2010 Outback Speedo Issues

General Subaru Talk - Media / News / Stories ...
User avatar
Diesel OB
Junior Member
Posts: 33
Joined: Thu Jan 14, 2010 7:35 am
Location: SA

2010 Outback Speedo Issues

Post by Diesel OB » Sun Mar 14, 2010 8:31 pm

Hi There,

Just checked speedo in the new Outback against GPS, as it felt as though we were going slow. Turns out it is reading about 10% fast,

actual speed speedo reads

110 km/h 118 km/h
100 km/h 108 km/h
80 km/h 87 km/h
60 km/h 66 km/h
50 km/h 55 km/h

Any one else had issues? Is there going to be an easy fix?

In the big picture, it throws out all fuel economy calculations and we will also end up with a car that has 200,000 kms on that clock but it will have only done about 180,000 kms.

Thanks Phil

User avatar
Outback bloke
Senior Member
Posts: 2103
Joined: Fri Sep 30, 2005 10:00 am
Location: Morayfield - Queensland
Contact:

Post by Outback bloke » Sun Mar 14, 2010 8:47 pm

It has been like that since the Gen 3. Only way to fix it is to fit taller tyres. Work out the percentage ratio, then find out the OD of your tyres, at the percentage and then find a tyre with that OD.

I'm using a 225x70/16 and my speedo is now only 2% out but the other way now.

User avatar
Gannon
Senior Member
Posts: 4580
Joined: Sat Nov 05, 2005 10:00 am
Location: Bowraville, Mid Nth Coast, NSW

Post by Gannon » Sun Mar 14, 2010 8:58 pm

Current rides: 2016 Mitsubishi Triton GLS & 2004 Forester X
Ongoing Project/Toy: 1987 RX Turbo EA82T, Speeduino ECU, Coil-pack ignition, 440cc Injectors, KONI adjustale front struts, Hybrid L Series/ Liberty AWD 5sp
Past rides: 92 L series turbo converted wagon, 83 Leone GL Sedan, 2004 Liberty GT Sedan & 2001 Outback
------------------------------------------

User avatar
paulak
Junior Member
Posts: 3
Joined: Sat Mar 13, 2010 11:09 pm
Location: cunderdin wa

Post by paulak » Sun Mar 14, 2010 8:58 pm

I have opposite problem with my 08 forester am fixing it with taller tyres.

User avatar
paulak
Junior Member
Posts: 3
Joined: Sat Mar 13, 2010 11:09 pm
Location: cunderdin wa

Post by paulak » Sun Mar 14, 2010 9:09 pm

Oops same problem. Am changing from 215/60 16 to 215/70 16.

User avatar
AlpineRaven
Senior Member
Posts: 3682
Joined: Wed Oct 19, 2005 10:00 am
Location: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

Post by AlpineRaven » Mon Mar 15, 2010 4:22 pm

Or install speedo corrector?
Cheers
AP
Subarus that I have/had:
1995 Liberty "Rallye" - 5MT AWD, LSD - *written off 25/8/06 in towing accident.
1996 Liberty Wagon - SkiFX AWD 5MT D/R, Lifted.. Outback Sway Bar, 1.59:1 Low Gearing see thread: 1.59:1 in EJ Box Page
Sold at 385,000kms in July 2011.
2007 Liberty BP Wagon, 2.5i automatic
Image

User avatar
Diesel OB
Junior Member
Posts: 33
Joined: Thu Jan 14, 2010 7:35 am
Location: SA

Post by Diesel OB » Mon Mar 15, 2010 4:51 pm

Hi AP,

What is involved in speedo corrector? Just got a response from Subaru Australia see below.
_________________________________________________________________

Thank you for your email to feedback at Subaru.

Regarding your concerns relating to speedometer accuracy, As per Australian Design Rule (ADR) 18/03 the maximum allowance for speedometer calibration is actual speed to a maximum of 'actual speed + 10% + 4km/h ' .

The reason this calibration standard exists is because the indication of the actual speed cannot be guaranteed. This is because of manufacturing tolerances of the speedometer and associated sensors, tyre wear and different option tyre types with slightly different rolling circumference.

The law states that the indicated speed must never be less than the actual speed and not more than 10% +4km/hr. Therefore due to the variables mentioned above the Subaru speedometer is calibrated to '
actual speed + 5% + 2km/h ' as being the mid point in the allowable range. This ensures compliance with the regulation and that you can be sure that your indicated speed is greater than the actual speed assuming correct operation of your speedometer.

With regards to odometer accuracy, the odometer and trip meters fitted to Subaru vehicles comply with ADR 18/03 also. However ADR 18/03 states that the odometer and trip meters must have an accuracy of 0 plus or minus 4%. Therefore any fuel economy calculations will have an accuracy of 0 plus or minus 4% and will not be calculated from the speedometer display.

