Driving at Speeds

[scotth_uk]

Where doing ludicrous speed is safe, I enjoy it quite a bit. Generally in a straight line.

Depends on the car though - some feel right and some dont. My old 200SX didn't inspire confidence at speed, whereas the Crossfire did a great job of it. My recent adventure in the Porsche 911 was fun, although the winter tyres enforced a near-death feeling at speeds above 140mph.

One thing that I do remember well, was my ride around the Nurburgring in a race car. I couldn't help but notice how much effort it took to keep the thing going so quickly. After that ride, I realised that I don't ever want to have to drive that hard.

 

[Dieselman]

I don't get annoyed with trucks because they're doing the best they can. Though I must admit I wish they had a basic understanding of the laws of physics and didn't start an overtaking attempt at the start of a rising gradient. Also, I don't understand when one truck is overtaking another on a falling gradient why the inside guy can't ease off.

Usually a lorry is overtaking going uphill because it has more torque so can overtake whereas when they are both on the limiter it cant due to the speeds being equal.
Why should a lorry driver ease off if someone is overtaking, do you?

I am not a lorry driver but do appreciate what their job is and always try to give them the roadspace they need, including if they need to overtake.

 

[Muller]

why do people have fast cars if you dont plan on driving fast? i dont get it somehow

 

[andy_k]

why do people have fast cars if you dont plan on driving fast? i dont get it somehow

for the same reason some people have guns and don't shoot people and a thousand other analogies - I think they call it being responsible

There is a time and a place for excessive speed and that place is on a track with the correct safety measures in place and where everyone (hopefully) is travelling in the same direction, no side roads, no kids crossing, no lorries overtaking etc etc etc.

A few track days or an outing like Greg mentioned earlier is usually enough to cure the "need for speed"

Andy

 

[sym]

A few laps around Bruntingthorpe in Dorian's Westfield last year was enough to give me the bends ! No idea how fast we were actually going, but he wasn't using the brakes much, and given the proximity to the ground, and the sheer noise the thing made / wind resistance probably made it feel about twice as fast ! Skillful driving though to be able to push the car to the limit like that and remain in control.

Also driven the Nurburgring and was a once in a lifetime experience for me ... on reflection would have liked some track experience before doing this (more than the ZERO that I had, anyway!) , but you very soon find out where the limits of your car are !

I've taken to playing games with the fuel economy computer now to see how high I can get it to go ! Easier on the pocket, and driving licence,and would advise anybody with the 'need for speed' to go out on the autobahn where twice the UK limit is safely achievable (been there, done that, and had lots of fun !) or do a track day with some proper instruction.

S.

 

[Ian B Walker]

The fastest car that I actually like driving is Gravs modified E55 AMG with about 500bhp. Whilst Gravs car is very quick it is also very stable and secure. I feel happy to drive it fast whereas all these supedup hatchbacks and nervous sports cars are twitchy and unstable and give me no pleasure at all.

I can and will second this. An exceptional car however speed is not everything. Its not only you you have to think about, its every other person who may or may not be using the same piece of tarmack as you

 

[Dave Lewis]

I once drove a w126 at 150mph+ for long periods on de-restricted autobahn, and frankly, it scared the pants off me. Things happen really quickly, and gentle curves become tight corners at that speed. Very little safety margin unless the road was relatively quiet. In my years as a truck driver, I saw some horrendous aftermaths of high-speed accidents on autobahns. Bits of car spread along the carriageway for miles, an engine here, bits of bodyshell there.
In this country, I drive no faster than 70mph. That's the speed limit, not 80. If I have to use the outside lane to overtake slower traffic in the other two lanes, I'm frequently tailgated and flashed by irresponsible prats with no imagination, who seem to think it's their god-given right to break limits. My view is, if you feel you really must exceed the speed limit, you should wait until you have a clear road, not bully and intimidate people who choose to obey the law. These prats have no concept of breaking distances, and risk multiple pile-ups and multiple deaths for no other reason than arrogance and self-gratification. The motorway is a means for getting from A to B in relative safety, not a computer game you can re-start if it all goes tits-up.
My advice for people who think that 70mph is too slow - lobby for a change in the limit through due democratic process. I doubt whether you'll get anywhere with it.

 

[aka$h]

I tend not to excessivly speed on UK motorways as my licence is worth too much to me. On a family trip to Switzerland we took the CLK and the S, and were cruising at between 125 and 130 for the entire trip, I feel much more comfortable doing higher speeds when losing my licence is not risk factor, european roads are smoother and depending on time the toll roads are often not too crowded.

 

[BonzoDog]

I once drove a w126 at 150mph+ for long periods on de-restricted autobahn, and frankly, it scared the pants off me. Things happen really quickly, and gentle curves become tight corners at that speed. Very little safety margin unless the road was relatively quiet. In my years as a truck driver, I saw some horrendous aftermaths of high-speed accidents on autobahns. Bits of car spread along the carriageway for miles, an engine here, bits of bodyshell there.

