Does anyone know, if I pull the pin-stop out of my stock 85mph speedo, will anything get damaged when the needle moves past where the pin used to be?

I like the wider-spaced numbers of the 85mph speedo but the least Mazda could have done was let the needle keep going around past the numbers. It doesn't even go to 85, it stops at about 84!

 

Sorry, I don't have a clue about the pin question. I just wanna say an 85 mph speedo on these cars is silly. My 84 gsl ain't even breathing hard at 85. Just more stupid import/emissions/tariffs BULL**** the U.S. govt. tacked on these wonderfull machines.

 

yep you can thank pres reagon for that neet little speedo thing

 

Early '80 models had 130mph speedos. Late '80 models (like mine) had 85mph speedos. For the '81 model year they went back to 120?mph speedos. American cars had to live with 85mph speedos until something like '86-87. I think it was for fuel economy reasons, the theory being that higher speeds = worse economy and you won't try to go faster than the numbers go. Well guess what, I get best MPG at about 80mph in 5th, and I run out of speedo before I run out of 3rd gear. (Because of error, 85mph is really about 77mph.)

Reagan wasn't even elected until a few months into the '81 model year... I don't think he had anything to do with it.

 

When the interior was refreshed in '84 the speedometer jumped to 140. Pretty optimistic thinking in my opinion.
I would'nt worry about the 85 mph speedo just use engine speed to estimate your actual speed.

 

The 140 speedo was so you Trailhands could experience the dashboard aspect of a SE....Heh, heh, heh...

Hi-Ho, Silver....AAAWWWaaaaaayyyyy....
Denny, wavin' the 'ol Stetson...

 

83 models have a 130 mph speedo. It drops into the earlier dash. My 81 had an 83 gauge cluster in it.

 

If you want to see how far you can push an 1st Gen speedo check my website under custom gauges at http://www.rotaryrx7.com

I have first gens 79-83 with the 140mph speedos...

 

That 140mph SA speedo, is that an 85 with the needle stop removed and the start position changed?

That would be ideal... the reason I don't like the higher-MPH speedos is because they're harder to read because the numbers are so much closer together. (Man those gauges are TINY and poorly lit...)

Well at least there's hope...

 

Ok, the 85mph speedos were around from 80-82, Mr. Reagan got rid of them, not put them in place. The law was made because the government thought it would discourage driving faster than 85mph (amoung other things).

Cody