| Author | Message | ||
| Dr. Shelbee (Shelbee)
Junior Member Username: Shelbee Post Number: 143 Registered: 12-2002 |
360 - 90 mph at 6th comfortable, tendency to downshift and upshift the F1 interchangeably 550 - 105 mph at 6th very comfortably  | ||
| "The Don" (Mlemus)
Advanced Member Username: Mlemus Post Number: 3286 Registered: 8-2002 |
65 | ||
| ross koller (Ross)
Member Username: Ross Post Number: 890 Registered: 3-2002 |
the 512 will do 120-140 all day long, and pass most everything except gas stations ! when my wife is in the car, she will tolerate speeds up to about 130, then the wind noise gets too annoying and she tells me to slow down. i have tried to do some time at the upper reaches over 150 but you usually run into too much traffic to sustain that for more than 30 minutes, unless you pick your times correctly. even at vmax of around 190+, the car feels incredibly solid, but the road,air, and tire noises just get deafening. just so this doesn't turn nasty again, these speeds are attained in germany (or in the odd case in france and italy when the roads are empty). | ||
| Greg Stitt (Gregstitt5)
New member Username: Gregstitt5 Post Number: 6 Registered: 12-2002 |
152 MPH as per GPS and still slowly climbing, even with the deep front spoiler on my 1980 308 GTS. I knew there was a reason I got one with carbs... Rock solid the whole way, but the problem is finding a time and place where the autobahn traffic will allow you the room to play. Best cruising speed on the autobahn with minimal compromise for safety is about 120 in the left lane. I didn't realize that when you bought a Ferrari, you bought the left lane. (Normally, when cars want to pass you, they flash you, but no one ever flashes me in the GTS: courtesy thing, I guess) One odd tendency is that lots of grocery-getters will try to tail you just to see if they can keep up and later presumably tell their friends that they kept pace with you for X kilometers... | ||
| Hans E. Hansen (4re_gt4)
Member Username: 4re_gt4 Post Number: 998 Registered: 4-2002 |
This thread took a bit of a mean turn, so I'll try to return it to it's regular course. Speed in my ancient 'Dino'saur GT4 is very misleading. I was driving down an open stretch the other day and asked Jean (my other half) how fast she thought we were going. She guessed about 70-75mph. And this is from someone who doesn't like high speed. I told her that we were going 105mph, and she was shocked! Speed in this car is very misleading. 100 seems normal, 70 feels dog-butt slow. However, my big problem is that a serious air leak appears at about 105-110. It's real annoying and spoils high speed runs. I've had it to about 130, and it felt real comfortable --- if you could ignor that damn wind noise! A side note: The higher speeds seem to come much easier with the windows up than with them down. I haven't actually timed it, so it may be a perceptual thing. But 100 to 130 seems slow with the windows down, but 130 show up real fast with the windows up. The PO had driven it at 150, and I don't doubt it for a second. BTW, I had the speedo radar checked, it's spot-on. Probably due to the oversize rear tires. | ||
| Mitch Alsup (Mitch_alsup)
Member Username: Mitch_alsup Post Number: 418 Registered: 4-2002 |
I routinely see 150 MPH on the narrow two lane back roads in central Texas, and occasionally see 160+ on the flatter, wider two lane roads. However, I use a general rule of thumb that goes like this: If you are passing more than 2 cars a minute you are going too fast. And always have an 'out'. I don't pass people until I see that they have seen me in their rear view mirror (motorcycle habit). I don't go over 100 when cars are approaching in the other lane (even when my lane is clear). And finally, always be prepaired to take an 'out'. If you are driving so fast you don't know where your 'out' is, then watch for your own darwin award. | ||
| EFWUN (Efwun)
Member Username: Efwun Post Number: 293 Registered: 2-2003 |
Yes, our business model is higher end quality as well. Just have an explosion of business, leading to not enough time with my wife or my 550!! | ||
| arthur chambers (Art355)
Intermediate Member Username: Art355 Post Number: 1119 Registered: 6-2001 |
Just a sole practitioner, who before the market imploded was going to retire this year. I've got enough work, but I'm very careful about what I take, and very careful not to chase rainbows. Long ago I decided to work smart, not forever. Art | ||
| EFWUN (Efwun)
Member Username: Efwun Post Number: 291 Registered: 2-2003 |
Partnership must be nice!! When a matter settles for me, I move on to the seventeen other matters that need attention!! | ||
| DES (Sickspeed)
