By EU, you do mean the German autobahn don't you?

You do know that MOST of the autobahn DOES have speed limits?

 

If u are driving n of Ely towards Elko there isn't even a gas station for 150 miles! Same down in Death Valley, it's a long ways between gas stops. I recently was driving home from a hunting trip in AZ, I noticed no one was on the road and looked at my odometer. 28 miles later a car passed me in the opposite direction.

 

Now where exactly was I?


Oh yeah, the town of....wait for it......Nothing! And it sits in the middle of nowhere!

 

I'm an east coaster.....45 years ago, in my first brand new car, a 1971 Chevelle SS454, I had one of those, open road, no traffic at all, moments. I nailed the throttle, and wound it out to 6000 RPM in fourth gear, for a few moments. No idea how fast I was going, because I had exceeded the upper limit of the speedometer. After consulting a tire OD/RPM/rear gear chart, it said I was going 142 MPH.

As I said, that was 42 years ago. Today, the traffic density has exploded to the point that I NEVER see a "no traffic" situation, ever, even in the middle of the night....

 

Whilst manufacturers will produce vehicles that are capable of speeds in excess of 150 mph - that in itself is nothing new. What is new is the refinement we see now (as compared to the past) in terms of handling, braking and ultimately cooling, enabling these speeds to be maintained continuously. No doubting any ones driving skills in maintaining these speeds - the real issue is the unknown - a bird, fox even a rabbit at these speeds can make a nice hole in your windscreen or radiator - even small hump or dip in the road surface at sub 80 mph speeds, barely unsettling the suspension can do something totally different at speeds over 150 mph. Get that front end unsettled a bit allowing airflow under the front end rather than over the top of it and aerodynamics (or lack of) may dictate front or rear end 'lift off' and potential disaster. Hope you guys intimately know the roads you are using
And yes I have had a driving ban for speeding

 

 

In about the middle of Nebraska there is an awesome flat, mostly straight road with some gentle curves between Broken bow and Thedford that is my favorite piece of road. Very little traffic and a beautiful drive. I have always wanted to try it at 150 or so, but still havn't.

https://www.google.com/maps/@41.5665...7i13312!8i6656

https://www.google.com/maps/@41.7029...7i13312!8i6656

 

Back in the day ... a girlfriend, actually I was not that much into her, we were casual friends ... then she happened to mention that her father owned Westgate Lincoln Mercury in Cicero Illinois ... which also sold ... Panteras.

Couple nights later about 10pm we were at the dealership, which she worked at and had keys and the alarm code ...

For about an hour I had a pretty good time, and yes, sorry endangered motorists .... 156, it had more, but I didn't ... I was in a cold sweat ...

Actually ... that night I had a better time in my 1963 Buick LeSabre.

Happy motoring,
Frank

 

As far as I know the Camaro that was pre running the Nevada Silver Classic a week before the race who got a Speeding Ticket for 222 MPH in a 55 still holds the record for the Fastest Speeding Ticket. This happened in the late 80's. His record time of 197 MPH average in the Race Held for many Years. For what I know it has never been eat.

 

OK so the new record is 207.8 set in 2000, in a Chrysler Lebanon. ARCA Race Car.

 

I'm not going to say I've never been north of 120 mph on a public road, but not for a very long time. It's just too much risk. If I lose my license, I lose my job. Not to mention the possibility of blowing a tire...having an animal wander across the road...or coming upon another driver and getting in a bad position. Risk your own life if that gets you off, but not another's. I'll bet I could guess what Paul Walker's opinion would be (Fast n Furious). Take it to the track!

 

 

I was in high school in 1977 and took my buddy's modified 1970 GTO for a cruise at 145 mph.

 

Well, if you've ever experienced the result of a high speed crash, you'd think twice before pushing the envelope. I heard a horrific noise one November evening about 10 years ago outside my house. Turned out to be 2 twenty something guys in a new Camaro SS. The police estimated they were doing around 95 when the driver lost control. The car hit a large maple tree and broke into 3 pieces. The engine ended up in my front yard over 100 yards from the crash site. I was the first one on the scene and found the passenger on a neighbors side lawn. All he had left on his body was his shorts and 1 sock. His leg was broken so badly that his foot was facing backwards. I stayed with him until the fire dept. showed up. The driver wasn't as lucky. They located him about 20 feet up, tangled in a large spruce tree. He was dead. Both were wearing seatbelts, but that doesn't do any good if there's no car to anchor them to. Happy speeding!
Duane

 

I have never spent much time in Germany. I Prefer the warm Med coasts and the wide open Spain

 

Well they weren't speeding in the right spot. I sometimes get to 95MPH commuting to work, 100 once this year. I refer to that stretch of highway as the "North Haven Salt Flats" . A tiny red car regularly passes me in the morning. His normal speed is about 90, every day. Speed wisely!

 

Collisions do not happen 'wisely' - tyre 'blow-outs' do not happen 'wisely' - the AH coming from the opposite direction loosing control and hitting you head-on won't have been driving 'wisely'. The results of a head-on collision at only 30 mph can be fatal even in late model cars with seat belts, air bags and crumple zones. Just think - an object in excess of a ton is moving forward at say 20 mph. It hits an immoveable object (say, a street light, power pole, tree or a road structure like a bridge foundation. Most of the car stops instantly. Unbelievable 'G' forces are at play here. Your body (held in place by seat belts and protected in late model cars by various air-bags) will be additionally protected externally. What about that extreme deceleration and the effect it will have on your internal organs. Remember - your heart that was just travelling at 20 mph really just just wants to keep on travelling at the same speed - it will be making an attempt to break-out through your ribcage, rupturing main arteries in the process and allowing you to bleed-out internally - unknowingly. You won't be feeling good for a few moments - then you simply die before the medics have even started received the emergency call. And these forces are multiplied many more times the faster you are travelling...................

 

Blah blah blah. I thank god I don't live a quivering gutless life, it would not be worth living. You don't have any control over the AH coming in the other direction, you better come to grips with that and accept it or stop driving. If you don't know what you're doing, don't try it. I don't know how anyone can go thru life worrying about g forces at 20 MPH. Have fun at 55 if that's all the gut you got, I'm gonna Speed wisely!

 

No human being could ever survive if they exceeded a mile a minute.

That is why the speed limit was set at 55.