personal top speed run

[kyleN20]

before i even start this story, i want to say, i dont want to hear it from the nay sayers "young and stupid" comments, I GET IT, but you only live once, and i think i do my stuff as safly as possible. Anyways, it was on the way back from up north, about 3-4 in the afternoon. we were on 72, heading east from mancelona on the longest straightest road ever, and we came upon a passing lane that last for about 2 miles, the only cars on the road were me in my 535im and my friend in his sable ls. we bothe go for it, and he keeps with me to about 100 when i begin to pull, and soon after his govener kicked in. i decidied to continue, figuring i wouldent have a chance like this again, with sero cars on a straigh road, the top speed i got up to was 140 on the dot before i let go and stoped, but i was incredibaly impresed with how smooth the whole operation was, i dident hardly notice my speed and was amazed when saw the spedo

thats it

kyle

[titanium25]

ive done 156 down a hill on the palisades parkway a friend was even there to record it on the obc

[Jeff N.]

The car's get pretty light and floaty at that speed has been my observation.

[Jimbo]

The car's get pretty light and floaty at that speed has been my observation.
I've run to 143 according to the speedo on K10 highway between Kansas City and Lawrence at about 3 in the morning, zero traffic on a very smooth separated 4 lane highway. It did seem a little light and floaty but nothing too scary. The wind noise at that speed was almost deafening though, I guess my 15 year old weather stripping isnt in as good a shape as i thought.

[Brandon J]

167mph in e34 S38 (still climbing w/ tall 3.46 diff)
155mph in e31 M70
143mph in e39 M62tu

Of course all on an off road course (cough cough).

[Jr ///M5]

Of course all on an off road course (cough cough).
Brandon J


Liar,liar, pants on fire.....=)

[Mitch90535im]

i dont want to hear it from the nay sayers "young and stupid" comments,
kyle

Don't care if you want to hear it or not Kyle, it's ok to be young, but not stupid, and driving that fast on public roads no matter how deserted is dangerous and stupid. Find a track.

[califblue]

156 MPH indicated started at 80mph and in in a two lane carpool lane that is 1.3 miles long in downtown LA...twice :D

[bjl4776]

130, damn governor.
It is hard to find a track that is straight for long enough to get these cars close to their top speeds, most tracks aren't about powere, they are about handleing, and 1/4 miles are too short for an real speed in any stock car. Interstates aren't so bad, with all the people who obviously double or triple the speed limits, most accidents still happen in the cities and not on highways. If the cars are good, and the roads are good, it isn't as stupid as it sounds accept for the legality of it, but would you consider it less stupid to do it on the autobahn, if you do than think about it again, just cause its illegal doesnt mean that it is a stupid thing to do, these cars were made for those speeds, if they weren't than they wouldn't be able to go that fast. Im not saying it isn't safe, im just saying think about the probelm you have with it, it is probably more dangerous on the track, because you are going to be taking tunrs at great speeds and have better chance of losing control than on cars going in a straight, flat line.

[kyleN20]

what posssible cosequences are ther on a dererted road, that arnt on a track, death is there both ways, **** i could get a brain hemerage and die tommrow. you dont have to live forever, you just have to live, and i dident endanger anyone else, yelll at all the people who went faster, haha

[KingSix]

I guess I'm old enought to know better but I just had to try it, I-95 No. Bd Manchester NH, 3 AM, 147 buddy had and OBC.. he he he boy that was fun...

[pundit]

what posssible cosequences are ther on a dererted road, that arnt on a track, death is there both ways, **** i could get a brain hemerage and die tommrow. you dont have to live forever, you just have to live, and i dident endanger anyone else, yelll at all the people who went faster, haha
Well Kyle I guess at nineteen you are invincible!

You know it's funny Kyle how it always happens to somebody else (http://www.bimmer.info/forum/showthread.php?t=9225&highlight=Allans) ... just try and explain that to their families. :(

BTW - I had a friend who was killed on a straight deserted stretch of road. A tire blew out and he was impaled on a pipe and wire fence. He was 20.

[MantecaBMW]

OK, nothing that fast, but ran down I-5 in the Central Valley, California for about 30 minutes at 120.......fun getting up there, even more fun staying there for a while, great cruising at that speed in comfort....gotta love these cars!

[TheGeak]

I hit 147mph in the M5 once...
My buddy took me out in his Porsche 951 and we hit about 169mph.

I was on the autobahn once and We were doing upwards of 270km/h I dunno exactly what that is in MPH, but it seemed hella fast...it was in a benz though, does that still count ;)

[Kalevera]

I have to agree with these people. I know you don't want or need to hear it, or even that it's my place to tell you, but it seems like this is the third or fourth thread I've read that involved your car and risky driving. I'm not saying that I haven't done some of that stuff myself, but it's important to be a bit socially responsible on public roads. Also, there's this perception (http://www.netfunny.com/rhf/jokes/96/Sep/bmw.html) about BMW owners, in general, and reinforcing it does little to further the cause of motorsport, enthusiasm, or my paint job and insurance costs. Plus, too many of us have had friends die because of stupid **** like reckless driving.

And cops? they're only good for calling the paramedics and cleaning up the mess.

Just my .02 ;)

best, whit

[TheGeak]

But Whit....one of my runs was on the autobahn! Its totally LEGAL there....besides if its legal, your car is prepared for it (ie right maintenence, tires, fluids), and YOU are prepared for it...its quite safe!

[genphreak]

I did somehting over 140mph (it was over 240kmh) once in my old E28... but it had my skis on the roof!

