have different rims from standard factory issue & have had the tyres replaced a few times in the 10 years that we've had the VW Campervan. Both factors can influence the speedo reading!! So all the more reason to check yours out, relative to the GPS!

So you can see fish as you drive!!? Neat!! I have wondered if I could do that with mine on the water, as it does have a battery backup.

Roberta

[Shanemills]

It's not tyres. You will find all cars built after a certain date not sure when. Will be out but it's not always 10 km/h it changes with speed. For example at 110km your really doing 100km but at 60km it only 55km or say at 190km your only doing 175km or so. Not that anyone should be going that fast.

I bought the Tom Tom app on iPhone it's pretty pricey for an app but worth it in my opinion. I couldn't get by without it now so easy.

[Testlab]

The inaccuracies of speedometers can be traced to the Australian Design Rules. A speedo mustn't under read at all and may only over read by a max of 10%. Cars are certified to comply across a family of models and with various options.

When there are different wheel and tyre sizes in a family, for example 16" wheels on the poverty pack and 18" mags on the spoilt brat pack the speedo still must not ever under read. So the speedo system is designed to be accurate with the largest circumference of rim and tyre combination. A 10% margin means this is achievable without having to calibrate every car to its individual wheel and tyre set up.

Also, the car maker can never be held liable for causing the driver to exceed the speed limit by under reading. You can imagine the trouble they'd be in with a class action initiated by a litigation funder started the second that revelation became known.

[arpie]

Thanks for that Testlab - Very Interesting!! But shouldn't it be the other way round tho? That they mustn't OVER READ (ie showing faster than you are going) but could be up to 10% UNDER READ? From most of the results (particularly mine) it would appear to show that they ARE under-reading (ie displaying higher speeds than you are actually going?) I can see this as being a bit of a safety factor, to be honest, so not worried about it at all ...... But I still reckon that knowing the actual speed that you are going will make for a safer journey, as there is no need to speed, as it really is fast enough already!

Maybe it is still just a 'brain' thing - seeing the speedo at 110kph in a 100k zone & showing 120kph in a 110k zone ......... you sort of 'think' you are speeding??

Roberta

[Yowie]

The accurate reading is on a flat straight piece of road, up and down hills will influence the reading a little bit on the GPS.

We don't appear to have the digital read-out cameras any more ( I was told it was because the lunatic drivers tried to see how high a reading they could get by speeding along), but Victoria still has a couple. If you travel south on the Hume Highway from Albury/Wodonga, there is one of the speed display radars not far from Wodonga that will give you an accurate reading to compare your GPS and car speedo. I found that my GPS was accurate, the speedo reading 4 k/h lower.

[arpie]

That was the one that we checked Kim's car with, Yowie. She was doing 120kph on the speedo, but just 111kph on the speed display radar! They should have them on all those 'point to point' Speed Towers!!

Roberta

[reyzor]

keep in mind though that IF you do get pulled over, the speed on your gps is irrelevant........ if the cop wants to get you he will.....

my cars speedo was way out, but thats cos i put oversized tyres on it........ive since had it re calibrated, so its within a pooftinth now....

[ronmac]

keep in mind though that IF you do get pulled over, the speed on your gps is irrelevant........ if the cop wants to get you he will.....

my cars speedo was way out, but thats cos i put oversized tyres on it........ive since had it re calibrated, so its within a pooftinth now....

What is the cost to have it done, also does it vary from car to car, many thanks reyzor. cheers ron.

[reyzor]

couple of hundered bucks, but now i have bought the tool to do it myself on my car....... it jsut reprograms the speedo signal..... i change tyres sizes fairly often, it worked out cheaper to do it this way.....

[LungFai]

keep in mind though that IF you do get pulled over, the speed on your gps is irrelevant........ if the cop wants to get you he will.....

my cars speedo was way out, but thats cos i put oversized tyres on it........ive since had it re calibrated, so its within a pooftinth now....

I have had first hand experience with this.

GPS was showing i was doing the speed limit but due to my after market rims and tyre choice it seemed i was speeding. The screen capture of the GPS did not sway the South Australian Policeman one bit .

I won't bother with calibrating as i constantly change from 20 inch performance to 16 inch off roading. My philosophy when it comes to driving is "When in your car you are like a school of baitfish, the chance of being bitten is slim"

[reyzor]

I have had first hand experience with this.

GPS was showing i was doing the speed limit but due to my after market rims and tyre choice it seemed i was speeding. The screen capture of the GPS did not sway the South Australian Policeman one bit .

I won't bother with calibrating as i constantly change from 20 inch performance to 16 inch off roading. My philosophy when it comes to driving is "When in your car you are like a school of baitfish, the chance of being bitten is slim"

tell us more about the car you are going from 20's to 16's on?

[LungFai]

Rav 4 Sports model, 20 inch low profile tyres everyday driving wheels, 16 inch stock standard tyres for touring, 15 inch over sized tyres for fishing/camping trips.

Made a mistake one time and took the 20 inches onto sand. Ended up with 4 flats due to sand ingress between the tyre wall and the rims which caused a slow air leak. No fun constantly stopping to check tyre pressure and inflating with a foot pump