Advanced Member Username: Sickspeed Post Number: 2953 Registered: 8-2002 |
Um... i knew the whole time... Yeah... | ||
| arthur chambers (Art355)
Intermediate Member Username: Art355 Post Number: 1115 Registered: 6-2001 |
Efwun: I was supposed to be getting ready for a trial, but it settled. When I get bored, I do crazy sh*t sometimes to occupy my time. This was just a liitle test to see how closely everyone was paying attention. Art | ||
| EFWUN (Efwun)
Member Username: Efwun Post Number: 285 Registered: 2-2003 |
Gee, Modman, I guess you better alert Rand McNally and Mapquest that secondary roadway means a racetrack!! Art said "secondary 'type' of road" and I guess his subtlety "fooled" everyone! Except you, of course!! | ||
| Modified348ts (Modman)
Member Username: Modman Post Number: 517 Registered: 11-2001 |
I doubt anyone here could or would drive 150mph through heavy traffic so it was obvious to me Art did not mean a public roadway as he said secondary roadway which means a racetrack... Art, was that you that flew by me last weekend at about 170+ on 80 west? J/K Thunderhill is a safe roadcourse,fun... | ||
| EFWUN (Efwun)
Member Username: Efwun Post Number: 280 Registered: 2-2003 |
Philip (Fanatic) has a great point!! GREAT | ||
| EFWUN (Efwun)
Member Username: Efwun Post Number: 279 Registered: 2-2003 |
Ken, for someone who let a child drive at 100mph on a public roadway, you shouldn't be quite so quick to pull the trigger! Art, you tricky devil, I am not a bad reader, but I didn't twig to the fact that you were talking about a racetrack. In fact, it seems that you purposefully drew that comment to yourself! These are postings on a chat forum, not appellate briefs or the writings of James Joyce!! I'm thinking your delicate nuance might be wasted? | ||
| arthur chambers (Art355)
Intermediate Member Username: Art355 Post Number: 1111 Registered: 6-2001 |
Ken: "secondary TYPE of roadway" not secondary roadway. Art | ||
| Greg Owens (Owens84qv)
Member Username: Owens84qv Post Number: 700 Registered: 10-2001 |
My 308 gets to 100 real fast, sometimes tooooo fast...however, once I hit 120-125, my 308 doesn't seem as stable as I would like...seems to want to wander ever so slightly from side to side. The car is going up on stands within the next month or so to have new bushings and shocks installed. | ||
| philip (Fanatic1)
Junior Member Username: Fanatic1 Post Number: 81 Registered: 2-2003 |
There is a lot of hostility on this board.....as well as a lot of love. I wonder, if some of the more hostile folks are as opinionated in the "real world"....for instance, all of us have been at a resteraunt, party, get together, bar, club, or friends house when one person "telling a story" has inadvertantly insulted or insinuated something that could be construed as false, or exaggerated or ........do you immediately "call them out", insult them or belittle them.......I'm just wondering.......I guess if people do that in real life, I guess that's who they are, and I can't cast judgment.....I just know that if I was in that environment, with people that could get so verbally abusive, there'd be fists flying and possibly bullets.....I don't think I'd be alive to this day. If the "e mail" gives one a false sense of security, or a "feeling of power" and no consequences, how about extending a little "real life courtesy" over the internet. I don't think anyone on this board is truly and idiot and if they are, who are we to say it............... valid questions. | ||
| ken rentiers (Rentiers)
Junior Member Username: Rentiers Post Number: 195 Registered: 2-2003 |
Art wrote "You have a problem in understanding the English language. I never said I was on a public roadway. <snip> I was at Thunderhill in Northern California. " Art originally wrote "I've had the 355 up to 150+ and it feels rock solid. The roadway I was on was a secondary type of road, and there was substantial traffic. " Art might have written "I've had the 355 up to 150+ at Thunderhill Raceway and it feels rock solid. The roadway I was on was a secondary type of road, and there was substantial traffic. " Art is not an idiot. Otoh I am not boneheaded, how the f**k am I supposed to discern that 'secondary road' means 'Thunderhill Raceway'? I understand English real good, Art, please enunciate more clearly! Flamethrower duly stored away. | ||
| Mr. Doody (Doody)
Member Username: Doody Post Number: 911 Registered: 11-2001 |
ken - don't be a bonehead. you know the score. the average ferrari owner has way more than an average understanding of liability. as a community, ferrari owners behave far more reasonably and rationally and safely (regardless of speed) than most folks. having something to lose (the average ferrari owner isn't an out-of-work, minimum-wage worker) makes most people behave intelligently. nobody here drives at excessive speeds on a two lane through a downtown. no need to attack anybody. doody. | ||