I was so scared about the racks I kept sticking my hand out the window (as the speed increased) to 'gauge' (total dumbness :D) the force exerted on them, (I did want to keep em)... I couldn't believe that 17 year old car could pull that hard, let alone with so much in the wind. Geting my hand in and out was not easy....

:) GP

[Nick.Hay]

For me, just a smidgen under 240km/h. On a flat, empty highway, at 3am, on a sunday morning. Good fun, the lowering and 18s made it sit on the road well (tho it was a little bumpy), and the only wind noise was from the seal on the drivers window.

I don't make a habit of it though... Only wanted to get it to terminal velocity once (or maybe twice) and thats it. just to prove to myself that the car will do it. She was still pulling too!!

There are too many kangaroos and possums here too, and hitting one of those critters at 200km/h plus would make for a very quick trip into the scenery!! :(

And to make matters worse, the last time I went for a 'blast', there was a drunk guy sleeping halfway into my lane... Do you know how difficult it is to swerve at 180km/h!! I missed him by less than 1 metre (3-ish feet)... VERY SCARY!!



I guess if you are gonna "low-fly" Kyle, do it alone, early morning, with no traffic... and always check your car over first!! Wheel nuts, brake-fluid, suspension wear etc, coz unsettling a car at 200km/h is really easy... Drive fast, safely!! :)

[kyleN20]

i see what you guys are saying, find a track, but coudent a tire blow on a track? i mean social responsabality???? sure i could die, i realize that every time i get on the road, anything could happen at any moment, but the same rules apply in any situation. Its horrible that your friend died, but hardly the point. though i understand your arguement, i disagree with it

kyle

[kyleN20]

this is what ost people dont understand,i was safe, im not a crazyass driver, and i dont do this **** every day, nor had i ever done it before. i tried it once, and given a oppertunity like that again, i woul probally do it again. let me quote again, the road was empty, zero cars, zero surrounding buildings, zero anything, i pujnched it, and then let of at 140, thats the whole story, no crazy lane change, no cops, not "reckless driving" (other then the speed) suppose i was in germany, on the autobahn. You would likly think it was alright then, but i promis that driving on the autobahn was more dangerous then this, via other cars and stuff.

[kyleN20]

that is sad indeed, i dont consider my self above anything, but i realize the consequences and responsabiltys of driving a car at any rate of speed. sorry to upset

[Craig Wright]

......that was 17 years ago, at a time when I was young and impressionable. Now I enjoy the track and the many great back roads of mid and south east ohio.

Craig G.
89 535i

[Kalevera]

And lots of cops with instant on Lidar ;)

....which makes my V1 very unhappy.

[genphreak]

There are very few places where one can take the risk, but I wouldn't chide you over it... crazier things happen on the road all the time. Peeps on the Bimmer forums are (on the whole) not that inexperienced and take driving much more seriously than most other road users.

I guess the trouble we can get into is where others do not take their driving seriuosuly enough which (of course) is half the problem- they are allowed to be stupid, silly and inconsiderate as we simply don't own the road...

And of course, thru sheer bad luck... ;) (If you are confused, don't worry....) GP

[Kalevera]

Haha...it takes a lot more than that to upset me ;)

I didn't want to sound like your parents or anything, I'm just saying that it's always a good idea to keep in the back of your mind something to the effect of, "what are the implications of doing this?"

Does that mean that we shouldn't do risky or outlandish things every once in a while? Hell no. Six months after I got my license, I got a ticket for doing about 75 in a 35 zone. After I won the court case, that was enough of speeding around town for me. Years later, that experience continues to influence how I drive. A negative experience only sucks after you've had to live through it.

Still, the only way to innovate is to consider risky ideas/behavior/whatever. The balance - the yin/yang - is essential.

[Kalevera]

Jason: Yes, the part in question is the "you".

I think the argument against speeding in the states is not so much related to automotive capability as it is to conditions and quality of the roads/drivers. When people spend their formative years driving and riding around in cars at autobahn speeds, they get used to it and what to expect. 110mph is a lot different than 65. 150 is a lot different than 110. You put someone who's never driven at the higher speeds behind the wheel for the first time, and they've got ten million more factors to process at 140 than they do at 65.

best, whit

[TheGeak]

Whit:

Oh, I agree 100%! Most people here in the states can barely handle 65mph, let alone 165mph!! However, I do believe that its not the speed that kills, its the sudden stop at the end! Seriously though, I think that if the oppertunity is there and you are up to it..a quick trip to the top end of the spectrum isn't THAT crazy. I won't get into a few other factors that can make it stupid (ie, the shatty condition of the US highway system, wild animals etc..) but I will say that you can only protect yourself from so much. I tend to agree a bit with Kyle when he said that a tire could blow out on a track and you'd meet the same fate. Personally, I'm more concerned about OTHERS lives. Hence why I'd never do something like this with a passenger when I'm driving.

[pundit]

There are several factors to consider.

The condition of your car. How many really know the limitations of their own car. That curb you hit with your front left tire 3 months ago fractured some belts in the sidewall. Driving round at up to 70mph no problems but at 140mph it's just waiting to let go.

What about the guy that pulls at of the side road that hardly anybody ever uses. He see's you coming but he thinks you're only doing 60mph and pull's out. You begin to change lanes but there's a semi coming the other way. You hit the brakes but at 140mph your stopping distance is four times what it would have been at 70mph. At 70mph there would have been no problem!

