How Fast Can We Go?

[scumbag]

i would be surprised if any if todays F1 engines are capable of much over 800bhp. they only just squeezed 950out of the 3ltr ones.

 

[Parrot of Doom]

I agree that is a real problem. But so is having cars doing 90 or even 100 plus despite 70mpk speed limit. So either the govt will wheel out average speed cameras over the motorway and dual carriageway network and we will all be held to 70 that way, or they will go for limiters.

What is certain, is that if people go on speeding, the govt will go on wheeling out cameras or other measures. I don't like it any more than you do. Just observing what is happening.

Utter rubbish. The statistics we have show that motorways are an extremely safe environment in which to drive. The vast majority of incidents happen in poor weather or on the hard shoulder, and most of those are nothing to do with breaking the speed limit and everything to do with poor observation.

The government won't be 'wheeling out cameras' because they've recently changed the rules which allowed SCPs to keep money from fines. SCPs are now funded from local government, and the money isn't ringfenced.

Speed limiters are a crap idea. Breaking the speed limit isn't a concern. Bad driving is. But then again Hawk you'll have undoubtedly taken some form of advanced training to improve your driving, so you'll know this?

 

[Parrot of Doom]

Speed limits need to move in two directions. 20mph in urban streets should be heavily enforced so that the saxo brigade are stopped from driving past our local school at 60mph. At the other end 70mph on the motorway seems very slow in our cars and I would like the limit raised a bit but being passed by the Scooby gang at 130mph is also not very safe.

If the saxo brigade has no respect for the current speed limit they're not going to respect a lower one.

I have an idea - if speeding is so unsafe, lets prosecute people for unsafe driving - and lets see it proven in court to the same standards as careless/dangerous driving. That should settle the argument.

 

[hawk20]

What crap.

The huge logistical operation involved in F1 dwarfs the emissions the cars actually make.

Yes. Pure tokenism. Lots more to come IMO. And not to mention the fuel burned by the 57,000 who turned up hoping to see Lewis win.

Similar tokenism on aircraft. Boeing wheel out a plane with 20% better fuel economy. Big fanfare of trumpets. BUT meanwhile my local council gives permission to TREBLE the number of flights from Bournemouth Airport. Same is going to happen round London and most regional airports.

 

[hawk20]

Speed limiters are a crap idea. Breaking the speed limit isn't a concern. Bad driving is. But then again Hawk you'll have undoubtedly taken some form of advanced training to improve your driving, so you'll know this?

You cannot just ignore speed as a factor in accidents. Hit a child at 40mph and it has an 80% chance of dying. Hit a child at 30mph and it has an 80% chance of living.

But you get me wrong. As dieselman has pointed out, I am not arguing for these changes, merely noting that they are coming, every day a little bit more. And the more people drive at excessive speeds the more they encourage the demand for cameras and limiters. And the more that car-makers make stupid unnecessary cars like a 200mph Golf, or a 161 mph Astra, the more they fuel the case of the BOTH the green lobby and the safety campaigners. What next, to prove their virility in the car stakes, shall we have a 225 mph Toyota Yaris?

 

[hawk20]

And by the way, driving safely is not about having lots of certificates to put up on your wall. It is often about quite simple things like checking your tyres are not worn, and are properly inflated. Not being too agressive. Leaving a good margin of safety and not driving near your limits. Getting enough sleep so you are alert. Concentrating and not being distracted by phones, radios, coffee and sandwiches. No certificate can make sure you do all these things.

 

[scumbag]

Similar tokenism on aircraft. Boeing wheel out a plane with 20% better fuel economy. Big fanfare of trumpets. BUT meanwhile my local council gives permission to TREBLE the number of flights from Bournemouth Airport. Same is going to happen round London and most regional airports.

but this will be of economic benefit to the local community by bring in money, jobs etc. That benefit outweighs any perceived enviroment nonsense usually spouted by the BANANA brigade

The aviation white paper from the government said air travel will increase by 30% over the next 10years. Its isnt going to change soon. And the B787 wont be going in to Hurn. In fact it wont be going anywhere till september and its first customer should receive one in May next year.

By then the A350 should be in production and almost ready to roll out. This will be even more efficient.

Aircraft and aircraft engine manufacturers are doing their best for the enviroment but it will take a number of years for it to pan out before we see the benefit.

The plus side is, that absolutley anything we do, will make a difference to the planet until all the countries in the world agree to the same action.

 

[scumbag]

. And the more that car-makers make stupid unnecessary cars like a 200mph Golf, or a 161 mph Astra, the more they fuel the case of the BOTH the green lobby and the safety campaigners. What next, to prove their virility in the car stakes, shall we have a 225 mph Toyota Yaris?

how many Mercedes, BMW, AUDI models are capable of 155mph compared to the 2 vauxhall products and 0 FORD (aston, jag fordgt excepted)

 

[kikkthecat]

What crap.

The huge logistical operation involved in F1 dwarfs the emissions the cars actually make.

Green is the way to go and seems to be making hypocrites of an awful lot of people.

As you say, the pollution created by flying the whole F1 circus around the world is immense especially when compared to what the cars actually produce.

I recently worked at the Bollywood Oscars in Sheffield. They didn't want to use too many american stretched limos as they were aware of the green issues. So aware that they flew 28000 people over from Mumbai on chartered jumbo jets.

There was a pop concert on in London at the weekend promoting just this issue. Stars from all over the world flew in on private jets to make you all aware of the impact of carbon emissions. I did my bit, I turned the bloody TV off.

As for how fast can we go, I dont see a problem with anyone who can afford it buying the biggest or fastest car they can, I know I would if money was no object. But in my view, those of you who enjoy such pleasures should make the most of it because it's going the same way as smoking and fox hunting and will be legislated against very soon.

