Transmission gear indicator - Switching & programming advice requested

If you can get the VSS and RPM data into the Arduino it can certainly calculate the ratio between them.

Could you mount the micro-switches so they would give a reliable indication and not get broken with exuberant gear shifts?

I think I would prefer some sort of non-contact optical detectors.

If the switches or detectors work the program would probably be simpler than one for getting and using RPM data.

...R