How fast is TOO FAST?!

[wildcat]

Now I'm sure all of you drive under the speed limit... But if for some bizarre reason you feel the "need for speed" in your ride, how much would you want to accelerate that baby?
I don't mean how much you have actually peaked in your car, but if you had all the NOS in the world, how fast would you go before you yell, "AAHHH!!! WHERE'S THE BRAKE?!"

[Rabid_Squirrel]

Depends on the road and car.

Currently, I could go about 120km/h in my Nissan Pulsar on a typical gravel sealed road.

Given a nice empty motorway and a decent touring car (Ford Falcon/Holden Commadore/Mitsi Gallant) I could probably to 160-180km/h.

[Matchka]

I freak out about 80. But I drive an 83 Corolla and the speedometer goes to...80.

[AdmiralQ]

I don't feel comfortable going anything above 85mph on any public highway. If I had access to a racetrack, I could probably get up to 100mph or so before I'd start getting nervous.

[badmana]

In my new Matrix, I typically cruise at 140 km/h (about 90 mph) while in my mini-van anything over 165 caused the side folding mirrors to fold in, I typically cruised at 120 km/h in the van.

My bonneville was a great highway car and I normally travelled at 120 in that boat.

If there was no limits, if I wasn't trying to save gas, I would feel safe and comfortable travelling at 180-200 km/h in my Matrix on a good highway. But I'm not brave enough about getting caught

[Carlos619]

130, easy. My 01 mustang GT is pretty stable at those speeds. I cruise at 100 on LONG trips.

[Profane]

I've never driven so fast I was scared. I have driven so fast I was scared of losing my license. I try to keep it down to about 80 most of the time.

[FilmGeek]

I would go 110 mph in my car, a Volvo S70, and I have gone 100mph (without even noticing). eek.

I would go faster in someone else's car.

[racer72]

I've done over 120 plus a few times on the road. In a race car I have done 160. I currently own a car capable of 135 mph (my 66 GTO) but I don't think I have ever had it over 75.

[Rick]

As had been said, depends on the road, weather, and the car.
The fastest I have gone is 163 MPH measured on the Nevada Highway Patrol's radar*. I do recall thinking as we approached a curve that if we did not make the curve it was really going to hurt.

In a non race I have hit the speed limiter on my car a couple of times (152 MPH) and when in the middle of nowhere cruised at 135 for an hour or so.











*Not I was not arrested I was in a car race The Silver State Classic

[Burrido]

Topped out my 305 camaro on the way back to the Twin Cities from Duluth about 50% of the way. 120 - 130ish? Dunno what the top speed actually was since the damn speedometer stops at 85. But it did spin around past 85 and went back up to 15.

[Boo Boo Foo]

Originally posted by Burrido
Topped out my 305 camaro on the way back to the Twin Cities from Duluth about 50% of the way. 120 - 130ish? Dunno what the top speed actually was since the damn speedometer stops at 85. But it did spin around past 85 and went back up to 15.

Ya gotta like that, haven't you? Try doing THAT with a modern digital speedometer!

Personally, cars have never been my thing, in terms of high speed blasts. But I used to own a Suzuki GSXR-750 which went like a jet. Very fast bike. I only opened it up a few times, on very safe stretches of empty highway obviously.

In all honesty, I'd get up to 200+ kph and I think I'd last oh, 5 seconds, before I'd shit myself and back right off to doing the speed limit for the rest of the trip. It would still be winding on the speed before my bravery ran out. Thank goodness too, with hindsight.

[buttonjockey308]

I once got my considerable frame on a Ninja. The speedo maxed at what I remember looked like 160.

I pegged it for all of three seconds before the intense puckering set in.

All I remember seeing was a faint spot of road ahead that was not completely blurry, and prayed that the road crew filled in all the errant potholes.

[Ludovic]

I used to max out my Neon at 120, but was never out on an uninhabited-enough stretch of road that I wasnt then fast approaching the cars ahead of me. So I was scared due to approaching the other cars.

[Sunspace]

Back in the olden days before I left home I got a Chevette up to about 125 km/h on the 401 near Bowmanville. Yeah, I know it doesn't sound like much, but, hey, it was a Chevette.

[Caught@Work]

Once, when I had my brown underpants on, I got up to 180km/h which is around 110mph.
It was scary.

[whippingboy]

in the uk where the speed limit is 70 mph on motorways ... i generally sit about 80-85 mph ..sometimes upto 100mph ..in germany on an autoban ( no speedlimit in a hire car 325 BMW a sat quit comfortably at 140 mph for miles peaking at around 160 mph ( well thats what the speedo said

[lurksfromwork]

In an older car, 77 MGB GT, worked just a tad, i managed to get it to 210 km/h...down hill.

My ford falcon with a worked 351 had a top speed of about 190 but the diff ratio was high, suited to burnouts and quick takeoffs.

2002 lancer...219 km/h before valve bounce set in and the owner of the car shat herself.

my current car, Toyota landcruiser, 170 km/h prob has a bit more but at that speed it uses about 45 litres per 100km...expensive.

[mouthbreather]

I've been up to 135mph before with a friend.

