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Knob hugeness...

9K views 77 replies 22 participants last post by  2much2c 
#1 ·
I find that our HVAC switches are ridiculously large. I'm thinking FCA thinks PM drivers are fumble-fingered. Or perhaps extremely near-sighted. I jest. I suspect they were trying to fill up what would otherwise be an empty space. Presumably, marketing thought it would be less stylish and impact sales if there was blank space.

With smaller HVAC switches there'd be room for other kinds of switches or maybe a blank area for people to put in their own switches in a central and easily accessible area of the dash. --it's such a great location that has gone to waste!

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I have another thread in the Electronics area asking about switches but I thought I'd rant in the General section. :D

Maybe @RamCares can take this as 1 person's feedback. :p
 
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#2 ·
Oh no. I loved those and would like the radio have two of them just that size!
 
#5 ·
Ram says much was borrowed from the Ducato, but Ram Designers made alterations for US customers and apparently we like big knobs and lots of cup holders.
 
#9 ·
My (also FCA) minivan has much smaller HVAC knobs and fewer cupholders than our PMs and it sells very well. Crazily the current 2020 body style dates all the way back to 2008. It sells so well FCA hasn't bothered to replace it. I wonder what the record for a body style to stay the same is.

And don't get me started on the PM's cup holders. :p
 
#7 ·
Hey TVV

If you think that is bad, you should see my 2018 1500 Ram with a knob “dial” shifter.

There are days I turn the radio down rather than shift into reverse or go to put in into drive from park & adjust the a/c fan speed instead.

Actually slow down now & am more deliberate with the knobs (the truck shifter knob is about the same size as the hvac knobs in the PM
 
#10 ·
Hey TVV

If you think that is bad, you should see my 2018 1500 Ram with a knob “dial” shifter.

There are days I turn the radio down rather than shift into reverse or go to put in into drive from park & adjust the a/c fan speed instead.

Actually slow down now & am more deliberate with the knobs (the truck shifter knob is about the same size as the hvac knobs in the PM
You're a pilot. I think there should be cockpit design principles for the dash. Important knobs and switches should be easy to reach and easy to distinguish by both sight and feel just like they are on an airplane.
 
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#12 ·
I believe the knobs are common to the minivan. This may explain it - whatever else they might be, big knobs are easy to use and make sense on a minivan.

As to the other question - production run, I’m going to go off the top of my head, and it depends on how you define a chassis. But I’d guess:
Beatle - 1939-2001
Avanti/Studebaker 1963-2000?
Lada - mid 50s thru current, I think
Checker cab - mid 50s through 2008?


If we are talking just nameplates, I believe the Chevy Suburban is the oldest continuous nameplate, 1936 thru current. Corolla is 50s and I believe beats the Beatle for the most units sold. The F series may beat that as the first F truck was 1930s.

As to current cars, even trickier. The Nissan Z is well over 10 years old. The Challenger/Charger are 2004. My Fiat 500 is almost totally unchanged since 2006.
Feel free to fact check me, I could be off on some of those dates.
 
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#13 ·
Before they fix the knobs, can we get them to move the "CHECK VEHICLE SURROUNDINGS" ribbon in the critically longest distance portion of the rear view display? I know it disappears, but dang, it's like 20-30' of redacted pavement image.
A safety feature forged in the courtroom, not in the focus groups.
 
#18 ·
@jracca and you are most likely right. Though I still feel it's also a stylistic element given my wife's Fiat has similarly huge knobs for HVAC. The knobs on that Fiat are so large they had room to put in LED displays for left and right passengers' desired temps.

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#19 ·
Having gotten the rant off my chest, I'm currently thinking of making lemonade of the situation by somehow mounting a GPS right over those knobs. My brainstorm is to have them on a hinged mounting so that I can flip the GPS up for knob access. :D

Here's my iPad simulating a large GPS.

64404


I had been wrestling with where to put a large GPS such that I could access it easily. (e.g. on top of the dash [illegal in some places], overhead but now neck needs craning, left corner of the dash [might also be illegal in some places and too close to the window for smash and grab], etc.) I might have found a location. :p

PS: I'm interested in hearing of a good large GPS if anyone is happy with theirs. (I'll start a new thread for that.)
 
#20 ·
Having gotten the rant off my chest, I'm currently thinking of making lemonade of the situation by somehow mounting a GPS right over those knobs. My brainstorm is to have them on a hinged mounting so that I can flip the GPS up for knob access. :D

Here's my iPad simulating a large GPS.

View attachment 64404

I had been wrestling with where to put a large GPS such that I could access it easily. (e.g. on top of the dash [illegal in some places], overhead but now neck needs craning, left corner of the dash [might also be illegal in some places and too close to the window for smash and grab], etc.) I might have found a location. :p

PS: I'm interested in hearing of a good large GPS if anyone is happy with theirs. (I'll start a new thread for that.)
The iPad makes a great GPS 👍

Here is a place in Canada that you can get other GPS;

Garmin, ACR, Humminbird, Bad Elf, Dual, Spot & Lowrance GPS Systems; Ram Mounts, Metal Detectors, Amateur Radios and Accessories. BlueFox GPS Vehicle, Fleet, Personnel Tracking Service. Factory Authorized Dealer in Calgary, AB - GPS Central Canada


Here is a place you can buy "RAM" mounts - Not to be confused with Dodge Ram as just a coincidence. I use many RAM mounts in different vehicles and they are great !!

