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Apple Watch 7 or vehicle odometer?
- Thread starter jeffg819
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The watch will track a series of short straight segments, which will zigzag down the road depending on the GPS reception accuracy. This will be longer or shorter than the actual path traveled depending if the road is straight or curved.
The accuracy of the odometer will depend on how well the transmission output shaft rpm is calibrated to the rolling circumference of the tires, which also changes depending on tire pressure and wear.
I looked into this, not for a car, but for my bicycles, trying to figure out which is more accurate and trying to calibrate the bike odometers.
Discovered that neither are accurate, it is difficult to say which is more accurate, and over hundred of bike rides over the exact same route, the total distance varies. The discrepancy between the two varies both plus and minus. I think the odometer is more repeatable, so would consider that more accurate, but only if it is calibrated (else it will have a constant offset error).
Here is an example of how the watch tracking can vary from day to day over the same path:
The accuracy of the odometer will depend on how well the transmission output shaft rpm is calibrated to the rolling circumference of the tires, which also changes depending on tire pressure and wear.
I looked into this, not for a car, but for my bicycles, trying to figure out which is more accurate and trying to calibrate the bike odometers.
Discovered that neither are accurate, it is difficult to say which is more accurate, and over hundred of bike rides over the exact same route, the total distance varies. The discrepancy between the two varies both plus and minus. I think the odometer is more repeatable, so would consider that more accurate, but only if it is calibrated (else it will have a constant offset error).
Here is an example of how the watch tracking can vary from day to day over the same path:
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