Accordingly we are unable to recommend any modification to the Speedo to address your concerns.

Once again, thank you for writing to Subaru Australia.

_________________________________________________________________


This to me infers that calibration is possible to quite a high level of accuracy, so why not just make it correct? If it is a concern of someone claiming against them in the case of a speeding fine, make the customer sign a disclaimer if they want the calibration done.

If nothing else.....at least make it known that this is how they are set!!!

Phil

User avatar
steptoe
Master Member
Posts: 11582
Joined: Thu Oct 06, 2005 10:00 am
Location: 14 miles outside Gotham City

Post by steptoe » Mon Mar 15, 2010 7:04 pm

It will be correct only with the tyres it was calibrated in mind with/for. Changes in manufacturer tolerances or styles could change the acuracy. So many tyres out there designed for the one car. As we age a little we change our needs of tyres and our budget. Subaru have taken the middle of the road upper tolerance, I think? YEAH, surely in this day and age an annual vehicle inspection could check accuracy and be able to adjusted to EXACT, or on tyre change.

That +4kph bit on top of the 10% ,I did not know. Somehow I don't think Victoria's law enforcement don't either.

As far back as an MY with 175/70-13 speedo readings have displayed a speed faster than what actually travelling at. I fixed mine by fitting various 14 or 15 inch rims and tyres to be near enuff to sp[ot on with GPS

User avatar
Chris_Rogers
General Member
Posts: 1155
Joined: Sat Dec 31, 2005 10:00 am
Location: Brisbane
Contact:

Post by Chris_Rogers » Mon Mar 15, 2010 10:43 pm

Diesel OB wrote:Hi AP,

What is involved in speedo corrector? Just got a response from Subaru Australia see below.
more than you want to play with on that car. spped is derived from the ABS system and then fed via CANbus to the speedo head.

do it with tyres - easier.
Audio Express

1987 HR31 Nissan skyline
1990 R32 Nissan Skyline GTS4

2006 Holden Combo - work van :)

User avatar
steptoe
Master Member
Posts: 11582
Joined: Thu Oct 06, 2005 10:00 am
Location: 14 miles outside Gotham City

Post by steptoe » Tue Mar 16, 2010 8:41 am

Ohh No!! CANbus has arrived at Subaru.....

User avatar
Diesel OB
Junior Member
Posts: 33
Joined: Thu Jan 14, 2010 7:35 am
Location: SA

Post by Diesel OB » Tue Mar 16, 2010 4:10 pm

Chris_Rogers wrote:more than you want to play with on that car. spped is derived from the ABS system and then fed via CANbus to the speedo head.

do it with tyres - easier.
The issue I have doing it with tyres, is that the signal is obviously split off separately to the speedo and odometer. Subaru state that the odometer is accurate as set out by the ADR's, which means changing tyres will screw my odometer taking with it all fuel calculations etc.

Seems as though I will just have to live with it and use the GPS and set cruise control until I can find and instrument company that thinks they have the gear to re-calibrate it.

User avatar
pimp2plz
Junior Member
Posts: 37
Joined: Fri May 08, 2009 7:00 pm
Location: Kellyville, NSW, Australia

Post by pimp2plz » Tue Mar 16, 2010 8:09 pm

It's easier just to live with it and when you setting cruise just compensate by adding 10% to your speed.

User avatar
wrxer
Junior Member
Posts: 283
Joined: Thu May 28, 2009 12:52 am
Location: west aus

Post by wrxer » Tue Mar 16, 2010 11:15 pm

i think its interesting also, that speedo and trip meter are calibrated seperately.

User avatar
Outback bloke
Senior Member
Posts: 2103
Joined: Fri Sep 30, 2005 10:00 am
Location: Morayfield - Queensland
Contact:

Post by Outback bloke » Wed Mar 17, 2010 5:50 am

They have the ability to put GPS in the vehicles at very little cost these days. Why they do not use a road speed and GPS reading to get an accurate speed is beyond me.

Buy yourself a gps, tomtom, navman or the likes if you want to drive at the exact speed and just put up with the speedo error.

Your speedo will change with tyre wear and the next time you fit new tyres. You can buy a listed 215x60/17 from a number of different tyre manufacturers and they will be a different OD.

User avatar
Kibnedyo
Junior Member
Posts: 3
Joined: Mon May 31, 2010 11:38 pm
Location: Ballarat

Post by Kibnedyo » Sat Jun 05, 2010 10:28 am

Our brand new outback is the same. At 100kph on the speedo I am doing 9kph less. At 110 I am doing more than 10kph less.

Does anyone know of a company in Victoria that can recallibrate Subie speedos?