It gets kid of surreal, and scary.

[dwc1970]

Assuming I'm on a straight stretch of interstate highway, I'd be comfortable driving about 85-90 mph, which I know my Nissan Sentra can do. Anything over that and I get nervous for the sake of my own safety and the engine's ability to maintain such a speed for so long. The only thing that makes me nervous about driving over 80 mph is getting nailed by a cop. Just once I'd like to see if I could take it up to 120, the maximum speed on the speedometer.

[Silver Serpentine]

I got my little Saturn up to 105 once. Scared the bajesus out of me.

But if I was on a long, straight stretch of road? No cops or trafiic? In the day? Maybe 140. Maybe.

[WavyDavy]

When she jumped into the car on our first date and immediately gave me a tonsil swabbing with her tongue and grabbed my crotch. It took me back for a moment...but, hey, it was fun.

Dave

[WavyDavy]

Oh...never mind. Guess I need to read the actual OP first. Bust above.

Dave

[Scuba_Ben]

On open road, I once pulled about 85 mph in a sprint. No traffic, straight highway, the usual. This was in my old, hand-me-down late-70s Toyota, about 14 years ago. I don't think that car ever went that fast before or since.

I've never taken my '01 Toyota far over 70. Come the spring, though, we'll see.

I'd love to go to a NASCAR or IndyCar fantasy camp, and take one of the race cars out on the track at 180+ mph!! At the rate things are going, I just might treat myself to that for my birthday next year.

[Small Clanger]

whippingboy points out the speed limit here is 70mph but really cruising speed on motorways is ~85mph for most of the traffic, seeing people doing 90+ is not unusual.

If DVLC are watching let's say these are hypothetical...

In my old Renault 25 I got to 115 before bottling out, it was an empty motorway but it got too bumpy.

In my current Mercedes 180 got it to 120 (empty motorway again) but ran out of road - when you're going 60mph faster than other traffic it comes up fast. The car still felt stable tho'

It depends a lot on the car, I drove a friends Fiat Uno and like my old ford Escort if you managed to get it past 75 it did not feel safe.

[SirRay]

My Rav4 has it's own speed governor at around 80-85mph, when the front brush bar begins to seriously vibrate, and I need to immediately back it down to 75mph or so (I feel wild shaking is NOT a good thing for the brush bar mounting).
This doesn't matter all that much in downstate NY, where all the speed limits are ridiculously too low anyway.

[Emilio Lizardo]

When I first got my Camry I took it up to about 115 mph on a nice straighaway before chickening out, both because of the cars shimmying and my fear of a very expensive ticket. On interstates I rarely take it above 90 or so.

[Merkwurdigliebe]

Lol, Get a german car, They are designed to driven at very high speeds.

[FairyChatMom]

I don't think I've ever topped 85. My Aerostar isn't happy above 75 or so. If I had a clear road on a good day and a good car, I'd probably try to get to 100, but I truly have no need for speed.

On the road, I'm usually no more than 5 over the limit.

[Mycroft Holmes]

Once I got an Audi A6 4.2 quattro up to 230 kph (that's about 140 mph) on a really empty stretch of German autobahn (between Memmingen and the Austrian border). I must admit it's a strange feeling. You get this highway stare, where you're trying to figure out what the drivers a couple of kilometers ahead of you are going to do next.

If you're whipping along at that speed, and a VW rabbit suddenly decides to pass a truck while going about 50 mph, so it enters into your lane a couple of hundred meters ahead of you, you're going to have to hit the brakes hard and fast. To be honest I couldn't take it more than a few minutes before slowing down to a more leisurely 80-90 mph.

It's also a strange feeling when you are going that fast for a while and you have to exit the autobahn. At that point going 40mph feels like you're standing still.

[bafaa]

I got my 2000 Celica GT-S up to about 120mph and it was very stable. I could have gone faster but my exit was coming up and I was getting kinda freaked out anyway by how fast I was going. I normally drive 75-80 and hit 100 or so every once in a while.

[AHunter3]

Depends on traffic conditions, road conditions, how far ahead I can see the road and the traffic, and the condition of my car (shocks and springs, steering tightness and alignment, tire tread and inflation). Oh, and the condition of me

In the Jemez Mountains of New Mexico winds State Road 44, which has nice long stretches you can see, gentle changes of direction, and very light traffic. I used to cruise my '65 Bonneville down it at around 130 mph and was very comfortable and relaxed. As [b]Mycroft Holmes[/ b]says, it gets interesting when someone does something you have to compensate for. A car in your own lane doing 55 is getting closer to you at a rate of 75 mph and the driver isn't necessarily paying much attention to you.

There are very few places around here (New York City) that I'd feel comfortable driving at such speed. Possibly the William Floyd Parkway on Long Island at 3 AM. If I had a "Get out of jail free" card in my wallet, maybe (way too many traffic cops in these parts).

[Quartz]

I've done over 120 MPH in a Renault 11, but it's not so much the speed itself that's the restraining factor but the combination of speed, the driver, and the driving conditions. My brother, for instance, seems to have great difficulty actually paying attention to the road when there are others in the car. I've been in too many accidents to want to be in another - and I've seen unedited photos of some really nasty ones.

