Fastest you have ever driven a car? [Archive]

Magnus

11th November 2007, 13:35

Assuming you were doing it on the Autobahn or a racetrack, which is the fastest you have ever been driving?
Please note also that I have aboslutely no affection for people who risk other peoples life in traffic. There are a lot of perfect ways to control the speed demons of the highways, as the title of this forum hints at.
My speedrecord is 230kms in my Beemer 330 ci. twenty to go real speed. probably 30 on the speedo.

Easy Drifter

11th November 2007, 14:52

176 mph in prototype Firebird Trans-Am back in the 70's. VIN #1.
200+kph in Nissan Pulsar with sport deck. Speedo stopped at 200. Back in late 80's. With standard deck top speed was about 185kph. Shows what aero will do.
147 mph in BMW Z8 about 4 years ago. Still had more in it but too much traffic and I chickened out.

MrJan

11th November 2007, 17:53

Reckon 110mph must be about the quickest I've gone, late night on a empty motorway. The car won't do much more than that and I'm too worried about losing my license. My family all drive quickly (when appropriate) and no one has any points yet and I don't want to bring the shame of being the first.

Allyc85

11th November 2007, 18:24

My speedo on my escort once read 116mph, though they arent actually accurate at those speeds.

Magnus

11th November 2007, 19:20

176mph; that´s pretty fast "Easy Drifter"!

Easy Drifter

11th November 2007, 19:35

Middle of the night, no traffic, except for the Corvette I blew off.
Car belonged to GM and had stuff no other Trans Am had, like a 5 speed ZF and 4 downdraught Webers. Car was on its way to Titus Godsall Racing the factory Pontiac Trans Am team.
I wouldn't do that today. Too old and way too much traffic. I had only retired from racing a couple of years earlier and still instructed.

Magnus

11th November 2007, 19:50

Weber carbs are very popular on swedish folkracecars: Volvo B20+weber 36 up to 45 abt 200 bhp :)

Easy Drifter

11th November 2007, 19:54

48 Ida

Magnus

11th November 2007, 21:13

I´ve not been working with webers I´m afraid, allthough they have a certain sound to their name ;) Holley mostly, and a bit of Rochester and Solex+stromberg :(
Holley Carbs are quite interesting me thinks.

Alfa Fan

11th November 2007, 22:57

120, and only once, when I went flat out in my then new car (Peugeot 307 1.6) several years ago

ChrisS

11th November 2007, 23:29

the top speed my speedo showed was 300km/h. Of course the true speed was probably 275km/h or so...

leopard

12th November 2007, 04:47

My speedometer has maximum scale 180 kph, my fastest ride was not more than three of four from the scale.

Donney

12th November 2007, 10:53

The speedo in my powerful Focus 1.9 td state reached once 155 Km/h and I doubt the real speed was more than 140.

306 Cosworth

12th November 2007, 14:53

I've had 103MPH out of my 973cc Corsa :D Slipstreaming cars really works well!!

555-04Q2

12th November 2007, 15:04

309 km/h.

nicemms

12th November 2007, 18:57

10mph maybe?

Not really sure what it was, was more concntrated on not crashing and getting up the hill that my dad wanted me to go up on my first time driving.

Fastest been in a car was probably 110mph.

CCFanatic

12th November 2007, 20:48

148mph. Was in a race car, so I doubt that is counts.

Brown, Jon Brow

12th November 2007, 20:53

70mph ;)

donKey jote

12th November 2007, 22:22

20-odd years ago it was 120kmh in a Seat 600 on the Cuesta de las Perdices... downhill :D
Nowadays it's a boring double that on the Autobahn :dozey: :p :
http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/16/16_3_166.gif

Donney

13th November 2007, 10:26

Poor little 600.

donKey jote

13th November 2007, 21:24

"beating" it's theoretical top-speed of 95kmh downhill wasn't too hard and caused many a double-take :D

but the poor thing eventually did die going back up the same cuesta, doing about 75kmh :(

and resucitated as a cabrio buggy in a friend's farmyard :p :

http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/16/16_3_166.gif

Donney

13th November 2007, 22:58

A zombie 600, that's a classic of the Spanish pueblos. :p

thetrooper_uk

15th November 2007, 02:20

Daz

15th November 2007, 21:26

120mph in my Impreza turbo. Would have got plenty more out of it but had to brake hard for the chicane at a recent Donington track day.

Zico

16th November 2007, 00:26

J4MIE

16th November 2007, 01:19

Top speed doesnt do anything for me, its just boring, talentless and pointless.

