Speed limiter

[green van man]

Originally Posted by biggbn

But they are not limiting speeds even more, it's a corporate decision and the Volvo limiter is considerably higher than our limit?

That in and of itself makes it a pointless political jesture.

The speed limit on a single track road is 50mph. 35 years ago it was 50mph and I was biulding road rally cars geared to 120 mph. There were many many times when drivers on these single track roads were capable of 100 + mph, safely. Now this is evidenced by the number whom did it and did not have accidents, mainly because they had a nevigator sat beside them reading an os 1:50,000 map calling the road to them. An art form even if I say so myself having occupied the left hand seat in competition.

As a police patrol car driver once said to me, any half decent club rally driver round here will leave us patrol drivers for dead in the lanes. Their cars are sorted to do the job, ours are breathed on granadas, they out accelerate us, they out handle us, and truthfully many are just better drivers than us because they want to be good, we are doing a job.

Back in those days the limiter was the maximum revs the engine would pull without blowing up. 7200 rpm out of a 2 litre rs2 pinto on a 4:1 diff was about 120 mph, but at that speed the valves were starting to bounce and you were in danger of throwing a finger.

Like so many of the people's hobbies road rallying was frowned upon by many , especially the elites and was a political hot potatoe. As they forced changes in road rallying so they seek to control the common man with limiters and lez's and congestion charges.

Paul.

[ThomasG]

Right..

I'd made it an "edit" to my previous post, but I spent last 30minutes driving, I DONT use phone whilst driving, especially not to type...


Let me reiterate..

With the current state of the roads, going too fast is a bad idea..
But there's still a need, big need, to retain the ability to do so.

[green van man]

Originally Posted by ThomasG

Right..

I'd made it an "edit" to my previous post, but I spent last 30minutes driving, I DONT use phone whilst driving, especially not to type...


Let me reiterate..

With the current state of the roads, going too fast is a bad idea..
But there's still a need, big need, to retain the ability to do so.

As with any skill there is a need to practice it or loose it.

Paul.

[id5]

Originally Posted by biggbn

Because it's against the law, archaic as that law might be?

My Willy waving analogy was not suggesting only males with an ego speed it was suggesting that essentially a car with a high top speed is just a status symbol, a tangible top trumps game...who cares?
...
waiting on a logical, good reason why cars need to be able breach the speed limits in the country they are sold...?

We only have the words that we write with to communicate in this forum. If you meant top trumps then just say that. Saying something else just makes it awkward.

You asked for a logical reason, I gave you one, to reduced my time wasted driving from A to B.

[ThomasG]

Well..
I dontvreally think anyone needs to "practice" going 70mph on a motorway in order to go 70 when highway agency decided to set 50/on an empty motorway..

[Whippy]

Does anyone buy a car based on pure top speed? I would have thought that most people (like me) decide on the following criteria, exterior, interior, suitability and lastly, performance. The last of which is usually judged by acceleration and drivability. I would have no problems buying and driving a car limited to 120 mph so long as it met all the other criteria. I would have a problem in having speed limitations used as a blunt instrument to gather cash.

[37 RUBY]

Originally Posted by ThomasG

Right..

Let me reiterate..

With the current state of the roads, going too fast is a bad idea..
But there's still a need, big need, to retain the ability to do so.

...is the "big need" not to get from A to B without harm to yourself or others whilst not hindering others as you do so but within the road legislation restrictions to which you signed up for when you obtained your driving licence?

Originally Posted by green van man

As with any skill there is a need to practice it or loose it.

Paul.

...I agree. Those that drive with blue beacons and ice cream tones mostly have to have a refresher drive between three and five years to show they are still competent at that level.

What would be wrong with a 10yr refresher drive for everyday road users to prove they were competent.

Personally I fail to understand Volvo's tact in this announcement, particularly the speed limit they have defined.

[ThomasG]

Originally Posted by 37 RUBY

...is the "big need" not to get from A to B without harm to yourself or others whilst not hindering others as you do so but within the road legislation restrictions to which you signed up for when you obtained your driving licence?



.

Indeed!
Without harm to yourself or others, just as you say.

Not hungering AND NOT BEING HINDERED as you do so..
By hindering I will understand incompetents behind the wheel, but also acts of plain stupidity performed by highway agency operatives slowing down whole sections of motorways without a good reason.
What? Coffee break, so one needs to get up from monitor and stop watching traffic?
"Don't worry lad, just set speeds to 40, and go for number 2. Just don't forget to check your Facebook as you sit there!"

Now, am I supposed to give direct control over what speed my car can achieve to such?
Not if there's anything I can do about it.

[Marty Dolomite]

Originally Posted by AndyJudge

As I've said before Speed doesn't kill, inappropriate use of speed does.

Will a speed limited car prevent you from speeding in fog, dense traffic, heavy rain etc.. not seen it mentioned anywhere.

Will it prevent the car you are overtaking changing lanes without looking or the oncoming car swerving into your path?
I have no objection to cars being limited for two reasons, there is rarely any need to go over 112mph and I have no plans to buy a modern car that all but drives itself and keeps telling the driver what they are doing.

[GrahamHR]

Originally Posted by ThomasG

Right..

I'd made it an "edit" to my previous post, but I spent last 30minutes driving, I DONT use phone whilst driving, especially not to type...


Let me reiterate..

With the current state of the roads, going too fast is a bad idea..
But there's still a need, big need, to retain the ability to do so.

Regardless of the state of our roads, isn't going too fast per se always a bad idea? Too fast means speed so high the driver can't respond well enough when something happens ==> accident. Going over the arbitrary speed limit isn't (always) too fast.