Digital Gauge Cluster

The digital gauge cluster refers to a digital dashboard which includes a variety of gauges that provide information on how your vehicle is performing. Not all vehicles are designed with digital gauge clusters, but it's definitely an option. There are some advantages to investing in a digital gauge cluster, but there are also some disadvantages as well.

The digital gauge cluster works the same as an instrument cluster works. The only difference is that the digital gauge cluster information is read from the digital output instead. This feature was a common optional addition in some vehicles in the eighties and nineties, and was also very popular with luxury vehicles at the time. Both Cadillac and Lincoln have designed various luxury vehicles with digital gauge clusters in the past. However, the digital gauge cluster is not a common feature in vehicle designs any more.

There are various gauges found in the digital gauge cluster. This would include the digital speedometer, odometer, fuel level gauge, and many others. Some digital gauge clusters only have digital features, but others may only have specific gauges that offer digital output. There are still quite a few designs which include just a digital speedometer and the rest of the dashboard not including any other digital features.

While it may seem like an ideal option, digital gauge clusters are not necessarily the best choice if you want an easy to read dashboard. With some designs of digital gauge clusters, there have been extensive problems that have made reading the information rather difficult. It may not always be an issue but when there's some very important information that you need to be constantly viewing (ex. How fast you’re driving), it's essential to be able to read it easily.

The main issue with digital gauges is that they are not always easy to read. There may be a few different situations that can cause it to be difficult to read the information being shown on the digital gauge. The main problem that would usually occur would be that sun light from outside your vehicle would sometimes cause a glare on the digital screen. Any bright light can possibly lead to the digital output being hardly visible.

Another issue would be with the digital speedometers as they're not designed exactly the same as analog speedometers. The problem here is that the information can't go to an infinite number (speed) as digital speedometers only show how fast you’re going in whole numbers. Analog speedometers give you the feel that you’re changing speed (whether going faster or slower) and give you a more controlling feel, whereas you don't get to watch the constant increase in speeds with a digital speedometer.

There are still various other problems that have been noted for digital gauge clusters. They can be expensive to replace and are not always very reliable. It’s definitely suggested that you only use the normal instrument cluster and not modify your vehicle to have a digital gauge cluster as they usually do more bad than good.

There are still some possible features that you could include which would be better with a digital output screen though. The most common digital feature with vehicles now would be the trip meter that displays how far you've traveled within the recorded time.

Ultimately, vehicles are rarely being manufactured with digital gauge clusters anymore. There are still some vehicles that are designed with this feature or offer it as an additional option, but it's becoming a rarity – some newer hybrid cars include a digital gauge cluster, such as the Toyota Prius.