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Top speed in a vehicle
- Thread starter MJ5150
- Start date
Reading this thread is a bit strange from my german perspective but puts a question mark behind my own driving habits. Driving longer distances my average speed is about 170-180kmh, (~ 110MPH). If the road is free I often get up to the limits of my car at 225kmh (~140MPH) for several minutes ... and still got overtaken.
But it's not the max speed that causes stress. It's the high speed difference to other cars and the very high level of attention to watch for some idiots changing tracks without turn lights and not looking in their back mirror.
My fastest speed on wheels was with french TGW from Paris to Le Mans at 340kmh ~215MPH.
...and...yes, I know...us germans are weird car fanatics ;-)
But it's not the max speed that causes stress. It's the high speed difference to other cars and the very high level of attention to watch for some idiots changing tracks without turn lights and not looking in their back mirror.
My fastest speed on wheels was with french TGW from Paris to Le Mans at 340kmh ~215MPH.
...and...yes, I know...us germans are weird car fanatics ;-)
115 on I-5 going up through Camp Pendleton in my '69 Road Runner. I got caught. The cop was benevolent, mostly because I saw him before he could clock me. It only cost me $56.
The speedo in my Lexus goes up to 160, but I think it's electronically limited to 130. I don't think it would go much faster than that anyway, because fifth and sixth gear are both overdrive, so I think top speed is going to be wound tight in fourth gear where it still can get some horsepower to the ground.
The speedo in my Lexus goes up to 160, but I think it's electronically limited to 130. I don't think it would go much faster than that anyway, because fifth and sixth gear are both overdrive, so I think top speed is going to be wound tight in fourth gear where it still can get some horsepower to the ground.
According to the speedometer 135.
I never used to drive fast 'till I got my '04 Mercury Marauder. Before that I had a succession of 80's Town Cars (with the prerequisite p.o.s. pick-up truck for the winter). Its not just that it is a fairly fast car but it looked sufficiently like a cop car in the review that people just killed them selves getting out of my way for miles. I shortly just began to set the cruise control at 95 on the highways.
Then one day two years ago I said to myself, "what the heck am I doing ?!?" and stopped. In retrospect I cant believe how fast I was driving, often over 100 mph. I cant even use the folly of youth as an excuse. How did I never get a ticket? Or worse.
The only thing that gets me is that nearly every day someone in a beat up SUV or compact would be right behind me going 100 mph too, and as soon as I could move over they would pass me! But oddly they would slow down without fail as soon as they did pass me. I think some people just want to be the fastest or first or something.
The only thing I miss is that my commute to work takes 50% longer now.
I never used to drive fast 'till I got my '04 Mercury Marauder. Before that I had a succession of 80's Town Cars (with the prerequisite p.o.s. pick-up truck for the winter). Its not just that it is a fairly fast car but it looked sufficiently like a cop car in the review that people just killed them selves getting out of my way for miles. I shortly just began to set the cruise control at 95 on the highways.
Then one day two years ago I said to myself, "what the heck am I doing ?!?" and stopped. In retrospect I cant believe how fast I was driving, often over 100 mph. I cant even use the folly of youth as an excuse. How did I never get a ticket? Or worse.
The only thing that gets me is that nearly every day someone in a beat up SUV or compact would be right behind me going 100 mph too, and as soon as I could move over they would pass me! But oddly they would slow down without fail as soon as they did pass me. I think some people just want to be the fastest or first or something.
The only thing I miss is that my commute to work takes 50% longer now.
LOL. Try driving up I-5 in the Central Valley of California. You can be doing 90 in the slow lane and have truckers behind you flashing their lights to pass.
Its crazy out there, I slowed down to 75 and got harassed! Now I set the cruise control at 66 and do the old fogey and I get way less hassles... and fewer middle fingers.
It's not just in CA either, up here in New England the highways are not very straight, or wide, or smooth for that matter and people just go crazy.
Nothing beats the SUV going 85 in a snow storm though, how do they not crash more than they already do?
105 mph in my Dad's 1977 Chevy Malibu, back in 1978. Can't remember if I've been any faster in a car. These days I drive the speed limit whenever I can, both for reasons of age and because I can't afford speeding tickets.
51.5 on a bicycle going down a mountain road (per Garmin GPS)
138 on my Ducati Multistrada 1100
138 on my Ducati Multistrada 1100
135ish mph on a '94 CBR 600 F2 on the interstate blowing the doors of some firebird who's mullet toting driver thought he could take me.
120mph on a '89 CBR 600 Hurricane down a winding back road at midnight. not smart as that particular road is usually crawling with deer.
120mph in a Mazda Protege PR5 at 3 in the morning street racing an Acura Integra of a guy I worked with on the interstate. Nearly got caught on that one.
120mph on a '89 CBR 600 Hurricane down a winding back road at midnight. not smart as that particular road is usually crawling with deer.
120mph in a Mazda Protege PR5 at 3 in the morning street racing an Acura Integra of a guy I worked with on the interstate. Nearly got caught on that one.
One day I'm going to take my Ford Ka to a piece of land somewhere away from the road and find out how fast it can go....
Likewise, except mine was a '73 Grand Prix, and around '78. The speedometer went to 120, and I could peg it. Not for more than a minute or so... Pretty much like being a projectile, it was not a very stable car even at reasonsble speeds. But lots of engine! OTOH, you probably could've seen the gas guage going down at that speed.
Whata coincidence, I had that happen, too. But it was a my parents' '75 Volvo, around '76 or so, when I was a pretty new driver. I was on an on-ramp to the PA turnpike, if it had held a little longer I'd've been doing 65-67 mph at least. Scared the %&#$ out of me.
155 mph in a 1972 Monte Carlo on US 23 in Ohio north of Columbus. The motor was built and had the transmission and rear end to handle it. The speedometer stop peg was missing and the needle had turned all the back around past 0 mph. We contacted many friends that were muscle car buffs and they all independently agreed in was in the 155 area.
140-ish in a Ford Taurus SHO (one of the first built). This was my grandmother's car!
130-ish in a semi-tractor trailer (a lorry for those across the pond and I was riding shot-gun). The truck had a 700 hp diesel motor and he was pulling an empty trailer.
140-ish in a Ford Taurus SHO (one of the first built). This was my grandmother's car!
130-ish in a semi-tractor trailer (a lorry for those across the pond and I was riding shot-gun). The truck had a 700 hp diesel motor and he was pulling an empty trailer.
