Another autobahner here. The car is very stable @ 110mph. Get over that and it's a little twitchy.

She who never goes faster than 80 (i.e.: the wife) took the car to Heidelberg a week or so ago to see friends. She had a big smile on her face and was giggling like a schoolgirl about how fun it was. She did 110 there and back (in the unrestricted areas).

 

Well the "speed kills" thing is relative, isn't it...it's really speeding in relation to posted limits...and that can approaches idiocy. I have no problem w/ speeds on the Autobahn, but I do with people who weave in and out of highway traffic because they want to go faster than anybody else. Safety (for you, yes, but mostly for others) is the essential factor, even in racing.

 

I'd go further and say it's in relation to traffic. It doesn't matter what the speedlimit is (anywhere) on I-95, or I-70 in St. Louis or Kansas City. You have to drive with the traffic. Idiots that like to weave through traffic cause accident, and are just as responsible for them as the idiots who drive slow in the passing lane(s).

The thing that makes the Autobahn more condusive to high speed driving is not the road. There're corners that exceed the radius you would see on any interstate. The road surface (while thicker) is horrible in most of the country due to larger amounts of truck traffic and money having to be spent developing the former East Germany. I'd put the new strip of I-70 in Kansas up against any section of autobahn. What does make the difference is the drivers. German drivers pay around 1000 euro to get the training required to obtain a liscence. They also follow the rules. Stay in the right lane except when passing. Move over for faster traffic. Signal. We simply don't do most of these things in the States.

 

Exactly. It's not the speed that causes the problem, it's the speed differential (which is why it's so dangerous when people sit in the left lane going 60mph).

Going fast safely entails being smart enough to know when it's safe to do so, and also not throwing all of your other safe driving habits out the window just because you're going fast. Sometimes it's just foolish to insist that you can go 80 (or even 60) just because you're on a freeway.

 

^^^
agreed!!!

Someone on NAM just lost a friend who was plowed into my a speeder...I'm a bit down on the practice at the moment.

 

What 70spop said--exactly! THINK when you drive....

 

+1 Precisely

 

I have a 996 C2

 

I rarely go over 80 because the cops just LOVE my car. I got 2 speeding tickets a couple of years ago and decided to stop donating to the county. The autobhan speeds are exhilerating but the crashes are dramatic fatal!!!!!

 

If you don't speed on the freeways, you must get blown around in the wake. Except in traffic jams, I have never been on a freeway anywhere where people go the speed limit. In fact, when they do, it causes a traffic jam. As to how fast I drive, just fast enough not to get a speeding ticket.

 

I just go with the flow. I have never been on a road where the speed you could drive was not defined by the traffic.

I would not know how to act if I actually had some open road in front of me. It could send me into shock causing me to run off the road into a ditch filled with water and drown! OR WORSE!! ARRRRRRRRGGGGHHHH!!!

 

Seems like there is a sweet spot for speed where the best mileage is possible but you have to look at several factors-

Is the ground level, uphill or downhill- level is best since going uphill decrease mpg some and going downhill greatly helps mpg. So if you have a long trip but it is essentially driving to a lower altitude you will have some advantage.

Is it curvy or straight, straight is best since you don't need to steer and brake much and can keep speed constant.

Do you have cruise control- this helps. Constant speed helps the most.

Is there any head or tail wind? Wind resistance is the biggest factor to hurt mpg once speeds reach about 55-60 mph. Some owners do quite well driving at 70+ but maybe there is a tail or side wind to help.

Is the car tuned up and are the tires inflated correctly- if not you loose mpg.

Is the car ladden down with people and gear- less weight is always better for mpg.

Are the tires lower rolling resistance. Wider low profile tires increase road resistance while narrow tires help mpg (as do lighter wheels and tires).

Is the car automatic or manual transmission. Manual usually offers better mpg if you drive in the right gear and lower rpms about 1000-1800.

For me 55 mph in a older MCS with stock 15" wheels gives 29 mpg.

 

Gokart ... is that on the highway? I ask because if you actually drove the speed limit exactly here, you would not only hold up everyone but the people who do that end up with very angry people behind them.

I am NOT advocating driving fast than the speed limit, just wondering if its the same in your part of TX or if so, how do you avoid all the angry people?

 

sweet oblivion.....

 

Yes...it's funny, I live off I-30 in a fairly central part of D/FW and, especially in Arlington, folks do drive the exact speed limit on the highway for the most part, sometimes not even that!!! (especially since the highway has a ton of on/off traffic.) If someone is in a hurry around here they're really going to hack some people off...but of course it does happen.

 

Is this one of those areas that used to be farms but are now "age restricted" ghettos???

 

No, not really!! I find drivers around here are pretty cool...that's why the speeders stand out so much. Now Dallas is a whole different deal!!!

 

I just go with the flow...and I don't venture into the 2 far left lanes (1 & 2)...I don't belong there. But no, in general, I don't speed. Don't need the hassles, headaches, and risks.

I don't get blown around in the wake either. San Diegans, in general, are nice drivers. Now - Orange County, Riverside, and LA are other stories. I'm not keen on driving up there. They are much more aggressive, and speed limits don't seem to apply.

 

I'm beginning to like Maryland.....

 

Yes, this is how it seems around here, too. Still there are places where folks seem to go nuts, but for the most part, no.

 

There are parts of D/FW if you drive the speed limit you could get run over and you would be a danger to others due to how much faster than the speed limit folks are driving.

Parts of 635, 114, and 360 are notorious for all the traffic being at least 15 to 20 MPH over the limit. There is a long stretch of 114 where 80MPH is as slow as you would want to drive. It is scary, as all that traffic is bumper to bumper.

 

Really??? Ouch!!! I believe it though...I just don't get out that way much these days. Honestly, I hear stories of tailgaters and such from other locations and have to count myself lucky...I've never had troubles like that around here, knock on English Oak!!!

 

I find the best way to be rid of tailgaters is to travel in the right hand lane at about 5MPH slower than the traffic is moving. I pick one up occasionally, but they do not stay there very long at all.

Now, off the freeway is another story entirely.

 

I thought I might have had a tailgater the other day, but no. Am I that intimidating?!?!?!

 

Man. I'm only geting 26mpg. and that's if I drive in "not fun 2 drive mode" . If I drive like the car ask to "high rpms" it gets worse. Usuay I drive betwn 55-65 (legal speed) . So theres got to be something wrong with mine MC