How dangerous is it to go like 120mph on a freeway?

[StageLeft]

If nobody else is around and the road is in good shape and your car doesn't suck and you don't suck, it can be pretty safe. Luxury sedans (not to mention more peformance oriented cars) these days can easily handle well over 100, which is why they feel so damn slow at legal highway speeds.

When I was in Germany last year, the same laws of physics applied as they do in the US, yet nobody seemed to care if I was going 120 mph.

Road conditions are different, as is lane discipline, but of course you're right. There's nothing "OMFG YOUR DUMB AND YOUR GOING TO DIE" that goes on there, because while physics are the same people are not as scared of speed like they are here.

 

[nakedfrog]

Originally posted by: 91TTZ
When I was there, there were plenty of people that were driving slowly, pulling campers, etc. The main differences that I saw were that drivers were aware and courteous. They drove on the right and passed on the left. When they were done passing they returned to the right. The same laws exist here, but nobody follows them. You're not allowed to hog the passing lane in the US or Germany, but over there they actively enforce it. There were no lane hogs that sat in the fast lane going 50 when people behind them wanted to pass.

The main problem here is bad drivers. They shouldn't be on the road at all. They make mistakes and blame someone else. But that seems to be the growing US attitude in general.

This touches on something I've noticed since I moved a bit south of Omaha, NE. People from our county will drive in the left lane, passing people on the right, but they'll stay there. No biggie, I do the same. But when someone wants to pass, they get over pretty quickly.
As soon as you start seeing Omaha plates, they feel like they have a right to drive in the left lane as slowly as they want for as long as they want. They'll take 10 minutes to pass someone that they're going a tenth of a mile per hour faster than, and then stay in that lane.

 

[91TTZ]

Originally posted by: IHateMyJob2004

I saw a special on it's construction and maintenence on Modern Marvels. So go educate yourself.

LOL!

So because you saw a show on the history channel, you're an expert. I saw the same show, AND I drove on those highways and have first hand experience with them.

Originally posted by: IHateMyJob2004

US highways are not intended for hi speed use.

That is false. When the interstates were originally laid out, they were designed for high speed use. The artificially low speed limits didn't come until years later.

Originally posted by: IHateMyJob2004

Six quick examples of Audibon:
1) curves are more gentle.
2) road surface much more level and less bumpy.
3) They don't do patch jobs, they replace large strips
4) peaks and valleys transition more slowly than in the US.
5) illegal to be in the left lane when not passing
6) illegal to pass in the right lane.

I think they even mentioned that hte maximum incline or decline is 7 degrees.

That's not much different than the way it is here in southern NJ. We're a pretty flat state so there aren't any mountains to go over. The highways are equally smooth- they're both made from asphalt and/or concrete. The autobahn was well maintained, but it wasn't "amazingly smooth" or anything. It's illegal to cruise in the passing lane here also. That's why it's a passing lane.

 

[Spike]

Originally posted by: 91TTZ

Originally posted by: newParadime
Sometimes its fun, if you have a car that'll do it good enough.

I dunno what the dangers are though.

~new

It's not nearly as bad as people make it sound. You see, in the US people are brainwashed by their government's propaganda. The points they will bring up are the same as in other countries, even ones which don't have ridiculous speed limits.

When I was in Germany last year, the same laws of physics applied as they do in the US, yet nobody seemed to care if I was going 120 mph. In fact, plenty of other people were going fast as well. Apparently they don't think that driving at your own pace is deadly, and strangely enough their fatality rates are lower than ours. Who woulda thunk it- people can survive without nannystaters dictating your speed?

There are a few things I don't believe you understand, let me see if I can make them clear...

In Germany the roads that allow you to go that fast are DESIGNED to have cars travel that fast on them. This whole concept of road material, lane width, curve angles, etc... are what we base our speed limits off of for the most part. In some cities we use congestion as another factor. In Germany their versions of our freeways and designed for cars to travel at high speeds on them which encourages drivers to do so.

