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Manual transmission gear indicator

15K views 31 replies 13 participants last post by  Shaeffer 
#1 ·
I have manual transmission and the base instrument cluster.

For those with the manual transmission and the TFT cluster, does it display your current gear? From what I've been able to tell from searching the forum it does not.

Either way I've been thinking about setting up a pod display so I know my current gear without me having to look down or reach down to the shifter. Not sure if that's even possible.
 
#2 ·
It does not, I have the TFT cluster and there is no such thing.... As for creating one... good luck! A buddy and I tried doing this a while back and gave up due to the complexity if the shifter and shift assembly. You would essentially need on/off buttons that would be magnetically or physically triggered when the shifter came into contact with them. Then a circuit board that can understand and relay all this info to a LCD/LED screen which displays the number WHILE making it small enough to prevent any problems with the throw of the standard or ST shifter (depending on what you have). Our original idea was to cut the numbers out of the stock shift knob and put LED lights under each one... so the knob would light up with which gear you are in... BUT idk how long you have had you dart for, but over time you can just tell what gear your in without looking and depending on you speed and rpms...
 
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#6 ·
Good to know! This is the kind of info I was looking for.

I'm a bit curious why you would want such a feature?

I can't think of a time my 40+ years of driving manual transmission cars that I didn't know which gear I was in.

Then again, I very rarely even look at my tachometer when up or down shifting my manual gearbox equipped vehicles.
I'm 30, and while I did grow up on a farm learning to drive standard on old pickups and grain trucks, this is the first manual vehicle I have owned and driven for any long period of time on a regular basis.
Before this, I had been driving some friends VWs (with manual trans) and they have gear indicators right in the middle of the instrument panel. I liked the feature and due to my relative driving inexperience it was a feature I wanted to replicate in my car. Especially when I find myself reaching down for where I THINK the shifter should be and find that I forgot to shift or forgot what gear I was in.

I've seen something like that for mustangs. I don't know if it's universal though. I'm not keen on how it works, but from what I remember, you program the gear indicator with the position the knob is in and you're good to go.

I saw it on Americanmuscle.com
I'll have to do some research/reading on that.
 
#4 · (Edited)
@Shaeffer -

I'm a bit curious why you would want such a feature?

I can't think of a time my 40+ years of driving manual transmission cars that I didn't know which gear I was in.

Then again, I very rarely even look at my tachometer when up or down shifting my manual gearbox equipped vehicles.
 
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#11 · (Edited)
Same for me. I haven't needed an indicator because I know by how fast I'm going, shifter location and what RPM i'm at, which gear I'm in. For example, Cruising on the highway ~60-70mph; 5th gear or 6th gear if cruising. You don't need an indicator to know what gear you're in unless you have the attention span of a fish. xD

There -are- gearknobs that have indicators built-in, but I find them superfluous.

 
#5 ·
I've seen something like that for mustangs. I don't know if it's universal though. I'm not keen on how it works, but from what I remember, you program the gear indicator with the position the knob is in and you're good to go.

I saw it on Americanmuscle.com

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk
 
#7 ·
I owned one from late 2012 to mid 2014. I've always wondered about that but never brought it up. And I don't recall the subject ever being mentioned. But now that you mention it, it is a curious delete and is oddly missing , considering all the other information available on modern screens - base or up trim. Weird how I never complained about that. I was rabid about getting the racetrack taillights installed, and always used the tach more or less for rev matching. But no gear indicator. Anyone know if it's also oddly missing from manual Challengers/Chargers/Vipers?
 
#9 ·
Now now... be nice. I will concede that the idiot lights for recommended up-shifting are very irritating. They should be long gone from any manual and I was glad the Dart didn't have those.
But when I get lost in the middle of listening to something heavy (like Zeppelin) or listening to something comical (like the tighty-righties on Fox News on SiriusXM), I need a reminder of where I'm at whilst rowing! :)

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#13 · (Edited)
Doing some more reading and research, I think this might be able to be done with an ODB2 reader and an app on my phone.

Adapters
ie: 1) https://www.amazon.ca/Veepeak-Bluetooth-Scanner-Android-Diagnostic/dp/B011NSX27A
or 2) https://www.amazon.ca/Panlong-Wireless-Diagnostic-Android-Symbian/dp/B00JQW9NCE
or 3) https://www.amazon.ca/Unilink-Bluetooth-Diagnostic-Interface-Scanner/dp/B00W2HYGUE
or 4) https://www.amazon.ca/ObdCANADA-BLUETOOTH-MultiProtocol-interface-compatiable/dp/B00AR9PSUG
or 5) https://www.amazon.ca/Bluetooth-CAN-BUS-Diagnostic-Windows-Android/dp/B008U1MOM8
or for my US friends: a whole search list
with apps such as:
"OBD Car Doctor (free), OBD Fusion, DashCommand, Engine Link, etc. for iOS on Apple Store; Torque Pro, Torque Lite (free), OBD Car Doctor (free), DashCommand (free), TorqueScan (free), OBDLink (free), eCar Pro etc. for Android on Google Play" (from the one amazon description)

Doing this method would be pretty great because I already always have my phone mounted next to my instrument cluster (a holder clipped to the vent between cluster and radio) and it would be able to show me a wealth of information more than just the current gear.

