Revcounters - who uses them?

[TurboHatchback]

I use them all the time. In manual cars they help you pick the ideal moments to change gear and in a quiet automatic car they tell you that the engine is still running when stationary and give you an idea what the transmission is doing when on the move.

I'm sure they are not essential but if you have one I don't know why you wouldn't use it.

[andy-xr]

I use it in my S Type, on the motorway to save fuel it's better to keep it on or just under 2k rpm if you want best economy.

It was also handy in my diesel Mondeo, 2200 rpm seemed to be the best time to change up.

I like having a rev counter on my Quantum because it can show how far out the ISCV is that day

[GSE]

I use the rev counter every day - mainly to verify that the slight flat spot I feel during acceleration at around 2500 rpm on my Mondeo Diesel, is a sluggish egr switching in and out. It's probably going to fail again soon, I'm ready

I consider cars that don't come with rev counters as white goods.

[BritishRacinGrin]

GSE said:

the slight flat spot I feel during acceleration at around 2500 rpm on my Mondeo Diesel, is a sluggish egr switching in and out.

That used to drive me mad. Mine was a pre-'53' plate car though so I could blank the EGR off without throwing up a warning light. The misfire disappeared but so did a few MPG... presuably due to the slower warm-up.

[Atmospheric]

I'm sorry, but the revcounter is a vital piece of the information and feedback gathering equation.

This is where you learn about your engine's characteristics at a certain speed and drive to those. If you have no idea what your car's engine does at various speed limit points then it's wasted on you!

This provides far more accurate information than the speedometer on many levels.

I suppose the "not-looking" applies to diesel drivers, which after the lump of torque at 1500 change up anyway. So they don't need to look.

[E65Ross]

Mound Dawg said:

I do but not on the "fun" Alfa as much as I do on the "daily" Fiat.

For some reason the layout of the gauges in the Punto puts the rev counter needle in the centre of the pod and the speedo off on the left when they're in the normal operating range. As a result when I'm on the motorway I tend to look at the rev counter and double the reading to get my speed, so 3000 rpm = 60mph, 3500 = 70, 4000 = 80 etc.

Blimey that revs high on the motorway!!

I use the Rev counter, but largely when the engine is cold to ensure I don't rev it higher than I'd like. That said, driving normally it's hard to rev it too high. Max rpm is 6500 and it does less than 2000rpm at 70mph.

[HorneyMX5]

stargazer30 said:

I use mine all the time in my car. Its an FN2 CTR so you kinda have to.

Not using the in built shift lights then?

[thiscocks]

yes tend to look at them quite alot. I was glad it was the speedo and not the tacho that broke in my 106 put it that way.

[thiscocks]

GSE said:

I consider cars that don't come with rev counters as white goods.

Agree. Remember a citroen AX I drove ages ago didnt have one and that was a bit annoying as it was quite a nice revvy little engine

[GetCarter]

Almost never look at the speedo, ALWAYS look at the rev counter. Can't believe people don't.

[shoestring7]

I actually use the speedometer to measure the vehicle's speed, which seems to make me some sort of oddity.

I use the rev counters to judge a change up when I want maximum performance, to check I'm in the correct gear for good response when I'm planning an overtake or a sequence of corners, or to ensure I'm in the correct gear to minimise fuel consumption, or to meet to rev limits when running in a new engine (something I've done quite a lot of recently).

SS7

[DJP]

Depends on the vehicle.

I used to use the rev counter constantly when I had manual cars and sportsbikes.

Nowadays it's less relevant since my car's an automatic and my bike's built for mid-range torque rather than top-end BHP.

[Alex]

The revcounter is an essential driving instrument, the speedo is only there to help comply with the arbitrary speed limits. Other than curiosity, why else would you need to know your speed?

[Hippohiphooray]

TBH, I tend to look at the Rev counter more than the speedo. I'll only look at the speedo briefly if I know I'm near a speed camera, or I'm moving from one speed limit zone to a different speed limit zone.

[J4CKO]

I bet the revcounter is a bloke thing, I bet most female drivers would say it is almost entirely redundant, males love to know this stuff, go and ask your other half (assuming mainly straight male readership, but whatever) and see what they say.

Do you wear a heart rate monitor as well ?

Do you have task manager open on your pc and watch it like a hawk ?


I love my revcounter as much as the next petrolhead but it doesn't actually make any odds to how I drive, in fact most of the stuff we have on the dash isnt actually much use.

My car has a voltmeter and an oil pressure gauge as well, er, cheers, but I dont really care much, if it isnt charging right I am sure I will find out pretty soon, ditto the oil pressure, could probably put a rev scale on that one as well as it goes up and down in unison with the rev counter.

I love turbo boost gauges, most dont have a scale and arent even based on actual manifold pressure, only any use if they are and on engines where boost is adjusted.

Fuel Gauge, speedo and some warning lights is enough, even temp only really needs to be a warning light or buzzer.


I love the idea of these LCD screens with virtual dials where you can turn stuff on and off, configure it how you like.

[E65Ross]

thiscocks said:

GSE said:

I consider cars that don't come with rev counters as white goods.

Agree. Remember a citroen AX I drove ages ago didnt have one and that was a bit annoying as it was quite a nice revvy little engine

Rolls-Royce Phantom?

[Jayho]

Like many on here I use mine on a daily basis. I tend to limit my own revs to a certain point to ensure that my engine is warm before making a little bit more progress. (Stupid car doesn't have an engine temp gauge)

Also like to play a little game sometimes when I'm on the back roads to work without many passing points. Quite often I'll come across a driver which slows down a lot for corners but speed up rapidly immediately after. I like to limit my revs just to see how slow they are actually taking the corners. They'll end up further ahead of me during straights, but then I'm back on their tail after the corners. Amuses me in the mornings and ensures that I don't tailgate someone.

[GetCarter]

F1 drivers use them for every gear change (it's on the steering wheel for those that don't know). Why wouldn't they?

Was a real help in my last R500

Edited by GetCarter on Wednesday 29th October 17:19

[jhonn]

GetCarter said:

Almost never look at the speedo, ALWAYS look at the rev counter. Can't believe people don't.

And I can't believe the number of people on this thread that feel the need for a gauge to tell them how they're driving, or how their engine is performing.

We're all different I guess.

[GetCarter]

jhonn said:

GetCarter said:

Almost never look at the speedo, ALWAYS look at the rev counter. Can't believe people don't.

And I can't believe the number of people on this thread that feel the need for a gauge to tell them how they're driving, or how their engine is performing.

We're all different I guess.

As mentioned elsewhere... F1 drivers, who use them for every gear change.

Last couple of fast cars I've owned have had lights rather than a gauge. They really help, as one gets through the gears in less than a second.

I DON'T look at the speedo. It's all about the revs.

Edited by GetCarter on Wednesday 29th October 17:41