160 speed limiter removed..

[Jose]

Finally, BMW got the message. BMW is removing the speed limit of the new M5 and M6.

It's about time owners of these machines can take full use of the 506 bhp these cars provide.

Some buyers in Europe started returning the cars to their dealers or traded them in for Ferrari or Porsche and complained a lot about the limiter, as they were easily passed at top speed by other lighter powered cars, such as tuned Scoobies, Mitsus's and even old type M3's .

Our local dealer already has two M5's returned by their owners to, either remove the limiter or sell the car as they were really dissapointed that the car reached the 160 so fast and gave the impression it could do much faster but then the limiter kicked in.

I don't know if they set another limiter due to the aerodynamic construction of the car. It was really about time though.

[bahnstormer]

its 155mph
it has been for the longest time
merc and bmw and i think audi have all honored it
kinda like the japs said no more than 280hp

that's what closed-minded thinking gets u
haha idk if that ^^ is a real word

[Scott H]

before the governments get involved. 155 is absolutely ridiculous on the US highways. The nut behind the wheel is the problem

snip>>

Donovan's daughter and grandson — North Aurora residents Nicole Westerhoff and her son Devin — were killed when Matthew Lane, 27, of Wheaton, lost control of his Ferrari while speeding around a curve on West Fabyan Parkway and slammed into Westerhoff's Toyota.
Lane, who also died in the crash, had at least 27 speeding tickets.
.....
In some years, Lane had as many as four supervisions, which serve merely as a warning and allow a motorist to remain on the road

Tribune article with more info

You see many people in this country are not capable of decent self control....

[Jay 535i]

My understanding is that the German car manufacturers entered into a 'gentlemen's agreement' to restrict their cars to 155MPH to avoid giving the German government a reason to do away with the unrestricted autobahn. Germany is still a huge market for these cars, and the end of the autobahn would certainly hurt sales of the most powerful cars -- which are also the cars with the largest profit margins.

Now that EVERY luxury sedan has 300hp+ and 500hp+ is not uncommon, they've decided that the self-imposed limit stifles competition and sales of the mega-sedans, so they're scrapping it. Indeed, it makes sense now that even an entry-level Ferrari or Porsche will do 180MPH, and an upmarket Golf or Alfa Romeo will do 145MPH. That wasn't the case 15 years ago.

One could also argue that advancements in airbags, tires, brakes, crumple zones, ABS, ESP, etc. etc. make doing 180MPH much safer than it would have been 15 years ago, which is another reason for re-evaluating the self-imposed limit. No doubt the new M5 is safer at 185MPH than an E34 M5 is at 155MPH.

In any case, removing the limit was never terribly difficult. And it hardly matters for those of us living in speed-opressed North America

[Interceptor]

In any case, removing the limit was never terribly difficult. And it hardly matters for those of us living in speed-opressed North America

Is there something like federal speed limit in the US/Canada?

In my country freeways are limited to 130 km/h (80 mph) but there was no control over it, until a year ago, when the governemnt decided to buy interceptors to make money on people who drive over the limit.

Luckily, those cars rarely can go faster than 230 km/h

[Jay 535i]

Is there something like federal speed limit in the US/Canada?

In my country freeways are limited to 130 km/h (80 mph) but there was no control over it, until a year ago, when the governemnt decided to buy interceptors to make money on people who drive over the limit.

Luckily, those cars rarely can go faster than 230 km/h

Limits vary from province to province and from state to state, but never exceed ~120 KPH (75 MPH). Limits are enforced throughout North America fairly strictly.

Speed doesn't kill. Dangerous driving kills. High speed can be dangerous or safe depending on the circumstances, the car and the driver's abilities and experience.

155MPH is never going to be safe in North America because other drivers don't know how to react to another car approaching/passing them at that speed. But French, German and Italian drivers do, and hitting 155MPH in those countries is often relatively safe. Cars, drivers and roads vary so much from place to place that it doesn't make sense to say something arbitrary like, "Less than 155 is safe -- more is unsafe". Does that apply as much to a Chevy Cavalier as it does to a new M5? Of course not. So, I say, leave off the limiters, leave the driving to the drivers, and leave the speed enforcement to the cops.

Arbitrary statements along the lines of "it is manifestly unacceptable to exceed 155MPH ever" don't help anyone. In fact, they take a lot of the burden off of the driver to think for him/herself and drive within his or her own abilities rather than what some government boffin says.

