[retiredguy]

Hi, did a search on this topic and did not find a good solution. Going to Boston at the end of October in my new X3. Canadian version only has KPH on the speedo. Any way to display MPH or is the only way to do a math conversion to work out the speed. Thanks

[Lotus7]

Multiply kph by 0.62 to get mph. (No speedo switchover)

Here's a quick conversion list that should cover any speeds you'll encounter in the US:

[tuco44]

Nope, Cdn cars are only KPH but doing the conversion in your head is easy for most of us that have been driving in kms for some time now. It's not like Canada just recently changed over to KMs. As a simple and rough guide, think that a KM is 60% of a mile (actually .62) and that's close enough.

[02420X3]

I think that converting the other way may be easier. There are approximately 1.6 KPH to 1 MPH (1.609344 actually). This table might make more sense to someone with a speedometer calibrated in KPH who is seeing a US speed limit sign . Take the MPH of the speed limit and multiply by 1.6 to determine the appropriate KPH.

In the border states you may see speed limit signs posted in MPH and KPH, but that will stop at the next state line.

[greg2step]

and don't try to do 242 KPH in Boston - i already got yelled at once about that today on this forum hopefully by the end of Oct when you go there, the pain of the Red Sox collapse will be over - right now everyone there is on edge...not sleeping and probably driving crazy. I mean crazier than usual.

[Penso di no]

I'd simplify it even more by rounding and focusing on common limits. Not exact, but close enough and easier to remember:

25mph = 40kph
30mph = 50kph
35mph = 55kph
40mph = 65kph
55mph = 90kph
65mph = 105kph
75mph = 120kph
>120kph = watch out for smokey

[retiredguy]

Thanks for all the info, Boston may not be over the Red Sox collapse but my beloved Bruins will be playing. Hoping to land some tickets...

[OOOSQ]

Originally Posted by retiredguy

Thanks for all the info, Boston may not be over the Red Sox collapse but my beloved Bruins will be playing. Hoping to land some tickets...

Low blow!

[PGB]

When changing from Miles to Kms try this.

Divide mph by 6 and multiple by 10. e.g. 18 mph / 6 = 3, 3 * 10 = 30 kms.

If you know your 6 times tables you can work it backwards pretty quickly.

Being an Aussie in the US, I'm still working things out both ways.

[Rodion]

Why not use Navigator, if not in your Bimmer, then on your mobile phone or just TomTom attached and set navigator to MPH?

[Dechy]

Unless I'm mistaken, I thought you could change that in the settings menu so that the speedo needle would automatically "downconvert".

Yes the tiny KPH markings stay there, but when you're actually going 100KPH, needle stays as 60KPH (so to indicate 60MPH)

[retiredguy]

Originally Posted by Dechy

Unless I'm mistaken, I thought you could change that in the settings menu so that the speedo needle would automatically "downconvert".

Yes the tiny KPH markings stay there, but when you're actually going 100KPH, needle stays as 60KPH (so to indicate 60MPH)

Thanks will give it a try..

[sfax]

Originally Posted by Dechy

Unless I'm mistaken, I thought you could change that in the settings menu so that the speedo needle would automatically "downconvert".

Yes the tiny KPH markings stay there, but when you're actually going 100KPH, needle stays as 60KPH (so to indicate 60MPH)

Can you actually do this?! What if you forget to put it back and the wife gets in?

Why have you stopped me? I was only doing 60KPH officer!

[tuco44]

Originally Posted by sfax

Can you actually do this?! What if you forget to put it back and the wife gets in?

Why have you stopped me? I was only doing 60KPH officer!

No, that cannot be done on Canadian cars. Is not iDrive changible. KPH only printed on the analog speedo.

[Dechy]

You're right, tried it driving home and it doesn't work like my old GM (or my dad's GM, or the SRX I test-drove). Neat little feature.

But then I get behind the wheel of this damn SUV, and it's all blurry... other SUVs? Don't know of any!

And now I need to test something else I just thought of; changing to MPH does change the iDrive & cluster menu (like how much mileage remaining on the tank), unless someone else tried it, I'll see if setting the cruise control shows it in KPH or MPH, could be used as a work around heh. Wish that number would be permanent instead of showing only for 3 seconds...

[sfax]

Originally Posted by Dechy

Wish that number would be permanent instead of showing only for 3 seconds...

You can have this with HUD (I think). I doubt changing iDrive to MPH will change the cruise control I'm afraid

[Penso di no]

Originally Posted by tuco44

Nope, Cdn cars are only KPH....

Seems short-sighted considering the proximity of the largest metric-challenged country in the world. We do still let Canadians visit after all.

[sfax]

Why do Canadians use km anyway? Was it the French influence?

[tuco44]

Originally Posted by sfax

Why do Canadians use km anyway? Was it the French influence?

The switch was made over a period of years, starting in the early 1970s, so we have had it for a while. It's really a mish-mash of the two systems as many ppl still think in the old, miles-based system. Most cars I have had over the years have had both KMs in larger face, miles in smalller face on the analog speedo. The odo has always been kms tho, since the switch.

No, not the Frence influence, which is mostly confined to Quebec. The federal govt at the time thought that metric was the world standard and the switch over would put us in step w Europe, etc. I would say that global trade was more of an influence than any specific country.

I have never had any problems doing the mental conversions when in the US. I really don't see it as a big problem for Cdn drivers.

[Matchurin]

Considering 90% of the Canadian population lives within 100 miles of the U.S. border, this is very shortsighted. I've never seen another vehicle that the driver had no way of knowing how many MPH they were doing other than converting in your head as you are driving.

The real reason for this is that BMW wants to discourage cross border shopping. If you try to import a U.S. vehicle into Canada you are required to have a KPH readout and vice versa. BMW will charge you thousands to convert. This allows BMWNA (really BMW Canada) to rape you.

[Nahoa]

We should've changed to metric in the US. Tried and failed.

[tank531]

Originally Posted by Nahoa

We should've changed to metric in the US. Tried and failed.

We changed over 40 years ago in schools but the politicians won't finish the job properly so we still have miles too - crazy