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

[PandaBear]

Well, assuming you can go from 0-120mph safely.

How fast can you go from 120mph to 0 safely? with the worst case scenario of traffic, road condition, car condition, driver skill, animals, nails, potholes, cops?

As long as you only kill yourself along the way, and have enough $ left to clean up the mess and fix the road, I am cool with it.

 

[Chiropteran]

Originally posted by: PandaBear
How fast can you go from 120mph to 0 safely?

Why is that important? Do your highways have stoplights?

 

[Balthazar]

I have done 125+ on the interstate a couple times since I got my car in April (in teh sig), and over 100 several more times.

However I'm not a dumbfvck who does that during rush hour (hell, I dont think it was before midnight on any of those occasions).

I also don't drive a beater.

I also pay more attention to the road than you'd ever think possible, I am VERY well aware that driving that fast is dangerous and theres only two stretches of road I will do it on, however those two stretches are fine because all I'm looking for when I do that is a quick rush. I head out on 55 north where its MOSTLY flat and straight and has been blacktopped in the last year or so, get to the clean straigth stretch, peg it up to a buck twenty five, hang for a bit if the road is clear, then let off and go back to abiding by the law.

 

[Toasthead]

depends on what yer driving I would guess

 

[91TTZ]

Originally posted by: PandaBear
Well, assuming you can go from 0-120mph safely.

How fast can you go from 120mph to 0 safely? with the worst case scenario of traffic, road condition, car condition, driver skill, animals, nails, potholes, cops?

As long as you only kill yourself along the way, and have enough $ left to clean up the mess and fix the road, I am cool with it.

Probably about as fast as people in Germany can go from 120 to 0.

According to half of the people replying, they're deathly afraid of change. Yet when you show them other places that already have those "changes", you don't see people dropping like flies.

Have you ever considered that maybe it's really not that bad? Have you considered that the people telling you how bad it is may be feeding you a line?

When the Soviet Union was around, they had all their people believing that communism was the way and that capitalist countries would eventually fail because they didn't see the light. But when it was *their* country that failed due to their flawed system, they were forced to re-evaluate the way they viewed things. Maybe the "evil empire" wasn't so evil afterall, maybe their government was feeding them a line of propaganda that suited the lawmakers, not the people.

Whenever you propose a change from the status quo, you'll always get the "gloom n' doom" crowd saying how horrible it's going to be. Rarely are they correct. Open your mind and realize that the 55 mph speed limit was enacted in the mid 70's to conserve gasoline. And once that source of revenue from tickets kicked in, they couldn't relinquish it. Now they keep finding new arguments to control you, and you're buying it.

 

[DAGTA]

Your car and tires make a huge difference. Most consumer car tires are not rated for those kinds of speeds and can pop from the heat at those speeds. Also, you'll have much more air rushing past which might create a lift effect and cause you to lose traction and control.

I was really surprised to see someone has taken a Ford Explorer up to 116. Those things roll sooooo easily. I felt unsafe driving one at 65mph when I rented one last year.

I like speed and admit to going too fast sometimes. Anyone that is determined to travel in excess of 100mph, keep at least a few things in mind:

1) Don't do it when there is other traffic around. If you want to risk your own life, fine, but don't be an ass about other people's lives.
2) If you start to feel your car sway or seem to float or have less grip at all, immediately let off the gas and coast down to a safer speed.
3) You really don't want to try hitting your brakes hard at those speeds or do any sudden movements of the wheel.

 

[spacejamz]

anyone taking bets that the OP is 21 or younger?

 

[DAGTA]

Originally posted by: Chiropteran

Originally posted by: captains
dangers.....

some one cuts in front of u
u get a flat tire
u lose a tire
u lose brakes

Can't those occur while driving at 15 mph also?

Yeah, but the consequences of those things happening at 15mph are usually much less severe than those things happening at 120mph.

 

[Noirish]

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

the fastest i've done is ~110mph.
yeah, you better hope your car is in great condition.

 

[spacejamz]

Whenever you propose a change from the status quo, you'll always get the "gloom n' doom" crowd saying how horrible it's going to be. Rarely are they correct. Open your mind and realize that the 55 mph speed limit was enacted in the mid 70's to conserve gasoline. And once that source of revenue from tickets kicked in, they couldn't relinquish it. Now they keep finding new arguments to control you, and you're buying it.

i think you should loosen the tin foil hat a little

while i agree 55 is pretty much a joke, common sense should tell you that 120 mph in the states is just stupid, especially since we so many idiot drivers out there...

