What speed is OK on public roads?

I mostly 'go with the flow' in the Ferrari. I just think I stand out so much
that anything beyond that is SOOOO obvious IMO. However, I've
hit 137 in my E500 (driving with one hand - felt just like 60) on
a LONG stretch of open road without a hard object or other car
in sight for 10 miles in any direction.

Jedi

 

You caught me in mid-edit testarob.

Not trying to discount opinion......nothing ill going on here. Pardon of that came across a little strong. No offense intended.

 

The fact that you clearly don't like speeders doesn't mean this is a terrible, or pityful thread.

 

I wouldn't equate 'speeding', drunk driving and disregard for signals. (And I think murder is quite a stretch from driving 70 in a 65 under the right conditions.)

I don't know anyone who condones the last two. As far as speeding, we have a 'least common denominator' approach here to setting speed limits, an approach which is fundamentally stupid. A Buick rolling along at 55 mph in the fast lane is a terrible hazard.

 

Point well spoken sir! A logical place to to put the onus. Murder is a greater violation of the law than 'five over limit,' but only mentioned to reinforce the rule of law.

Which leads to the much more difficult question as to the 'safety' or 'restraint' implied by speed limits in the first place. Who can say if 55 is safer than 65? 65 is common in my area, even 70 in some places.

I'm ignorant I confess.

 

It's your gas and your money. Enjoy!

 

I'd say be reasonable and prudent (that used to be a speed limit in montana!!!) anyway depends on the road condition, weather, your car, and traffic etc when on a nice stretch of freeway I say full throttle

 

All depends on conditions. Clear roads and no traffic? Sky's the limit as far as Im concerned, but I dont drive an exotic so

 

Really. Even when conditions would make that speed dangerous?

Pitiful....

Jack.

 

Cute......

You added your own additional 'conditions' their lad, not me...squirming for a rebuff? Pitiful....

 

The more time I spend on the track the slower I drive on the road. The problem with the road is that there are too many variables outside of your control. I am also not prepared to take any risk that I might hurt someone as a result of going faster than the speed limit - I have a moral problem with that one if I had to face a victim - there is no excuse full stop. Just about anything that I can do on the road is boring compared to what I take as routine on the track. To me absolute speed in a road car is deadly boring - been there, done that, moved on.

 

Depends entirely on the road conditions, traffic, condition of the car. There are many circumstances where you can safely drive well over legally posted limits.

 

Is this something new where you can get arrested for suggesting speed? You can also get banned from an internet message board for wanting speed? WTF? retarded ?


I will test both theories...... I say 200 mph is fine on normal roads and think HIGH speeds are perfectly acceptable if your car is equipped to handle it.


*awaiting police at door* by the way, I am not at home, I am in vegas, so if anyone needs the address, let me know.

 

well said; the worst accidents on our Autobahns aren't caused by speeding passenger cars, but by trucks with overtired drivers or trucks in unsafe technical conditions.
The worst thing what happens regularly are trucks hitting the end of an omnipresent traffic jam because of - like said - an overtired driver or faulty brakes.
Imagine a 30 ton truck cruising at 50 mls/hr. - that's the general truck speed limit - hitting the stationary cars without any braking. This happens all the time over here.

But what many folks don't know about the 'unrestricted german autobahn'. BTW; most autobahn sections ARE restricted, and there's only a relatively small percentage of sections without limit. But on those nevertheless there's a recommended general speed of ~ 80 mls./hr. If you exceed that and an accident happens and the court judges that it could have been avoided if you had followed the recommended 80 mls., your insurance will give you min. 50% of responsibility for the damages.


There are rare opportunities to push the throttle with a Ferrari on german autobahns. But it's by far not, what many Americans think. So stop dreaming of the german autobahn dreamworld

Best Regards from Germany

Martin

 

I remember back in '70s when most autobahns were still unrestricted,the worst accidents were caused by tourists in rental cars or by US soldiers on a weekend leave.
These folks,usually entered the autobahn at some leisurely speed and immediately pulled to the left lane ,without even a glance in the mirror for faster traffic.
These were horrible rear end collisions,usually with fatalities in both parties.
I still consider US drivers to be the worst in the World,oblivious to sorroundings,selfish and downright nasty to fellow motorists....

 

back in the EARLY '70s even country roads were unrestricted. The general speed limit for those of 62.5 mls./hr. came in 1972.
And we had a general autobahn speed limit around 1974 during the world ' oil crisis ' of 62.5 at times, then 81 mls./ hr. We even had general driving bans on Sundays in 1974, but that's a different story. Back then I was too young for driving combustion engine vehicles and was happy to bicycle on the nearby autobahn with my friends - although nevertheless forbidden -

Best Regards from Germany

Martin

 

In the U.S., I'd say generally no more than 10 MPH over the posted limit. I've driven over 650,000 miles in 38 years and have never been stopped, not even in the Ferrari.

