How Far Did You Get To Your Car's Top Speed?

"Klaus Schmoll" (klausschmoll) 03/17/2014 at 17:13 • Filed to: None

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Went on a little round trip to meet old friends this weekend. On Sunday, we had local elections, so being the good citizen that I am, I was in a bit of a hurry to get back in time to cast my vote. As it was a Sunday, all semis were banned from driving which made for some nicely flowing traffic, and allowed me to make good progress. Just to be on the safe side, I started a mobile app that warns me of speed traps. Not that I was planning to speed, it was just to erm well, you know, uh, protect my wallet from becoming lighter by travelling too fast. Stupid wallets!

This app has a bonus feature, it uses GPS not only to verify your location and keep your wallet from moving too fast, it also shows you your actual speed, not the crap your speedo tries to sell you as your speed. (I know, some of them are more accurate than others, but they all tend to be on the safe side a.k.a. indicate more than the actual speed.)

I soon found myself trying to get the number up to my car's top speed as stated in the registration. I even got it even higher than that but that was mostly likely due to a slight change in elevation (where do you find a road that is 110% even when you need one). So I can proudly say that I pushed my car to all 100% of it's top speed. But that isn't saying much, because a.) that top speed is only 205 kph (around 138 mph) and b.) I live in Germany, so it wasn't exactly hard to find a place to do so safely and within the law.

But it got me thinking, is it a German thing to be able to do this, or do people in other countries also manage to max out their cars? And if so, where? So how "much" of your car's top speed have you enjoyed so far?

Oh, and BTW, there's some Mini in full camo in that picture. I'm not good at taking pictures while driving, that's why the picture of the AMG 6x6 G-class I also took on this trip shows a lot of sky and headliner, but no car. ;(

jkm7680 > Klaus Schmoll 03/17/2014 at 17:16

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115, Tops out at around 130. I'm getting Unitronic Stage 2 arriving soon for my A4 though.

Oh, and 75 on my Gw250. Tops is around 85

McMike > Klaus Schmoll 03/17/2014 at 17:17

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I'm at about 80% of my car's top speed whenever I get behind the wheel.

#vanagon

Reigntastic > Klaus Schmoll 03/17/2014 at 17:17

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Nice try, police. You'll have to try harder than that.

spanfucker retire bitch > Klaus Schmoll 03/17/2014 at 17:17

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The fastest I ever got in my Mazda3 was 95mph or so.

puddler > Klaus Schmoll 03/17/2014 at 17:17

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my zx6r will run up to 177. most people agree their top speed is 171 or so, but i had a tailwind.

my truck on the otherhand doesn't like anything more than 50. thought it was going to shit the bricks at 65.

N/A POWAAAHH > Klaus Schmoll 03/17/2014 at 17:18

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No where has de-restricted speed limit roads except Germany, or deep in the Australian outback, so it's a German/Straya thing

Greenmobile Supremo Commando, BRZ Extrordinare > Klaus Schmoll 03/17/2014 at 17:19

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I hit the limiter on my Camry, at Mosport, of course. Was about 215kph.

RACECAR

HammerheadFistpunch > Klaus Schmoll 03/17/2014 at 17:20

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I saw the 126 electric governor in the old forester XT, wasn't hard to find a spot in Utah.

Laird Andrew Neby Bradleigh > Klaus Schmoll 03/17/2014 at 17:21

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Hmmm... I had my Nissan Bluebird 2.0 Twinspark doing 190km/h at the autobahn, my Golf Gti 16v (MK2) made it to 225 or something on the same stretch.. reached 240km/h on the speedo in a MB 320E. Fastest I've done was in a tuned 911 (265km/h). But in a car I owned, must've been 225 in my Golf. Most Scary though was 140km/h in my '79 Opel Kadett.

duurtlang > Klaus Schmoll 03/17/2014 at 17:24

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I tried it when I still drove my Golf. And I was not in Germany. I got it to 100% of the top speed, and it was (GPS measured) exactly as advertised over two decades earlier when the car was new. I should add that this top speed was slightly over 20 km/h over the maximum allowed speed on that road, so I wasn't even speeding excessively. When I did try it on the German Autobahn I got it even faster... while going downhill.

I haven't maxed out my current daily driver, but I did get it to over 200 km/h (GPS measured) on the German Autobahn once. Official top speed is a mere 208, but I'm betting it can go faster.

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > Klaus Schmoll 03/17/2014 at 17:24

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I'm not sure of the crapcans top speed, but the Vue has been up to it's 101mph limiter more than once with my dad at the wheel.

CAR_IS_MI > Klaus Schmoll 03/17/2014 at 17:26

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160 mph (258 kph) on a closed course race track in my old Mustang. (the 160 was not GPS confirmed, but within +/- 5 MPH)

DrJohannVegas > Klaus Schmoll 03/17/2014 at 17:27

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When I was in Germany last, I think I nearly maxed the little Chevy Spark I had (1.0l 4-cyl). On an unrestricted part of the A8, the little car got to 155km/h, which has to be about all it has. Took a while to get there, and I was still being passed when I got there.

