Introduction - Newly minted Roadster owner

[Peter.h]

(I didn't see any rules around introductions - if it's inappropriate please feel free to delete)

I just bought a 2011 Roadster Sport 2.5 (#1171, Thunder Gray) -- it's my first electric vehicle and I absolutely love it.

I have only had it for 2 weeks, but this forum has already proven to be a great resource (I picked up a pair of CANs from Henry Sharp (which are outstanding!), installed a brand-new Tesla Model S wall charger, adjusted the suspension for a slightly less harsh ride, got a new set of tires, and replaced the iPhone connector with a lightning wire) -- thank you all for sharing this wealth of information here.

The car has roughly 16,500 miles (planning to double this in my first year ), and I see an estimated range of 160-165 miles (180-185 ideal) after a full charge. Actual mileage seems to be closer to 120-150 with my driving style. I read about the 3.0 upgrade and I think I'll do it in a year or two (when the roadster gets closer to the 10-year end of support mark).

I am located in Long Beach, CA -- Are there any meet-ups/get-togethers happening in the LA area?

And, I'm 6' 5" (which must be at the high end for roadster drivers) and basically unable to see the gauges. Any thoughts/advice? Is there a head-up display available for the roadster?

Thank you all for this great resource!

 

[Brando]

internet search for HUD - Heads Up Display
Perhaps Car Toys has?
good luck on your searching

 

[bonnie]

I am located in Long Beach, CA -- Are there any meet-ups/get-togethers happening in the LA area?

Check out the Los Angeles Tesla Owners Club - TESLA LA CLUB | THE TESLAFICIONADO EXPO

 

[gregd]

internet search for HUD - Heads Up Display
Perhaps Car Toys has?
good luck on your searching

Most HUDs don't work in the Roadster, since the OBDII port doesn't support the necessary CAN bus signals. But, stay tuned for the new OVMSv3 module which is under development. It will have the ability to drive a HUD, based info from the car's diagnostic port.

And, congrats on the car (great choice of color, by the way ), and welcome to the group!

 

[NigelM]

And, I'm 6' 5" (which must be at the high end for roadster drivers) and basically unable to see the gauges. Any thoughts/advice?

Congrats on buying your Roadster! I've been driving mine for almost 7 years and it's still huge fun...

Many of us can't really see the gauges but the only critical one is the speedometer; looking down at the VDS isn't ideal as it takes away your sight of the road. On a 2011 2.5 you probably have the Alpine NAV-10 entertainment unit...check the data screens and you'll see that you can set it to show you a nice clear speed indication.

I forget the exact location (I'm on a trip for a few days and my car is at home) but someone will chime in if you can't find it ->

 

[augkuo]

Welcome!

Hit the "NAVI MENU" button and you'll see this screen -

Hit the info button and then "Dashboard" to show the speedometer as Nigel's post

 

[AEdennis]

Welcome to Roadster ownership... it's a blast...

If you care to go South... I help run the OC Cub... see my signature.

 

[sethr]

Welcome indeed! Enjoy your Roadster, as I know you will! One bit of information - if your Alpine was given a map update (as I did two years ago) that speedometer display was taken away. On my Roadster, the VDS display, though a bit small, is more accurate than my speedometer anyhow.

 

[gregd]

On my Roadster, the VDS display, though a bit small, is more accurate than my speedometer anyhow.

Yeah... My analog speedometer tends to read a bit low, compared to the VDS, and the VDS is usually different than what the in-dash Nav system says. I haven't taken out my Garmin to compare, but I expect it would say something yet different.

Recall the proverb: "Man with a watch knows what time it is; man with two watches is never quite sure."

 

[ViviV]

I recently noticed that the "amps" on the instrument panel right above the odometer matches the mph on the VDS at all speeds tested. Since I had previously found the speedometer dial hard to read accurately I used to look down at the VDS to check my speed; however since my discovery that amps is the same as mph I now just look at the digital amps. It is awesome and in my opinion obviates the need for a HUD (if you can see the display). This picture obviously was taken while parked. Does anyone else use amps this way?

As for seeing the display, I am at the other end of the spectrum of height (5'1") so I have no problem seeing the gauges or traffic lights, but I do have an issue with some cars' headlights behind me at night shining directly into my eyes from the rearview mirror so I have to duck to keep from being blinded.​

 

[gregd]

I recently noticed that the "amps" on the instrument panel right above the odometer matches the mph on the VDS at all speeds tested. Since I had previously found the speedometer dial hard to read accurately I used to look down at the VDS to check my speed; however since my discovery that amps is the same as mph I now just look at the digital amps. It is awesome and in my opinion obviates the need for a HUD (if you can see the display).

Do you have an OVMS module in the car? I believe they can override the normal Amps value, in order to provide a digital speed display on the dash, for exactly the reason you listed.

 

[ViviV]

Do you have an OVMS module in the car?

