speedo problems with 2001 sport beetle

[sledmeister]

We recently bought a 2001 Beetle Sport and are wondering if anyone else has had any speedo problems. The Beetle has the factory 17" tires and seems to be off by at least 2 to 2.5 miles an hour at 70mph. We judged it by two other cars and with our GPS. Is there any way to adjust/ calibrate the speedo to make it reflect the correct speed? It's puting on more miles then what we're actually going.

Also, what RPM should our Beetle be at around 70mph? The Sport is a 1.8T with a 5 spd. It's at around 3200rpm at 71-73mph.

Thanks.

[noR]

That is the correct RPM.

And yea, 2-2.5 mph off is normal. Not sure how it's legal or not, but yeah, that's pretty common to have it 2-4mph off.

noR

[hannaco]

Try running a measured mile. You might be surprised to see that the odo is correct while the speedometer is off. Just one of those little quirks.

[GirlNextDoorTn]

Greetings All,

For what it is worth. I too have a 2001 Sport. I too have the factory 17 inch wheel.

I thought about this as I traveled to work today.

In my car going 70 MPH I was turning 3000 RPM.

I am not sure if it is off in anyway. It could be.

[volkyland]

New vehicles speedos could be off + or - 5 mph. Thats why in FL law enforcement can't write citations for speeding between 1-5 mph over the posted speed limit.

[NJ Turbo]

Almost all German cars that I've owned from the '80s until today have speedos calibrated up to 5mph high at 70mph.
Some cars were only 2mph off and others were as much as 5mph off. Another thing to consider is that different tire sizes are available throught a model line and this can contribute to the miscalibration.
I guess they think it's better to read fast than slow since if you're doing 70 and your speedo says 65, you get a ticket, we Americans will want to sue the manufacturer!

Whenever I see those "Your speed is ___" signs with built in radar, I check my speedo and compare. They rarely match, and are usually closer the slower I am going.