The only problem is some people say it can only be done by getting current RPMs and current speed, then doing the (apparently trivial) math to determine what gear you're in via the ratios, which can sometimes be wrong because it is an estimate.

Other places I've read that you can get the gear positions, or x and y positions (a list of codes I found here: Complete List of OBD Codes: Generic OBD2 (OBDII) & Manufacturer and here: OBD OBD-II Trouble Codes) but it is missing in other places (such as the wikipedia list here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OBD-II_PIDs).

As soon as I can I'm going to order up an ODB2 adapter and see what I can figure out.
 
#14 · (Edited)
At least the topic made for a passionate discussion about an automotive topic. @Bobcubs08 sort of gave it a "retro" internet forum feel. That was cool.
But all in all, my experience with the three pedal system has been one of toy-ish fascination. Although I'm deviating from the topic of A Gear Place Indicator, my experience is still relevant because as a Daily Driver, the stick can be a bit tedious. And as we ever forward look to the eventual Singularity Event of Man unifying with Robotics as a more durable container, I must confess that on my longer driving tours which include intense musical distraction from the audio system, I did find it easy to forget whether I was in 5th or 6th on my Dart I had. In retrospect, I would have had more use for a gear place indicator than the ever moving up and down - not to mention redundant - speedometer NUMBER display. But in following the logic of info displays in general, is that not what the HUD's are for? And do they not take us one baby step closer to the Singularity? Perhaps a pair of optional Bluetooth eye wear in both clear and tinted with programmable choices of display info available to the driver. Ala The Terminator. (I wonder if that is patented as yet?)
Remember... Stupidity is the Father Of Invention. The Mother is always always always about necessity. Nag nag. Eat your veggies, brush your teeth, wear clean undies..... there's no end to Her. But Dad ? He's a different story. :)

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#15 · (Edited)
I'd like to add that race-cars, such as Ken Block, the late Dave Mirra, and Travis Pastrana drive, do not have any sort of dash display. Those rally cars rarely have so much as a spedometer to tell them how fast they're going. A gear shift indicator is necessary on a race car because of rapid shifting up and down gears in a race, be it rally, or formula one, are with specialised and often specially-made transmissions. Transmissions that will in some racing specs' be replaced after every racing session. A general driven-everyday kind of car does not need one. You couldn't shift a factory dart as fast as the GRC/WRC-grade rally cars if your life depended on it; and therefore the need is not required to be able to downshift or upshift.


That said; your car, your call. Good luck with figuring out the setup to make it work [and no that wasn't written in a snarky or sarcastic manner].

Race-cars usually use something like this: (This is the GRC Rally Dart driven by Pastrana)


and that, seems to be this:

found here:
Cosworth Omega ICD Intelligent Colour Display - Race Data Systems
for around $2500 USD

if you can get that much out of an app, go for it.
 
#16 ·
The one thing that really stuck out to me there was how much of the original dash design they left in that car! Everything else was ripped out but they left that distinct bezel.

I'd like to add that race-cars, such as Ken Block, the late Dave Mirra, and Travis Pastrana drive, do not have any sort of dash display. Those rally cars rarely have so much as a spedometer to tell them how fast they're going. A gear shift indicator is necessary on a race car because of rapid shifting up and down gears in a race, be it rally, or formula one, are with specialised and often specially-made transmissions. Transmissions that will in some racing specs' be replaced after every racing session. A general driven-everyday kind of car does not need one. You couldn't shift a factory dart as fast as the GRC/WRC-grade rally cars if your life depended on it; and therefore the need is not required to be able to downshift or upshift.


That said; your car, your call. Good luck with figuring out the setup to make it work [and no that wasn't written in a snarky or sarcastic manner].

Race-cars usually use something like this: (This is the GRC Rally Dart driven by Pastrana)
and that, seems to be this:
found here:
Cosworth Omega ICD Intelligent Colour Display - Race Data Systems
for around $2500 USD

if you can get that much out of an app, go for it.
I will certainly try the ODB2 reader + app route. I think it would be enough information (for me at least). Like you said: my Dart is no race car! lol
 
#17 · (Edited)
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#18 ·
When I first started putting miles on my 2013 manual, I thought the "stupid 90's chev cavalier" had an upshift light that really bothered me. And, I was happy that the Dart didn't have one!

But sometimes, I find in traffic, I have to push the stick a little sideways to be sure I made the shift to sixth, instead of riding with power in 4th - as things go fast in traffic. 4th and 6th are really close together, and that's nice and all, but totally different than the Jeep driving. I never hardly use 5th, and 4th is the go to gear for backroads driving.

I don't drive looking at the RPMs, I just drive it most of the time. There are a select few county roads I come around and end up staying in 4th @ 55mpg and don't notice the Dart's got 2 gears left to go!

Not that I need an upshift light, or even want it. Not that I need a gear indicator light either, but I could see why you'd need one once and a while - and with as much junk as you can get in these cars, I was put back they didn't put a light or indicator for gear position.

BUT, I don't need to get back to the 90's to find out if I need it or not. I'll just push the stick to the side and find out I'm still in 4th. Then I shift to 6th and skip 5th, as I often end up doing!
 
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