@gregd, yes I have an OVMS module

 

[Oricle]

And, I'm 6' 5" (which must be at the high end for roadster drivers) and basically unable to see the gauges. Any thoughts/advice? Is there a head-up display available for the roadster?

I'm also 6'5" and have been looking into "tall guy" mods. None of the Lotus Elise tricks i've found work on the Roadster however, except for removing the dead pedal.

 

[Mark77a]

I'm also 6'5" and have been looking into "tall guy" mods. None of the Lotus Elise tricks i've found work on the Roadster however, except for removing the dead pedal.

• Remove the sun visors directly in view if you are tall - to see trafic lights, - then cover the exposed metal hinges with thin plastic black tube, eg cable wrap (to avoid reflections, and to look better from outside etc.).
• Use roof off (and or get a visium clear roof **my favourite upgrade** Lotus Elise S2 ).. to see trafic lights !!
• As above: add OVMS and set amps (no importance) to MPH
• As above (but for EU Nav 10) in map view press the small icon 2nd up on LHS with Compass North to get full screen speedo and navigation stats (eg miles and time to destination) - my default mode.
• DO Get a HUD display eg Popular Mechanicis HUD kit [$10 Walmart on closeout] and use one of the many of the, bright screen, reversal, HUD apps. Get This Neat Heads-Up Display and Stop Distracted Driving this has adjustable screen angle, and smart phone cradle (I tried the refective screen HUD stick-on but as screen has steep rake and is non ajustable - the viewing angle will depend on your height - I'm 6'3" and it didn't work for me). Also just having just spent some time in a BMW i8 with HUD.....For me HUD goes from 'nice to have' to 'essential' eg speed, route etc ALL in field of view .. SO much safer !!

Question: for those who have removed the 'dead pedal' .. I found the screws seemed to be locked from behind/inside - they turned a bit then got tighter so I was worried about breaking off heads or stripping threads - any tips from those who have done this ??

 

[smorgasbord]

Isn't there a thread about using a Navdy for a HUD?

 

[hcsharp]

Question: for those who have removed the 'dead pedal' .. I found the screws seemed to be locked from behind/inside - they turned a bit then got tighter so I was worried about breaking off heads or stripping threads - any tips from those who have done this ??

I removed mine to add more soundproofing behind it and had no problems getting the screws out. It was a little tricky getting the screws back in because there's so little room under there to see what you're doing. Once I got them started it was fine.

 

[hurd300403]

I absolutely love my navdy HUD on mine. enjoy!!

 

[markwj]

I recently noticed that the "amps" on the instrument panel right above the odometer matches the mph on the VDS at all speeds tested. Since I had previously found the speedometer dial hard to read accurately I used to look down at the VDS to check my speed; however since my discovery that amps is the same as mph I now just look at the digital amps. It is awesome and in my opinion obviates the need for a HUD (if you can see the display). This picture obviously was taken while parked. Does anyone else use amps this way?

@gregd, yes I have an OVMS module

Sounds very much like you have the experimental 'digital speedo' feature in OVMS v2 enabled. It works well, but the display does sometimes jump around to show amps vs mph/kph. Sometimes the car wins.

 

[ViviV]

he experimental 'digital speedo' feature in OVMS v2 enabled

Thanks @marwj -- although I have no idea how I would have enabled this feature (after learning association with OVMS I went to app and still don't see any obvious setting or feature) -- I absolutely LOVE this feature and never want to turn it off. In my car it is not jumpy at all. It is stable and accurate. Before just learning the connection to OVMS I was trying to figure out why amps should equal mph --it didn't make scientific sense. By the way, any update on when OVMS v3 will be released? When it does, please make sure it keeps this 'digital speedo' function.

 

[Peter.h]

Wow - thank you all for the quick replies!! There I was offline for a couple days for the holidays and so much goodness.

@NigelM and @augkuo - thank you for the tip on how to access the Alpine unit's GPS speedometer. That's exactly what I was looking for!

@bonnie and @AEdennis - thank you for the pointers to the LA and OC clubs. I sent a request to join the LA club through their website. @bonnie - I only get an error trying the link for the OC club ("you do not have permission"). How do I join?

@gregd - thank you for the pointer to OVMS. This sounds like a fascinating project and it'll be only a matter of time until I get one. Just a lot of other projects with our other cars I need to get through first ...

@smorgasbord and @hurd300403 - great pointer to Navdi. I had seen Huddy before but this seems much more advanced.

@Mark77a - so many good points. Funny enough, I just thought about removing the sun visor earlier today, I'll definitely give this a try. Great idea on using heat shrink tubing to cover the exposed metal. I'll look into OVMS in the future (for now just don't have the cycles to take this on - knowing myself I'll get into the source code and will want to figure out how to compile and flash it myself ...). The visium clear roof is another great mod ... but for me it's "no roof" for now

Again, thank you all for the pointers!