| DES (Sickspeed)
Advanced Member Username: Sickspeed Post Number: 2947 Registered: 8-2002 |
i knew it couldn't have been your average run of the mill parkway or freeway- 75 feet wide is wide... That's what confused me more than anything else... | ||
| arthur chambers (Art355)
Intermediate Member Username: Art355 Post Number: 1110 Registered: 6-2001 |
Ken: You have a problem in understanding the English language. I never said I was on a public roadway. I hope you are better in your daily life in understanding what is going on than you were in you last correspondence. I wrote that in that manner to see who had a basic understanding of the language, you apparently do not. I was at Thunderhill in Northern California. Art | ||
| Craig Nelson (Monza456)
New member Username: Monza456 Post Number: 3 Registered: 2-2003 |
I drove my 456gt from Chicago to Portland, OR. and rarely went under 120 mph (probably avaraged 135) Rock solid and the best few days I've had many years...Yellowstone was great (did'nt get to see much though).. | ||
| '75 308 GT4 (Peter)
Advanced Member Username: Peter Post Number: 2611 Registered: 12-2000 |
I'd cruise all-day-long at 100+mph too if it weren't for that damned fuel gauge that moves just as rapidly as the speedo... | ||
| ken rentiers (Rentiers)
Junior Member Username: Rentiers Post Number: 191 Registered: 2-2003 |
I love to drive rapidly - but I don't feel I have the right to put others in jeapordy. While I ignore speed limits, I do pay attention to traffic, road conditions, weather etc. I have often crossed the western states at speeds averaging near 100 over a 1,000 mile stretch, including stops for lunch. But I go 5 under in small towns and get out and walk in all school zones. Art said "I've had the 355 up to 150+ and it feels rock solid. The roadway I was on was a secondary type of road, and there was substantial traffic." If that is a true statement Art you are an idiot. Anyone who would drive through traffic at 150 mph should be castrated. | ||
| arthur chambers (Art355)
Intermediate Member Username: Art355 Post Number: 1106 Registered: 6-2001 |
One side of the pavement to the other side. 75' wide. Normal width for a secondary road in the USA. Most racetracks are a bit more narrow (Superspeedways are wider, but most roadcourses are about 60' wide in my experience. Art | ||
| DES (Sickspeed)
Advanced Member Username: Sickspeed Post Number: 2940 Registered: 8-2002 |
Art- a road that was 75 feet wide...? i'm not sure i understand... Could you expound...? | ||
| arthur chambers (Art355)
Intermediate Member Username: Art355 Post Number: 1103 Registered: 6-2001 |
I've had the 355 up to 150+ and it feels rock solid. The roadway I was on was a secondary type of road, and there was substantial traffic. I was able to move about, lane to lane, and pass other vehicles on a 75' wide road. Art | ||
| Dave (Maranelloman)
Member Username: Maranelloman Post Number: 914 Registered: 1-2002 |
At an indicated 170++, my 550 felt as solid as a rock. A/C on, stereo playing, not very noisy. What a trip!! | ||
| Russ Turner (Snj5)
New member Username: Snj5 Post Number: 41 Registered: 2-2003 |
With the Amerian spec Mondial 3.2 in Germany on the autobahn, it pulled happily all the way to redline in 5th indicating 150+.It (or I) felt most comfortable at about 110 - 130 - primarily because the Citroen 2CV bread truck or yugoslavian lorry would pull into your lane at random and you get to demonstrate the excellent braking available. Been there, done that. The true excellence I believe with these cars is the speed you can maintain on twisty secondary roads - any car can point and squirt. But harder to compare. hth | ||
| William H (Countachxx)
Intermediate Member Username: Countachxx Post Number: 2151 Registered: 2-2001 |
depends on the state of the road. On Alligator Alley between the E & W coast of FL 120 seems max in the 512TR cus the road gets too bumpy for the suspension after that. Ive had the car up to near 170 on the track & she's just happy as can be | ||
| Ken Ross (Kdross)
Member Username: Kdross Post Number: 289 Registered: 2-2002 |
My experience is similar to that of Peter James Moran. My 308QV seems to love 110-120. This is probably the sweet spot for the 308QV. Driving under 100 is rather boring. ABout 130 the car starts to slow down, but I have seen 150+ (indicated). It just takes a long time to go from 130 to 150. A very long time. At speeds about 135 the wind noise started to get noticeable and I had my top on. The car was rock solid. If the 308 had more hp, the body would proably allow the car to hit 180+. | ||
