# Kph vs Mph? Which is the better measure?



## rasonline (Mar 24, 2005)

Not talking about HICAS or any other conversions here.

I'm just interested in getting some viewpoints from everybody about the 2 different units of measure.

I'm used to the km/h system, so i may be a little biased in favour of using that system.

But let's weigh up the options. Km/h is in a smaller unit of measure i.e. 1 mph ~ 1.6 kmph. So, at 160kmph you would be the same as 100mph. I would think that it is much better to use the smaller unit of measure cos you can track more accurately what is happening at the different speed intervals.

Eg. If you are monitoring your car between 60kmph and 100kmph you would probably take readings at 60, 70, 80, 90, 100. For the same in mph you would probably take readings at only 40mph, 50mph and 60 mph (which corresponds to 64, 80 and 96 kmph).

After having lived in the US for a few months, i kind of saw some of the practical side to using MPH. For example, i would much rather drive a distance of 70miles instead of drive a distance of 112km. Yes, i know these are the same... but the psychological barrier of driving more than 100km makes it seem that much further.

So let's here the pros and con's, or is it much of mountain out of a mole-hill?


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## drewby (Jan 15, 2004)

*/*

you R mad as a hatter,


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## Pikey (Feb 19, 2004)

Technically I suppose kilometres is better, as its a sensible decimal unit - ie 1000 metres

I like miles per hour, personally, but I wouldnt mind kph, makes no difference really


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## stew-s (Sep 16, 2004)

helps to know both i reckon.


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## rasonline (Mar 24, 2005)

drewby said:


> you R mad as a hatter,


Yes, but then so would a lot of other ppl on here be mad..  

i mean, i often come across threads where ppl are obsessive about switching over from km/h to mph on their speedos and go to great lengths and expense just to do it (conv HICAS kit, etc.).

So all i'm getting at is why is mph better than km/h or vice-versa.


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## djdna2000 (Nov 14, 2003)

I prefer chains and furlongs.


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## GTRJack (Aug 27, 2005)

Well its simply where in the world, which country.. I prefer KM/H because I live in a country where we measure the speedo in KM/H.. Plain and simpel


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## GTR-Zilla (May 17, 2005)

I have become used to KPH.. just remember that 50kph is near enough 30 mph, 80 is 50 and 120 is 74 mph

that reminds me, need to order my 320kph speedo!


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## GT-R Z (Mar 13, 2005)

*warp factor 3.......................*

I have converted my electronic speedo to "inches per second" due to the fact that I like to feel that I'm traveling at the speed of light !!    
Just kidding........
I actually like the idea of mental conversion just to keep the mind sharp when I travel. I mean its really irrevelant when you consider all of the other differences such as language,dialect etc. 
But to argue the side of measureing acuracy...the smaller Kilometre's would be best just for that. Smaller increment....more data. 
.............Vinny :smokin:


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## Silver R33 GTR (Mar 24, 2004)

most people will no doubt like mph more because its easier but for those who like to keep their mind working while driving(as previously said) then they'll no doubt choose kph

robin.


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## bladerider (Jun 29, 2002)

I prefer miles

Everyone knows that 100mph is a benchmark.

Everyone knows what 1/4mile is.

Theres also the flying mile, almost all other speed units relate back to miles somewhere along the way, and when we finally get out of europe it will mean we dont have to change all our signs back again !!!

And when you travel abroad and you see the numbers flashing down you feel better about it as it works in our favour - we see a sign saying 100miles to the place you are going and you know it will be getting on for 2 hours before you are there, see it in Europe and you're surprsed when about an hour later you have arrived !!!

Then theres the phrase "miles better"...........no-one says kilometers better do they !! 

As for measuring accuracy - its better to measure over a long distance as any discrepency once extrapolated back is more accurate given a greater range to the base unit !!!   

J.


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## Demon Dave (Sep 15, 2002)

Imperial units are a thing of the past, dated, past it, obsolete   

Which makes no sense why the US are still using them (probably 'cause they're all too darn lazy to change  ).....but if they weren't it wouldn't be too long before those odd few other antiquated and quaint countries using it would see the light and follow suit.

The Future is bright, the future is METRIC


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## bladerider (Jun 29, 2002)

Turncoat !!!



J.


