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Hey Foosh I would like to see your home. I never have been a speed demon but to each his own. Here in Juneau there isn't any reason to go fast. The longest section of highway is maybe 60 miles if that. But there is always some clown driving like a damn idiot.
Last edited by oldvetteowner; 04-18-2019 at 06:01 PM.
LOL . . . This Texas toll highway has very straight, very wide, very smooth, and very flat pavement out in the middle of nowhere. It's relatively new, and the legal speed limit is 85. I got it up to that speed briefly, then backed off to a more reasonable 70 for a vehicle that size (42K GVWR). I'm not stupid.
There was almost no traffic on it, and what little there was blew past me at 90-100+.
I had a Skip Barber instructor take a loaded with students 15 passenger ford van around a road course track to "show us the line"...boy could that guy could drive. But I wouldn't want to be in anything that size at speed that blew a tire.
Not recently, I hope, as that is insane. Those high capacity passenger vans are notoriously unstable when loaded, and are rollover accidents waiting to happen. That is why you see them being replaced by European style vans--and even those are not anything you would wish to drive to extremes. Google "passenger van instability" and you will find any number of articles on this.
Doubtful that will ever happen, Texas has the highest speeds in the country and also one of the highest deaths with car accidents. I have lived in NY, FL and TX, people just want to go fast out here. I mean I am not complaining but they can definitely use some time on the road course to be better drivers.
Just taking the number of car accident deaths by state is meaningless. Texas also has one of the highest populations in the country, not to mention one of the highest miles traveled (ranking 2nd in both).
Specifically, according to the latest data available (2017) from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Highway Loss Data Institute:
Texas ranks 11th in the nation for deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled (tied with 3 other states). South Carolina, Mississippi, Louisiana, Alaska, Kentucky, West Virginia, Arizona, Montana, Florida and Kansas are all worse.
On a deaths per 100,000 population, Texas ranks 23rd. Mississippi, Wyoming, South Carolina, Alabama, New Mexico, Montana, Kentucky, West Virginia, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Kansas, Tennessee, Missouri, North Dakota, Florida, South Dakota, Georgia, Arizona, Idaho, North Carolina and Indiana are all worse.
I was out for a ride in the Vette earlier this week. In 7th gear, it's hard to keep it under 85....the car just wants to go. I'm willing to bet this car will cruise at 130-140 fairly comfortably. Top speed here in VA is 70, and if they catch you going over 80, its reckless driving. If they catch you going over 90, it's one day in jail for every MPH over, and if over 100, they impound your car. .....lousy place to have a fast car.
Last summer I spent 8 days and 2300 miles in Alberta Canada visiting their national parks and the highway speed limit was 100 and 120 kmh. The fastest drivers drove 120 in the 100 kmh zone and 140 (87 mph) in the 120 zone. In those 2300 miles I never saw one police car on the highway or anyone pulled over by a police car. I was told by a local Canadian that a couple years ago the Providence of Alberta had turned the enforcement of traffic laws over to local cities. Alberta in a pretty wide open Providence with lots of distance between cities and it seemed that police stayed in those cities and not out on the highways. And I have to say that the drivers there were all very courteous and in those 8 days I only saw a couple drivers that really abused the speed limits. And one more thing: Not only was the scenery breathtaking, all the roads were beautifully maintained.
Lake Moraine:
The reason there's a black dot where Washigton DC is, because it's hard to reach any speed limit in bumper to bumper traffic
Yet they manage to get me in a picture saying I was doing 65 in a 50. It was a 4 lane highway and I was the last car in the line of cars. Don't even know where exactly even with the location was called out. I have a tendency to stay with traffic so I paid and moved on.
Hell, I got this up to 85 legally on that toll road south of Austin leaving COTA. I didn't stay there long because you sure as hell don't want a front tire blowout in this.
Hell, I got this up to 85 legally on that toll road south of Austin leaving COTA. I didn't stay there long because you sure as hell don't want a front tire blowout in this.
Next week me and 159 of my closest friends will be legally driving between 140 and 200+ mph on US285 in west Texas. The LEO's and DPS will be watching us go by.
This is the Big Bend Open Road Race. US285 is closed to other traffic from 6 AM to 6 PM for the race. After many years in this race I have now accumulated 600+ miles of legally driving above 150 mph on Texas highways.
West Texas at 160 mph is a real rush.
Last summer I spent 8 days and 2300 miles in Alberta Canada visiting their national parks and the highway speed limit was 100 and 120 kmh. The fastest drivers drove 120 in the 100 kmh zone and 140 (87 mph) in the 120 zone. In those 2300 miles I never saw one police car on the highway or anyone pulled over by a police car. I was told by a local Canadian that a couple years ago the Providence of Alberta had turned the enforcement of traffic laws over to local cities. Alberta in a pretty wide open Providence with lots of distance between cities and it seemed that police stayed in those cities and not out on the highways. And I have to say that the drivers there were all very courteous and in those 8 days I only saw a couple drivers that really abused the speed limits. And one more thing: Not only was the scenery breathtaking, all the roads were beautifully maintained.
Lake Moraine:
Moraine Lake use to be on the back side of the old Canadian $20.00 bill ($14.95US)!!
In the spring of 1973 I passed from OK into TX and the first speed limit sign i saw read" SAFE AND REASONABLE". Coming from PA what an invite. I set the cruise control to 115 HPH and off i went in my 1973 AMX 401ci. After about 20 miles I noticed flashing lights behind me. Oh well I slowed down and got pulled over. Trooper gets out and i roll down my window. He puts his face about 5 inches from mine and says "you were flying boy". Mine mind thinks this is not good. Then he says "breath on me" , I did, "Ok you're not drinking you are FREE to go and be safe out there" Texas was great until the fall when the gas crunch hit and %%MPH started. That's my story an I am sticking to it. THX
Next week me and 159 of my closest friends will be legally driving between 140 and 200+ mph on US285 in west Texas. The LEO's and DPS will be watching us go by.
This is the Big Bend Open Road Race. US285 is closed to other traffic from 6 AM to 6 PM for the race. After many years in this race I have now accumulated 600+ miles of legally driving above 150 mph on Texas highways.
West Texas at 160 mph is a real rush.
I was on this road last Friday (US285), what a drive. The highest speeds I have seen posted is 80mph. I think the 130 toll road by Austin may have been reduced from 85mph to 80mph, at least near COTA it is.
Last edited by Michael T*; 04-19-2019 at 11:25 AM.
04-18-2019, 05:59 PM