RAM Mounts from Aircraft Spruce Canada
 
#24 ·
That’s who I got a wifi/cell iPad but there are lots of other options out their in the "other" tablet world for around $100! here is one.

Here is another one but if you have an add blocker it won’t load🤪
 
#25 ·
If you have an iPad or iPad mini (like mine) that does not have cell service and no GPS you can easily add a bluetooth GPS connected to it and with your iPhone as a hotspot receive data and GPS signal. I also use a program from the App store called Topo Maps (small price) to download (free) USGS topo maps to use hiking, or driving in remote areas. Because you will be out of cell range (hopefully) you download the area maps first and no cell service is needed. I have used both for years and they work well. I bought an Android Nexus tablet with built in GPS but became so frustrated with it I gave it to the buyer of my van. YMMV but if you have an iPad and are comfortable with it, the GPS unit is a good addition.
 
#28 ·
One reason I like living in these times is the technology we have. Things like a cell phone we carry around in our pockets that are so common we no longer look at them with awe.

iPad as a GPS - Examples;

“Earthmate” App which ties in with the “Garmin Inreach 2 Way Satellite Communicator - which is also a gps”
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Backroads App
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Foreflight App (So Much Data in this App)
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#30 ·
The HVAC controls in the PM are AWESOME! Large, simple, easy to use and they just work. I like them because I can easily reach over and make adjustments while keeping my eyes on the road and anyone that gets in the van can figure them out in seconds. I drove a nearly new Silverado the other day and I could't even figure out how to turn the darn AC on or off, let alone adjust it. How is someone supposed to use that mess of screens and buttons while they're driving? :confused:
 
#31 ·
Also a fan of the large easy-turn knobs. The ones in my 2017 Forester are slightly smaller (which is fine) but harder to turn with overly-strong detent stops along the way. They were just fine until I got the PM. ;-)
 
#32 ·
I like knobs and levers and buttons with tactile feedback. I hate the stupid gear shift knobs. But I still like shifting the gears in my subaru (after pressing the actual clutch pedal). I even choose to use older calculators (HP) because the buttons are firm to the press.

I also only gave up my palm treo (like a blackberry) with the keyboard on the bottom when my mobile carrier made me. I still feel like I type better with actual buttons than a touchscreen. Not all technology results in improvements to the use interface... just my opinion.

But I like big knobs...
 
#33 ·
Yeah, I especially dislike car stereos that have gone full touch screen. Sometimes you just want to reach over and turn down the volume without even looking.
 
#34 ·
My van came with the volume control in the steering wheel.
Really convenient. Problem is, I constantly forget it's there.
Weird, I got used to not having the rearview mirror and using the rear camera monitor in less than a day.
But my brain just can't absorb and remember that I can turn the radio up/down with my thumb, on the steering wheel.
Maybe I can put some tape over the knob on the radio and train myself.
 
#35 ·
If you have multiple cars, the wildly different arrangement and functionality of buttons and knobs and control stalks are (for me) mind-boggling. It's as if there were was a sick conspiracy by automotive interface designers (if there's such a role) just to mess with us.

Just turning on the windshield wipers varies dramatically between cars. Even between ones from the same make.

My (FCA) PM has convenient steering wheel controls for volume and skipping/fast-forwarding songs. So does my FCA minivan. And my (wife's) FCA Fiat. But guess what? They're all different! Two of them have flipped which side does what for the behind-the-steering rocker switches. Same function; different sides of the wheel. Arrgh!
 
#37 ·
If you have multiple cars, the wildly different arrangement and functionality of buttons and knobs and control stalks are (for me) mind-boggling. It's as if there were was a sick conspiracy by automotive interface designers (if there's such a role) just to mess with us.
Yes it can be quite an adjustment because I drive to the airport in my Subaru Crosstrek (subcompact suv) with almost zero technology and 5 speed manual to fly across the country and get in my Promaster. Nothing is in the same place, heck sometimes I hear the engine and try to press the non-existent clutch to shift the thing.

Its more of a modern thing I think, because in the past it seems like the headlights were always on the right side of the steering wheel and wiper control on the left (both on dash). It was the same on my 71GMC my, 79 mercedes, my 83 Honda, up through my 1989 Dodge van if I remember correctly. Now sometimes its on the right, sometimes on the left, sometimes on the dash, sometimes on a multifunction lever, which I push the end of to set the cruise in one car, and on the other car it causes the wipers to spray the windshield (while not setting the cruise control). If you see me going down the highway on a clear day with a perfectly clean windshield and spraying it while slowing slightly, I was trying to set the cruise control.
 
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