Maximum speed of W.R.C cars

[Rally_Rocks]

The final stage on last years Rally Norway had a very long flat out section. Most of the top drivers speeds were recorded with a calibrated speed gun. Off the top of my head Loeb achieved 208kph, Hirvonen 215 and Solberg in the Xsara 219. Astonishingly, the fastest was Flodin in the group N Subaru at 221kph.

[Langdale Forest]

The group N car probably has less limitation on the top speed.

[Iskald]

The final stage on last years Rally Norway had a very long flat out section. Most of the top drivers speeds were recorded with a calibrated speed gun. Off the top of my head Loeb achieved 208kph, Hirvonen 215 and Solberg in the Xsara 219. Astonishingly, the fastest was Flodin in the group N Subaru at 221kph.

Actually I don`t believe this at all. There is a inboardclip (with Latvala I think) just topping 200. I was in a car myself during Rally Norway (N4 Mitsu) and we had appr. 190 km/h on this straight. There is no way Flodin could have been 30 km/h faster (unless he had chucked out his restrictor before starting the stage...).

The fact is that studded snow rallytires (even on hard ice) has quite a bit more rolling resistance than gravel tyres - not to mention slicks. So these socalled "measurements" are absolutely false.

[Allyc85]

Rally cars dont have a speed limiter as such, they are restricted by the gear ratios and of course engine power and drag etc as Mirek has pointed out. A team will set up the gear ratios to give the best balance between top speed and acceleration, theres no point in putting in long ratios for one long straight when the rest of the stage is very twisty.


The highest I can remember seeing is around 130mph, though with the power the cars have I expect they could top 160-170mph with a long enough straight.

[Rally_Rocks]

Iskald, maybe you gad too many pies that day! The figures above are from memory but are pretty much correct.

[Langdale Forest]

I guess that anything above 130mph in a forest would be far too dangerous.

[Gard]

If I remember correctly. Henning had 223km/h when passing the finish line at the mountain stage. This was the year before Rally Norway became an official wrc event and Henning used the 307. (Didn't you co-drive in this rally, Iskald? with Tord?) Then again, if you set the car up for minimum drag and geared it for top speed, it would probably get close to 300km/h.

[Iskald]

Iskald, maybe you gad too many pies that day! The figures above are from memory but are pretty much correct.

So your memory is more correct than my observations from the datalog of the car I was codriving???

I do like to stuff myself, but not with pies...

[Iskald]

If I remember correctly. Henning had 223km/h when passing the finish line at the mountain stage. This was the year before Rally Norway became an official wrc event and Henning used the 307. (Didn't you co-drive in this rally, Iskald? with Tord?) Then again, if you set the car up for minimum drag and geared it for top speed, it would probably get close to 300km/h.

This is also one of many myths. Yes I did codrive Tord Linnerud in the Peugeot 206 WRC in Rally Norway 2006 (candidate event). The Mountain stage finishes with a very fast downhill stretch into a flat left going upwards towards the finish line. 223 km/h, no way! I very much doubt that this is anywhere near correct. In fact I very much doubt that any rally car whatsoever manages to reach that speed anywhere driving on studded tyres with high rolling resistance.

[Gard]

This is also one of many myths. Yes I did codrive Tord Linnerud in the Peugeot 206 WRC in Rally Norway 2006 (candidate event). The Mountain stage finishes with a very fast downhill stretch into a flat left going upwards towards the finish line. 223 km/h, no way! I very much doubt that this is anywhere near correct. In fact I very much doubt that any rally car whatsoever manages to reach that speed anywhere driving on studded tyres with high rolling resistance.

Yeah.. Henning might have exaggerated a bit But this is what he told the radio after the finish.