Personally, i probably do between 80-85 but sometimes will get up to 90 if i'm not paying attention while driving on the interstate...anything over that would be unnecessarily reckless IMO...

my 0.02...

 

[Bassyhead]

It takes a mustang like 360 feet to stop at 100 mph, good luck at 120 mph (remembering that your vehicle's kinetic energy increases exponentially as your velocity increases).

 

[91TTZ]

Originally posted by: spacejamz

i think you should loosen the tin foil hat a little

while i agree 55 is pretty much a joke, common sense should tell you that 120 mph in the states is just stupid, especially since we so many idiot drivers out there...

Personally, i probably do between 80-85 but sometimes will get up to 90 if i'm not paying attention while driving on the interstate...anything over that would be unnecessarily reckless IMO...

my 0.02...

It really depends on the car though. When I drive my Saturn, it seems like it's cruising nicely at 60 mph. Going 90 mph would seem crazy. Yet when I get into my 300ZXTT, 60 seems boring, like a joke. 100 mph doesn't seem that fast, either. At 120 mph, it's cruising nicely. I'd imagine an M3, a Supra, Corvette, RX-7, and Porsches would be the same way. And I've driven my friend's Yukon, that thing feels smooth, but feels out of control when braking and through turns.

 

[BigToque]

If you want to drive at those speeds go to a race track. You'll be much safer and so will everyone else.

 

[Excelsior]

Originally posted by: HumblePie
Why the hell is everyone talking about the right kind of car?

I've done 120 in my corolla. Yah, it's the MAX and my governor kicks on and drops my speed back down to 115, but I've done it. Scared the crap outa me the first time it happened but it was no big deal. I was averaging 110-115 on a trip down from Colorado Springs to San Antonio the whole way down. Rarely saw anyone else on the road and made the 900 mile trip in about 8 hours or so.

The ONLY places I had to slow down was those annoying as tiny town in Texas that are so small that you blink and you drive right past them. The problem is, most of those towns put a damn CHURCH on the HIGHWAY with a stoplight and change the speed limit to 35 MPH for about 200 yards of road. Almost everyone of them has a damn cop sitting there.

I only drive fast like that on the highways though across large distances when no one else is usually around or everyone else is going at a decent speed. Heck, I drive from SA to Port Aransas quite often at those speeds. Was doing so with a cop driving along side me with no problem. BUT never drive those speeds around a holiday or "vacation" time frame on the highway. You WILL be busted. Any other time.. bleh.

Uhh..because some cars aren't meant/or should go that fast.

 

[spacejamz]

Originally posted by: 91TTZ

Originally posted by: spacejamz

i think you should loosen the tin foil hat a little

while i agree 55 is pretty much a joke, common sense should tell you that 120 mph in the states is just stupid, especially since we so many idiot drivers out there...

Personally, i probably do between 80-85 but sometimes will get up to 90 if i'm not paying attention while driving on the interstate...anything over that would be unnecessarily reckless IMO...

my 0.02...

It really depends on the car though. When I drive my Saturn, it seems like it's cruising nicely at 60 mph. Going 90 mph would seem crazy. Yet when I get into my 300ZXTT, 60 seems boring, like a joke. 100 mph doesn't seem that fast, either. At 120 mph, it's cruising nicely. I'd imagine an M3, a Supra, Corvette, RX-7, and Porsches would be the same way. And I've driven my friend's Yukon, that thing feels smooth, but feels out of control when braking and through turns.

I have gotten my 05 TL to about 95 before and it was very smooth...I did get my 99 prelude up to 130 once...

Although the car itself is a factor, the biggest variable is the other driver. No car on the road can make up for the stupidity of some drivers...

 

Originally posted by: Chiropteran

Originally posted by: PandaBear
How fast can you go from 120mph to 0 safely?

Why is that important? Do your highways have stoplights?

Never had someone break in front of you suddenly? If you dont know your break distance and cant judge it, how will you know whether or not to swerve?

Look, the issue at hand isnt whether or not its safe for the car to go that speed, its an issue of other drivers being on the road. Simply put, drivers in the US are NOT used to 120 mph, and thus won't be guessing distance at that speed. If someone sees you approaching in their sideview mirror and is going 80, but doesnt expect you to be going 120, and changes lanes...what happens? That's what I thought. How about you crazy people doing 120 think about OTHER drivers first for a change, eh?

