Is there a Speedometer / Tachometer software upgraded for LOOK?

[ThatWilsonGuy]

New Bronco owner here.
My biggest complaint w/it is the lack of a "REAL" readable Tachometer.
I've owned a 2022 Bronco Sport Badlands, and there were no complaints on my part w/it's Instrument Cluster, including its Tachometer.

I like to see a Tachometer, especially driving off-road.
It seems to me the display could be reprogrammed.

Bronco instrument cluster rankings

1. Raptor
2. Sport
3. Bronco 1-5G
4. Bronco 6G

It was a way stronger motivator to move to Raptor than it should have been. Fingers crossed we pick up our Bandands order next month and I get way more serious about figuring out a swap.

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[Ninjak]

It seems there were people in this forum working on swaps and other things. Then Radio silence. "It was as if thousands of voices cried out..."

Hopefully, someone will make a way to do a Raptor cluster swap. Or something along that line. I have no idea what the engineer for the Bronco was trying to do. It would actually be plausible to have the speedo be the actual tach. That in itself would make the Bronco cluster ok.

 

[Tank_Chris]

Following this.
I just picked up a manual Bronco and while I love it the tach drives me nuts. I’m sure I’ll get used to it, but with the near dead silent motor I currently find my eyes hunting on the dash way to often.

 

[Fly by Nite]

It seems there were people in this forum working on swaps and other things. Then Radio silence. "It was as if thousands of voices cried out..."

Hopefully, someone will make a way to do a Raptor cluster swap. Or something along that line. I have no idea what the engineer for the Bronco was trying to do. It would actually be plausible to have the speedo be the actual tach. That in itself would make the Bronco cluster ok.

Agree the analog gauge on the left should have been a tach!
I figure Ford made the analog speedometer 'permanent' in case the electronic dash display failed and went black. Most of the population would be clueless how to use a tach in that scenario.

And where the hell is the oil pressure gauge???

Hoping there will be some aftermarket options.... but what is taking so long?

 

[Blue Oval]

It seems there were people in this forum working on swaps and other things. Then Radio silence. "It was as if thousands of voices cried out..."

Hopefully, someone will make a way to do a Raptor cluster swap. Or something along that line. I have no idea what the engineer for the Bronco was trying to do. It would actually be plausible to have the speedo be the actual tach. That in itself would make the Bronco cluster ok.

I agree. I never look at the analog speedo because the digital speedo is right in the center of the display. And I never look at the tach because it’s useless. The analog speedo should be converted to the analog tach.

 

[paleh0rse]

The Braptor is definitely the best hope we have IMO, but I have no idea if it's even feasible without replacing the entire dash.

I'd be 100% content with this dash. One can dream...

 

[GMC]

The Braptor is definitely the best hope we have IMO, but I have no idea if it's even feasible without replacing the entire dash.
I'd be 100% content with this dash. One can dream...

https://www.bronco6g.com/forum/thre...-play-full-digital-dash-conversion-kit.84816/

 

[67BroncoG1]

@Ford Motor Company really had to try hard to make the gauge cluster as bad as it is. Like it must have been a design goal to come up with something this useless.

Speed, RPM, Engine Temp, and Oil Pressure are the 4 most important things to know while driving. At least the put the digital speed right in the middle because the analog one is useless. The rising bar for a tack is a joke. I can't even imagine what the manual driver deal with trying to quickly look at RPM. The engine temp is way down at the bottom left and completely out of sight. Oil pressure doesn't even exist as far as I know. If you run the gauges sub screen then you get transmission temp, turbo boost, voltage, and oil temp but I don't think it give you oil pressure.

Seriously, it must have taking years of design meetings to come up with something this counterintuitive. Likely done by the same group of engineers who came up with the base audio system. It can be an accident that both are so terrible.

 

[67BroncoG1]

The Braptor is definitely the best hope we have IMO, but I have no idea if it's even feasible without replacing the entire dash.

I'd be 100% content with this dash. One can dream...

It's possible but stupidly expensive and still not a completely sorted out conversion. You get a screen with Braptor on and some Braptor only stuff.

 

[PrepVet]

^ Broncos get updates all the time, there essentially isn't a difference, it'd be an update like anything else receives at this point. They could add a few options, in case anyone wants to keep the original, and even something as simple as different colors would help. The instrument cluster sucks from a design and ergonomics standpoint, it makes your eyes work for the information instead of easily providing it to you (which is the whole point of instrument clusters).