[fatmac98]

Forgive me for being ignorant in regard to metric equivalencies, w/o looking at a speedometer, how many MPH does 100KPH approximate?

Once got my old Integra GS-R up to 135 MPH. Wasn't scared for my safety, but was afraid of getting pulled over/arrested.

[dil]

I took my Porsche 944 turbo up to 150mph. The world was passing me by at an alarming rate at that speed, so I didn't stay there long. I would regularly cruise at 120+ though. This was on long flat farm roads between Champaign, IL and Naperville, IL. I could do the trip in 1hr 45min which was about an hour quicker than the norm.

It is amazing how much faster 150 feels compared to 125. It's one of those things you gotta do once in your life, but make sure you're in a vehicle that can accomplish it safely and make sure you have good visibility.

100 kph = 62 mph, so I was doing 242 kph, for you canucks and UK'ers.

[SanguineSpider]

Thought you were speaking of sex and dating... gosh, you're a tease!

[rjung]

I once raced a total stranger at 140+ on the backroads of Northern California.

In my youth, I used to do late commutes home on the southern California freeways at 90-100 MPH.

Nowadays, I don't go over 80.

[mouthbreather]

Originally posted by fatmac98
Forgive me for being ignorant in regard to metric equivalencies, w/o looking at a speedometer, how many MPH does 100KPH approximate?.

100 KMPH = roughly 67 or 68 MPH (going of the top of my head, I may be wrong)

[mouthbreather]

shit, I see that dil already answered.

[Count Blucher]

Actually, I'm not sure how fast I was going. The car I was in was a Dodge Omni and the speedometer numbers ended at 80mph, but the needle would keep going. At peak speed, the needle was pointing straight down at 6 o'clock and pointing at the 'P' in 'MPH' which was printed at the bottom of the speedometer.

OK, math majors....what is the value of 'P'? Assume that acceleration has peaked to zero and is not yet declining. Answer is to be in Miles Per Hour, not points per license or dollars per fine and you must show your work.

[Saint Zero]

My current Aerostar is good for 90. I've done that exactly once, and crosswinds will put the fear of God back in you quick at that speed.
I've had a 1970 Pontiac Bonneville up to 95, and it felt like it wasn't being pushed. But then these days a 400CID with a 4 barrel is like just pouring the gas on the ground... not very fuel efficent.

[Troy McClure SF]

When I was driving to Vegas, I tried to see if my 93 Corolla could do 100mph, on I5, just to see if it could be done, and also to minimize my time on that godforsaken road. It can. But I get the faintest shimmying at anything over 85, so that's generally where I top off. Though I did find myself wandering toward 90 on my last trip north on 280.

[Mr2001]

I got myself into a highway race once, back when I had an '85 MR2, and decided 105 was too fast. 90 is plenty.

[ski]

I used to race motorcycles. Would have them up to 140-150 once or twice per lap on one track, the speed became a non-issue after a while. You just got used to it. Of course that's on a track.

On the street, I got a bike up to 160 or so (the speedo said 170+ but they're extremely inaccurate at those speeds). That lasted for a few seconds before fear of jail time caused me to back off. But I have sustained 120 or so on a bike for some minutes. In the desert on deserted roads.

[Extraneous]

120 mph - no problem as long as I know the road and can see 5 miles ahead.

anything above 130, and I get to puckering....

God Bless I-80 in Utah - they actually paved the salt flats!

[myrnajean]

Too Fast
is when you open your motorcycle helmet and *Poof* you're Dizzy Gilespie, (without the horn) aaaaaauuugh...
180 mph on Yamaha V-Max

[JohnBckWLD]

Originally posted by Carlos619
130, easy. My 01 mustang GT is pretty stable at those speeds. I cruise at 100 on LONG trips.

Two weeks ago Sunday, I got my 2003 Mustang GT up to 141mph on the Ocean Parkway (with a tailwind). There wasn't a car for miles but the thought of an errant dear jumping out in the road cut the duration of time at that speed to less than a minute.

[drm]

On an open highway with no traffic, I've been 240km/h. It was pretty damn quick, but provided the highway stayed empty, I would have been okay up to say 260km/h.

Now with actually traffic on the road, I don't go much faster than 180-200 km/h. Even that is a little too fast for my liking.

[peritrochoid]

I have comfortably done 115mph in my previous VW Golf, and I've cruised at 100mph in my GTI for long periods of time. The GTI is so much more stable, so I predict I could cruise up to it's built-in limiter (which I believe is around 130). I could cruise all day in my brother's 924S at 130 without the "pucker factor" kicking in.

[pulykamell]

Same as drm. I once held 240 km/hr for a half-hour in a 2-liter Ford Focus. It made me a tiny bit nervous, because the car really was at its limit, but the road was straight and visibility was superb. That's probably the fastest I'll go comfortably. A couple weeks ago, I went out with my cousin in his 2003 SVT Mustang Cobra on a relatively crowded stretch of I-55. In a period of about 10 seconds, we managed to get from 50 to 140 mph...in the right lane. I was scared shitless.