… but leave the application to end-user discretion? Why do they allow manufacturers to produce engines that will produce speeds well in excess of the speed they (the govt) has stated as the maximum? And then have the law enforced in an almost childish manner at local law enforcement level, each time the user exceeds limits (and the local law is on the lookout). It seems a wholly ineffective system, without the best interests (safety) of the user at heart.
In fact, it seems somewhat like God’s twisted game of Eden and the forbidden fruit. Why put people there that can eat fruit, put the fruit there, and then ask that it not be eaten? (to test freewill, etc. okay whatever)
Why make a top speed law, allow people to drive faster than the limit, but ask them not to? Why not just… not allow the ability to exceed the law in the first place?
Without wishing to slant any angles here, just how lucrative are speeding fines for muncipalities/states/countries? Is it an income they’d prefer not to lose?
Is it a matter of momentum where because freedom was granted to manufacturers when cars began being produced, governments feel it would be too much to impose manufacturer laws now?
Because you are only not allowed to go in excess of this speed on public roads in the US? Would you start nerfing vehicles at the border, whenever someone visits from Mexico or Canada, and deactivating the limiters when people choose to leave?
Really, it’s up to the government to justify making the nerfing a requirement, not the other way around.
I’m not suggesting limiters, I’m asking why fast/powerful engines - or at least engines providing more speed than the law allows - are allowed in the first place.
I’ll explain what brought this question to mind - the recent problems with certain Toyota models, and the case of a guy who claimed his car accelerated when he tried to brake, and he’s still in prison for the resulting deaths.
Seems to me that there are currently cars on the road with technology that we now know to be failure-prone, and those cars also have the ability to exceed the speed limit. As a result people have the potential to end up crashing at speeds higher than what they’d choose to be at, simply because the car has that capability (and dodgy wiring).
Powerful engines are needed so the vehicle can get moving at all. Let’s say you need 30 BHP to maintain 55 mph. An engine that can only make that amount would have a very difficult (if not impossible) time getting a 4,000 lb vehicle in motion from a stop. It would also mean running the engine at redline it’s entire (very short)service life.
I’m not aware of any Government law to limit the top speed of vehicles. Many European cars have a software imposed limit of 155MPH, but that’s done voluntarily by the manufacturer. I can easily reset the limit to a lower maximum speed if I was so inclined. It doesn’t affect car’s performance at lower speeds.
Of course! Just make transmissions against the law. Problem solved.
While we’re at it, lets limit how big and strong people can get, so they won’t be able to hurt each other in fights. And really, why should anyone be smarter than they need to be? That just leads to unhappiness with one’s lot in life, and therefore general civil unrest.
Speed limits only apply when driving on government roads. Theoretically I can take my automobile to a privately owned road (race track) and go as fast as my little heart can handle.
Do you really think that a good transmission would allow a 30 horsepower motor to accelerate a 3000 pound car to 55 mph in a reasonable amount of time, perhaps 15 seconds or so?
Well, I suppose there is the issue of practicality. Doesn’t each state set its own speed limit? Some places the highway speed limit is 65mph and other places it’s 55mph. There may even be places in the US where there are no speed limits above what is “reasonable and prudent”.
And a limiter is not going to stop you from going 65mph in a 25mph zone.
Also, I think it’s a safety issue. You may need to accelerate your care to above the speed limit for a short period of time in order to avoid a collission. Say your car was about to be T-boned by someone who just ran a red light.
Not really. A transmission keeps you from stalling out an engine or overreving it, but you still need the power.
If you need 40 HP to go 65mph, I don’t care if you have the most magical transmission in the world, its gonna accelerate like a dog compared to something like an 80hp engine used to get you up to 65. What you do with that extra 40hp thats available ONCE you are at 65 is a whole nother issue.
If I’m not wrong the JDM Nissan GTR has a speed limiter that is linked to GPS - when the GPS tells the car that its on a race track, the 180km/h JDM limit is removed.
Montana briefly experimented with “reasonable and prudent”, but only for a few years before discovering that you can’t expect those two adjectives to apply to everyone. We’re back to numerical speed limits now, and everywhere else in the country never tried it at all. Still, though, the speed limits we do have are often 70 or 75 MPH, with a legal minimum of 65. If you set a car for the 55 MPH limit found in most states, that car literally could not be driven legally on the Montana interstates.
The other issue, of course, is that loads vary. Do you design the engine so that the car can top out at 70 MPH on a level road with four passengers? Then what happens going up a steep grade with 250 pounds of stuff in the trunk?
I have a pretty powerful truck with a V-10 engine in it. I can tow a 10,000-pound trailer at the speed limit on a level highway. But there’s still a very steep grade on a highway near here where I can’t maintain 65 MPH all the way up the hill when the truck is empty and I’m not towing anything.
Passing is another problem. When going up a long hill with slow-moving semis on it, you want to be able to pull out, get past the trucks, and get back in your own lane quickly.
By Truck you mean four wheel pick-up / utility / tradesman work horse? Seriously a V10 engined vehicle like that can’t maintain 65mph empty up a grade? Must be either a seriously steep grade or you need to shift down a gear it rev it a little more.
Even my little 1800cc auto can keep up a speed of 100km/h on most grades if I need to (excluding pesky corners where I need to slow down)
I have to say I can see where the OP is coming from: why is it legal to build a commercial-sale car for road use that can drive at 300km/h, if the fastest you can legally drive it on the road is 130km/h (depending on location)?
I don’t think the OP is saying they shouldn’t be able to make and sell 300km/h cars (I’m certainly not saying that!), but questioning why there are speed limits on roads but no legal restriction on engine power for cars, which is, I think, a fair question.