May purchase Roadtrek with odometer in kilometers

[MagicGenie]

Newbie to RV'ing and we're on the brink of purchasing a Roadtrek but the odometer is in kilometers and we'll be mostly traveling in the US. I'm looking for opinions on whether this would be too much annoyance to buy this unit. It's a 2001 model Popular 200. Is it possible to have the odometer switched to miles?
Thank you!
Jean

[obgraham]

My previous pusher had a Canadian speedo/odo, with a switch to cycle the odo between km and miles. Yours is the reverse setup! I did in fact use Bumpy's solution, and just used my Garmin for a speedometer.

However I think you'll find that in no time at all you'll adjust. If the sign says 5 miles to the next whatever, you'll soon have that 8km in your head.

I would not consider that issue a deal breaker if you like the rig. Easily handled.

[shum02]

When I go down to the US I have to convert everything BACK to metric, been out of the US Imperial game to long LOL!

Start looking at everything you're buying...........we're slowly converting you and you don't even know it 😉 It's 10 based, super easy.

[wa8yxm]

Generally there is a two finger salute that will convert it to MILES which by the way are now used in only one country world wide (USA) Though people have been trying to get us to convert for what, about 50 years? (Will give you as hort course in metrics in a paragraph or two)

a Kilometer is 5/8 of a mile so KM*5/8= Miles

Short course:

You are going down the road.. You pass a sign: Speed Limit 40...

You glance at your Speedometer which is calabrated in the same units used on the sign and the needle points firmly to 60.

You glance in the rear view mirror and there he is.. Officer Smiley, LIghts on, Indicating he wants you to pull over.

Now: Your task is to predict the future.

A speeding ticket for sure.. KM per Hour or MPH?

Right don't matter you are going to be ticked for 60 in a 40, units do not matter (Well they may when the judge issues the fine but not now).

And that is all you need to know. It is all relative.. You do not need to know thins like 2.2 pounds per KG (which by the way is not correct since pounds is apples and KG is potatoes) Nor 5/8 Miles pr KM.. you only need to know your normal body temp is 37C (not 37.something) and light travels at 300million meters per second (or close enough that the difference, is not important for cutting antennas) and if you go 60 in a 40.. Nothing improves your driving like a ticket.

Oh why did I say Pounds and KG are like apples and potatos?

Well a 100 KG man, here on earth, on the equator, at sea level would be 220 pounds.

Move that same man to the moon and 220/6= 36.6666 pounds.. But he is still 100KG

[Lorne_Lorraine]

I have the same issue even though I live in Canada. My E350 odometer reads in kms and I much prefer miles. My 2003 Ford camper speedometer does have mph in a smaller size but I find it hard to read. My Garmin GPS models have a screen which prominently shows speed in a large size that is very easy to see. As Bumpyroad indicates, the GPS is also more accurate. The same GPS screen also has two trip odometers.

[MagicGenie]

Based on your responses, we aren't going to make the odometer in kilometers a deal-breaker. Our latest concern was that it's a Canadian Roadtrek (I checked the VIN with Roadtrek HQ) and whether the Chevy engine is built to US emissions Standards. I ended up calling the California Air Resource Board and they asked me to have the dealer look at the decal. He did and it's in compliance so that won't be a problem with California registration after all.
We still have to ensure it passes the California smog test before we finalize the deal (assuming everything else looks good) but it should be OK. This Arizona dealer isn't required to provide a smog test and apparently he isn't going to do it. It's only a California law that says seller must provide a smog certificate.
So we're driving to Arizona today to take a look at it. It'll be fun!

[DrewE]

Tiger02 wrote:
I'm sure there is a way to change it to mph. Even my ancient 97 F350 can be switched with pushing and holding the trip reset or select button. You can even adjust it for different size tires. I'm sure this existed in your model year. I'd hit up the model specific forums as I'm sure this has been dealt with before.

Good luck with your purchase either way.

The Ford E series did not get a digital electronic odometer until 2003. Up until then, it still used the mechanical "slot-machine" style. If the OP's class B is on a Ford chassis, it's definitely not going to be able to change to miles electronically.

[Tiger02]

I'm sure there is a way to change it to mph. Even my ancient 97 F350 can be switched with pushing and holding the trip reset or select button. You can even adjust it for different size tires. I'm sure this existed in your model year. I'd hit up the model specific forums as I'm sure this has been dealt with before.

Good luck with your purchase either way.

[Sport45]

I don't even look at the odometer for that sort of thing. I look at my watch. If it's say, 120 miles, I figure I'll be there in 2 hours.

I suppose you could use the clock on the dash or a mobile phone, but I'm kind of old-fashioned.

[Bumpyroad]

if it is only the odometer and you just want a guess as to distance, just double the mileage and it will be close enough. if it is 50 miles, just double that to 100 KM and like in hand grenades and horseshoes it will be close enough.
bumpy

[DrewE]

I don't think it would be a deal-breaker, at least not for me. 100 km ? 62 miles, or for quick close enough estimations, 3 miles is 5 km and 6 miles is 10 km.

If you're going at a steady speed, you can also figure time. For 60 mph, this is trivial; one mile takes exactly one minute. Or you can rely on the mile markers along the road, or (in most states) exit numbers on interstate highways, which correspond to the mile markers.

[MagicGenie]

Thank you everyone for your responses! I will make some more calls about this before we drive from Santa Barbara to Sunshine RV in Lake Havasu City, AZ, where we will drive tomorrow to see the unit in person (a 6 hour trip one way).
Please note that I believe the speedometer shows miles per hour as well as kilometers per hour. It's the odometer that's only in kilometers. So that means every time we see a road sign or GPS reading with the number of miles to the next town or turn off we'd have to do a conversion to see what the odometer should read in kilometers to match that mileage. This might be annoying so I'm trying to sort out if it might be a deal-breaker before taking this 12 hour round trip.

[Bobbo]

Here is a conversion table for you

30mph = 50kph
35mph = 58kph
40mph = 67kph
45mph = 75kph
50mph = 83kph
55mph = 92kph
60mph = 100kph
65mph = 108kph
70mph = 117kph
75mph = 125kph
80mph = 133kph
85mph = 142kph
90mph = 150kph

It won't take long for you to have those in muscle memory.

[skrams]

Our rv was purchased in the US, so it's in miles, we're in Canada. It's fine. Divide by 8, multiply by 5, and vice versa.

[WRBARTZ]

Since this Roadtrek is in Kph it may not be able to pass California smog testing. Be sure to check this out.