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## DCD (Jun 28, 2001)

Metric all the way. But I guess if you are an antiquated islander scared of a bit of change from a system so obsolete you are one of the few countries in the world to use it....


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## bladerider (Jun 29, 2002)

I never believe what people with blue cars have to say !!!


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## Robbie 733 (Feb 25, 2005)

My 'converted' speedo is so inaccurate, it might as well be measuring Km's rather than Miles !

thank heavens for the digital read out on the camera detector


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## rasonline (Mar 24, 2005)

IS THIS A GOOD TIME FOR ME TO INTRODUCE ANOTHER POLL ABOUT BHP VS kW?


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## DCD (Jun 28, 2001)

kW or PS all the way since we are talking metric!  What's all that nonsense anyways, SAE HP, DIN HP, lb/ft, imperial gallons, US gallons, feet, yards, inches.... 

All you need is one system....makes life a hell of a lot easier!! Face it you will all be buying kilograms of apples down the market...probably with a Euro Ok sorry this is too much fun  


.... ahh wait forgot about that stone nonsense....shall I keep going? :smokin:


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## Izzy (Sep 21, 2004)

MPH or KPH....? I guess when it comes down to it, it depends quite literally on what you are used to. 

My Skyline's been converted to MPH, which is what I'm more used to & hence more comfortable with, but our BMW is still only in KPH... When driving the BMW I really have to think about the speed I'm doing 'cos my brain works subconciously in MPH, though when on the continent, it being LHD as well, it all seems as easy....  

I supose the best though is a duel reading in both


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## Bert (Dec 29, 2002)

In an ideal world we'd all be using the SI system. Maybe someday.


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## bladerider (Jun 29, 2002)

I could point out that the novelty for some of having a currency that isnt the equivalent of monopoly money hasnt rubbed off yet, but I wont.

If you had made your empire as big as ours then perhaps you would have a valid argument but you didnt !!!


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## DCD (Jun 28, 2001)

We built an empire way earlier than you ever did. Been there, done that. Couldn't be arsed any more so left it to cold northeners that needed to get out of their cold, damp, isoleted island. Oh did I mention damp 

BTW...you might remember us. We're the ones that tought you how to build roads, aqueducts, baths and lots of other nice things you then stole and named your own  

I'm loving this even more now!


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## bladerider (Jun 29, 2002)

Yep we remember you,

You fed christians to the lions

You nailed Jesus to a cross

You invented organized crime (which your governments still support apparently !!!  )

And you make me poorer every month with your designer this and must have look that !!!

You olive oil barons have a lot to answer for !!

   

We're not damp - we're just like Florida, we have a high humidity count !!!


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## GTR-Zilla (May 17, 2005)

this can easily get out of hand just like the threads based on religion/race etc..


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## rasonline (Mar 24, 2005)

Geez... all i said was mph vs km/h.


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## bladerider (Jun 29, 2002)

Its OK,

Me and Dino are just having some fun - hence all the smilies !!!

After all, we are both members of TEAM Bayside !!


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## bladerider (Jun 29, 2002)

This place is normally a more light hearted one than the George Bush thread would have you believe.

You just need to know who's who sometimes !!


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## DCD (Jun 28, 2001)

Only having a laugh!  

And what is wrong with organized crime? Better than disorganized crime like the chavs you have over there in Blighty!

And you better take it easy, or I'll tell my paesan Toni Bumbatz, he'll send some nice people over for a chat. Now I'm off to eat some bragiol with my goomah.


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## bladerider (Jun 29, 2002)

lol

Just been watching Soprano's 5 at the weekend as it goes !!! lolol

I best get off and get some work done !!

Disorganized crime is always funnier - it allows you to hear stories like the burglar who dropped his car keys when he got chased out the house and went back to ask for them to allow him to get away !!!


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## DCD (Jun 28, 2001)

He he...see that's just wrong. A wise guy would have shot everyone and walked back to pick up his keys! Forget about it :smokin:


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## Thrust (Jun 8, 2004)

There should be a switch on the instrument panel of every car allowing us to choose between Miles, Kilometers/Kilometres, and Leptons, depending on which country we are driving through, or a simple face with both showing. Road signs in the UK should be in both.

My gut reaction is that kilometers/tres are somehow cheap and disappointing. Miles are meaty and historical, a real man's distance. 

