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.
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.
I got myself into a highway race once, back when I had an '85 MR2, and decided 105 was too fast. 90 is plenty.
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.
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!
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
I used to cruise in my previous sports car at about 90-95. Many times I peaked it at 125 MPH for various stupid reasons and it still handled quite well.
Currently in my minivan I can cruise 80 or so because it rides nice at that speed. I’ve had it up to 105 I think but since it handles more sluggishly than my car did I keep it down for the most part.
Interesting note: The drive on I-15 from Barstow to Las Vegas has to be the the most interesting driving I’ve ever encountered. People drive as fast as they can, hardly any curves to the road, steep grades, flat stretches, and I’ve never seen anyone pulled over for speeding. I’ve driven from SF to LV many times and always looked forward to the last 100 mile stretch.
“How fast is TOO FAST?!”
What do you mean? I do not understand 
I really do not know. B&I will hit 120 MPH in about 11 seconds; this is known for sure. I was playing with a 911 Turbo on an otherwise empty stretch of very good highway and was doing about 80 when I hit it and held it for about 15 seconds.
No problem cruising at 90 with just one hand in the mountains in my Bonneville, 110+ is not a problem but two hands will be on the wheel.
Biggest fear = DEER, then speed traps. Do not worry about other drivers because I will not blast past at high speed - not worth it.
2003 Ford F-250SD 4x4 , 100 MPH feels like 50. Same for my brothers 1991 Chevy K1500 4x4, any more than 3/4" throttle and it will just sit at 80.
Have no idea how fast that 23 T Street rod was going, but it was an unbelievably fast ride.
Been 93 in our old minivan. Could probably get to 110-120 if conditions and vehicle were more appropriate.
I’ve hit the speed limiter in my Mercury Mystique, which is 112 mph. Held that for a few seconds before I backed off to the speed limit. I’ve also had my dad’s Ford Contour SVT up to 120 or so. On snow tires, IIRC. That was pretty stupid. Also didn’t hold that very long as I live near Vail, so the road doesn’t go straight for very long around here.
Andrew
That’s easy…
Makes your bladder feel better, silly.
This thread reminds me of a story. In 72 my dad got a new Olds 88 to replace the 1967 88. My mother was cruising along NY 90 and asked why everyone was going so slow. I looked at the speedometer and she was going 100. Ah the older “boats” were comfortable.
I’ve hit 100 briefly in my T bird but I try to avoid that for any length of time. The roads are just too crowded now. In the early 70’s everyone drove in the right lane unless they were passing. Due to traffic density and poor driving habits this is no longer the case.
In all seriousness, I’m happy nobody got hurt from my youthful adventures (dumbass stunts). Not all my friends are around to make that statement. I hit a ramp in the road once during a race that launched all 4 wheels off the ground. The landing crushed the exhaust system and the next day the axle shaft spun out the side. I’ve since seen flowers attached to trees in the same spot. Stupid gets expensive.
I personally have taken a Cavalier station wagon to 125 down the mountains going east on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. I slowed down when the tires started to melt. Literally melt. :eek:
In my fantasy world, I’d like to try out the [url=“http://www.gizmo.com.au/public/News/news.asp?articleid=2250”]Bugatti Veyron**. Only Europeans and math people will understand the metric stuff, so let me translate:
Jesus H. Christ that car is fast!
OK, no, really. 0-180 MPH in 14 seconds, top speed estimated at 252 MPH, which would make it the fastest production car of all time. If they need someone crazy enough to try for the top speed, all they have to do is ask.
That’s what I get for not previewing.
I once got my brothers girlfriends car up to about 135 on a roadtrip. The car, I can’t remember the model, started coming apart. The stripping around the windshield started coming off. When we stopped we found that you could push the window out.
I am not sure how my brother explained that.
Slee
I drove a circa 2000 Chevy Cavalier all the way to the top of the speedometer a couple years back (up in Montreal, and sorry I don’t remember what the speedo goes to).
Currently, I have a '94 318i and I’ve taken it to 115 on several occassions. I was still about 1500 RPM away from redline when I did it, so I guess I could get around 130 if I really wanted to. I wasn’t worried about messing up, but I was seriously worried about a ticket. I generally cruise in the 80-85 range.
But I figure one of these days I’ll really put my baby through the paces and see what happens.