| EFWUN (Efwun)
Member Username: Efwun Post Number: 270 Registered: 2-2003 |
Doody's got a good point. The 550 is stable and glassy-smooth at 150, but on a road in this country, other risk factors combine to make this type of "cruising" less enjoyable than it might be otherwise!! Particularly in a place like Pennsylvania, where Route 84 will allow that type of speed, but deer carcasses line the roadway!! Let's see, 100kg of deer times 75meters/sec, ah, 75,000 Newton Meters of energy hitting your windshield, ah yeah, I can concur with Doody, that will ruin your day for sure! | ||
| Mr. Doody (Doody)
Member Username: Doody Post Number: 904 Registered: 11-2001 |
the maranello is just wildly impressive at sustained speeds in the 125-150 space. rock solid. it's scary still, 'cuz you know that a bad sneeze or a deer could really ruin your day, but the car sure doesn't feel like the part of the system that's going to fail. and, uh, i would know this because i shipped my car to germany and drove it on the autobahn for a week. yeah. that's my story, and i'm sticking to it. doody. | ||
| Dr Tommy Cosgrove (Vwalfa4re)
Member Username: Vwalfa4re Post Number: 873 Registered: 5-2001 |
100 with my 308QV seems so easy. You're driving along and look down and see it's about 105. I'll back off and a little while later I'll glance down to see I'm over 100 again. Even my mother will drive it the same way and not realize it. I clocked it with a GPS once and my 100 on the speedo was about 94 actual. | ||
| Mike Charness (Mcharness)
Member Username: Mcharness Post Number: 360 Registered: 8-2002 |
At an indicated 147, my 308QV (US with euro front spoiler) feels quite stable. At that speed, the car wasn't even breathing hard, but I was, so I had to back down. | ||
| peter james moran (Pjm)
New member Username: Pjm Post Number: 18 Registered: 3-2002 |
My 308 seems to be geared to perform between 80 and 120 mph. I've had it to 140. It creeps up to there and I think it will reach 150, but really it runs out of "push" at 130. I'm running it at Laguna this weekend and I think its gearing will work well there. | ||
| Chris F. (Chrisfromri)
New member Username: Chrisfromri Post Number: 20 Registered: 1-2003 |
Does anyone know how fast a 308 QV can go with OEM size tires on it -- and also at what speed it starts to feel unstable? It seems fine at 120 MPH, but there is no place long, nor straight, nor safe enough in New England to find out how much faster it can go. Thanks, and Kind Regards, Chris | ||
| philip (Fanatic1)
Junior Member Username: Fanatic1 Post Number: 80 Registered: 2-2003 |
Geez Rob, How does one get your job? Seriously, do you have special education, been involved with cars your whole life.....how exactly have you had such experiences and gained so much knowledge...just curious/envious. If the questions make you uncomfortable..I don't mean to. Sincerely, Philip Caloger | ||
| Rob Schermerhorn (Rexrcr)
Member Username: Rexrcr Post Number: 415 Registered: 11-2002 |
DES, as part of my job, in 1996 I had the opportunity to experience and evaluate an F50 at sustained 120+, and all was well. Pushed up to 140 mph and my greatest concern was closing speed even though traffic was almost non-existant. I'm certain that with better lane discipline, one could cruise all day at 140+ mph in a Ferrari. On the track, I've driven at the same and higher speeds, no problem. We tested at Ft. Stockton, TX in the F40 for Car and Driver at an average of 197 mph and peak of 205, still reasonable and stable. This was the cover car in I think August, 1990. | ||
| EFWUN (Efwun)
Member Username: Efwun Post Number: 267 Registered: 2-2003 |
The Maranello series were conceived, ostensibly, to cruise from from Milano to Roma at 150mph, with fantastic reserves of power, braking and handling. I kinda doubt any of us Easterners will get an extended chance to find our car's "sweet spot", although I've run my 355s for 15-20 miles at ~150mph (in Pa, on Route 84) without unpleasant consequences! | ||
| EFWUN (Efwun)
Member Username: Efwun Post Number: 266 Registered: 2-2003 |
You mean without State Police roadblocks? | ||
| DES (Sickspeed)
Advanced Member Username: Sickspeed Post Number: 2932 Registered: 8-2002 |
Sparked from another thread, this question ponders what speed your Ferrari is comfortable with... In the Saturn, at 105, things start to vibrate and i can feel every bump in the road... The car only goes up to 110, but at 105, you feel everything... At 100, though, you would almost never know you're going that fast... What's the highest speed you can comfortably cruise in your Ferrari @...? |