The problem is that few public roads allow any real safety margin for error if something goes horribly wrong at 100mph+. The autobahns in Europe are better in this respect as they are designed for high speed driving. Road surface, curve radius, camber, drainage, crash barriers are all carefully considered in the design of autobahns. Drivers must adhere to lane speed restrictions which ofter work in reverse. You will be booked for travelling too slowly in the high speed lane. Also speeds are manditorily reduced during bad weather etc. It's these roads that our bimmers are really designed for. Vehicle inspections are very well regulated as well. The worst place I have driven in for nut case drivers in shitheap cars on crap roads is Mexico. Aye Carumba!!

On one point however I do agree, it's not the speed that kills... it's the sudden stop and the end! ;)

[KingSix]

i see what you guys are saying, find a track, but coudent a tire blow on a track? i mean social responsabality???? sure i could die, i realize that every time i get on the road, anything could happen at any moment, but the same rules apply in any situation. Its horrible that your friend died, but hardly the point. though i understand your arguement, i disagree with it

kyle

Go Kyle , screw that PC "social responsibility" crap .. that is whats killing this nation .. not speeding, PC BS

[jplacson]

Sigh... I've only hit about 100-110mph (160-175kph) on my little 2.0L Although funny thing is, since in my car, the engine is the one that's basically the limiting factor, it feels a bit more stable/secure...since the brakes and suspension are rated for the faster 525i.

Although some people say that in the Phil... driving over 65mph (110kph) is kinda freaky...in any of our roads! Hahahahaha. (It has nothing to do with the car... more the roads! Hahahaha)

[jplacson]

Saw a feature on TV once on high speed driving.

Physiological tests showed that driving fast doesn't pose a danger to those people that are "born for speed" so to speak. It doesn't mean that if you like driving fast, you're born for it.

They did some neurological tests on a group of people who like to drive fast... and the ones who are "safe" high speed drivers are those that have accelerated reflexes. These guys react a fraction of a second faster than others. And they never look in one place only (eyes shift all over the place... from rear view, side, road, left, right, etc...) and they notice that brain activity doesn't slow down even when they aren't driving fast.

It's not a "gift" so to speak...meaning, it's found in a lot of people. The problem with this "gift" is that people who are safe high-speed drivers, meet accidents at lower speeds.

They seem to have found that everyone has a "safe zone" when it comes to driving...any faster... or any slower than that, the person is more likely to meet or cause an accident. If a high-speed driver drives too slow, their brains can't sync with the cycle of info coming in, and their reflexes get thrown off. Converse goes for slow-drivers.

I guess it has something to do with the rate of information the brain is willing to accept. If a person's brain is used to receiving info at a certain speed, and then it doesn't... it probably shuts down or something.

Although high-speed accidents are very dramatic and almost always fatal... 85% of automobile accidents happen under 40mph.

What does that tell us? Get that 40mph guy off the road and let us through!!!! HAHAHAHA! :P

[Beemr750]

One of you complained about the wind noise, now this reminds me of the news clip I read last week.

A motorcycle was clocked going 278 km/h (173 MPH)
on a French country road.It said the engine had 140 HP ??.If you know France, a country road means a 2 lane old fashioned tree lined highway.
That stupo will get a juicy fine and 6 month suspension it said.

I can't believe how he was able to withstand the wind at this speed.I tried out my R75 once on a Autobahn going 105 MPH,I had to let off quick because I was about to loose my grip and getting lift off the bike.

[mikell]

And, Other Complications -

Here in Texas, a high speed run can be rudely interrupted by wildlife of all kinds -

A buzzard having a snack on roadkill can't lift off fast enough to avoid oneness with your windscreen if you approach at more than 100mph - and it WILL join you in the front seat at that impact. And, as big as a vulture is, they are not as easy to spot as one might think.

Besides, the real fun is cornering -

[bahnstormer]

not sure if u heard about the kid that got a 205mph
ticket here in teh usa on his honda bike?

[jplacson]

Besides, the real fun is cornering -
Reply With Quote

I AGREE!!!!!!!!

[BigKriss]

on normal steet roads about 200 - 210km. down under we have the "northern territory". This region has unrestricted speed limits in the outback.

[pundit]

on normal steet roads about 200 - 210km. down under we have the "northern territory". This region has unrestricted speed limits in the outback.
I was coming back from Helensburgh (near Alice Springs in the N.T.) doing 140kmh in a Gemini rental car just before dusk. (Don't laugh, it's as fast as it would go!) The road was dead straight but had very slight dips and rises every few hundred metres. Well I couldn't see what was in the next dip until I reached it. About two dozen steers. How I missed them I'll never no but it must have been luck more than anything. I don't know whether that was understeer or oversteer but it was nearly a cow of a trip back to the Alice! ;)

[Rory]

this is what ost people dont understand,i was safe, im not a crazyass driver, and i dont do this **** every day, nor had i ever done it before. i tried it once, and given a oppertunity like that again, i woul probally do it again. let me quote again, the road was empty, zero cars, zero surrounding buildings, zero anything, i pujnched it, and then let of at 140, thats the whole story, no crazy lane change, no cops, not "reckless driving" (other then the speed) suppose i was in germany, on the autobahn. You would likly think it was alright then, but i promis that driving on the autobahn was more dangerous then this, via other cars and stuff.
Kyle,

<Soapbox>

This is not a lecture but I have read what you posted in some previous threads. I am still in my 20's (getting up there in them) and I will be the first to admit that I did many a stupid things in a car when I was younger and have been guilty of it in the past. Everyone on this board has pushed the limits at something in their life and done something stupid, hopefully everyone has learned from their experiences and has made it through them. Your argument about the track vs. abandoned road has a few flaws in my opinion regarding safety:

