370Z Fuel Gauge?!?!
 

What the hell was Nissan thinking! That seems like an afterthought. I hope that they change it mid year or second year as I will not be buying the 370z until they do. Not sure why they didn't just use a needle like the other two gauges next to it. The clock should be changed to analog also but I can live with that at least. Anyone else feel the same?

I was told by my buddy, who does testing for Nissan, that he thinks the LEDs are horrible. They are very hard to see in the day time...

The Gauge does look like an after thought, I hope they have upgraded it from the one I saw in the cars at the Edmonds event in November. It felt and looked like cheap plastic. I will probably fabricate an aluminum housing or a face plate to make it look better. At the very least, paint it flat black.

Yeah I don't like the way it looks.

It's nasty, and I bet there will be some very creative lash-ups for it out there very soon.

I suspect the 2010 models to NOT have this, and go back to a traditional needle...

I sure hope so. I would really like to pick one of these up but not until they fix that gauge...

the led's might grow on me noty sure dumb reason not to buy the car though

Not like I am not going to buy one sooner or later but I will just wait for them to fix that eyesore. Would rather not have to look at that everyday...

Here you go guys, this video shows the gauge in action, hope this helps. Still don't like it, but looks like it's pretty easy to read even in daylight.

Braden

the black around the LEDs helps alittle bit...still would rather the traditional needle.....sweet music playin in the car tho :ugh2: sike :gtfo2: haha

Yeah, what the hell was up with that music :roflpuke2:

Almost 90% of the reviewers said the same thing -- it's really hard to see the dots in bright sunlight. I think Nissan will redesign it during their next 370Z update. I can never see the A/C orange color light during day time in my 03 Z. They have brighten the color for 06+Zs though.

http://www.the370z.com/images/370zforum/ZZZ.PNG

Yup...that confirms how hideous that thing looks. Makes me wonder who the engineer/designer was for the gauge. They should probably resign. Simple needle would have worked just fine. The interface could be put in somewhere else besides the gauge cluster.

Yeah, the strip black helps A LOT. The fuel gauge was never a deal breaker for me though.

You know, considering all the things we could be bitching about a redesign, the fact that we're nitpicking a gauge is a good sign to me with how much Nissan DID do right with the 370Z.

doesnt look bad....lol....when we get tints...it will be easier to see anyways..lol

sunlight from the rear and side windows will make it hard....but we tint those good

Honestly, I don't mind it. I think I'd prefer an analog gauge more, but it's no where NEAR a deal breaker for me. I think I can build a replacement for it anyway. I'm pretty sure I can build something with all the dummy lights below 2 digital screens (the stock information center below a VF display that has the temp and fuel. No led gauges at all. Shouldn't be too hard. It would require a little metal work, a PLC controller and a VF display. Maybe a total of $250 in parts.

EDIT:: By the way, it sounds like the 80's just hit Japan! :D

That fuel gauge looks like something from Pep Boys and I don't think it will be around long!

Yeah, good point. It seems to be the biggest gripe so far. Getting the windows tinted helps too, I have no problems seeing it, even in daylight.

Anyone get a confirmation that Nissan will be redesigning the fuel gauge?

Its not a deal breaker for me, but if the 2010 370Z comes out with an analog one I'd rather wait for that.

hehe am i the only one that doesn't mind the fuel gauge?

I test drove a 370 as soon as they hit the ground. It was cloudy and snowing that day, but it was pretty bright, and I had a fcuk of a time seeing the fuel/temp gauge. So, I'm thinking tint+polarized sunglasses= no problem. :D

I dont mind either lol these are a bunch of lil girls complaining! I mean if its that big of a deal sell the car or dont buy it. Its a freaking gauge!!! I leave it on range and call it a day! I can see it perfectly fine even in the sun!

No problems reading at all with 35% tinting. I like the guage.

Now the digital clock guage, I wish it was replace with something analog since I have nav.

The fuel gauge does more than just display fuel (water temp, warnings/alerts, range, fuel mileage, outside temp). It was probably a good compromise for the extra functionality. I like it OK. I think having the water temp light up as a bar rather than single LED would have been more cool.

i dig the gauge. it's different. i like it being unique in a way.

Doesn't bother me either, and I appreciate the extra stuff it does besides fuel level.

The precision of the led's (or whatever they are) seem to be more accurate than a dial guage would be. It seems that people dont like the trip computer the actual fuel guage is so toned down.

I also like it, its different and doesnt mess with the to big gadge cluster they got going on, if u are worried about running out of gas or not seeing it , just put the display on the miles till you run out of gas option

My only gripe with the fuel guage is the lack of a "red zone" which most cars typically have as their "reserve" fuel. Thus far, I've been assuming that E for this car is in fact empty, and not a "one gallon to get your *** to a gas station" warning.

E is not actually empty. It says that in the owners manual.

I went down to E and still had around 2 gallons left in the tank.

Drove 18 miles, after my last LED light went out. About half that, was on a highway, no traffic; the other half, was in city, with little traffic. Then I pulled into a gas station and filled up, I put 18.9xx gallons in, before the gas pump clicked the first time. Since the tank is supposed to be 19 gallons, draw your own conclusions.

Me Too!
 

I like the gauge a lot. It gives a hell of a lot of info in a small space and does it well.

typically each time I hit "E" no LEDs left I have about 1.5-2gallons left in the tanks and thats all city driving. I am averaging anywhere from 220 miles to 340 miles to the "E" marker.

I really like having the miles-to-empty range indicator like we have on this car. Even though it's not perfectly accurate, it's really handy for planning fuel stops on the highway.

The longer I have the car, the more I like the LED gas gauge. Here's why:

There are 16 or 17 LEDs in the gauge (tried counting while driving today...not a great time to do it :)). If you break it down and include a gallon of gas after they are all 'out', each LED then represents about a gallon of gas. With the LED system, you essentially have a very close estimate of exactly how many gallons you have left in your tank. Pretty cool actually.

True but I don't know if it's just my Z (or anyone elses), last three dots go out very quick. I can barely drive 30 miles on the last 3 dots.... :(

Dang AK maybe you should slow down hehe :tup:

It's grown on me, and now I like it as well. My '06 350 would have the warning and miles to go come on with about 3.5 gallons left in the tank. The first time the 370 warning popped up, I re-fueled and it took 16.5 gallons.... same warning. Nissan must think they need to warn you early, because the "miles left to empty" is less than the actual fuel left in the tank. One time on a long trip in my girlfriends Altima, we screwed up and didn't watch the fuel (road weary). We were on a long stretch of deserted interstate. The "miles left to empty" ran down to that "--" on the screen. We drove another 30 miles before we hit a gas station. I think Nissan plots empty to leave you about 1 1/2 gallons in the tank as an emergency measure.

John