1) The most important gauge, the analog speedo, is the farthest from the center of the windshield on the bottom-left. The most intuitive gauge to read ironically takes the most time and effort away from watching the road. The speedometer should have been on the right side of the cluster, and just this change alone would have been a big improvement.

2) The tachometer is small, difficult to read easily/quickly compared to an analog gauge, and the basically pointless second speedometer right next to it makes a quick glance more difficult. The screen's color scheme of blues and grays washes stuff out, which adds to making reading it difficult. Why aren't the tachometer bars red?!

3) There is a lot of unused space on the screen, which makes what is displayed seemed crammed in, or not thought out correctly, like something else was supposed to be included. I know that things like the speed limit sign or optional equipment use some of the this space, but things that are ALWAYS is usage should get top-billing and placement over secondary notifications or setting lights.

At the end of the day, Ford wanted a round speedo because heritage. They could have put a version of the normal speedo right in the middle of the cluster, and included the digital speed, speed limit sign, and maybe navigational stuff there. The right side could have been a nice digital tach, with fuel/coolant/etc., while the left would be offroad and status info. Boom, a big center speedo like the original that doesn't hurt your brain to use.

edit: Sorry for the necro-bump, I have been trying to research if there is a way to pick up a tach signal for a stand-alone gauge

Yes it is very different. The updates are operating system and not firmware updates.

 

[Msell71]

@Ford Motor Company really had to try hard to make the gauge cluster as bad as it is. Like it must have been a design goal to come up with something this useless.

Speed, RPM, Engine Temp, and Oil Pressure are the 4 most important things to know while driving. At least the put the digital speed right in the middle because the analog one is useless. The rising bar for a tack is a joke. I can't even imagine what the manual driver deal with trying to quickly look at RPM. The engine temp is way down at the bottom left and completely out of sight. Oil pressure doesn't even exist as far as I know. If you run the gauges sub screen then you get transmission temp, turbo boost, voltage, and oil temp but I don't think it give you oil pressure.

Seriously, it must have taking years of design meetings to come up with something this counterintuitive. Likely done by the same group of engineers who came up with the base audio system. It can be an accident that both are so terrible.

My guess is Ford was trying to make the dash layout look retro, like the 1gens. They lost their way trying to cling to the past.

 

[67BroncoG1]

My guess is Ford was trying to make the dash layout look retro, like the 1gens. They lost their way trying to cling to the past.

I have a 1967 bronco and that speedo combo also sucks but it’s 56 years old.

 

[BroncoBoy22]

Our best hope is probably to get a company like Carobotor interested, They make some awesome replacement dashes for other makes and models (Mostly Jeeps)...

https://carobotor.ca/shop/bronco-digital-dashboard-gen6/

They just launched it today… is there reputation good?

 

[zuke]

Thanks for the news, I don't check in here very often. I searched and thought I may have missed some easy fix.

https://carobotor.ca/shop/bronco-digital-dashboard-gen6/

They just launched it today… is there reputation good?

Wow, I hadn't even thought about them since 2023, and have never seen any of their products in person, But the fact that they are sill selling digital dashes gives me hope that they have decent products..

Sales being based in Canada, and no efforts by them to get them into the US market gives me pause, It's probably worth doing more research and looking for reviews on their products, but I'll likely forget about them again before I get around to it...

 

[Sparkherd]

I've had my 4door Bronco for months now and love almost everything about it except the instrument cluster. The speedometer off to the left side, with it's needle always pointing somewhere at the extreme left of the screen, is useless. Never seen, your wheel and hands are in the way.

The intended view with it's center, large empty space area, with the small speed number at the bottom requires a heads-down look and to mentally cogitate your speed.

The bar tachometer is similarly non-intuitive, as is it's supplemental number with one whole number and decimal. It's the epitome of horrible human systems engineering. You have to mentally convert 2.7 to 2700 RPM, 27 to MPH beside it, a bar graph, a needle, bells, whistles, different colors, vertical movement, scrolling numbers....etc....etc. VERY stupid and I seldom even look at the instrument cluster for speed/RPMs.

I come from a fighter pilot training background. This is a nightmare design. A needle and the SAME type of needle for both instruments is best for quick, peripheral checking. You don't have to really LOOK at an analog gauge and CALCULATE things mentally....you just SENSE your speed and RPM out of the bottom of your eye.
There, a little for Fords engineers to think about. Does anyone have a way to software upgrade it to pseudo needles and round gauges for both?

AMEN ZOOMIE!!!
WhoTF comes up with this bullshit?!?
And that DOUBLE HONK!!!
WTF FORD?!?

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