Why Tach's?

How and why this got to 4 pages is just crazy

 

There ya go.. If tachs are included, hey that's fine, no prob. But I also want a full set of gauges also. Of course everything (mostly) now has a fuel/temp gauge ... But I'd still argue that a charging/oil psi gauge is far more valuable than a tach.
Back in the old days, no matter what you bought (Unless it was high end, like a Cadillac or something) you could go cheap with 'idiot lights' or pay a bit more and get actual gauges. Idiot lights .. Like a modern 'Check Engine' light were basically good for 'Uh Oh .. Something serious has already gone wrong..' sometimes too late. At least with gauges.. If you paid attention .. you got a heads-up, before things got 'too late' bad.
I would even argue that old-timey idiot lights were better than the generic 'Check Engine' light. At least those pinpointed as to what there was a prob with .. oil/temp/charging .. stuff that was serious as a heart attack.
Now, with a 'check engine' light it's ... What .. What of 500 things could be wrong? I admit that pulling the code can really narrow it down (If it's right) ... Like 'FI nozzle on number 4 cylinder' ... Very useful .. But at the same time it'll come on for if you don't get the gas cap tight enough. Little non-serious things like that can drive ya nuts.

 

congrats, you were the first post on the 5th page

 

100% agree ... I've had a few 60-70's muscle cars in my time (Big V-8's with a 4 speed) .. and while a couple of them had tach's ... I never really needed one. I knew (As you say) by ear when I was at whatever RPM I needed to be to shift gears.
I guess it's an Old School thing...

 

I prefer a full set of gauges. I would include vacuum which can let you know if you are at the beginning of a problem, oil pressure, trans temperature, voltage, and amperage to what is already there. Other stuff, I would like to access digitally, like fuel trim, A/F, and so on. I don't like the idiot lights and it's off to the shop method.I also don't like getting stuck so I want to know what my trans temp is when towing and/or pulling a hill or wheeling. I want to see if there is a burp in my vacuum or oil pressure, or if my voltage has begun to drop lower when I start the engine. Having and understanding gauges helps you make decisions about adjusting your driving or pulling over before creating a bigger problem. Noticing your voltage drops very low and takes some time to recover after start might mean the difference between changing a battery and getting stuck on a trip.

 

Yeah, it's weird, huh? I counted years/months/days/hours till I could get my DL .. (1972) ... It really was your Ticket To Freedom.
(As long as you brought yer date home by midnight .. LOL!)
What more weird is (And it seems to be a growing trend...)
My youngest son (29) ... Has ZERO interest in driving. NONE. I bought him a Caravan when he was at college, but he drove it very little. He would rather take Uber or (Uggh..) be on a smelly bus with a bunch of weirdos. I don't get it.
My oldest son (31) has got some hot-rod turbo charged Subaru that he loves and looks for any chance at all to drive it.
Strange but true! LOL!

 

TW is passionate about their tachs.

 

Right on! (Especially the vacuum gauge .. If you know how to read it, an invaluable source of info..)
And the trans temp gauge as well... Especially when yer towing stuff.
"Having and understanding gauges helps you make decisions about adjusting your driving or pulling over before creating a bigger problem."
Exactly. EXACTLY.

 

It's branched off in weird directions ... LOL

 

I don’t agree it’s an old school thing. I don’t see how a tach helps a person shift correctly today or yesterday, because there is no magical rpm to shift at. Not even the AT shifts at the same rpm every time. Its shift points change depending on a number of changing factors (eg gas pedal position). I could go as far as claiming that A tach is just as likely to cause a distracted driving accident as it is to help a driver shift, but I don’t want start a whole other thread.

 

WITAF?

If the AT were outlawed, everyone who could drive would get better, and those who couldn't would be using public transport or uber.

 

Yeah, anyone who learned how to diagnose problems before everything became computerized know how valuable those basic gauges are. I still have a Sun Diagnostic set that I occasionally use. Haven't gotten to use the dwell and ohms for a while though

 

Hah! That one is actually better than the gauge in my 1965 Chevy Nova. Talk about bare minimum!

 

Me too. Driving meant so much freedom, I don't know why so many kids aren't interested. I also like mechanical things and having different skill sets, so it just appealed to me. Personally, I don't like having others drive so I don't care for Ubers, cabs, or public transportation. I want to be in control of the vehicle. I'd rather road trip than fly. I also started riding motorcycles when I was eight. Vehicles just appeal to me.

My 21 YO who is in college has several friends who still don't drive. One had commented to her, "You drive a stick? That's so badass".

 

Amen! I’ve always been into cars. Learning about them, working on them, modding them, driving them, figuring things out, the whole thing. That’s probably how I ended-up with six of them!

I live for Road trips! Not long after my GF and I started dating we were invited to a friends wedding. In Montana (we’re in So.Cal), in December. Immediately I started calculating how long it would take, which vehicle we would drive and what I’d need to do to that vehicle before it would be ready for such a trip. My GF looked at me and suggested we could fly there. My friends laughed and said that would be the last way they would expect me to get there! I used to fly a lot for work but I never really enjoyed it. For the past ten years or so if I need to work out of state I drive there (within reason).

 

Yeah I COULD NOT WAIT to get my license when I was 16. Its a lot more work and I think a lot of places have quite a few more rules on who can be in the car and when you can drive initially than they used to which may make it less appealing. Plus owning cars is expensive and I think a lot of kids are more concerned about the environment these days.

 

Exactly! I love all the prep and that moment we leave I always play Boston's Don't Look Back, because I feel like it captures the feeling. I'll make the trip longer to go through a particular area or use a highway I like. We are in the same area of the country, have you driven 395 to the Eastern Sierra? That is one of my favorite drives and I only go that way to get to Yosemite, Tahoe, or Mt. Lassen. I also love to take the 40 when going east. We are "boots on the ground" people so we really like putting our feet on something rather than seeing it from a distance. I have trip to Mammoth scheduled for about 2 weeks from now. I can't wait, but I also hope the fire situation is under control by then. We had to cancel trips to New Orleans and Idaho earlier this year due to COVID.

 

This is the real deal. 69 SS 396 with gauge package instead of just a fuel gauge with idiot lights

 

A toggle would be nice!

 

Sounds like we're two Peas in a Pod! I love the eastern Sierra's, in fact every summer some friends and I spend four or five days dual-sport riding in the hills around Bridgeport and Bodie. There's just so much to see up there! This summer's trip (back in June) we had to deal with lots more people on the trails and camping in the hills then we've seen in years past. I'm seeing the same thing in Big Bear and I think people are just trying to get out anywhere they can. I'm going to Moab next month and I'm really hoping things aren't crowded there. Maybe now that the kids are back in School (on-line or otherwise) people will start staying home more. Maybe.

Hwy 89 in Utah from Mt. Carmel Junction (on the east-side of Zion, NP) to Richfield is just about my most favorite drive in the west. I'm generally passing-through that area in the late Spring/Early Summer so I'm looking-forward to seeing what it looks like in Fall. Boots on the ground is a good descriptor of how I like to travel; coming-back from Moab two years ago some friends wanted to caravan home with me. I didn't mind as long as they didn't mind me stopping at obscure places I'd picked-out along the way.

Feel free to check-out my blog about some of the places I travel to (www.Kev250R.com) Sorry for steering this off-topic.