I too drive a lot on the autobahns and dread teh high speed convoy, Mercs, BM's and Porsche's, nose to tail at 220 to 250 kph or so, hurtling by.
Like Dave Lewis said, once you have seen the aftermath of one of these, im my case it was burned out cars and bits of cars strewn along 200 metres or more of teh autobahn, you think again. The German drivers are highly disciplined but of course that doesn't include everybody.
There is also no such thing as an empty autobahn at those speeds, everything happens so quickly. Typically too, most autobahns have restricted sections, often unnoticed by non regular drivers but most practiced autobahn drivers will slow down It is hence impossible to travel for hours at those sort of speeds let alone being highly irresponsible.

 

[SG CL500]

Why should a lorry driver ease off if someone is overtaking, do you?
.

Yes, assuming there are people behind the guy overtaking - and similarly i accelerate slightly if overtaking and there is somebody coming up behind me.

Only doing the sensible thing ... although I may be speeding slightly so no doubt causing widespread panic and death.

And if lorries can overtake better going up a hill due to torque differentials why was i stuck behind two lorries on the M11 the other day for 5 miles when one slowly crept passed the other, having started the manoevure by cutting in front of me going up a hill?

(lovely clear stretch of road infront when they finally completed their drag race though)

 

[DieselE]

Why should a lorry driver ease off if someone is overtaking, do you?

Sorry to sound "Goody two shoes" but if I can see that letting them in will solve a problem building up behind them then yes I will ease off to let them pull in earlier.

 

[DieselE]

In this country, I drive no faster than 70mph. That's the speed limit, not 80. If I have to use the outside lane to overtake slower traffic in the other two lanes, I'm frequently tailgated and flashed by irresponsible prats with no imagination, who seem to think it's their god-given right to break limits. My view is, if you feel you really must exceed the speed limit, you should wait until you have a clear road, not bully and intimidate people who choose to obey the law. These prats have no concept of breaking distances, and risk multiple pile-ups and multiple deaths for no other reason than arrogance and self-gratification. The motorway is a means for getting from A to B in relative safety, not a computer game you can re-start if it all goes tits-up.
My advice for people who think that 70mph is too slow - lobby for a change in the limit through due democratic process. I doubt whether you'll get anywhere with it.

At various intervals along the A9 in Scotland there are signs that say "Frustration causes accidents, allow overtaking". It's one of the more useful signs I think.

People wishing to go faster than me have no more right than I have to sit in front of them preventing them from doing so. Where I completely agree with you is that tailgating is never acceptable at any speed. It's not about braking distances, it's about reaction times.

There was data published not so long ago that said that speeding was the main cause in only 12.5% of accidents. Particulary on motorways, accidents result from driving too fast for the conditions and allowing insufficient space. These causes will not suddenly go away if everyone religiously sticks to the speed limit.

 

[BonzoDog]

And if lorries can overtake better going up a hill due to torque differentials why was i stuck behind two lorries on the M11 the other day for 5 miles when one slowly crept passed the other, having started the manoevure by cutting in front of me going up a hill?

(lovely clear stretch of road infront when they finally completed their drag race though)

Perhaps there is a lorry driver who can clarify but I sympathise with them as they have their speed restricted but this causes slight differentials but some as low as 56 mph. It must be frustrating if you can keep up a steady 68mph to be stuck behind someone at 66. The logical conclusion is that they all end up at the speed of the slowest. When they go to overtake, they must time the manouevre precisely but unlike is car drivers they cannot accelerate up to an overtaking speed.

 

[SG CL500]

I have no problem with lorries overtaking one another, it is when they take several miles to do so, and generate long tailbacks in the process. Although many do have consideration for other car drivers and do slow to allow the 'train' of cars through, plenty do not and just pull out without consideration.

Nothing against lorry drivers particularly, would get just as annoyed if two cars took miles to pass one another, just doesn't happen as often (and I guess is less annoying when it does as they are going closer to the speed I would be doing) - and car drivers are just as capable of being inconsiderate, the impact of their driving style tends to be less though.

 

[Dave Lewis]

At various intervals along the A9 in Scotland there are signs that say "Frustration causes accidents, allow overtaking". It's one of the more useful signs I think.

People wishing to go faster than me have no more right than I have to sit in front of them preventing them from doing so.

If I have to use the outside lane of a 3-lane motorway, I'm only there as long as I need to be, not a second longer. I will not pull out unless I have a clear road behind me. What often happens, is that someone will appear on my tail half way through my overtaking manoever, and start getting frustrated, even though in reality, we're talking about a 10 second period of time when they are unable to speed. Hardly going to make them late anywhere, is it?
I stopped truck driving just as speed limiters were being phased in. Before limiters, it was useful to be able to take advantage of any extra speed one could access, to clear the outside lane quickly. Particularly in Germany in the '80s and '90s, when there were a lot of underpowered Eastern Bloc trucks around, which could hardly drag themselves along.

