What Gives, VW?

"Party-vi" (party-vi)
07/01/2015 at 15:02 • Filed to: None

The advertised [ETA (assumed limited)] top speed of the new GTI is 124mph. The Fiesta ST will theoretically hit 143mph, the Focus ST runs up to 148mph, and the Subaru WRX comes in at 144mph. My decade-old 330Ci can supposedly run over 155mph, so why did VW hold the top speed of the GTI back?

photo from Car and Driver

DISCUSSION (42)

Übel > Party-vi
07/01/2015 at 15:05

Shit, both of my ‘03 GTIs (VR6 and 1.8T) were rated to 140mphish.

jkm7680 > Party-vi
07/01/2015 at 15:06

Huh, that’s odd. My A4 is rated for 130 and it’s by no means as quick as a GTI.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > Party-vi
07/01/2015 at 15:06

Tires?

LongbowMkII > Party-vi
07/01/2015 at 15:06

where did you get that from?

Party-vi > LongbowMkII
07/01/2015 at 15:07

Ah, sorry - all information was from C&D instrumented tests.

Brian Silvestro > Party-vi
07/01/2015 at 15:08

Fiesta ST will hit 142 oppo member confirmed

LongbowMkII > Party-vi
07/01/2015 at 15:09

probably just a factory speed limiter, maybe the factory rubber has a low speed rating.

AM3R shamefully returns > Party-vi
07/01/2015 at 15:09

Is that 124 limited? That sounds oddly low.

Alfalfa Romeo > Party-vi
07/01/2015 at 15:09

According to Wikipedia, my 850 could supposedly reach 140 out of the factory.

Therefore, my old Volvo has better performance than a new GTI. Nothing else matters, just theoretical top speed! I’m going to comment on some YouTube vids now.

Party-vi > AM3R shamefully returns
07/01/2015 at 15:10

I believe it is, but why would VW limit the speed of their bread and butter performance model while other manufacturers aren’t?

HammerheadFistpunch > LongbowMkII
07/01/2015 at 15:10

That’s my thought, U rated tires max out at...surprise! 124.

Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy > Party-vi
07/01/2015 at 15:11

German regulation perhaps? I’ve been reading a few things while back that drivers often hit their limiters on the Autobahn.

Party-vi > LongbowMkII
07/01/2015 at 15:12

Ah - didn’t think of this, but at the same time who puts H speed rated tires on a GTI? There are way more W rated options out there. Seems cheesy if that’s the case.

Party-vi > Brian Silvestro
07/01/2015 at 15:13

That would make me poo my pants.

HammerheadFistpunch > Party-vi
07/01/2015 at 15:14

Did you download the test sheet ? They usually indicate it it was limited by drag, gear or electronic.

Cé hé sin > Party-vi
07/01/2015 at 15:14

A Golf GTI will do about 150 mph.

Accrding to Autocar magazine even the 2.0 diesel will do 134.

Textured Soy Protein > Party-vi
07/01/2015 at 15:14

I looked up the OE tire options for the 2015 GTI . They are the Pirelli P Zero Nero All Season, Pirelli Cinturato P7 All Season, Dunlop SP Sport 01 A/S, and Bridgestone Potenza S001.

The Bridgestones are Y speed rated summer tires. The other 3 are H speed rated all-season tires. H speed rating is 130 mph. So I’d wager that VW put a speed governor on there since 3 out of the 4 OE tires are H speed rated.

Cé hé sin > Party-vi
07/01/2015 at 15:15

If so, they had the handbrake on.

Brian Silvestro > Party-vi
07/01/2015 at 15:16

Pretty annoying at 85, downright scary at 115, death wish at top speed

LongbowMkII > Party-vi
07/01/2015 at 15:17

apparently the factory summer tire is the W/Y rated Potenza S0001, so that shouldnt be it...

HammerheadFistpunch > Party-vi
07/01/2015 at 15:17

H rated standard, V rated “summer tire option”

Party-vi > HammerheadFistpunch
07/01/2015 at 15:17

Doesn’t say.

Textured Soy Protein > Party-vi
07/01/2015 at 15:18

The C&D test says,

Top speed (governor limited): 126 mph

Party-vi > Textured Soy Protein
07/01/2015 at 15:18

Boo and hiss. Seems kinda lame they would limit speed just to throw on some less expensive tires.

Party-vi > Textured Soy Protein
07/01/2015 at 15:19

Still pretty lame of them to limit speed so they don’t have to spring for higher speed rated tires.

Party-vi > Brian Silvestro
07/01/2015 at 15:19

Sounds like the Willys.

Klaus Schmoll > Party-vi
07/01/2015 at 15:20

That seems to be an American thing, European websites list the top speed as 152 mph (245 kph).

Smoggi - powered by 3 cylinders > Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy
07/01/2015 at 15:20

German GTIs run 152 ish mph. Pretty sure they still have a 155mph limiter tho.

Smoggi - powered by 3 cylinders > Party-vi
07/01/2015 at 15:22

People who don’t have an autobahn in front of their house...or in their country.

Also cheapskates..

Textured Soy Protein > Party-vi
07/01/2015 at 15:27

I find that far too often, car companies pick absolute shit OE tires, for no particularly good reason. Frankly, I’m baffled by how many shit tires are still made by tire companies who are all equally capable of making great tires. Every single brand out there has some great tires, yet also makes others that are absolute garbage.

In the stock 225/40-18 size, there are several options for all-season performance tires that have higher speed ratings and still-decent winter grip. If they went with the Continental ExtremeContact DWS, they would have actually good winter grip. Why VW doesn’t pick them, who knows?

Milky > Party-vi
07/01/2015 at 15:29

Don’t want it mustang-v6-ing

Brian Silvestro > Party-vi
07/01/2015 at 15:30

Come to think of it, it sounds like most cars manufactured before 1980

Leon711 > Party-vi
07/01/2015 at 15:54

Hasn’t always been the case, my 2005 gti is quoted as 146mph. top gear mag even exceeded that back when they had one as a long termer.

WiscoProud > Milky
07/01/2015 at 16:17

That sounded brutal. Wonder what happened.

uofime-2 > Textured Soy Protein
07/01/2015 at 16:24

A free market economy full of cheap bastards is the reason for that.

Milky > WiscoProud
07/01/2015 at 16:45

Driveshaft broke. V6 ‘stangs are limited to 112(iirc) because they have crap driveshafts for “economy”. Remove the limiter and boom, broken driveshaft.

WiscoProud > Milky
07/01/2015 at 17:14

That sounds like an incredible safety hazard. I realize they limit the speed to protect it, but what happened to building in room for failure?

Josh Brinzo > Leon711
07/01/2015 at 17:20

My ‘07 peaked the quoted speed as well. Not sure why they would be limiting it so low now.

AM > WiscoProud
07/01/2015 at 23:45

There was room for failure. It’s limited to 112, the guy was at 140.

DrJohannVegas > Party-vi
07/03/2015 at 21:14

If you can’t figure to run so you don’t melt the damn tires, you can’t finish a race.

TL;DW - Tires.

Also, if you really TL;DW’d that, shame on you.

WhiskeyGolf > Party-vi
07/07/2015 at 13:21

So next question: how does one raise the factory limiter, if it is in fact artificial? (assuming tires can safely handle the speed)

Party-vi > WhiskeyGolf
07/07/2015 at 13:23

An tune.