Another main factor are the cars people drive. Not everyones cars can handle 130 mph (I know my mazda can't) and while some people know what they can and can't do, not everyone does. There will be people dumb enough to try and take their old Pontiac 6000 wagons at those speeds only to go out of control and turn that wagon into a 3 ton unguided missle. Maybe the general German car is nicer and the driver smarter (it does cost money as someone else pointed out) and thats why it works.

Now I admit I was only their for a short time but I am an engineer so I do notice things like this. I am not saying that in the US we could go faster safely it's just that we have built our infastructure around lower speed limits. It would take a freaking ton of money, a serious attitude shift, and alot more drive schooling to allow us to go at the same speeds as Germany

-spike

 

[DingDingDao]

Originally posted by: PandaBear
If you really want to drive that fast, make sure:

1. You have a car that came from factory with a design that can handle that (V rated tire stock, sport tuned suspension, 11" front and rear brake, less than 2.7k lb, etc etc)
2. You are driving on a road that is designed for that (in US they spec a 25mph safety margin on road, so 55mph road is safe for 80mph, 75mph road is safe for 100mph, etc). If you are driving autobahn in Germany then it is design for it.
3. You have proper maintanence and tire pressure.
4. You have no other passangers (so you only kill yourself)
5. No one else is on the road (same as above)
6. The weather permits
7. You do it under bright sunlight, so you can see further
8. You have no family or friends that care
9. You have auto and medical insurance, forget life insurance, they won't cover reckless driving suicide

Or:

You do it on a track, that is not as expensive as you think, but you may be pissed when everyone else is going 150mph and you cannot get the ego trip you get as driving recklessly alone on a public road, and endanger other's life.

Regarding number 1: I'm almost 100% positive, and you can correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure that all of the following cars exceed 2700lb:

BMW M3
BMW M5
M-B SL55
M-B SL65
M-B CL55
M-B CL65
M-B CLS55
Mercedes McLaren SLR
Audi S4
Audi RS6
Porsche 911 Turbo
Porsche 911 GT2
Porsche 911 GT3
Porsche Carrera GT
Ferrari F430
Ferrari 612 Scaglietti
Ferrari Enzo Ferrari
Aston Martin DB9
Aston Martin V8 Vantage
Aston Martin Vanquish

I dunno...

 

[surreal1221]

Dumb, totally dumb.

 

[hevnsnt]

Originally posted by: CVSiN

Originally posted by: newParadime
Sometimes its fun, if you have a car that'll do it good enough.

I dunno what the dangers are though.

~new

depends on your vehicle... traffic... your skill level....

I cruise on my bike generally in the 90-100mph range.. sometimes on purpose other times just becasue it feels so smooth on the bike its easy to get carrried away...

I was going to say something similar but I figured your "holier than thou" ass would come in here and rip on me.

 

[JasonSix78]

This video came to mind when I seen this thread.

-Jason

 

[newParadigm]

Originally posted by: m2kewl
use a radar detector!!

CB Radio werks better, the ruckers always have the coppers scoped out.

~new

 

[m2kewl]

Originally posted by: newParadime

Originally posted by: m2kewl
use a radar detector!!

CB Radio werks better, the ruckers always have the coppers scoped out.

~new

whatever floats your boat, just make sure you know where they're hiding and have protection.

b/c getting caught and having a gun pointed at you or sleeping overnight with bubba is a bitch!

 

[91TTZ]

Originally posted by: Spike
It would take a freaking ton of money, a serious attitude shift, and alot more drive schooling to allow us to go at the same speeds as Germany

-spike

That's not entirely correct.

In the mid 90's, Montana had no posted daytime speed limit. It was a "safe and prudent" limit. Safety advocates and other nanny-staters claimed that the fatality rate would skyrocket. It never did. In fact it went down slightly, which doesn't mean much, but it surely didn't go up.

In addition, the car I drove in Germany was an Opel Corsa. It had a 1.2 liter engine putting out around 80 hp. It wouldn't go that fast, and I had that thing floored to get up to speed. Most of the cars there were small econoboxes and not Ferraris and Porsches like in the movies.

