Although there is obvious concern over the design/appearance of the Elgin Dash........Paul Elio may not be a designer but he is an auto engineer. My guess is that all the neccessary information we need as drivers to maintain the Elio in peak running condition will be included in the Elgin gauge cluster and readable. I trust an engineer to engineer, but they are obviously not designers.
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Elio Gauge Cluster - Lord Elgin? - Other Options?
- Thread starter Craig
- Start date
fingers
Elio Fan
Remember those ugly 3-dial clusters that all the hot-rodders installed under the dash on their cars? I shudder to think we will have to resort to something like that to monitor the temps!
ElioDigger
Elio Addict
it ill be fine if we put everyone's wish in the car it would be so high priced none of us could buy it.....
zelio
Elio Addict
Thanks for posting that. I love the vintage Lord Elgin. The other one would drive me nuts. No numbers and too much stuff. :-) Z
As a very young newspaper delivery boy I won an Elgin watch with the traditional dial and it was a great watch. It did not look like the vintage one. I don't like that watch and dislike the dash equally as well. Wouldn't buy either the watch or the dash if I had a choice.
I wouldn't buy the watch either.........although very unusual for the year.......I wish I owned one today......I would sell it to a collector and buy an Elio......or use the cash for the Skyz upgrade and a road trip.
This is just the way it goes with not a lot of other new things happening to discuss
The discussion has actually been quite civil on this forum as compared to several Elio groups I follow on Facebook including EMOA which is only open to reservation holders yet is pretty much a disaster area right now.
ternion
Elio Enthusiast
It would be pretty smart on EM's part to offer a labor cost only replacement ($50-$70?) option for the instrument cluster. I am confident that seeing the Elgin dash in person will not change my opinion that it is quite a horrible design for the purpose of an instrument cluster.
The Lord Elgin as a watch MIGHT work because the numbers are effectively stationary AND there won't possibly be an unexpected 40-ton semi merging into you as you take the time to comprehend the information from the display. This is not the case with tach and mpg readings where speed and accuracy of data comprehension is essential to avoid risks to a ticket, engine, or life. With the vast majority of existing instrument clusters, a relative needle position glance is often enough to make any driving adjustments. Because there is no such needle, the Elgin dash WILL require more attention away from the road.
That all being said, there are improvements EM could make that might make the Elgin bearable, and speed up the relay of more detailed information:
The Lord Elgin as a watch MIGHT work because the numbers are effectively stationary AND there won't possibly be an unexpected 40-ton semi merging into you as you take the time to comprehend the information from the display. This is not the case with tach and mpg readings where speed and accuracy of data comprehension is essential to avoid risks to a ticket, engine, or life. With the vast majority of existing instrument clusters, a relative needle position glance is often enough to make any driving adjustments. Because there is no such needle, the Elgin dash WILL require more attention away from the road.
That all being said, there are improvements EM could make that might make the Elgin bearable, and speed up the relay of more detailed information:
- Thinner and taller mph marks in a different color than the numbers (The mph marks should span the whole height of the "window" for every 10 mph)
- A much wider "window" (2x wider) to view more numbers at a time.
- Have the digital readout include a view of the trip/tank mpg (with option to reset)
- Include a temp gauge in the huge amount of wasted empty gray space (part of the most valuable utility space for a vehicle, most manufacturers respect this)
- Replace the 8-stage digital fuel indicator with a needle (or replace with at least 16 stages)
RKing
Elio Addict
Big +1 on he civil discussions here. We may not always agree but things stay respectful and/or the moderators are very very good at what they do 