1. Track - Car has recently been through a thorough tech inspection vs. Road - Maybe
2. Track - Wearing a helmet vs. Road - Probably not
3. Track - Every loose object is is removed from the car vs. Road - Probably not
4. Track - Tire Pressure is most likely optimal vs. Road - Maybe Not
5. Track - Ideal environment to test the limits of your car because of available immediate medical care in case of an emergency vs. Road - Abandoned, how long will it be before somebody finds your carcass?
6. Track - Energy absorbing Barriers vs. Road - Trees and poles that don't give. Don't forget, energy is not created or destroyed, only transferred from one object to another.
7. Track - Slim chance of an animal running out in front of you (You have seen the Benz hit the rabbit video right?) vs. Road - Animals roam freely

I can go on and on and I know what your argument will be and I don't blame you in the least or think your ideas are wrong. It is just a fact that the track is a much safer controlled environment that cannot be duplicated on any public road. You are only young once and I agree with you we need to live it up and enjoy every day to its fullest. Just be safe out there and think before you act because life can change in an instant.

Keep the shiny side up....

</soapbox>

Best,
Rory

P.S - I have hit 124 on a public highway (Alpharetta-Bahn for all your Georgians) so I am just as guilty as the next guy :)

[Kalevera]

Jason - I think we're saying the same thing, mate ;) I'm not a proponent of NOT doing risky things (read the earlier reply a few steps up). My concern regarded people who do this kind of **** all the time, and that's just asking for more trouble than a speeding/reckless fast driving award on american public roads.

We're walking a very thin line here between two opposing ideologies. In the words of "Klassy K" (a favorite underground rap artists ;) ), "They've got they life to live, and I got mine". Individual freedom in the US is our most precious asset. However, that relative freedom is dependent on how well we make decisions. One serious problem with the world today (as if it needs to be elucidated) is that people/governments are not making informed decisions. Learning to consider other factors than those in our immediate POV helps in our continual development of values and judgements.

But me, I'll always be making mistakes. I **** up every day; that's how I learn best. The only way I've gotten anywhere in my business and in life has been through taking risks. The day I don't, I'll be dead :)

Jerry's Final Thought: Kyle can do whatever the hell he wants to do. If we want to improve the way we live as americans, we need to learn better heuristics for making informed decisions.

best, whit

[Jose]

fastest was 279 on a closed straight road for construction in Germany in I´m sorry to say this, but yes in a charged Audi V8. It was a small step out of BMW, got sorry in two months a re sold it again.It was fast though with 370 BHP.

[kyleN20]

agreeable, and i bet every guy lecturing me has, it did start a decent thread haha, i mean, clearly you not supposed to go 140 on public roads, i realized that as i passed the 55 sgin at 140, but if you are to do it, the spot i did it in is somewhat optimal

thanks for al the imput, and i dont do that regularly, so you michigan people have nthing to worry about getting slammed into by a black 535i.

[kyleN20]

i cant tell if your being sarcastic, haha

[Patrick]

Okay, I'll bite on this thread... years ago I was headed west on I-70 in western Colorado early on a Saturday morning to go see a girlfriend of mine who lived in Grand Junction. I was on my Ducati (you can see a pic of it on the Beemer Forum page) and a friend of mine was on his new Honda Blackbird 1100. We'd been hanging between 75-105 for a couple of hours and were pretty bored. At the moment we did this there was no traffic in sight either direction -none- for as far as we could see ahead which was about 2.5 miles. He took off passing me and I gave chase, peaking out at 145 -talk about light and floaty, and the wind noise was howling. The pressure from the wind had me tucked down onto the tankbag. The bikes were loving it though and sounded like they were just beginning to hit their grooves.
After only about 30 seconds of this craziness we both backed off gradually down to about 85 again. About 2 minutes later a white CSP car passes us east bound eye-balling us hard, and about a 2 minutes after that he's right behind us. He dogs us for a few miles and finally hits his lights. I pull over and my buddy keeps going (even the CSP officer said, "Nice friend"). The officer was cool and stated he only pulled us over for not being staggered enough and occupying both lanes -just a verbal warning -didn't want us "obstructing traffic" as he put it. He even thanked me three times for being decent towards him. Just before we parted ways I assured him we hadn't been "obstructing traffic" and he said in a very sarcastic/cynical tone that still makes me laugh, "Oh I BET you WEREN'T!" My friend came back albeit looking pretty shameful and we headed on our way.

[632 Regal]

If you noticed not many of the regulars even posted a single thing about how fast they went... its a battle of sorts of the different kinda of people and their perception of danger vs thrill. I'm a thrill taker but when I start cruisin fast my adreneline starts flowing putting me in a more defensive mode than at say a limber 95mph. If I cruised say 100-130 every day I would think that my reactions and stuff wouldnt be as on edge as they would be from an adreneline rush lightening down the freeway. I'll be cruisin along at 85-90 and here comes some woman in a suburban or some big ass Durango fly by me, talk about invincable. Im thinkin all she has to do is spill her coffee while shes still talking on her cell phone, how much would it take for that thing to flip out of control? Id rather see 50 BMWs or Benzes or Jags come flying by me than ONE 100 mile an hour motorhome. Most of these a$$holes that see how fast they can go in a car designed for high speed are a lot safer drivers than the bitches in their motorhomes.

You guys go on...