True, as I keep telling everyone who boasts to me about speed - my granny could drive fast in a straight line :)

555-04Q2

16th November 2007, 10:14

True, as I keep telling everyone who boasts to me about speed - my granny could drive fast in a straight line :)

Racetracks have corners you know ;)

16th November 2007, 12:38

Wasn't driving, but 170 in a Testarossa.

Daniel

16th November 2007, 12:48

I've done about 800mph in a plane but I wasn't piloting it :p

MrJan

16th November 2007, 13:35

True, as I keep telling everyone who boasts to me about speed - my granny could drive fast in a straight line :)

:up: A similar thing is those chavs who spend thousands on their saxo/corsa and boast about how good it is but spend all their time sat in car parks, driving around city centres and doing 65 on the motorway. You could do all of that in a FIAT Uno

Drew

16th November 2007, 14:20

:up: A similar thing is those chavs who spend thousands on their saxo/corsa and boast about how good it is but spend all their time sat in car parks, driving around city centres and doing 65 on the motorway. You could do all of that in a FIAT Uno

That's why they drive at 65, they don't want to get cought and then not be able to use it.

Which is why you often see Ferraris, Maseratis and the like trundling along at 65.

MrJan

16th November 2007, 17:55

Drew

16th November 2007, 21:38

It's possible to drive quickly without getting caught but very rarely do I see a Kev car on the way to Moretonhampstead or Tivvy because it's all about showing off. Personally I don't care what my car looks like or how many sub woofers it's got (actually took one out because it was driving me mad). That's why I drive around in a 96 Honda civic with a dent in the rear quarter that has been resprayed from a can and has Ouch written in it and until recently had duct tape on the window. When I'm driving along a country lane it doesn't matter as long as the car handles and I can chuck it into the corners.

Of course you can drive quickly without getting caught. But some people don't realise, some people don't see the speed cameras, some people just prefer to annoyingly cruise along at 65 listening to 50 cent so loud that I can hear them in the next lane with my music on :p :

RallyfanNZ

17th November 2007, 01:38

220kmph in my old car out of curiosity. (1984 Toyota Carina 4AGE Turboed)
300kmph in my uncles Godzilla which was a oncer.

Haven't been over 130 ever since.

99.99% of the time I drive within the speed limit.

GridGirl

17th November 2007, 12:24

I accidently did 130mph in my other half's car. I was driving us back from Hull on one of those roads that gets louder the faster you drive. The noise is annoying when your doing 70mph so I started ignoring it, it was only when he asked me what I speed I was doing that I bothered looking. Didn't get any big thril out of it as I didn't realise how fast I was going, and if I did know I wouldn't have done it anyway.

On a side note, I hate boy racers who look at you at traffic lights and then race off when they change to green hoping that you will race them. Sod off, I don't want to race you in your 10 year old 1.2 Vauxhall Corsa. If you want to go racing go to a track day. :p

306 Cosworth

17th November 2007, 13:07

136mph in my Vectra SRI being chased by the police at night on my way home from work (didn't know they were after me) I got let off and they knackered they're car chasing me.I did offer to look at it for them. Not all coppers are bad. They seemed more interested in looking at my car. Replica of John Cleland's 1996 BTCC Vectra.

Wow what a coincidence you live just up the road from me then, used to see your car al the time! Have you still got that Vectra as I haven't seen it for a while??

306 Cosworth

17th November 2007, 13:08

:up: A similar thing is those chavs who spend thousands on their saxo/corsa and boast about how good it is but spend all their time sat in car parks, driving around city centres and doing 65 on the motorway. You could do all of that in a FIAT Uno

I love racing these people it's quite funny when you see them going really fast down a straight and then your right up their arse on a corner haha even better when you do them round the outside of a roundabout :D

Brown, Jon Brow

17th November 2007, 13:19

I love racing these people it's quite funny when you see them going really fast down a straight and then your right up their arse on a corner haha even better when you do them round the outside of a roundabout :D

Thats happened before with me. I have inadvertently got in between two cars having a race on the road near my house that I know really well. I was left for dead down the straights, but either because the modifications have ruined their cars handling or because they don't know the road, I caught right up in the corners.

306 Cosworth

17th November 2007, 20:32

Thats happened before with me. I have inadvertently got in between two cars having a race on the road near my house that I know really well. I was left for dead down the straights, but either because the modifications have ruined their cars handling or because they don't know the road, I caught right up in the corners.

Jon it's more to do with the fact they're **** drivers ;) Can only go fast in a straight line!

