We all know the 355 is a fast car, but just how fast have you had yours and did you run out of road or guts first? Me...only 138 and ran out of road (I-40)
8,500 rpm in 6th. I think it was showing around 190mph on the clocks. On deserted autobahn. Car felt good, if very loud. Stuff happens VERY quickly, not something I'd care to repeat again.
I've done 170 on mine, GPS registered about 165. Car could push more but I didn't have the balls. Tyre blowout is my greatest fear at high speeds. Problem with Spiders is that above 160, the wind noise + engine deafens you. I've done 155 top down, early morning and it was a real blast! Just make sure no loose items in the cabin cos it's a hurricane even with windows up. No caps as well.
Now that took balls of steel! And since the 355 is already outrageously faster than what most would ever try, what then is the point of new cars cracking 200 when very very few would ever come close? I'll rather have a lovely design than something ugly but slippery.
Try turning down off the banking into T1 at TWS at 162 MPH. Fast in a straight line is easy, fast into a corner is not. {Actually, getting off T14 and T15 onto the straight so that you can reach 162 MPH at the turn in point to T1 is pretty hard.}
guys at those speeds there's not much of a difference on the effects of going another 40 or so mph...it does not take much for something to happen traveling 40mph so 165 and letting off would just as much damage as 180. but hey, everything's happens for a reason and you only live once...of course drive with in your means and ability.
180 mph on the back straight of Road Atlanta during an SCCA driver ed / performance driving experience..... then hard braking into the 10 - 11 -12 complex...... man talk about buterflies in the stomach and a fantastic YEEEEE HAAAAAWWW feeling! JD
160mph on the way to Sunriver Festival of Cars last summer--we had a caravan of about 30 exotics. I slowed because I was honestly scared out of my mind and may be it was me, but the car didn't feel as stable as I would have liked... 1999 F355 Spider F1
Goog god! How long are the straights on them tracks???? I have hit mid 170mph quite a few times, and i know the amount of road needed to do that.
Same here! but that was before I had my car lowered and new tires. Hit about 160 again and it was much better but I was still nervous and backed off.
140 was scary enough for meon a public road- The traffic on the horizon comes up awfully fast! But the 355 feels MORE stable the faster you go-
145 with Spyder top down, as indicated on the speedometer (which is probably something like 135 actual). Felt very solid, but an empty track would be needed for me to push it that high again.
David- Most of the velocity effects, including braking distances, and energy that would need to be dissipated in a crash, are a funtion of the square of the velocity. 140x140=19,600, 185x185=34,225 or 75% more energy, a huge difference. You see many drivers in Germany comfortable at 210-230 kph (130.5-142.9 mph), but rarely see anyone topping those speeds by much except on a banzai run on a flat, deserted Autobahn at 4 am. It just gets too scary above those speeds to maintain them unless you are a professional driver. I have hundreds of hours on the autobahn at speeds over 100 mph in a Ferrari and a Corvette and that is what I have generally observed. Taz Terry Phillips
Well, I'll chime in. I had my 355 north of 7K rpm in 6th and was still accelerating from ~175mph when I realized I was lacking the necessary attachments to push farther. Once had my 348 up to ~160 and it was quite "exciting". Above ~145, it handled a bit like the old Mopars I used to drive. Haven't pushed my 360 much beyond 140. Guess I'm slowing down w/my old age. ;-) James
Math does not work out: If F355 hits 183 at 8250 RPMs then 7000 RPMS is 155.2 If F355 hits 183 at 8500 RPMs then 7000 RPMs is 150.7 So you had to be up past 8100 RPMs to be at 175 MPH. I suspect you might have gotten into the 160s.
I had mine up to 75, before the wife was screaming at me and hitting me with her purse saying "slow down, slow down, are you trying to kill me?" We should have another thread, "How fast with your wife in the car". Girlfriends don't count, they always want to go fast...until you get married, then they slam on the brakes...we're still talking about cars...right?
