i was sitting in my car the other day and was just looking at the tach. and i noticed each increase from 1k rpms is different width wise. but 5k is in the middle as a half of 10k. is there any reason why 1k to 2k is like .2 inches and from 8k to 9k is like an inch? or did honda just make it look like that just to mess with our heads?

 

If the tach represents the entire power curve of the car then it makes sense to space them accordingly. The difference between 1K and 2k is not important compared to the difference between 8K and 9K.

It takes more time for the car to go from 8 to 9 then it does from 1 to 2K. Hence the spacing on the tach.

If it was all even spacing representing the RPMs then it would suck cause it would harder to tell when you where pushing redline until it's too late.

 

my theory is this....they put 6K right at the top.....which is basically the VTEC engagement point.


So when you're at the track, a quick peripheral glance will tell you if you're still in your power band (high cam or not)

If they spaced the numbers equally, 6K RPM would be over to the right much more, which would be a lot less obvious to the driver

 

yea i noticed.. jus never really put much thought into it..

 

How much time do you spend driving in the 1-2k range, vs 8-9k? It's more important to know your engine speed at the high end of the range, therefore it gets most of the dash space.

 

No. No one in their right mind is looking at the tach instead of the course. You learn very quickly to hear the engine and know what RPMs you're at. Besides, you never go below 6,000, so why would you need to check?

 

i personly believe that honda put more space between the top to give the psycological effect that you are accelerating faster that you really are.

 

Well said grasshopper

 

While thats very true, I've also heard or read somewhere that Honda put the 6k rpm right in the middle for the exact reason that 03_AP1 mentioned. Even though there is no need to glance at the tacho when you're in full flight, its still possible to do so(for whatever reason), unless you're in the middle of negotiating through a chicane or something.