Shift light

**flabele** · 01-25-2006 06:06 PM

I know alot of people think shift lights are stupid in our cars. BUt i really want one. Nothing big. Just a little light i can mount on the dash. Does anybody have any suggestions?? Besides telling me i dont need one...lol.

**Oldfart Racer** · 01-25-2006 06:53 PM

http://www.raptorperformance.com/

**IDAFC21** · 01-26-2006 07:27 AM

http://www.turboxs.com/more_info.php?ID=212

yes, its mainly a knock indicater, but it does also have a progammable shift light in it. so you get 2 great things in one!

**josnroh** · 01-26-2006 08:36 AM

Originally Posted by Oldfart Racer

http://www.raptorperformance.com/

That's a nice light.

**dsel** · 01-26-2006 08:37 AM

I don't understand. We have a shift light...It's called a tach. What's the point of it?

**Oldfart Racer** · 01-26-2006 10:10 AM

Sometimes, in the heat of the battle a reminder is a good thing. When I am on the track I am looking ahead not at my tach.

**dsel** · 01-26-2006 10:16 AM

Originally Posted by Oldfart Racer

Sometimes, in the heat of the battle a reminder is a good thing. When I am on the track I am looking ahead not at my tach.

how high is it mounted?

**Oldfart Racer** · 01-26-2006 11:01 AM

It is mounted in the center AC vent. You can't see the unit until it lights.

**dielectric** · 01-26-2006 11:46 AM

I built a tiny tach bar for myself. I got all jazzed up watching F1 one day, where they have the tachometer as a series of lights on the steering wheel. Mine is mounted at the edge of the instrument cluster, right by the top of the steering wheel. From my vantage point, it appears just under the rim of the steering wheel. Since our wheel has so many turns lock-to-lock, it wouldn't be practical mounted directly to the wheel.

Mine is 6 surface-mount LEDs in a row. They light up progressively then all blink when I hit my shift point. Now I'm working on version 2, which has a dual-stage shift indicator. I want it to tell me to upshift when I'm cruising around, hopefully saving some gas in the process.

Anyway, I don't know how geeky you are, but maybe this is food for thought.

**dsel** · 01-26-2006 11:52 AM

Originally Posted by Oldfart Racer

It is mounted in the center AC vent. You can't see the unit until it lights.

can you see something in that location any easier than the tach? seems you would still have to kind of take your eyes off the road. The idea is growing on me.

**hellbilly1342** · 01-26-2006 12:21 PM

Originally Posted by dielectric

I built a tiny tach bar for myself. I got all jazzed up watching F1 one day, where they have the tachometer as a series of lights on the steering wheel. Mine is mounted at the edge of the instrument cluster, right by the top of the steering wheel. From my vantage point, it appears just under the rim of the steering wheel. Since our wheel has so many turns lock-to-lock, it wouldn't be practical mounted directly to the wheel.

Mine is 6 surface-mount LEDs in a row. They light up progressively then all blink when I hit my shift point. Now I'm working on version 2, which has a dual-stage shift indicator. I want it to tell me to upshift when I'm cruising around, hopefully saving some gas in the process.

Anyway, I don't know how geeky you are, but maybe this is food for thought.

I like this set up. can you do a write up on how you did this? I have an '05 WRX, will this work for my car?

**psychobooe** · 01-26-2006 12:25 PM

Originally Posted by dielectric

I built a tiny tach bar for myself. I got all jazzed up watching F1 one day, where they have the tachometer as a series of lights on the steering wheel. Mine is mounted at the edge of the instrument cluster, right by the top of the steering wheel. From my vantage point, it appears just under the rim of the steering wheel. Since our wheel has so many turns lock-to-lock, it wouldn't be practical mounted directly to the wheel.

Mine is 6 surface-mount LEDs in a row. They light up progressively then all blink when I hit my shift point. Now I'm working on version 2, which has a dual-stage shift indicator. I want it to tell me to upshift when I'm cruising around, hopefully saving some gas in the process.

Anyway, I don't know how geeky you are, but maybe this is food for thought.

Yeah man, that sounds pretty cool. I'd like to know how much it cost and how hard it was to install. Also, pics please.
Thanks.

**dielectric** · 01-26-2006 01:46 PM

I built this thing from scratch, so unless you're handy with a microcontroller it might be difficult. A how-to article would mostly be me sitting at a computer, then slinging solder.

Total cost is probably < $10 for parts, and the install was just like any other shift light. I did it because I'm cheap, sort of like the Gtech-like thing I'm working on now. I found a cheap surplus accelerometer, so I'm hooking it up to a little LCD display. Fun stuff.

If you wanted to buy one, mine looks a lot like this:
http://www.race-sport.net/revlite.html

Here's a guy who put one in his WRX:
http://www.wrxforum.com/cgi-bin/ulti...c;f=3;t=005730

Josh