I've been looking for a while for a way to securely mount my Garmin Nuvi 255W. I like the design of the official mount. Where it kept the GPS close to the tach. Which make the GPS viewable through the wheel and it isn't suspended off a long arm like the flexpod from Cravenspeed. Problem with the OEM mount is that it doesn't work well with the larger Garmins. The steering wheel blocks a good portion of the screen or if you position it at 12 o'clock it blocks part of your view of the road.

After a little searching I went with a RAM mount instead and was surprised that no else has gone this route. It's easy to see through the steering wheel, very stable, easy to reach and a fraction of the cost of the OEM or Cravenspeed mounts. I spent $32 for the mount and hardwire kit. Works great and thought I'd share.

Parts:
RAP-SBA-RGU - RAM snap link arm - RAM to Garmin
RAP-SB-238FU - RAM diamond base w/ female snap link
GPS hardwire power cable off Ebay

 

IMHO that puts it way to low to be usable. Having to take my eyes that far off the road while trying to find a unknown location is just a bad idea. I would rather spend the money on the Craven Speed system which allows for longer extension arms. I ended up making my own extension arm as even the longest craven speed at the time was not long enough to accommodate where i wanted my Droid to be mounted.

But of course that is just my opinion. And i must admit that is a very small mount and out of the way so it is not seen when not in use.

 

i can't imagine being able to see the the entire screen through the steering wheel. there just doesn't seem to be enough space. could you take a picture of it with the cameral at the head rest?

 

I used the same mount to attach my GPS to my KUDA mount.

There are lots of useful things available out on the mototcycle websites. There are lots of BMW specific electrical things on a site called easternbeaver.com

 

Interesting. I like my CravenSpeed for my GPS. But this solution might be good for my satellite radio. If only it didn't involve a destructive install.

 

The only complaint that I have about it in that location is a little bit of glare on the screen at times. When I was using the suction cup mount I always placed it at the top of the windshield next to the rear view mirror so that it blocked the least used area of my view and never had any glare issues because the roof shielded the screen. Having it placed next to the tach IMHO is much easier to see. As it is where most gauges are typically located in a car. That picture is a true representation of what it looks like. With it sitting a couple inches closer to the dash, vs the official mount, it allows you to see the whole screen.

Just thought I'd share an alternative to what's out there and give people more choices which is never a bad thing. Let's you choose whatever works best for you.

If you have tried something different, post a photo. I'd love to see what other options are out there.

 

If I was to do it again. I'd make a bracket that snapped over the trim panel on the dash and just had a Garmin ball on it. That way it would not be a destructive install and it would place it as close as possible to the dash.

 

Interesting. Outside of my fear of drilling holes in my dash I like that mount. Can you get longer arms so you can move it up when you want to?

What I like about your mount is that it looks more stable than my Cravenspeed mount. I like the Cravenspeed but it moves (sags) and I had to add an elastic string to triangulate it to keep in place.

Thanks for posting.

 

Yes, the mount is very stable. Doesn't move at all while driving. RAM does make a slightly longer snap link arm but then I think you'd run into the same issue as the official mount. It is going to be closer to the steering wheel and be partially blocked from view. So this mount is really only good for positioning it to be viewed through the steering wheel. The Cravenspeed would be a much better choice if you want to be able to reposition the GPS.

 

Not my idea, but saw it here about a year ago,and used it on the Dragon.....Simply use the garmin mount and stick it on the face of your speedometer...You can see you MPH by setting this feature on you Tach....Visibility of all functions was fine.....Come on, your a MINI driver. you can multi task !!!!

 

here's my kuda mount for reference

 

I can't say that I've ever tried mounting the suction cup base to the speedo but it would definitely place it front and center. Cool.

I like the Kuda. Looks more finished than some of the options out there, great visibility. Nice! I'm curious to know how it attaches to the dash?

If you know of any other options, keep posting them. This is great stuff.

 

there are metal tabs that hook under the speedometer housing and between the a/c vent and the dash. the install is a bit more involved than the cravenspeed install, but it's not complicated (about 30 min).

there are instructions on here and from kuda that say you need to essentially disassemble the entire dash and speedo housing to install the mount. this is completely unnecessary. remove tach, remove dash trim, remove 2 screws, and install. that's it (i wrote it up somewhere on here).