Change to Metric

You can't.

It seems to be a factory set option rather than a dealer set option. It must be possible somewhere deep inside the system as the US Prius uses mph, mpg and farenheit, the UK Prius uses mph, mpg (UK) and celcius, and the Canadian uses full metric as do all other markets. Some markets use mpg's, others litres per 100 km and others km per litre.

 

SI or the modern metric system is the official and preferred system of US measurement per the Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988. All federal agencies were supposed to go full SI as of October 1992. Everyone deals in metric money (dollars). It is bizarre that I cannot configure my Prius to be full SI.

Might have to purchase my next vehicle from a Canadian dealer.

 

You've probably not gone fully metric for the same reason we haven't - cost.

For a start, how much would it cost to change all the road signs from miles to km? Something both the UK or the US can afford at the moment, or at least it would be a job way way down the priority list.

[ame=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_System_of_Units]International System of Units - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia[/ame]

 

We're converting to the metric system inch by inch and have been since at least the 1970's. I don't think it will ever happen 100%.

 

Import a Canadian market Prius, or just add a ScanGauge-II.

We were slowly converting, including putting up some metric road signs to get drivers accustomed to it.

Then Ronald Reagan was elected President.

The End.

 

I think you mean divide by 1.6. Funny that you can do that mental arithmetic, but not get used to km

 

I always think 5/8, as in 50mph is rough equiv to 80kmh.

235.2 is another handy number: divide it by either liters per 100 km or mpg, and the result is a conversion between the two methods.

It's funny that the Prius can't convert it's fuel consumption display. I know it can do the speedometer. Our previous HCHII also had digital dash and displayed either mph or kph. I only switched to mph as a novelty, once or twice, but didn't pay attention to the fuel economy display. I might check into that, it's still in the family.

I can't see any reason why fuel economy display couldn't switch as well, seems like an oversight.

 

I think maybe there's a flaw in that logic....

 

I worked on one metric conveyor job where all the longitudinal dimensions ended up following an imperial, 4'-0" (approx 1219mm) spacing dictated by an imperial belt cover choice. All the idlers (rollers under the belt), cross members on trusses, basically everything, had to follow 1219 spacing. Then of course at the last moment the cover choice changed, to a make that could put supports down at relatively arbitrary locations.

I've been on other jobs where we've ironed out all the conversion bugs, presented drawings to the fabricators in metric, and they've still converted everything back to imperial for their shop.

My current company insists on making industrial stair stringers 760 mm back to back, when off-the-shelf grating stair treads are 2'-6", which converts to 762. I'm not sure how the detailers deal with that, but it's an intentional misinforming, that is sure to trip something up, job after job.

North American structural steel shapes are all inherently imperial, regardless of metric descriptions in Canadian steel books. Same for plate, grating pipe and so on. D.O. for lumber and plywood.

Ok, just checked with my son:

With the HCHII (Second Gen Honda Civic), when you switch odometer from metric to mpg, the fuel consumption changes also. So seems doable: a wish list item for Toyota?

 

You mean mm by mm don't you?


Sorry, I couldn't resist.

 

Yeah! Sorry, I meant multiply by 6. e.g. 6 X 60km = 360 remove the zero = 36 miles!

 

The display used for metric and us measures are quite different, as well there are various combinations of these measures in various countries. Therefore there is a problem in following which standard for SI and non SI units without creating excessive multiple answers to a string of questions. The common requirement is for speed to be available in miles/hr and km/hr - particularly in America since the two northern countries use different measures and residents travel across international borders.

Also some countries mandate that dual display may be restricted to speed. I know that is the case in another field not related to vehicles. This is just a political matter.

 

So far there is no possibility to change that as it is set within the Software. As an example our european meters do show increasing fuel consumption the more bars shown while the US cars show more bars the higher the mpg is. So we europeans want to see as low as possible bars on the display while the US people want them as high as possible Strange world, huh ?

 

I remember in FL in the late 80s, early 90s they put kmh on the speed limit signs trying to force convert everyone.

Instead they just started doing 60mph in a 45 zone...epic fail.

 

The same with temperature display - why there is no option to switch to Celsius? There is no doubt that it is a matter of programming.

 

I know it's absurd that I am stuck viewing the Temp. in a format I do not use. I also drive a BMW X3 and it displays in celcius units on the climate control screen with no problem.

 

If you hold two left side buttons while starting the vehicle, it goes into some sort of diagnostic mode and shows Fahrenheit and Celsius. I don't know how to change it, though.