The Japanese like to use yards, only when they play golf. Perhaps eventually certain phrases like the ones above (1/4 mile, 100 mph) will stay in the language for certain usages, even after they're obsolete, like a 'penny' for a cent in the USA, and a 'pint' when we're all drinking in millilitres.

God forbid that we go the whole hog and buy eggs in packs of ten, though, as in Japan. Half packs can't hold five, so they still sell the halves with six inside, har har HAR!!!!!:smokin:


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## Marky_GTSt (Dec 31, 2005)

A lot of the new cars with the digital readouts can be switched between KMH and MPH, Personally im used to MPH, I know how fast 70MPH is, If you said 120KMH I would have no idea.... Suppose its a bit like people who still use feet and inches.

Mark.


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## Arande (Apr 16, 2006)

I agree with Marky....I'm just accustomed to MPH


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## cypher (Mar 23, 2006)

Yeah i prefer mph, as someone said, your doing 100mph, your 50 miles from your target,it should take 30mins, if im doing ur... 120kph and im 50 miles away, i wouldnt have a clue, although my readout has both mph and kph on it,so i can get a rough idea of how fast im doing.
But advantage of kilometers is 1km is 1000mtrs so is easier to work out, also 200kph sounds alot more than (does a quick calculation.....10mins later) 124mph (god i hope that right...ish)


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## Jonnyspeedbump (Mar 21, 2004)

After reading this thread I was wondering; is it perfectly legal to have your speedo/tacho in kmph?

I'd much prefer a mph speedo as that is what I'm used to but after experiencing hicas shuffle with the mechanical mph converter in, I promptly removed it and have stuck sticky labels to my speedo showing 30, 50 and 70 (until I get used to it). Should I have to re-install the converter come MOT time?

Cheers,
Jonny


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## Thrust (Jun 8, 2004)

It is a legal requirement in the UK to have your speedo in mph if you drive on the public roads, in a car registered in the UK, as far as I understand. 

This is not a requirement for the MOT and the garage will not check for it. The garage will simply record whatever figures are shown on your display.

Many people do what you are doing and it has probably been a long time since a test case occurred. Be aware that if the police stop you for something and you plead that your speedo reads in kms, you could potentially be done for that.


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## R33_GTS-t (Apr 27, 2005)

I vote for speed in knots or mach.

LOL. I remember Ireland about a decade back with my folks. Some distances signed in miles and some in km with no units. One minute we were '100' from our destination and quarter of an hour later we were '120' from it.


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## roadie (Feb 6, 2006)

I use to prefer mph cause my Pappy drove 60 mph and wee could figure how long the trip took in minutes.....Not much point when you own a gtr....


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## Marky_GTSt (Dec 31, 2005)

Isnt it strange, In this country its illegal to sell products in Pints/Pounds but we all still have to use MPH/Miles for getting around.

Mark.


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## bkvj (Feb 13, 2006)

> Technically I suppose kilometres is better, as its a sensible decimal unit - ie 1000 metres


KM/H is more 'specific'...i dont mind either of em. i'll always use quick maths...60mph = 100 kmh (ok its 62 but its quick maths!)
50mph = 80...


when my dad drives outside the UK in france orso, the speed signs always say '100'(as in KMH)...he always drives 100-130 mph IF my dad gets pulled, he uses the simple excuse(as he's drving a UK car) of 'oh i thought it was MPH...they cant really blame you can they? he got pulled twice, one time he got a 120 euro fine and the other time they let him off...just luck lol...


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## mko9 (Jun 15, 2005)

Personally, I grew up in the US so I will always prefer mph.

On a tangent, I am amazed that there isn't a speedo face for the Skyline reading mph & kph, rather than messing about with the electronics.


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## Marky_GTSt (Dec 31, 2005)

I have a speedo face in my skyline, it reads MPH tho, no KM readings, the trip meter seems to do whatever it wants.. LOL

Mark


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## 33truballa33 (Apr 8, 2006)

off topic but where do u get a speedo that is in MPH.. i would rather not convert as i heard there are problems when that is done.