[Beez540]

If you noticed not many of the regulars even posted a single thing about how fast they went... its a battle of sorts of the different kinda of people and their perception of danger vs thrill. I'm a thrill taker but when I start cruisin fast my adreneline starts flowing putting me in a more defensive mode than at say a limber 95mph. If I cruised say 100-130 every day I would think that my reactions and stuff wouldnt be as on edge as they would be from an adreneline rush lightening down the freeway. I'll be cruisin along at 85-90 and here comes some woman in a suburban or some big ass Durango fly by me, talk about invincable. Im thinkin all she has to do is spill her coffee while shes still talking on her cell phone, how much would it take for that thing to flip out of control? Id rather see 50 BMWs or Benzes or Jags come flying by me than ONE 100 mile an hour motorhome. Most of these a$$holes that see how fast they can go in a car designed for high speed are a lot safer drivers than the bitches in their motorhomes.

You guys go on...

^
^^
^^^
Totally agree. I can't count how many times some b!t#& ass in a full size SUV, yacking on their phone, has run up and tailgated me while I was doing 80 in the fast lane. Those people have no idea how to drive.

A lady up in Portland ran her SUV off a bridge and a 60ft. plummet into the willamette river. Why? speeding on the bridge, changing lanes where prohibited on a metal grate surface, all while talking on a cell phone. Of course, her SUV had the size and clearance to rumble over the steel side gaurds.

Those giant monsters are by far the most dangerous vehicles on the road. If one of those runs into you, even as low as 40mph, you're probably a goner.


BTW- top speed runs (MPH):

1971 Cutlass S - 125
1990 IntegraRS - 135
1994 E34 540i - 137 (smooth, fairly quiet, with 2 buddies in tow)

[kyleN20]

so so tru about suv,s and other such driving dangers, for the record, i would like to state, that im am not just so teen who likes to drive fast and has no idea what they are doing. i have taken advanced drivers training cousese and though i dont consider myself to be an expert, i think i am better at driving then the milf that passes me in her denali doing 110 and talking on the phone. i took the same cosre the every police officer has to take, i took it at the gm proving grounds and it was a blast of a learning experiance.

[SharkmanBMW]

One of you complained about the wind noise, now this reminds me of the news clip I read last week.

A motorcycle was clocked going 278 km/h (173 MPH)
on a French country road.It said the engine had 140 HP ??.If you know France, a country road means a 2 lane old fashioned tree lined highway.
That stupo will get a juicy fine and 6 month suspension it said.

I can't believe how he was able to withstand the wind at this speed.I tried out my R75 once on a Autobahn going 105 MPH,I had to let off quick because I was about to loose my grip and getting lift off the bike.

I dunno... when I used to live in australia, I was on the back of a old kawasaki gpz 1100 at speeds over 185 kms (120 mph) and yes I almost shat myself, but I was not getting pulled off by wind... my helmet was pulling up hard, but I was hanging on to the driver - we were ok!

[Marshy]

143, verified by timing gear at the end of the runway. So north of 145 on the clock.

More surprising was how stable the thing was under heavy braking from those speeds. Had to brake hard due to the cones at the end :) Mind you, the guys running close to 200mph in slighly more expensive metal were the ones who really needed to trust their brakes. For example, I got passengered through the timing gear at 186mph in an X50 911 Turbo (996 model).

[SharkmanBMW]

Saw a feature on TV once on high speed driving.

Physiological tests showed that driving fast doesn't pose a danger to those people that are "born for speed" so to speak. It doesn't mean that if you like driving fast, you're born for it.

They did some neurological tests on a group of people who like to drive fast... and the ones who are "safe" high speed drivers are those that have accelerated reflexes. These guys react a fraction of a second faster than others. And they never look in one place only (eyes shift all over the place... from rear view, side, road, left, right, etc...) and they notice that brain activity doesn't slow down even when they aren't driving fast.

It's not a "gift" so to speak...meaning, it's found in a lot of people. The problem with this "gift" is that people who are safe high-speed drivers, meet accidents at lower speeds.

They seem to have found that everyone has a "safe zone" when it comes to driving...any faster... or any slower than that, the person is more likely to meet or cause an accident. If a high-speed driver drives too slow, their brains can't sync with the cycle of info coming in, and their reflexes get thrown off. Converse goes for slow-drivers.

I guess it has something to do with the rate of information the brain is willing to accept. If a person's brain is used to receiving info at a certain speed, and then it doesn't... it probably shuts down or something.

Although high-speed accidents are very dramatic and almost always fatal... 85% of automobile accidents happen under 40mph.

What does that tell us? Get that 40mph guy off the road and let us through!!!! HAHAHAHA! :P

that was very interesting... I used to be one of those "gifted" people, and since my big accident - head and brain trauma, I am no longer. My brain can no onger process the info as fast and high speeds make me feel much less comfortable than before. My race days are over!

[SharkmanBMW]

If you noticed not many of the regulars even posted a single thing about how fast they went... its a battle of sorts of the different kinda of people and their perception of danger vs thrill. I'm a thrill taker but when I start cruisin fast my adreneline starts flowing putting me in a more defensive mode than at say a limber 95mph. If I cruised say 100-130 every day I would think that my reactions and stuff wouldnt be as on edge as they would be from an adreneline rush lightening down the freeway. I'll be cruisin along at 85-90 and here comes some woman in a suburban or some big ass Durango fly by me, talk about invincable. Im thinkin all she has to do is spill her coffee while shes still talking on her cell phone, how much would it take for that thing to flip out of control? Id rather see 50 BMWs or Benzes or Jags come flying by me than ONE 100 mile an hour motorhome. Most of these a$$holes that see how fast they can go in a car designed for high speed are a lot safer drivers than the bitches in their motorhomes.