In a few instances where the speed limits are set unrealistically low, and 10-over is likely to get you run over (!), I'll up it to 15-over. That happens here in Atlanta, where the I-285 perimeter highway, and the Interstates inside the perimeter, all have 55 MPH limits that really should be upped to 60, as they are in cities like Dallas and Seattle. (IMO, only the I-75/85 "downtown connector" should remain at 55.)

Out on the rural stretches of Interstate, where traffic permits, I'll cruise comfortably at 79 MPH, and the cops just watch.....

 

It's my firm opinion that the driver, and only the driver, is the best person to understand what's reasonable under any given conditions. Road, time, weather, traffic, vehicle, driver or whatever. These are all just variables that must be considered and weighed. Even driver's courses state as much (at least the last one I attended did). Unfortunately, we've gotten to the point where society dogmatically relies upon the judgment of some traffic engineer sitting in a cube hundreds of miles away. Moreover, if every driver possesses different skill levels, why should we all be condemned to adhere to the lowest common denominator? Would anyone really argue that Raikkonen, Alonso or Hamilton isn't qualified to drive at higher-than-posted speeds, conditions permitting, of course? Admittedly, few are of their caliber, but many are far more skilled than 55mph on a straight, uncrowded stretch of asphalt.

CW

 

absent,

Having lived here in Germany for the past 18 straight years I could not disagree with you more. Yep, I am an American, one of those of which you speak. I could asume your nationality by the tone of your post but will not.

Due to my living and working situation I drive over 2K miles per month in Germany. I can pick the nationality of almost any motorist by following them for a couple of K's. I have made a game of it to help pass the many hours on the road. Americans do not rate in the top 5 worst drivers but I will grant you maybe the top 10.

Each nationality/region has it own driving style and is fairly easy to spot and "selfish and downright nasty to fellow motorists....." just described 75% of the European motorists on the road. How they do "it" is what makes them identifiable. I have never once almost been killed by a American driver, but the ............ (fill in the blank w/a nationality) drivers have tried to kill me routinely. If you REALLY want, I'll name names.

As to your (perhaps failing) memory, the 1970s American cars were wholly POS. Even my '84 Z-28 was unsafe at over 85mph and my Mustang II probably would not even go that fast (Thankfully). So comparing yesterday to today is a bit unfair. Today on the autobahn where nearly everybody has BIG horsepowered Audis, BMWs and MBs and feels they MUST use every pony, many of the Europeans have handly userpt the role you heave upon Americans.

Plus, tell me again how Green (ECO-Friendly) Europeans are vs. Americans as you are burning gas at a very few miles to the gallon while driving at an abserd speed? Green my a$$!

And please do not get me started on what getting a European Driver's license means. I was driving at 11 yrs old. Your driver's schooling (albeit very difficult and expensive by US standards) at age 18 did not even make you 0.00001% as competant as I was behind the wheel when I was 14yrs old.

And finally, if you do not like how I drive, get the He11 off the sidewalk!!

Gruss Dich & Tschuss See you on the Autobahn my friend.

 

Speed limits often have very little to do with safety. It's about money.

 

Sorry Folks,

Martin is very right.

Even when there is NO SPEED LIMIT, the traffic density in Germany today makes it wholly unsafe to "Open It UP" 90% of the time in the very few places that have no speed limit. The Good Old Days of safe unrestricted autobahn driving really came to an end when "The Wall" came down.

Besides just how safe are you going to feel when there is a place to stomp on it and there is a BIG MB, BMW, Audi thinking the same thing and drafting you at about 5-10 feet (which JUST recently became illegal but still widely praticed) while you are traveling at 150+mph? Oh and on the lighter side, a truck from pick-a-country, traveling at 50mph just pulled out 100meters in front of you for no appearant reason...... happens all the time.

 

WOW!! Having been an accident reconstructionist for many years and picked up dead bodies that are 2 years old up to 85 years old from traffic crashes!! Very interesting thoughts here....

 

[.


There are rare opportunities to push the throttle with a Ferrari on german autobahns. But it's by far not, what many Americans think. So stop dreaming of the german autobahn dreamworld

Best Regards from Germany

Martin[/QUOTE]

i actually got a speeding ticket on the autobahn just south of karlsrue. the polizi do not mess around!

 

YEP!!!! Likely cost you a pretty penny too.

 

not only a pretty penny, but these guys were sporting some nasty-looking rugers also.