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## Marky_GTSt (Dec 31, 2005)

Mine had an MPH white face kit in when I got it, But if you do a spot of math you could easily pop some stickers on your dial that will give you the appropriate MPH reading without resorting to messing about with the clocks, I have seen quite a few imports with such stickers, usually at 30, 50, 70 and 100 MPH.

Mark.


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## 33truballa33 (Apr 8, 2006)

thanks mark


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## ru' (Feb 18, 2007)

fwiw I've got UK clocks, read both mph and kmh.


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## Eikichi (Jul 25, 2006)

km/h makes more sense :chuckle:
It also goes faster


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## Lith (Oct 5, 2006)

Any measure of MPH or KPH mean the same thing so I can't quite see what the relevance is - metric makes a huge amount more sense to me than imperial though. 100cm = m, 1000m = km, etc etc. It all works nicely, instead of this 12inch = ft, 14lb = stone bollux.


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## RSVFOUR (May 1, 2006)

Personnally I prefer GLICKS.

1000 glicks sounds so much quicker  and of course as nobody else knows how fast that is so its excellent for stories and talking to corsa owners (when this cant be avodied)


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## NBM33 (Jan 15, 2006)

I left my car to read Km/h . But my Sat nav reads MPH.


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## Thrust (Jun 8, 2004)

For the wife I experimented with little round dayglo stickers of different colours/colors on the screen which were fine, EG A yellow 50 mph sticker over the 80 kph mark, but they were invisible at night. 

Then I tried putting some luminous ones on the perspex cover, but they lost their luminescence faster than Italian foreplay.


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## herman (Apr 1, 2007)

ive got sat nav and boost control gauge that show mph,but i usualy just look at the rev counter and change at the red line


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## rasonline (Mar 24, 2005)

geez.. how did this thread get dug up...


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## ru' (Feb 18, 2007)

rasonline said:


> geez.. how did this thread get dug up...


lol, good point; didn't see the date.

In my defence, someone must have voted on it, thus putting it into the 'new posts' search results and appearing in front of me - I'm innocent!


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## Eikichi (Jul 25, 2006)

ru' said:


> lol, good point; didn't see the date.
> 
> In my defence, someone must have voted on it, thus putting it into the 'new posts' search results and appearing in front of me - I'm innocent!


ru' is a thread digger... :chuckle:


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## ru' (Feb 18, 2007)

Noooooooooooooooooooooooo!

I'll have to get data forensics in the find out who voted - I must prove my innocence!


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## ru' (Feb 18, 2007)

I blame ROOSKY...


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## R33_GTS-t (Apr 27, 2005)

Mach.


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## Asphalt Jet (Oct 20, 2008)

I Don't read the speedo, I read the TACH

Besides speed is irrelevant, unless of course your talking to the Judge, then who cares if it was KPH or MPH.:thumbsup:

GO MACH


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## dragyth (Oct 21, 2008)

In England the best speedo is the Rover style one which measures 10mph, 30mph, 50mph, 70mph, 90mph, 110mph and 130mph. Most of the roads a typical driver will drive on are 30mph, 50mph or 70mph so this makes perfect sense.

In terms of speed, once you start getting into high increments with KPH, it's not as good. I-e you might have 20kph, 40kph etc.. up to 180kph. But once you get a 320kph speedo you might lose the accuracy so it's going 40kph, 80kph, 120kph etc...

Now the worst thing would be an R32 GTR running stock boost, so we're talking 154mph top speed, 160 with a tailwind, fitted with a Nismo speedo.

It needs to be converted into MPH when it's imported to UK, so you have to make the 320kph speedo into a 320mph speedo. Within the law you cannot use even a quarter of that speedo and within the physical capabilities of the car you can maybe only just about use half of it.


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## Multics (Apr 27, 2008)

HTRB!


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## MIKEGTR (Jul 8, 2005)

Multics said:


> HTRB!


Exactly lol


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## GT-R Glenn (Nov 9, 2002)

I voted 1


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## R32 Combat (Jan 29, 2004)

The 4WD and HICAS are designed to run in Km/h, so why change it?


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## Cris (Sep 17, 2007)

R32 Combat said:


> The 4WD and HICAS are designed to run in Km/h, so why change it?


When I pull my finger out I intend to fit an MPH speedo face. No need for the change to have any effect on the 4WD system or the HICAS.

Mind you I'm not too bothered about HICAS issues anyway...


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