But, definitely a German experience. For a few brief years in the 90s in the US, after the federal limits on highway speeds was dropped, Montana had a "reasonable and prudent" speed limit on rural roads, which I suspect is about the same as the rule surrounding unrestricted autobahns. Unfortunately, we have far worse driver training and vehicle inspections.

desertdog5051 > Klaus Schmoll 03/17/2014 at 17:32

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Wow, no trucks on Sunday. That is the busiest day of the week for trucks in the US. I have maxed out every vehicle I have owned. My current pickup truck with a 5.4 liter engine hit 112 mph. (weighs 4650 pounds). My motorcycle only hit 106. (has 73 hp and weighs close to 1000 pounds). I think everybody gives it a try at least once. Well, not everybody, but everybody that would read this kind of stuff.

Mercedes Streeter > Klaus Schmoll 03/17/2014 at 17:35

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My car is electronically limited to 145 km/h (90 mph).

Here in wonderful Chicago, Illinois, USA...that's just keeping up with Motorway traffic.

The fastest I've gotten the car to was 158 km/h (98 mph) and that was by going down a mountain-like bluff in Minnesota.

ShelbyRacer78-Fusion Modifier > Klaus Schmoll 03/17/2014 at 17:36

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I hit mine many times.......

dinobot666 > Klaus Schmoll 03/17/2014 at 17:37

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I think my Tacoma is governed at 105 mph. The chunky tires aren't too happy at anything above 80, so I guess I'll never know how long it'd take me to get there.

davedave1111 > Klaus Schmoll 03/17/2014 at 17:38

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I used to drive a 1.2 Fiat Punto, and I more than maxed that - but then the listed top speed was 102 mph or something. M1 from the M25 to the foot of the motorway is normally relatively empty, and can be really empty at off-peak times. It's slightly downhill pretty much the whole way, and there's often a bit of a tailwind.

Oh, and I think people passed me every time I was doing it...

Since I've had faster cars, I've never tried to reach the top speed because it would be stupidly fast for (speed limited) public roads. 110 in the Fiat was stupid, but I was tempted into it because getting the ton up on that bit of road isn't quite as daft, and then I just kept my foot down to see how fast it could go. When I know it's 120+ mph to start with, there's no temptation to try and reach it.

I haven't been over about 90mph on a motorway in years.

Decay buys too many beaters > Klaus Schmoll 03/17/2014 at 17:38

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While I have not had my 86 up to a proper top speed (thanks Obama!). Here is where I have hit my highest recorded speeds

duurtlang > McMike 03/17/2014 at 17:42

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What kind of engine did VW supply those with in the US? Not the 50-ish hp 1.6 liter NA diesel, was it?

ihm96 > Klaus Schmoll 03/17/2014 at 17:57

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I've gone a bit over 120 in my A3, and it's top speed is limited to like mid 130s

PRBot II > Klaus Schmoll 03/17/2014 at 18:01

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125 mph out of 147 mph top speed.

120 mph with the top down.

1999 SAAB 9-3 5-speed.

alexotics > Klaus Schmoll 03/17/2014 at 18:12

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Interesting story. I've never touched the top speed of any cars, no matter how low, here in Canada. The risk is not worth the reward.

But I since I lived in Europe for 11 years, I frequently go back to visit family and friends. This past summer I drove many hours at Vmax in a Range Rover Sport (it's about 180km/h) when driving from Belgium to Stuttgart, Munich, Lago Iseo (Italy), Mulhouse (France), and back up to Belgium in 6 days time. The interesting thing about maxing out the Range Rover is that after about 15 minutes it'll automatically cut power and decelerate to 160 km/h for a few minutes, before allowing it to sit at top speed for another 15 minutes. Most of this occurred in Italy actually, as the German autobahn proved to be one massive construction site this time around.

Other memorable European Vmax adventures were in a Lamborghini LP560-4 from Ghent (Belgium) to Calais (France). Not quite Vmax but close. The gearbox would be left in auto and accelerator would just get mashed to the ground. Easy peazy.

Sometimes I would max out my Dad's Smart car on the highway. It's a surprisingly dramatic 140 km/h. Careful of those sideways gusts of wind!

That's about it, nothing too exciting.

xxstich666xx > Klaus Schmoll 03/17/2014 at 18:14

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All the way at the end of the Southern State Parkway there is a nice 2 miles of completely deserted and straight road. you can make a pass going south to see if there are any cops which there never are, and then before Heckscher State Park you can turn around and do the run again to the north towards Sunrise Highway. I've done the following in this order.

2001 Chevy Cavalier - a very sketchy 105mph

2000 Subaru Legacy GT - a solid and quiet 115mph

2000 Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor - the electronically governed 131mph

1997 Mazda Miata - a very loud 125mph

McMike > duurtlang 03/17/2014 at 18:17

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The na diesel came over here, but it was short lived. It started with a 2000 air cooled unit, then went to 1900 watercooled/digijet in '83, then to 2100/digifant from '86-'00

Flavien Vidal > Klaus Schmoll 03/17/2014 at 18:23

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265kph (165mph) which is about the top speed of my car... It could go a few extra kph, but that was about it. It is gear limited, so it reaches it pretty fast.