You guys go on...

good point Jeff... nothing scares me more than some fool trying to pass me in a 1986 rustbucket or a new small shitbox, when I am already flying!
Why should I let this accident waiting to happen in front of me?!

[SharkmanBMW]

^
^^
^^^
Totally agree. I can't count how many times some b!t#& ass in a full size SUV, yacking on their phone, has run up and tailgated me while I was doing 80 in the fast lane. Those people have no idea how to drive.

A lady up in Portland ran her SUV off a bridge and a 60ft. plummet into the willamette river. Why? speeding on the bridge, changing lanes where prohibited on a metal grate surface, all while talking on a cell phone. Of course, her SUV had the size and clearance to rumble over the steel side gaurds.

Those giant monsters are by far the most dangerous vehicles on the road. If one of those runs into you, even as low as 40mph, you're probably a goner.


BTW- top speed runs (MPH):

1971 Cutlass S - 125
1990 IntegraRS - 135
1994 E34 540i - 137 (smooth, fairly quiet, with 2 buddies in tow)


I recently saw a dateline or similar show where they had a SUV t bone a medium size car, with and without side impact air bags.
Without the airbag, the grill of the SUV was making contact with the side of the drivers head.... gonzo.
With the bags, it did make a big difference towards protecting the head for a split second but the rest of the body took a beating as the SUV came into the vehicle.
They are very dangerous because of their size and strength and are most often driven by those who don't know how to control a small car let alone a huge SUV, accident waiting to happen, throw in a cell phone and some screaming kids and you have a disaster waiting to happen!

[SharkmanBMW]

Well boys, I am a lover of speed, I have been racing at some local tracks through my years and have learned the way to control a car at speed.... VERY different than at regular driving speed... once you hit 90 mile per hour everything changes, and as Whit said, if you grow up tin the usa where there are laws of speed... the euro driver of the same age will most likely outdrive you easily.
I have driven in england for 3 weeks when I was a new driver, and the pace is fast, too fast for me at the time! also very narrow roads, a real "circuit feel"
I lived in Australia for a year, faster there (few police!) and I thought I was a good safe fast driver... then I came to Canada and took racing lessons on a track and learned to control a car at top speed, hairpins, corners at 60, 80, 100 mph, straight away at 125....
Until you learn HOW to safely drive at those speeds, do not do it, take a lesson. Trying to stop when you are rolling 130 mph is not like from 60, there is incredible weight transfer, G force plays a big part...
I have survived a near death crash (I was passenger and NOT our fault) with a huge truck - I was lucky, but I am still suffering physically and mentally, and will forever. You only get one head, take care of it.
Things happen fast, don't forget Allan S too...

[Brian C.]

Everyone's 2cts worth is a wealth of information on a subject like this. But I just wanted to tell you Chris that you have been getting some good messages across lately. I know you've been doing a lot of "mind rehab" for some time now, as you've told us in the past. But you have been forming great ideas and getting them across very well in the past few months. I'd say that your attitude and "edgyness" has improved greatly. I know you've been working hard to get back to a good place and I'd say that you seem to doing fantastic! :D

Brian C.
Peace

[SharkmanBMW]

Everyone's 2cts worth is a wealth of information on a subject like this. But I just wanted to tell you Chris that you have been getting some good messages across lately. I know you've been doing a lot of "mind rehab" for some time now, as you've told us in the past. But you have been forming great ideas and getting them across very well in the past few months. I'd say that your attitude and "edgyness" has improved greatly. I know you've been working hard to get back to a good place and I'd say that you seem to doing fantastic! :D

Brian C.
Peace

thanks Brian,
It is tough at times, but when I can clear that crap from my mind and relax, I like to come to this site and see what is up!
When the topic is relevant to me and I have some insight, it does feel good to be able to contribute. It takes me awhile to type it up, I make a lot of mistakes that I then have to fix, (bad hand eye coordination...)
Your comments are worth a ton of gold!
Next time I get discouraged I will think of this! You always have something nice to say, I appreciate that Brian.

[DueyT]

Everyone's 2cts worth is a wealth of information on a subject like this. But I just wanted to tell you Chris that you have been getting some good messages across lately. I know you've been doing a lot of "mind rehab" for some time now, as you've told us in the past. But you have been forming great ideas and getting them across very well in the past few months. I'd say that your attitude and "edgyness" has improved greatly. I know you've been working hard to get back to a good place and I'd say that you seem to doing fantastic! :D

Brian C.
Peace
Fully agree, Brian!

Chris...keep up the hard but very worthwhile effort! I can't (or wouldn't want to) imagine what it would be like after an accident like yours. One of these days I'll have to take a zip down the 401/40 and see ya! Take care for now!

Cheers,
Duey

p.s. While not quite as fast as my personal record 1045mph (CF-18 @ M1.7), a lowered 95 540i/6 goes very fast...especially with Mark's chip that removes the electronic 255km/h limit. Very stable.

p.p.s. Second after the SUV-driving, cell phone-yacking MILFs (whom I see almost daily) I have no time for jacka$$e$ who drink, then drive thinking they're invincible, and hurt other folks on the road. Sadly, that still happens far too often these days.

[TheDuke]

But Whit....one of my runs was on the autobahn! Its totally LEGAL there....besides if its legal, your car is prepared for it (ie right maintenence, tires, fluids), and YOU are prepared for it...its quite safe!
I don't want to preach or anything but, no mmatter what car you are driving there's always human error involved and other drivers on the road. And don't tell me it won't happen to you, becouse shi*& happens. I've done 150 few times but still, in my opinion track is the way to go.