Brown, Jon Brow

17th November 2007, 21:39

Jon it's more to do with the fact they're **** drivers ;) Can only go fast in a straight line!

:p

MrJan

17th November 2007, 21:55

Jon it's more to do with the fact they're **** drivers ;) Can only go fast in a straight line!

I think that they are scared of corners. One of my favourite things is watching them go over speed bumps and wondering how much downforce their front bumpers are actually creating doing 5mph in Comet car park :D

Daniel

17th November 2007, 22:42

Thats happened before with me. I have inadvertently got in between two cars having a race on the road near my house that I know really well. I was left for dead down the straights, but either because the modifications have ruined their cars handling or because they don't know the road, I caught right up in the corners.
Lowering your suspension or putting big wheels on doesn't spoil your handling THAT much :p

Daz

17th November 2007, 22:49

I found out recently that in a circuit situation good handling and braking can make for more fun than power. Was at Donington on a track day and in to and through the corners I quicker than a couple of lads In TVR 4.5l Chimera's. On the straights they would pull away from me but not by much and must admit I had good fun.

RallyfanNZ

18th November 2007, 03:07

Lowering your suspension or putting big wheels on doesn't spoil your handling THAT much :p

The biggest problem with that is that they do not spoil the handling...they give you a false sense of security when cornering.

In my 94 Civic LX (yes 1.5L manual) I can go around a corner quickly...the car gives me some idea as to when it will let go by a mix of body roll/weight shifting/tyre noises.

Whack a lowering kit and wider wheels on it and she will feel like you can go around corners faster and will give you very little feedback in comparison to standard. You tend to have less time to react.

Thats what I found when I bought an ex-boy racer car and converted it back to standard suspension set up.

What do you guys think?

MrJan

19th November 2007, 18:40

I find that my Civic which had wide wheels on it when I got it handles very well and on the odd ocassion where I might have been going too fast it has let me know gently by being slightly light at the rear or understeering a bit. Mind you the standard suspension is shot so can't draw a comparison in that respect.

schmenke

20th November 2007, 18:31

195kph in a '92 Acura Integra.

Zico

20th November 2007, 19:47

The biggest problem with that is that they do not spoil the handling...they give you a false sense of security when cornering.

In my 94 Civic LX (yes 1.5L manual) I can go around a corner quickly...the car gives me some idea as to when it will let go by a mix of body roll/weight shifting/tyre noises.

Whack a lowering kit and wider wheels on it and she will feel like you can go around corners faster and will give you very little feedback in comparison to standard. You tend to have less time to react.

What do you guys think?

Yep.. 100% correct.

Although offering lower grip levels.. Standard tyres with higher sidewalls have a far more gradual release of grip due to the sidewall starting to flex earlier and the contact patch working dynamically and in tune with the cars suspension settings, however if you either stiffen/lower the suspension OR fit lower profile tyres these dynamics cannot compliment each other any longer..
If you do both it can work very well on the racing circuit where you know whats ahead and the higher overall speeds and cornering speeds mean the dynamics start to compliment each other. higher speeds= increased cornering and weight distribution G's which come within the dynamic range of a stiffer/lower profile set-up.
Racing Circuits are usually relatively flat and smooth with far wider tarmac width, you have lapped many many times and know like the back of your hand. Compare that to most A-roads with bumps and multiple camber changes where suspension compliance and increased feedback of grip levels are of far more critical importance. Horses for courses but Boy Racers dont seem to be able to make this observation and end up with nervous cars totally useless on anything other than the track or a super smooth, flat road that they know very well.

Zico

20th November 2007, 19:56

The biggest problem with that is that they do not spoil the handling...they give you a false sense of security when cornering.

In my 94 Civic LX (yes 1.5L manual) I can go around a corner quickly...the car gives me some idea as to when it will let go by a mix of body roll/weight shifting/tyre noises.

Whack a lowering kit and wider wheels on it and she will feel like you can go around corners faster and will give you very little feedback in comparison to standard. You tend to have less time to react.

What do you guys think?

Yep.. 100% correct.

Although offering lower grip levels.. Standard tyres with higher sidewalls have a far more gradual release of grip due to the sidewall starting to flex earlier and the contact patch working dynamically and in tune with the cars suspension settings, however if you either stiffen the suspension OR fit lower profile tyres these dynamics cannot compliment each other any longer..
If you do both it can work very well on the racing circuit where you know whats ahead and the higher overall speeds and cornering speeds mean the dynamics start to compliment each other. higher speeds= increased cornering and weight distribution G's which come within the dynamic range of a stiffer/lower profile set-up.
Racing Circuits are usually relatively flat and smooth with a far greater tarmac width, you have lapped many many times and know like the back of your hand, horses for courses I guess but Boy Racers dont seem to be able to make this observation and end up with low, stiff, and nervous cars totally useless on anything other than the track or a super smooth, flat road that they know very well. Compare that to most A-roads where suspension compliance and increased feedback of grip levels are of far more critical importance.

