458 tach lighting

I beleive that's the way it is designed.

You might try turning on the lights during the day and see if that helps.

What color tach do you have? I have yellow and no problem. And I have LED steering wheel for enthusiastic driving.

Some have complained the tach in yellow and red are hard to read. Only time I have found some issue is at dawn...which I almost never do. Still in bed.

Best.

 

Might be wrong but I believe that yellow and white tachs are not backlit, but red and black are. Another issue specific to the 458 is that the tach is set back in an unusually long tunnel, compared to other Ferrari models. In any event I have found my 458's yellow tach next to useless in sunlight, so I also shift by the LEDs.

So when it came time to look for an FF I specified a white tach. It is much better. I also noticed that the red needle on the tach is now luminous, which is another help.

 

I think that's the way it is. My is red and it really doesn't light up. You can see the red in the day time, but at night, the red appears black against the dimly lighter numbers and needle. I'd much prefer the look of the white tach but I heard it's a pain to switch it out...

 

PS. Ferrari being what it is, it cost $934 for a white tach.

 

I don't think they are backlit. Mine is yellow and always looks dark in a tunnel. Same with the Italia and Spider. It would enhance it if it was.

 

You won't believe this saga, but it's true. One of those "only with a Ferrari" stories. I complained about poor lighting of my yellow 458 tach to my service advisor a year into ownership. Long story short, they kept the car 3 weeks while a new tach/gauge cluster was flown in from Italy. Guess what? Yep, collected the car and discovered the new cluster had the same poor lighting of the tach (during daylight, fine at night)!!

Moral of story? ****ty lighting design of tach during dim daylight conditions, nothing to do about it. It's one of those things, like poor window sealing in 456's, that's endemic to small boutique manufacturers such as Ferrari - no mainstream company would make such a basic design/engineering mistake.

Ah, the joys of Ferrari ownership!

 

LOL, I can't believe that didn't know that and wasted 3 weeks of you driving time! And yes, it is a typical Ferrari ownership privilege...

 

My yellow tach is for decorative purposes only. Matches the steering wheel that's about it. Go by exhaust and LEDs.

 

I can see the yellow tach day or night. Just fine.
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I think yellow and white looks better because the colors can be seen in light or dark.

 

Black is backlit and very easy to read.

 

Hmmm, and I thought vision decreases with age You got several decades on me boss but my vision sucks.

 

black tach...my issue is the opposite, at night, the tach does not seem to dim with the rest of the lights, it always stays at full brightness. I assume this is by "design" ????

 

You're right. I wouldn't have believed it if I didn't know what we are dealing with. Next time you get a new tach, try a black or a white one. But be prepared, the privilege of being able to see your tach in the daylight will cost you.

 

i returned to the dealer to ask why my yellow tach didn't light up.....was informed that's the way they are....showed how much I know
no excuse as far as i'm concerned..but driving it makes up for it i guess

 

This was one change between the F430 and the 458 that I believe was a mistake. On the F430, the tach was backlit all the time. On the 458, the backlighting comes on only when either the driving lights are on or the headlights are on.

It is annoying that it goes dark when going in a tunnel or a covered parking lot.

The solution is to use the running lights when driving.

 

Had the white tach on my Italia. Didn't have any problems to see it during daytime and during dusk or dawn turn on the headlights. If you use the automatic they will turn on when you enter a tunnel and the backlighting comes on...
On my Speciale I chose the black one - it's no extra charge

 

My white tach looks great day or night.
No issues seeing it at all.
Eric

 

Running lights look nice anyway and helps show the tach up. Yellow on mine.


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I have the same situation. I don't have a workaround except to just keep driving

 

My Italia had a yellow tach - useless. My Speciale will have a black one.

 

White. No issues.

 

I use the running lights and my yellow tach is still hard to see in many sunlit situations. White is far better. I have no experience with black but I would expect that black is also better.

 

cataract surgery early last year. 20-15 both eyes.

Life is good.
Life is better driving a Ferrari.
Life is best driving a 458 Spider with a yellow tach.