 

[newParadigm]

right on^^

 

[Balthazar]

Originally posted by: FallenHero

Originally posted by: Chiropteran

Originally posted by: PandaBear
How fast can you go from 120mph to 0 safely?

Why is that important? Do your highways have stoplights?

Never had someone break in front of you suddenly? If you dont know your break distance and cant judge it, how will you know whether or not to swerve?

Look, the issue at hand isnt whether or not its safe for the car to go that speed, its an issue of other drivers being on the road. Simply put, drivers in the US are NOT used to 120 mph, and thus won't be guessing distance at that speed. If someone sees you approaching in their sideview mirror and is going 80, but doesnt expect you to be going 120, and changes lanes...what happens? That's what I thought. How about you crazy people doing 120 think about OTHER drivers first for a change, eh?

Wow, first of all, who the heck taught you to drive?

If your doing 80 you are allready speeding on any hwy/I in this city (STL) so you allready are in the wrong, but thats not even the point, if someones coming up on you 40mph faster than you are travelling....and you change lanes....I kinda hope they or something, or someone, hits you.

Be it with a car, a pipe, a 2x4, something.

Anyone who "guesses distance" (wtf is that anyway?) based on how fast people SHOULD be going is an f'ing maroon.

I'm not condoning speeding, but your mentality is exactly why unlimited speeds wouldn't work here, we'd have people like you going "well, how fast do cars normally go on this road? Oh I should have plenty of time to pull out in front of them then."

Wtf ever happened to cautious driving? Wtf eve happened to "if someone is overtaking you in the left lane DONT GET OVER IN FRONT OF THEM."

????

This is the most idiotic argument I've ever heard.

And btw, yes, the issue at hand IS whether or not its safe for the car to go that speed, because THATS what the OP ASKED. Not "Hey doodz, if I do 175 in a school zone, am I breaking the law?"

Sheesh.

How about you ultra-conservative ninnies knock the cinch in your panties back a notch, I think its pinching your sac or something, because you are awful tense.

You guys are bludgeoning this guy WAY too hard, and half of it isnt even constructive (ok, MOST of it isnt), its "kill yourself" and stupid made up fact.

I love the people saying "whats your stopping distance from 120mph" lol, do YOU know the answer to that? No, I bet you don't even know your stopping distance from 80?

Oh and not to mention, when should you swerve? ALWAYS, if its an option.

And FINALLY. If the guy in front of me slams on his breaks, he takes at least as long to hit 0mph as I do. You guys act like he taps the breaks and your through his rear windshield.

Better question, if hes doing 80, your doing 120, how long does it take you to slow down enough to mitigate the distance + speed between you and him?

 

[klah]

How dangerous is it to drive a 5800# Suburban at 75mph?

 

[0roo0roo]

ogrish/rotten type sites with their pics of crashes are icky. you know the term gibbed from doom? yea...gibbed.

 

[spacejamz]

And FINALLY. If the guy in front of me slams on his breaks, he takes at least as long to hit 0mph as I do. You guys act like he taps the breaks and your through his rear windshield.

that's some pretty good BS right there...

You should really consider reaction time...

It will take you at least 1 second (if not more) to react seeing the brake light of the car in front on you and then move your foot to the brake pedal and press...

guess how many feet you travel in that one second?

at 60 mph, you will travel 88 feet in one second
at 80 mph, you will travel 117 feet in one second
at 120 mph, you will travel 176 feet in one second

imagine if it takes 2 seconds to react and press the brake pedal...

granted, the car in front of you doesn't come to a complete stop immediately, but you should get the picture here...

i'd lay money this guy tail gates on the freeway because both cars can stop in the same distance, so there is no way he could ever rear end someone...

 

[klah]

gib +2

 

[David Brent]

these people who say 90 is way too fast probably drive raised redneck trucks that are unstable at 40...

120 is a bit fast, i'd keep it under 110. only on the way to vegas out in the middle of nowhere though. on the freeway where there's other people i'd keep it around 80

 

[LS20]

done it a bunch of times

on long flat stretches of freeway with almost noone else on the road... it actually feels just like 60.. minus the increased wind and engine noise

 

[GeekDrew]

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

That's how I make it from Columbus to Chicago, averaging 85 - 90 MPH