Garry Walker

24th November 2007, 17:16

309 km/h.

What were the circumstances and what car?

I love racing these people it's quite funny when you see them going really fast down a straight and then your right up their arse on a corner haha even better when you do them round the outside of a roundabout :D
Even funnier when you put it in the wall exiting the roundabout :D

I have done probably around 265km/h the most, but as said, anyone can go fast on a straight, the fun bit is trying to be fast in corners.

Malbec

25th November 2007, 21:05

The biggest problem with that is that they do not spoil the handling...they give you a false sense of security when cornering.

In my 94 Civic LX (yes 1.5L manual) I can go around a corner quickly...the car gives me some idea as to when it will let go by a mix of body roll/weight shifting/tyre noises.

Whack a lowering kit and wider wheels on it and she will feel like you can go around corners faster and will give you very little feedback in comparison to standard. You tend to have less time to react.

Thats what I found when I bought an ex-boy racer car and converted it back to standard suspension set up.

What do you guys think?

I agree with that. I also have doubts that Kev down the local garage can come up with an all-round better setup than a car manufacturer with several decades of experience building cars that has spent hundreds of millions with a team of good engineers honing the handling over several years.

Having said that there are a number of good tuning companies that can do a good job improving handling but usually for a price most boy racers couldn't afford.

Living in the UK the fastest car I ever drove was a Honda Beat 660cc closely followed by a VW 1300s Beetle. I could thrash both of them and just about keep up with normal traffic on an A-road. Anything quicker merely gets you stuck frustrated behind a caravan looking for a place to overtake.

FrankenSchwinn

26th November 2007, 17:46

in my beetle ('74 1647cc) i've gone a little over 85mph or close to 140km/h

in a diesel station wagon (one was a ford mondeo and the other a 307) i've hit around 240km/h or just about 150mph.

on my honda CB650 i have gone about 120mph which would be between 190 and 195 km/h (my speedo stopped way before that but the people i was riding with told me that we were going about that speed). that was on freshly rebuilt carbs on an empty highway all tucked in behind my instrument cluster.

the fastest i'm been inside a car must be somewhere around the 200mph or around 320km/h in a friends "street legal race car" or a race car that somehow someway got a license plate.

CCFanatic

26th November 2007, 21:40

45mph in my golf kart.

555-04Q2

27th November 2007, 15:04

What were the circumstances and what car?

My 2007 TR Tech Cobra with a 5.7 liter V8 Chevy engine developing 432 BHP on the back wheels with a 5 speed Toyota Supra Racing Box. Open highway on an early morning in the middle of the Karoo with one pissed off traffic officer who actually let me off the hook cause he liked the car !!! 300 km/h + in a Cobra with no roof feels more like 500 km/h + :s hock:

555-04Q2

27th November 2007, 15:05

45mph in my golf kart.

Thats some golf kart !!!

CCFanatic

27th November 2007, 23:08

Thats some golf kart !!!

Take the governor off and replace the tires for one's a but larger.

MrJan

27th November 2007, 23:23

Or try this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E75NMpbJnas :D

airshifter

28th November 2007, 00:09

Top speed doesnt do anything for me, its just boring, talentless and pointless. I've only ever tried out my Gti's top end once as ... the speedo was showing 137mph down a long hill, not sure what actual true speed would be once you take off callibration error.

I have been a passenger in my cousins highly boosted Impreza at 150mph + on a motorway.. Think he thought I'd be impressed, very stupid and dangerous. I've never sat in a car with him since.

I agree. Most straight line runs aren't really very exciting.

But I did on one occasion shred a tire in a big boat of a car while going about 130 or so MPH. That added a bit more excitement to the picture!

Hazell B

28th November 2007, 19:52

Well, you guys might think I'm Mrs Slow and Boring, but I used to ride bikes before lurching in to elderly Land Rovers.

No idea what the fastest was, but have been clocked at something over 150 by the police early one morning. Didn't even get points, but that's another story we won't go in to :p :

Also managed a fairly good time around the Isle of Man on a tiny, wee 350YPVS, then blew it up on a second trip at the Gooseneck :mark: Spent the rest of the week going slow on an FZ600 as the owner hadn't paid for it :rolleyes: