Top Speed...

[kshaw]

Knowing the top speed capability of any car is a big mistake. When I bought my second car, a 1974 Triumph TR-6, the owner's manual said that it would do 123 mph. I tried for hours to get mine to do that and it would never go over 118 mph. Then my insurance company told me that I would be dropped if I got one more speeding ticket. Next I got my 1984 Red Corvette with advertised top speed of 155 mph . . .

Sponsored

 

[sajohnson]

Knowing the top speed capability of any car is a big mistake. When I bought my second car, a 1974 Triumph TR-6, the owner's manual said that it would do 123 mph. I tried for hours to get mine to do that and it would never go over 118 mph. Then my insurance company told me that I would be dropped if I got one more speeding ticket. Next I got my 1984 Red Corvette with advertised top speed of 155 mph . . .

For anyone who may not know, in 1979, the gubmint mandated that speedometers max out at 85 mph, thinking it would prevent people from 'seeing what it'll do':
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Maximum_Speed_Law#Speedometers

"Effective September 1, 1979, in a FMVSS that also regulated speedometer and odometer accuracy, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) required speedometers to have special emphasis on the number 55 and a maximum speed of 85 mph (140 km/h).[63] Some manufacturers circumvented the rule by including extra lines beyond 85 to show higher speeds.[64] However, on March 25, 1982, NHTSA revoked that Standard (FMVSS 127) entirely, eliminating speedometer and odometer rules because they were "unlikely to yield significant safety benefits" and "[a] highlighted '55' on a speedometer scale adds little to the information provided to the driver by a roadside speed limit sign."


In fact, the 85 mph speedos could have the opposite effect. 40+ years ago, I was riding in a rental T-Bird with a family member, I'll call him 'Mario'. He was/is a complete 'by the book' straight arrow who always obeyed the speed limit. We were in the high desert of Wyoming on a completely deserted highway. Initially, Mario was doing exactly 55, not one mph over. Needless to say, that was mind-numbingly slow. After a while it seemed like we were moving faster. I glanced over and realized the needle was buried! The lines on the speedo weren't marked beyond 85, but the needle didn't actually disappear until about 90-95. Mario caught my gaze and immediately took his foot off the gas. We coasted down for a long time before that needle came back into view! My guess is that we were doing at least 120+.

Mario seemed embarrassed by his flagrant disregard for the traffic laws, and held it at 55 for a few minutes, but before long it was buried again!

It was completely unintentional on Mario's part. That T-Bird cruised effortlessly, and in that landscape there was nothing to judge speed by. Had the speedometer been marked normally -- up to ~140-160 -- I'm sure Mario would have noticed the speed increasing. Once the needle was buried though, there was no indication. The only reason he noticed was because he caught me looking. BTW -- I'm guessing it didn't have cruise control or he would have used it.

 

[Wild Bronc]

I think the Bronco Sport has better aerodynamics than it appears to have. My BS feels like it moves through the air with little resistance. I am willing to bet a tunned BS could do 130 mph.

Sponsored