You and I are from the US and we both have the US training and schooling. I didn't die when I went over there and neither did you. We did just fine. Sure, there are some morons out there in the US that probably would crash over there. But those same people also pose a great risk on US roads, and honestly shouldn't have a license. Everyone here knows that we need stricter driver's tests, and more "common-sense" laws. People don't take driving seriously- they're "non-drivers". They just hit the gas pedal and pick up their cell phone so they can talk while they drive their 5,000 lb SUV to Wal-Mart.

 

[ajayjuneja]

do it on the track please. join a club where you can do track days on the weekends

 

[mordantmonkey]

I went 120 once. when i was in high school. in an '88 crown vic. it was craack o' dawn early, no cars, out by the airport, newly paved long straight away. Any other conditions and i wouldn't feel particularly safe doing 120. but that's just me, id' reather not cause my own death.

 

[KokomoGSTmp]

Well, if you're a true hooligan or know some then you should know there are certain stretches of highway that people use late at night for top speed runs.

If your car can handle getting up to that speed without issues and come down from that speed without issue and the pavement is smooth... I've heard of people going in excess of 180. (Seeing their cars and the way they accelerate, I don't doubt it)

 

[91TTZ]

Originally posted by: m2kewl

enforcement and driver education is what US lacks. dmv is totally mismanaged. if troopers gave tickets for driver stupidity vs speeding tickets; they'll have no problems meeting quotas and getting the turds off the roads.

QFT

 

[CrispyFried]

Regular tires are only rated for 100 mph or so. They like to blow out after that.

BTW post back soon, as your lifespan is pretty limited.

 

[Spike]

Originally posted by: 91TTZ

Originally posted by: Spike
It would take a freaking ton of money, a serious attitude shift, and alot more drive schooling to allow us to go at the same speeds as Germany

-spike

That's not entirely correct.

In the mid 90's, Montana had no posted daytime speed limit. It was a "safe and prudent" limit. Safety advocates and other nanny-staters claimed that the fatality rate would skyrocket. It never did. In fact it went down slightly, which doesn't mean much, but it surely didn't go up.

In addition, the car I drove in Germany was an Opel Corsa. It had a 1.2 liter engine putting out around 80 hp. It wouldn't go that fast, and I had that thing floored to get up to speed. Most of the cars there were small econoboxes and not Ferraris and Porsches like in the movies.

You and I are from the US and we both have the US training and schooling. I didn't die when I went over there and neither did you. We did just fine. Sure, there are some morons out there in the US that probably would crash over there. But those same people also pose a great risk on US roads, and honestly shouldn't have a license. Everyone here knows that we need stricter driver's tests, and more "common-sense" laws. People don't take driving seriously- they're "non-drivers". They just hit the gas pedal and pick up their cell phone so they can talk while they drive their 5,000 lb SUV to Wal-Mart.

The money statement came from the redesigning of alot of roads to handle higher speeds (not all roads, but a large number of the interstates would need to be redone) as well as the cost to school people. going 120mph is twice the average highway/freeway speed. People don't think about proper following distance, braking distance, proper lane change (every hit a bump or pothole going 120mph?) etc...

Maybe if we started from scratch we could have faster interstates but trying to get there from here is a slow process. That being said it IS happening, at least where I live. I-90 in WA state had it's limit raised from 60 to 70 not so long ago. On top of that, I know of numerous state highways that have gone from 55 to 60.

While those are small shifts they still are shifts. That puts I-90 at the same speed as all of Austrias and Switzerlands autobahns (bad sp, I know) and the same as over half of the german ones. The only true area where people go over 100 on a regular basis is in southern Germany.

-spik

 

[CVSiN]

Originally posted by: CrispyFried
Regular tires are only rated for 100 mph or so. They like to blow out after that.

BTW post back soon, as your lifespan is pretty limited.

most tires are ZR rated 150+ mph these days unless you a cheap bastage that buys the 59 dollar tires..

 

[CVSiN]

Originally posted by: hevnsnt

Originally posted by: CVSiN

Originally posted by: newParadime
Sometimes its fun, if you have a car that'll do it good enough.