[Jr ///M5]

Everyone's 2cts worth is a wealth of information on a subject like this. But I just wanted to tell you Chris that you have been getting some good messages across lately. I know you've been doing a lot of "mind rehab" for some time now, as you've told us in the past. But you have been forming great ideas and getting them across very well in the past few months. I'd say that your attitude and "edgyness" has improved greatly. I know you've been working hard to get back to a good place and I'd say that you seem to doing fantastic! :D

Brian C.
Peace


I agree with every word Brian posted. Chris had a very rough road to go because of his accident. Just to let you know Chris, we're pullin' for ya bud....continue the good work!!!

Jr

[Brian C.]

http://www.sci.fi/~fta/CF-18_Close_Formation.jpg

That's some insane sh!t to be able to fly a bird like that! I guess you've got us all beat when it comes to top speed though. :p Now, I happen to know a guy who was the 1st to break the sound barrier.....W/O an aircraft or any type of machine. Freefall. He was a friend of my ex-wife back in the '90s and was still flying a sky-writer bi-wing. A crazy guy. Ever hear of him?
Col. Joe Kittinger (http://www.firstflight.org/shrine/joe_kittinger.cfm)

Brian C.

[DueyT]

http://www.sci.fi/~fta/CF-18_Close_Formation.jpg




That's some insane sh!t to be able to fly a bird like that! I guess you've got us all beat when it comes to top speed though. :p Now, I happen to know a guy who was the 1st to break the sound barrier.....W/O an aircraft or any type of machine. Freefall. He was a friend of my ex-wife back in the '90s and was still flying a sky-writer bi-wing. A crazy guy. Ever hear of him?
Col. Joe Kittinger (http://www.firstflight.org/shrine/joe_kittinger.cfm)

Brian C.







Yup, Col K is "Da Man!"

Brian, in the pic, I'd be the back-seat dude in 916. I was flying with one of my bud's planes from 441 "Checker" Squadron in Cold Lake.

Hey, wait a sec...want to hear something freaky? Just checked my logbook and guess what aircraft my buddy was flying when he and I went Mach 1.7? Freaking 916! Note the 441 "checkers" on the verticle stabs? Call Rod Serling!:D

Normally I fly a little bit slower...Duey before he started flying a desk a couple of years ago (http://www.ops.forces.gc.ca/units/jtf2/pages/galleryPic02_e.asp)... (bonus cool vid download - worksafe (http://www.ops.forces.gc.ca/units/jtf2/images/JTF2generalW_e.zip))

Cheers,
Duey

[jplacson]

Until you learn HOW to safely drive at those speeds, do not do it, take a lesson. Trying to stop when you are rolling 130 mph is not like from 60, there is incredible weight transfer, G force plays a big part...

I agree. The one thing that got me to join the BMW Car Club here was that I saw an announcement for BMW Driving School Stage 1. To join the driving class, you had to be a BMWCCP member... so I joined just for the class!

Best investment in my car to date! :P Makes you really understand the capabilities...and more importantly... the limitations of your car. (No, your car isn't an F1 car... so don't think you can brake as fast as Montoya could) On cornering, braking, etc.

Any idiot can punch the gas and go til the engine blows. But how's your control at that speed? Can you stop or swerve fast enough? Have you swerved at those speeds before? Slalom training is usually done at about 40mph (70kph)... can you do the same at 100mph (160kph)? Things like that all come out during driver training. It was fun for all of us.

I wish they offered the M-driving school here. I'm looking for someplace close in Asia that offers it... unfortunately, most of the countries close by that offer it are RHD countries. The Phil is a LHD country. :P

[Nick.Hay]

So...

I guess at the end of the day we are all guilty!!!

Looks like I will be doing a track day next month... can't wait!! :)
Wonder how the automatic, soft-riding executive saloon will handle it??? :P

[pundit]

Well boys, I am a lover of speed, I have been racing at some local tracks through my years and have learned the way to control a car at speed.... VERY different than at regular driving speed... once you hit 90 mile per hour everything changes, and as Whit said, if you grow up tin the usa where there are laws of speed... the euro driver of the same age will most likely outdrive you easily.
I have driven in england for 3 weeks when I was a new driver, and the pace is fast, too fast for me at the time! also very narrow roads, a real "circuit feel"
I lived in Australia for a year, faster there (few police!) and I thought I was a good safe fast driver... then I came to Canada and took racing lessons on a track and learned to control a car at top speed, hairpins, corners at 60, 80, 100 mph, straight away at 125....
Until you learn HOW to safely drive at those speeds, do not do it, take a lesson. Trying to stop when you are rolling 130 mph is not like from 60, there is incredible weight transfer, G force plays a big part...
I have survived a near death crash (I was passenger and NOT our fault) with a huge truck - I was lucky, but I am still suffering physically and mentally, and will forever. You only get one head, take care of it.
Things happen fast, don't forget Allan S too...

Good points from someone who really knows! It's worth noting that many of the young kids killed on our roads over here are driving things like WRX Subarus, Turbo Skylines etc. These things while not V8's can hammer. A high percentage of young driver deaths occur during illegal street drag racing. In fact nearly every second week there's someone else killed drag racing. TV news footage nearly always shows something turboed with 'P' plates split in two after hitting a power pole or 'T' boning some innocent driver after driving through a redlight at twice the speed of sound. Crashing into store fronts or houses has increased incredibly which just go's to show that 200kph+ speeds and suburbia are a recipe for disaster. These kids have little experience yet ALL of them believe they are good, no GREAT drivers! In fact it's testosterone, youthful arrogance talking here. A TV documentary screened a couple of years ago just proved how difficult it was to get the message across. It showed the teenage hot car culture. None and I mean none of these kids thought anything could happen to them. The all street raced illegally, they all thought they were fantastic drivers, including one guy who had failed his licence test three times. And none, except one believed they were at risk, because their great driving skills would pull them through. Accidents only happened to others. Interestingly most of them knew someone that had either been killed or injured in a car accident. The reasoning for that? Those guys were **** drivers! The one guy who believed he could be killed when street racing simply said... "Ya gotta do whatcha' gotta do!" When asked how he would feel if his reckless actions killed or maimed someone else he simply said... "Life's a bitch and then you die!" - WTF?