In the late 90s, the state of Montana ran an experiment where, during daylight hours, there were no speed limits on the highway. Cops would still pull you over for dangerous driving, but any speed within reason would be tolerated. Road deaths did not increase during that time.

Speed doesn't kill. Dangerous and inattentive drivers kill.

[scott540]

I had 2 friends get pulled over in Montana during the "free run" period. One got pulled over in a Saturn doing about 115. The officer pulled him over looked around the car and gave him a too fast for conditions ticket and explained the car, with his tires wasn't safe to drive at that speed. The other was in an Infinity I think. He also got pulled over at over 100 mph and the officer let him go and just told him to drive safely. Depends on what you were driving and how safe it is.

[BobHarris]

I had 2 friends get pulled over in Montana during the "free run" period. One got pulled over in a Saturn doing about 115. The officer pulled him over looked around the car and gave him a too fast for conditions ticket and explained the car, with his tires wasn't safe to drive at that speed. The other was in an Infinity I think. He also got pulled over at over 100 mph and the officer let him go and just told him to drive safely. Depends on what you were driving and how safe it is.

Rich Hall once said that you could get pulled over in montana just because the cop was lonely.

All the best

Bob

[Scott H]

There is nothing in Montana and it is frequent that you would travel long stretches of highway without encountering another driver.

"Montana went to no speed limits OUTSIDE of urban areas"

This is MUCH different than urban areas where you would find more concentration of people, wealth, ability to purchase fast cars, and an increased probability of an accident as well as an even higher increase in the probability of running in to a careless idiot who could cause one.

I do agree that people who travel slowly are often the cause of a number of accidents due to many factors. Their inability to follow common sense, inability to make a decision and commit to it, etc etc forces other drivers to compensate. BUT...... >155mph and no speed limits is absolutely ridiculous. I have taken the M5 to speeds in this area and it really didn't get me anywhere better than 80 or 90 does.

I personally think that most people that have issues with speed limits and such just have issues in general with being told what they can and cannot do. I'm not saying any of you personally are like this, it's just an observation I have made over time, and I was once of the same mindset.

Scott

In the late 90s, the state of Montana ran an experiment where, during daylight hours, there were no speed limits on the highway. Cops would still pull you over for dangerous driving, but any speed within reason would be tolerated. Road deaths did not increase during that time.

[Jay 535i]

There is nothing in Montana and it is frequent that you would travel long stretches of highway without encountering another driver.

"Montana went to no speed limits OUTSIDE of urban areas"

This is MUCH different than urban areas where you would find more concentration of people, wealth, ability to purchase fast cars, and an increased probability of an accident as well as an even higher increase in the probability of running in to a careless idiot who could cause one.

I do agree that people who travel slowly are often the cause of a number of accidents due to many factors. Their inability to follow common sense, inability to make a decision and commit to it, etc etc forces other drivers to compensate. BUT...... >155mph and no speed limits is absolutely ridiculous. I have taken the M5 to speeds in this area and it really didn't get me anywhere better than 80 or 90 does.

I personally think that most people that have issues with speed limits and such just have issues in general with being told what they can and cannot do. I'm not saying any of you personally are like this, it's just an observation I have made over time, and I was once of the same mindset.

Scott

Naturally, high speeds should be confined to highways only -- not city streets.

As for 155 not being any faster than 80 or 90, I dunno. Maybe the laws of physics are different where you live.

I think part of the problem is not that people object to being told what to do, but, rather, they object to being lumped together with the lowest common denominator. The gov't figures, "the average driver cannot cope with speeds in excess of 60MPH, so nobody ought to drive faster than 60MPH." When, in fact, some of us have the skill and equipment that makes faster speeds safely attainable.

It's not that a limit of some sort is unacceptable. It's that the limits are ridiculously low, given the state of modern machinery and roads.

You may recall last month I posted a thread telling how I was stopped in New York state for doing 85 on a highway marked at 55. Now, I broke the law, and I deserved to be caught. Period. I'm not defending what I did. BUT, the road was clear and straight, the weather perfect, the sun out, the traffic thin. 85 was perfectly safe. But I got busted because I had exceeded an arbitrary limit set by ignorant politicians that has absolutely no connection to reality. THAT bugs me.