What is involved in callibrating, would it affect any other systems? On the face of it no as the odometer reads much more accurately that the speedo and the vehicle signal provides an accurate speed reading to.

User avatar
Diesel OB
Junior Member
Posts: 33
Joined: Thu Jan 14, 2010 7:35 am
Location: SA

Post by Diesel OB » Sun Jun 06, 2010 7:03 pm

I have had know luck and have had several contacts with Subaru and they won't have a bar of it. Several companies I have spoken with have said bit of a mine field to try and correct.

Still say it is a safety issue....just been on a long trip away and looking down at the GPS to set the cruise control to has whiskers on it, would be much easier if speedo was correct!!!

User avatar
1111giles
Junior Member
Posts: 630
Joined: Thu Jan 07, 2010 10:18 am
Location: Halifax UK

Speedo issue.....

Post by 1111giles » Sun Jun 06, 2010 7:52 pm

Hi there, your not alone with this issue, my Outback has the same problem.....

My car is the navigation version. So this means that the inbuilt satnav itself doesnt display my actual road speed. However my Tom tom satnav does. I only noticed the discrepancy in speedo display speed when I took along the Tom tom to use as a tool to warn me about traffic speed cameras positions.
The Tom tom was telling me accurate speed which was at 50mph showing about 46-7 on the Scoob's speedo.

Here we have average speed camera set ups ( popular on motorway roadworks) they are designed to keep the speed down over a long stretch (unlike fixed one shot cameras where you can slow down and then speed up again)
If you dont have then yet - heres what may come your way!
They read your number plate every time you pass an overhead camera -maybe a camera every mile or so and the system calculates your average speed travelled through the speed limited stretch. You will find out later in the post if you have been naughty!!

If I set my Outback to 50 on cruise through one of these average speed set ups, I get hasseled by the trucks, and other cars......very annoying, so I now know to set at 54 and that gives for 50 actual.

Renault now sells the Clio here, with Tom tom built in to the dash ! - I wont be buying one though just for that!

I am sure that this speedo discrepancy applies to other cars too, just gotta live with it!

Cheers
Giles

User avatar
steptoe
Master Member
Posts: 11582
Joined: Thu Oct 06, 2005 10:00 am
Location: 14 miles outside Gotham City

Post by steptoe » Sun Jun 06, 2010 8:16 pm

GPS lag is a current problem here. I have three separate systems in the work hack. They all lose the plot at same time. One is just my alerteGPS G220 worth a few boxes of cashews, but the other systems have had millions poured into them so need to be highly acurate and responsive - all lagging behind in speed, tracking. Thought it may have been in prep for Mr Obamas no longer impendining visit in June. Put off again due to oil leak crisis

User avatar
Kibnedyo
Junior Member
Posts: 3
Joined: Mon May 31, 2010 11:38 pm
Location: Ballarat

Post by Kibnedyo » Wed Jun 09, 2010 9:20 am

I agree that other traffic is the largest concern with speedo errors.

Less than a week after receiving the Subi we were aggressively run off the Western Ring Road by a semi trailer because we were traveling at 100kmh on our speedo (somewhere about 90kph in reality).

Subaru will not accept this is a safety issue and I am frustrated that other peak bodies such as RACV do not see this as an issue either. In fact RACV refused to publish a readers comment I submitted regarding this speedo issue.

Road rage is an increasing problem and this type of stuffing around deliberately setting speedos to read incorrectly will only contribute to the error. I assert that one of the reasons road tolls are rising this year is due in part to this setting.

The other messgae that inadvertantly reaches the public is that Speeding is ESSENTIAL! In order to keep up with traffic one must ignoe the speedo in their car as it does not read the real (higher) speed.

Subaru were very testy when I suggested they must accept responsibility for loss injuriy from any road rage incident against us if we drive according to the equipment they have supplied.

However who else can take responsibility? The refuse to calibrate the speedos themselves, they threaten to cancel warranty and refuse to release algorithms to instrument companies. If this is not taking full responsibility then what is?

In all reality car companies have pulled off one of the biggest cons for the decade here by successfully lobbying UN and Governments to allow them to produce equipment with such huge built in errors.

User avatar
Alex
Elder Member
Posts: 5405
Joined: Wed Nov 23, 2005 10:00 am
Location: Perth
Contact:

Post by Alex » Wed Jun 09, 2010 11:02 am

funny cos my gen3 lib is dead on exact when compared to my tom tom. Like dead on exact.

alex
my07 Outback
my13 Hyundai i45(shhhh)
my02 Gen3 Liberty limited ed.

previously
L-series wagon, LSD, EJ20turbo, 29in tyres, 'wanky wagon'
2000 gen3 outback, lifted, otherwise stock.

Post Reply

Return to “Subaru Chat”