[Kalevera]

Man...you guys do some really cool things!! :)

[Brian C.]

I just Googled "CF-18" and up came a few pages of images. The first interesting one happened to have the Canadian birds in it so that's the one I used. I didn't even notice that the middle one was a two-seater until you pointed it out. Reeeeeally strange that it was that one you flew, huh! :p

Brian C.

[bjl4776]

Alright looks like I have abig problem, I drive at excessive speeds almost every day (not 100+) and the couple of accidents i have been in is when i am driving around too or slower than the speedlimit, wtf, and go figure. I took a reaction test once and out of a group of 20 I had the fastest time, in both sight and sound reaction. I guess for those kind of guys they are used to paying close attention at high speeds, and dont think that anything will happen to them at low speeds so they pay less attention, makes perfect sense, unfortunately...

[SC David]

Interesting thread. I've never seen a top speed thread that is E34 only. I guess I need to check up on this board more often. I've only pushed my car to about 120. It probably had about 5 mph left in it. That was just once. Aside from that, the fastest I've gone was trying to keep up with Aurash and Lennart coming home from a meet last month at Stanford. We were doing 110+ on 280 south. Seeing the three of us must have been a sight.

[niall]

Don't care if you want to hear it or not Kyle, it's ok to be young, but not stupid, and driving that fast on public roads no matter how deserted is dangerous and stupid. Find a track.

Mate i dissagree with what you and the other guys are saying,
as far as im concerned, there is such a concept as safe speeding,
people can drive like dickeads and kill people at less than the speed limits
and people can exceed the speed limits and not really endanger anyone,
Yes road seaths are a terrible thing and we all know someone who was
killed in a road accident and it is tragic, ive seen in a police video, a cop
in the uk getting a blowout on a 4 lane motorway at a 145mph and not
hitting a car as he spun out of control, and ive also read statistics of people
getting killed in 30mph head on, so to emphasise my point again, i think
there is safe speeding, and i dont think this bloke really needs a lecture
from guys on the forum, no doubt he gets it alot in real life

[rph]

...on I80 (or I70) somewhere near Hays Kansas at 5.30 am with not a soul in sight. Bought the car in Seattle, drove to Salt Lake City to do some business, then kept driving East home to NC. The daily routine would be: get on the road at about 4.30 am, have a good breakfast at around 10.30 am, drive some more, have dinner around 5.30 pm, drive til around 8.30 pm, find a motel, repeat, etc. On the said occasion, first I took it up to 100 just to see what that would be like, having never been that fast in my first 54 years. Then seeing all was quiet on the Western front, took it all the way. I was running middle grade gas, so its possible I may have got to 150 if I had the richer stuff. That car was rock solid. All I could feel was the thunk thunk of the tires on the expansion joints.

On the morality/risk question, all I can say is, probably my main retrospective concern would be my car's intrinsic safety. I barely knew the car, except I had been driving in it for 2 or 3 days solid. Would I do it again? No wucking forries! Apart from getting on a track, that moment may never again present itself (I generally do not like being awake that early in the day). A year later, driving through a rain shower on 264 East between Raleigh and Wilson (a divided 4 lane posted road speed limit 70 mph) with wornish tires and road ponding, my past present and limited future flashed before my eyes as she aqua planed at 65 mph, I lost control, and the magnificent beast did a 540, crossing the grass separating the 2 lanes, coming to rest with two wheels on the grass and two wheels on the pavement edge of the outside (closest to the median) lane pointing in the opposite direction. I quick cranked it up (it having stalled in my panic) and drove off in the opposite direction until I found an exit, whereupon I stopped, got out, and began brushing the grass clippings off the roof channel and other spots, and thanked God I was driving a car that was so stable and safe. I was "fortunate" 1. there was no fence or barrier separating the carriageways, and 2. traffic coming the other way was a good ways away. The new tires were ordered the next day suffice it to say.

Well, it was totaled a year later, in town, coming out of a shopping center car park into a main road. It was a dumb move, and that Yukon truck was doing 45 mph, and I was "lucky" to survive with only a broken collar bone.

So that's my story, in a biggish nutshell. So Kyle, you have been a very naughty boy. Join the club!


before i even start this story, i want to say, i dont want to hear it from the nay sayers "young and stupid" comments, I GET IT, but you only live once, and i think i do my stuff as safly as possible. Anyways, it was on the way back from up north, about 3-4 in the afternoon. we were on 72, heading east from mancelona on the longest straightest road ever, and we came upon a passing lane that last for about 2 miles, the only cars on the road were me in my 535im and my friend in his sable ls. we bothe go for it, and he keeps with me to about 100 when i begin to pull, and soon after his govener kicked in. i decidied to continue, figuring i wouldent have a chance like this again, with sero cars on a straigh road, the top speed i got up to was 140 on the dot before i let go and stoped, but i was incredibaly impresed with how smooth the whole operation was, i dident hardly notice my speed and was amazed when saw the spedo

thats it

kyle