I dunno what the dangers are though.

~new

depends on your vehicle... traffic... your skill level....

I cruise on my bike generally in the 90-100mph range.. sometimes on purpose other times just becasue it feels so smooth on the bike its easy to get carrried away...

I was going to say something similar but I figured your "holier than thou" ass would come in here and rip on me.

Yeh i rip on newbies like you that have no skill yet...
that dont listen to anyone..

you as a newbie with less than 3 months riding exp have no business doing 120 anywhere yet...
...
stupid newb

 

[Penth]

Originally posted by: Horus

Originally posted by: newParadime
Sometimes its fun, if you have a car that'll do it good enough.

I dunno what the dangers are though.

~new

Wow. That's even dumber than me.

You risk:

Losing control, possibly killing yourself or someone else
Getting pulled over, and getting fined up the ass.

I'll do 140-150kp/h on the 407ETR, but that highway is empty, and everyone does that speed usually.

Are you from T.O.?

 

[hevnsnt]

Originally posted by: CVSiN

Originally posted by: hevnsnt

Originally posted by: CVSiN

Originally posted by: newParadime
Sometimes its fun, if you have a car that'll do it good enough.

I dunno what the dangers are though.

~new

depends on your vehicle... traffic... your skill level....

I cruise on my bike generally in the 90-100mph range.. sometimes on purpose other times just becasue it feels so smooth on the bike its easy to get carrried away...

I was going to say something similar but I figured your "holier than thou" ass would come in here and rip on me.

Yeh i rip on newbies like you that have no skill yet...
that dont listen to anyone..

you as a newbie with less than 3 months riding exp have no business doing 120 anywhere yet...
...
stupid newb

And yet you still do. You can come over here and lick the fattest part of my fruitbowl

 

[SVT Cobra]

darwin
/thread

 

[PricklyPete]

You're telling me that you need someone to spell out the dangers of driving 120 MPH. People like you should not be given a license...let alone allowed out of pre-school.

 

[edro]

Not very, if traffic is light.

 

[newParadigm]

Originally posted by: Spike

Originally posted by: 91TTZ

Originally posted by: newParadime
Sometimes its fun, if you have a car that'll do it good enough.

I dunno what the dangers are though.

~new

It's not nearly as bad as people make it sound. You see, in the US people are brainwashed by their government's propaganda. The points they will bring up are the same as in other countries, even ones which don't have ridiculous speed limits.

When I was in Germany last year, the same laws of physics applied as they do in the US, yet nobody seemed to care if I was going 120 mph. In fact, plenty of other people were going fast as well. Apparently they don't think that driving at your own pace is deadly, and strangely enough their fatality rates are lower than ours. Who woulda thunk it- people can survive without nannystaters dictating your speed?

There are a few things I don't believe you understand, let me see if I can make them clear...

In Germany the roads that allow you to go that fast are DESIGNED to have cars travel that fast on them. This whole concept of road material, lane width, curve angles, etc... are what we base our speed limits off of for the most part. In some cities we use congestion as another factor. In Germany their versions of our freeways and designed for cars to travel at high speeds on them which encourages drivers to do so.

Another main factor are the cars people drive. Not everyones cars can handle 130 mph (I know my mazda can't) and while some people know what they can and can't do, not everyone does. There will be people dumb enough to try and take their old Pontiac 6000 wagons at those speeds only to go out of control and turn that wagon into a 3 ton unguided missle. Maybe the general German car is nicer and the driver smarter (it does cost money as someone else pointed out) and thats why it works.

Now I admit I was only their for a short time but I am an engineer so I do notice things like this. I am not saying that in the US we could go faster safely it's just that we have built our infastructure around lower speed limits. It would take a freaking ton of money, a serious attitude shift, and alot more drive schooling to allow us to go at the same speeds as Germany

-spike

I think my '93 RX-7 can handle it. 6 Speed Manual Tranny, ~300HP, good suspension, almost new tires (bought em in the begining of the summer).

~new