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How fast have you ever DRIVEN a vehicle?

  • I’ve NEVER driven a vehicle more than 110 MPH

    Votes: 5 7.4%
  • I’ve driven a vehicle between 110 and 130 MPH

    Votes: 12 17.6%
  • I’ve driven a vehicle between 130 and 150 MPH

    Votes: 23 33.8%
  • I’ve driven a vehicle between 150 and 170 MPH

    Votes: 21 30.9%
  • I’ve driven a vehicle between 170 and 180 MPH

    Votes: 5 7.4%
  • I’ve driven a vehicle between 180 and 200 MPH

    Votes: 1 1.5%
  • I’ve driven a vehicle over 200 MPH

    Votes: 1 1.5%

Participate in my poll........How fast have you ever DRIVEN a vehicle?

7K views 43 replies 21 participants last post by  AndyX5d 
#1 · (Edited)
After getting the Dinan stage one, I took my X to 161 MPH (actual displayed speed on the HUD.) I was scared as the speed was still building. That inspired me to start this poll. I***8217;m curious to see how fast people have DRIVEN a vehicle.
 
#2 ·
Maxed out my MDX on the a-bahn, the rentals I've had from Sixt I've had in the 130+ range, anything over that you either need some power or a lot a road. Never had a chance to take the 135i over to Germany unfortunately.
 
#12 ·
03 scura cl type s- 135mph
09 bmw 335d sport-145mph
11 Bmw x5d-125mph
11 bmw335i(loaner) 145mph
08 honda cbr 100- 150mph

all on straight highway late at night with no other vehicles
 
#13 ·
Royale RP 31 Formula Ford, back straight at Road America during a race, maybe 130+ in close drafting with faster cars. Most race cars have no speedometers and that was before telemetry, so hard to know for sure. Fast enough, in a tight group of vulnerable open-wheel vintage race cars with Armco barriers just a few feet on either side of the track; especially when you have to slow to 45-50 or so for the unforgiving partially off-camber hard left at Turn 5. Focuses the mind, frees the soul, and explains why I seldom go "fast" in my road cars.
 
#14 ·
140 mph on the main straight of Watkins Glen before they put in the "Bus Stop".

Anyone who drives any vehicle with street tires over 100 mph on a public road is an idiot and deserves to be forcibly removed from the gene pool. If you really feel the need to explore the limits, please do it at a BMWCCA HPDE where the risks are mitigated, safety crews are in place, and no innocent bystanders are placed in jeopardy.

/Rant.
 
#16 · (Edited)
Anyone who drives any vehicle with street tires over 100 mph on a public road is an idiot and deserves to be forcibly removed from the gene pool.
Are you referring to the autobahn also? You sound like law enforcement.

Actually my X5 cruises very nicely at about 105 MPH. It feels like it was engineered for that speed. It has Y rated tires, so I dont worry about that. I actually enjoy driving 100-110 mph in this SAV. It just feels so dam good. I would do it all the time if it weren't for other cars and law enforcement.
 
#21 ·
Anyway, my street tires are good to 186+ mph...on two of my cars.

Never had the X over 100...why?

:)

A
 
#25 ·
The tires are almost never the issue.

Any moron can go a buck 25 on the Garden State Parkway. That takes zero skill. To me, it's infinitely more rewarding to get through Big Bend, the Keyhole, the 90, or the turn at Daytona that leads from the infield onto the banking, in a 4 wheel drift, feet dancing back and forth across the pedals, and hands working the wheel to keep the contact patches right on the edge.

Back in the day when we had the contract with Mercedes for their dealer ride and drive events, I was the guy who always took the 190E or 300D out for hot laps. Sure the S600's made gobs of torque and could pin you back inyour seat, but I found it much more fun to wring every last bit of performance out of the car with the skinny tires and the most anemic engine.

That, to me, is the most rewarding. It's all about the driver, not the size of the motor or the tune on the chip.
 
#22 · (Edited)
i love these threads.

morons who say they are safe because there were no other cars on the road or they did it in the middle of the night.

Autobahn? really? comparing a highway designed for such speeds in a country that actually requires drivers to know how to drive with running a buck 35 on I95 amongst minvans and transfer trucks?

morons.

BTW, i did it once only to realize that passing church folk at 135 mph on a sunday morning wasn't the wisest idea i ever had. 2004 Z06. certainly not a damn X5.
 
#29 ·
and just a side note here.

in the last ten days i have had two friends hospitalized for spinal surgery due to automobile accidents. one was due to hydroplaning and backing a late model mustang into a tree and the other was in a NASA race due to brake failure @ approxiametely 130 mph.

both of these guys are very lucky to have survived but both face many weeks if not months of PT and recovery. if you think you are safe blasting down the road at 130 with the likelihood of deer jumping in front of you i would suggest a full cage, a HANS device with race seat and harnesses. you might actually survive the crash / rollover / tree.....................
 
#32 ·
I was younger and dumber but I had a couple of vettes that I would street race and I recall I topped out in my old '91 at 154 or somewhere about there. Again, it wasn't safe but it had the illusion of being safe. We ran on the Robert Moses Causeway, which had 2 lanes in either direction separated by a wide island & divider. It ran almost perfectly straight along a barrier island beach for 15-20 miles and was deserted during the winter months. That was as safe as you could get for a stupid teen running at 150+ on Long Island, NY. The good old days... glad I survived them.
 
#33 ·
I've ridden 120+ many times on my Motorcycle on a straight paved roads in the country, where I have a good line of sight, but never for more than about 30 seconds... you really feel the tar strips, as the suspension doesn't react fast enough at that speed. I can't imagine riding at that speed for any period of time.

I had my X5 up to about 105 on a Texas Interstate once, but really didn't see the point, as in an enclosed vehicle it's not nearly as fun as simply taking a 25 mph curve at 30 mph, or just driving through mountain twisties at a moderate rate of speed.

In the 1990's I rode in a Mercedes on the Autobahn while on business at 140-150 MPH, but that seemed more tedious than exciting as the biggest thing was just overtaking slower vehicles on the road. I guess I just don't get much out of going fast on a straight road.
 
#41 ·
Does this count, 178-180 in a Richard Petty Nascar on the track in Fontana CA. 42 laps, best lap average 153. Estimated straight speed at 6,700 RPM 175 mph. Then I had to give it back. Really great ride at 150, an unrully animal at 100 or less.
How about 140 + in a 1971 Nova in 1974, new freeway opened, no traffic at all, 8 mile straight. 2.73 rear gears. 120 MPH speedo bottomed out, tach was at 4800 RPM, let off the gas several miles later with the tach topped out at 5,600, needed more power I think.
 
#42 ·
Does this count, 178-180 in a Richard Petty Nascar on the track in Fontana CA. 42 laps, best lap average 153. Estimated straight speed at 6,700 RPM 175 mph. Then I had to give it back. Really great ride at 150, an unrully animal at 100 or less.
How about 140 + in a 1971 Nova in 1974, new freeway opened, no traffic at all, 8 mile straight. 2.73 rear gears. 120 MPH speedo bottomed out, tach was at 4800 RPM, let off the gas several miles later with the tach topped out at 5,600, needed more power I think.
 
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