Other than that, I have driven from Munich to Cologne (Köln auf Deutsch :) ) in 3h30 which is a about 100 mph of average speed with some city driving, traffic and so on. Did it by night though. Cruising around 230kph most of the time.

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > Klaus Schmoll 03/17/2014 at 19:43

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130mph out of 143mph is the furthest I've got.

I want to find a place to max the spitfire when it's done though. Theoretically it'll be good for 130mph gearing limited, which should be hairy enough in such a dinky little car.

If I had a lower rear diff, it could be 139mph or 154mph for the top gearing. I reckon it'd hit the 139 mark, and at least a good way up to 154. It'd probably get scarily floaty well before then though.

thebigbossyboss > Decay buys too many beaters 03/17/2014 at 20:48

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Apparently the top speed of a Ford Tempo with the 3 speed automatic was 99 mph.

I got mine up to 150 km/h once which is 93 MPH. It took a really long flat stretch of road to get going that fast. That's 93% of top speed.

thebigbossyboss > xxstich666xx 03/17/2014 at 20:52

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You took a Cavalier 105 MPH??? Holy frig. When I get mine up to about 85 it gets quite squirrelly. I am terrified to go any faster. Plus the stupid $10,000 dollar fine because no fun ontario.

Decay buys too many beaters > thebigbossyboss 03/17/2014 at 20:56

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When I was younger and less intelligent, I'm pretty sure I maxed out my 1999 non-turbo Eclipse during a late night drive from Philadelphia to Baltimore. All I know is that I was flooring the accelerator in top gear and she didn't have any more than 124mph to give.

Have not even gotten close to the 186 mph top speed of my bike and don't plan to (I like being alive, thank you very much)

Have gotten to 112/146mph on my FR-S, but that was on a track where distance was the primary limitation.

thebigbossyboss > Decay buys too many beaters 03/17/2014 at 21:04

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A former girlfriend claims to have driven an old corolla 180 km/h over a 5 hour journey. No idea how she didnt get caught.

AthomSfere > Klaus Schmoll 03/17/2014 at 21:55

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I got to (guessing) about 95 in my 79 Granada, Speedo went as high as 85, then the speedo broke... So 115%!

Jobjoris > Klaus Schmoll 03/18/2014 at 08:21

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It did actually go one further. Because Autobahn.

xxstich666xx > thebigbossyboss 03/18/2014 at 19:50

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Yeah like I said "very sketchy". The back end was floating all over the place as if I had space-savers on.

JBurd67 > Klaus Schmoll 03/19/2014 at 12:06

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I had a '93 Cougar up to 105 mph, couldn't get much higher

Don't remember my S10 top speed, obviously wasn't too dramatic.

And my '01 Monte Carlo is governed at 123-124 mph, hit several times going down a large hill on the interstate in SD. I know the car can do it without the hill, but I don't want to put that much stress on my DD.

Cowboy behind the wheel > Klaus Schmoll 03/20/2014 at 23:23

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I've had my g37s up to just over 130 mph (out of 155mph electronically limited). I got nervous about possible waiting cops and slowed down. I'm sure that I could routinely max it out on some lonely turnpikes here early in the morning.

sonicvato > Klaus Schmoll 03/21/2014 at 10:46

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I got my '04 Dodge Neon SRT-4 up to 145mph on a flat straight in the middle of nowhere in Central California. Claimed top speed is 155mph. Car was surprisingly stable, but wind noise was crazy loud! (becuase econobox w/ big motor and turbo). She was young then, maybe 2 years old. She is turning 10 come July but still running strong!

Mikey > Decay buys too many beaters 03/21/2014 at 10:48

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I got to 128 in an FR-S, and it seemed there was not much more to give :/

Decay buys too many beaters > Mikey 03/21/2014 at 10:54

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What gear / transmission option? The straights on my local track only have enough room for about 111 mph, but the car still feels pretty strong when I have to shut down.

Mikey > Decay buys too many beaters 03/21/2014 at 11:24

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6-speed manual. Don't know the diff ratio but I think they're all the same. Stock tires. The one I was in pulled strong at 110mph, but it hit a wall pretty quickly. I tried a couple different gears but that was all it had. It was still creeping slowly up in speed, but based on the rate of speed increase I don't think it had much more to give. Maybe it's electronically limited? I'd have thought that for such a small car, with 200hp it could get closer to 140. It was a chilly/cold night though, so the extra air density may have been a factor.

Decay buys too many beaters > Mikey 03/21/2014 at 11:32

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Yeah, I was under the impression that the top speed was right around 144.

Oh well, nowhere for me to test that anyway.

chromecarz00 > Klaus Schmoll 03/21/2014 at 12:58

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I've gone 134 in a car rated for 130 and 155 in a car rated for 155...not going to tell you where but let's just say public freeways are great.