Then Christmas because it can offend some people

Then Pork Pies because they are bad for you.

Then.... Rant over

To me this whole argument is a waste of time. There are countless things in life that are unecessary - however we have freedom of choice and thankfully so do car manufacturers.

Freedom of choice ??? Enjoy the few remaining ones while you can because politicians know far better than you what's good for you.

 

[BTB 500]

stupid unnecessary cars like a 200mph Golf, or a 161 mph Astra

It's stupid and unnecessary to have a Vectra that will do 161, but an S Class that will nudge 150 is OK?

 

[hawk20]

The plus side is, that absolutley anything we do, will make a difference to the planet until all the countries in the world agree to the same action.

And the downside is that absolutely nothing we do on this tiny island will make any worthwhile difference unless all the major economies agree to take action together. And nothing they do will make much difference unless we all address the fact that the population of the world was 1 billion when Mrs Thatcher was born and is now 6 billion. Will it grow sixfold again in one more long lifetime?

 

[glojo]

I can understand what Hawk's saying and there is nothing in those posts that is controversial. If we cannot see that there is huge pressure to punish the so called gas guzzling section of society then we are being naive. My own thoughts are that it will be dealt with by taxation , congestion charging and speed cameras. (all of which are really taxation ) The speed limiter is in my opinion a non starter for dozens of reasons and how would you implement it? Build date? Vehicles above a certain capacity? Would any vehicles be exempt? You can bet government vehicles

John

 

[hawk20]

It's stupid and unnecessary to have a Vectra that will do 161, but an S Class that will nudge 150 is OK?

That is the wrong question. If all European car-makers chose to limit all cars they made to 155mph as Mercedes suggested, it would not worry me at all. Nor if they chose to limit them to 125; nor to 100 mph. It would not affect my choice of car. But my personal tastes are completely irrelevant.

Car-makers announcing superfast cars helps to fuel the arguments of the Green lobby and the safety lobby. My tastes don't. Today an eighteen year old hit the headlines for driving in his fathers MR2 at 142 mph on the motorways, weaving in and out in what the police called the worst example of dangerous driving they had ever seen. His behaviour and the publicity it gets helps to fuel the case of the Greens and the safety lobby. Had the car been limited to, say, 80, it could not have happened could it?

But you are right that there is often a conflict in all of us. We would like the 18 year old idiot restricted but would prefer not to be restricted ourselves. We would prefer people who don't check their tyres regularly, or get properly serviced, to be restricted, but not those of us who care properly for our cars. Sadly the law is a blunt instrument. It has to apply to us all.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Today an eighteen year old hit the headlines for driving in his fathers MR2 at 142 mph on the motorways, weaving in and out in what the police called the worst example of dangerous driving they had ever seen.

At risk of going off topc...

Let's hope it wasn't a G-K reg as those things were lethal - very snappy in nature, when anywhere near the limit!!

Thinking about it, it must be an imported turbo, as even the most powerful UK spec MR2 wouldn't quite reach 142 mph.

Anyway, back to topic...

 

[BonzoDog]

Last week the oil price reached $76 per barrel - imapct has yet to feed through to the pump.
Lead article in today's FT -World will face oil crunch in five years. This is a forecast of the International Energy Agency.
Somehow I think this will be self solving and we will all have much bigger problems to handle.

 

[Howard]

At risk of going off topc...

Let's hope it wasn't a G-K reg as those things were lethal - very snappy in nature, when anywhere near the limit!!

Thinking about it, it must be an imported turbo, as even the most powerful UK spec MR2 wouldn't quite reach 142 mph.

Anyway, back to topic...

Drifting again ...

Angelas brother had a Veilside Twin Turbo MR2 that he imported from the land of the rising sun , spent all his money on the car and could only afford to insure it third party ....

Oh how we laughed when he phoned us to say that he was sitting on the roadside in Milton Keynes , the car was on its roof minus all four wheels when he clipped a roundabout ....

Back on topic ....

 

[BTB 500]

Today an eighteen year old hit the headlines for driving in his fathers MR2 at 142 mph on the motorways, weaving in and out in what the police called the worst example of dangerous driving they had ever seen. His behaviour and the publicity it gets helps to fuel the case of the Greens and the safety lobby.

Quite possibly. However we know that statistically the fastest roads in the UK (motorways) are by far the safest, so I'm willing to bet that the vast majority of injuries & deaths occur at much lower speeds ... more like 40 (on average). In which case restricting cars to (say) 80 would have no real benefit, in terms of saving lives. Or in terms of environment/pollution/etc., because an MR2 doing 100 probably uses half the fuel that an SUV uses doing 70.

Increasing the level of tax on fuel, perhaps with exemptions for road haulage, WOULD work. Then people will be 'encouraged' to drive more economically (more efficient cars, slower, less mileage, etc.). That would automatically reduce the number of road injuries & deaths too.

 

[BTB 500]

Last week the oil price reached $76 per barrel - imapct has yet to feed through to the pump.
Lead article in today's FT -World will face oil crunch in five years. This is a forecast of the International Energy Agency.
Somehow I think this will be self solving and we will all have much bigger problems to handle.

The price we pay on the forecourt has little to do with the cost of crude though ... most of it (in the UK anyway) is tax and duty.

 

[scumbag]

MY WORD!


have you seen this irresponsible car manufacturers products?

Hells Teeth, lets hope they dont make these.

loony-cars

 

[television]

MY WORD!


have you seen this irresponsible car manufacturers products?

Hells Teeth, lets hope they dont make these.

loony-cars

At £6150 month we can all have one