 

[dagd]

A question on lorry speed limiters, how are these set/calibrated, I've been overtaken by lorries doing more than the signs displayed on the back, do different lorries have different speeds set for different countries? I often see them with two or three different speed signs on the back. Also, when driving in Europe (France I think), there are specific overtaking lanes for lorries (up hill), maybe we should introduce them here.

I have to hold my hand up and say that I occasionally exceed the speed limit on the motorway, but this is usually to get out of the way of said prat tailgating me when I'm in the outside lane. I'll kickdown, usually leaving them standing and pull into the nearside or middle lane asap and let them get on with it, if they want an accident fine. Incidently, last Christmas I had to pull up sharp when driving in the outside lane on the M1, I was doing exactly 70 mph, I know this because I had the cruse control set. There was an incident about three cars ahead, we all managed to stop OK, except tailgater prat who ploughed into the back of my wifes car (Jeep). Two other cars then went into the back of prat who had to be cut from his car and airlifted to hospital, I wonder if he still tailgates? His actions caused injuries to himself and two others (I was OK),four car to be written off including wifey's Jeep. The damage was to the rear only as I had pulled up in time, but still cost me time and agro although I didn't loose my no claims. I later heard from the police that it was not his car and he was uninsured! Prat with a capital P!

 

[blassberg]

155 on the autobahn is extremely fast but don't do it if you're terrified at that speed. With much practice and plenty of experience you should be able to think rationally about the risks and hazards in front of you and amend your speed and "trajectory" appropriately and in a controlled manner.

Track driving / riding is very different. There you are taking cornering and weight transfer to the limit and a bit more. Not the same as eating up the autobahn in a straight line at 155 (or more).

 

[Benzowner]

The lorry speed restrictor is normally set at 80km per hour (56 mph) The tachometer is a very sophistocated piece of equipment that has to be calibrated anually and must read speed, distance and time and drivers functions, rest, driving etc accuratly. Therefore the speed restrictor must also be as accurate. However, there is tollerance within the settings, I do not know what the allowable tollerance is, but even as low as 1% could give a speed differential of 1 mph between two vehicles, makes for slow overtaking. The reason they do not slow down, is it takes so bloody long to get to the speed they don't want to slow down, and why should they.

 

[PJH]

Why should a lorry driver ease off if someone is overtaking, do you?

Edit:-

The reason they do not slow down, is it takes so bloody long to get to the speed they don't want to slow down, and why should they.

As we have all passed our driving test, let's remember the highway code.
Overtaking
Highway code rules 144 & 145

144: Being overtaken. If a driver is trying to overtake you, maintain a steady course and speed, slowing down if necessary to let the vehicle pass. Never obstruct drivers who wish to pass. Speeding up or driving unpredictably while someone is overtaking you is dangerous. Drop back to maintain a two-second gap if someone overtakes and pulls into the gap in front of you.

145: Do not hold up a long queue of traffic, especially if you are driving a large or slow moving vehicle. Check your mirrors frequently, and if necessary, pull in where it is safe and let traffic pass.

This topic was raised in the Sunday Times driving supplement about a month ago.
Some truck drivers' claimed "...time is money..." and said they would not slow down.
But be realistic. The truck being overtaken would only have to lift off for a few seconds to enable the overtaking truck to complete the maneuver quicker and safer.
If a driver had to lift off several times during a journey he would lose less time than being stopped at traffic lights ONCE.

 

[W210 Fan]

being stopped at over 100 is not always an automatic ban, I had 3 points and got stopped at 104, without going into the ins and outs on a public website I still have a license,

I too have an E55 like Gravs but not in the same state, its the dull 350BHP model, it is so stable at 150ish (on my test track at work) compared to TVR`s which I proved by sitting a TVR driver in the passenger seat then turning round and talking to him driving 1 handed with the needle off the speedo, he was relaxed too as the car is so stable at high speed. I am not saying that I have to drive at this speed but if I wanted to stick to the speed limits and Yaris would have been a lot cheaper car to buy to do this with.

I also agree that acceleration is a nice feeling as I had somebody in a mini cooper try it on at the weekend, I promptly told him at the next set of lights not to bring a butter knife to a sword fight then left him in my smoke. But going back to the original post Whestworld the V8 merc is a nice car to drive as it does docile very very well, the power is there if you want to use it but I cant see the problem with going a bit quick on public roads when I am the only one on them as I will only kill myself if the worst happens. But then I have an addiction to speed which my appearance in court has done a lot to quash, there is a certain thrill having a car on the limit not just in a straight line but also round bends, you cant beat a bit of **** action!!!!