Hit the limiter!

T

teeps

Member
 Somerset
On a quiet autobahn this morning I took her all the way to the top! 155 mph on a level, de-restricted section (but then taught a lesson by what I think was a Merc C class coupe AMG Black - it must have been doing over 180 when it flew past).

I recently moved to Germany for work, and have exported the Zed as a daily driver. In the UK I was insured on a 'young driver' scheme with a tracker fitted and a clause on the policy that would void the insurance if the tracker registered over 100 mph (perfectly sensible in the UK). Now that I'm over here, I've switched to a German policy (£400 cheaper than in the UK!), and cancelled the UK young driver one. Today is the first time I've been on the autobahn since. 155 mph on a clear road is FAST! :driving:
 
:thumbsup: Yes, and the greatest thing is that the Zed gets there with hardly any difficulty! It also feels stable and firmly planted while banking or changing lanes. It's a true "pocket GT", as Adrian von Hooydonk aptly put it.
 
Now would be a good time to get a software remap.....remove the limiter 8)

I doubt the Germaniains really care ....
 
Has to be done when the opportunity is there to do it safely, no problem for the car. Which gear were you in when you hit the limiter?

Never hit it and have seen 167 on the clock. With an m3 CS following seeing 168 on his. I was in 5th at the time.
 
I was in 6th, it wasn't the rev limiter, just the speed limiter. As corsair said, the car was stable, planted and there wasn't any wobble or vibration.
 
teeps said:
I was in 6th, it wasn't the rev limiter, just the speed limiter. As corsair said, the car was stable, planted and there wasn't any wobble or vibration.
Click to expand...

The MR was quite interesting at full tilt, with the roof down. Have to say it was me that lifted, due to a kink in the road. The engine was still pulling hard.
 
Around 6K RPM, maybe slightly higher, I reckon, so there was a safe margin to the redline and the car could go some 20 kph faster. For obvious reasons, I wasn't staring down at the dials. ///M users say their cars feel even more firmly planted.
 
Mine was just shy of 6000 RPM. I think there wasn't much more you could get out of it though, maybe 165 de-restricted?
 
On paper, should be at 5722rpm for 3.0si, though several variables could change this. In a similar vein, absolute top speed calculates out at 167mph under nearly impossible to achieve perfect conditions, including the last few mph would take nearly forever to reach. Realistically, I'd estimate 160ish would be about it.
 
Does the 5722 take into account wind resistance/drag? That could explain the extra 250ish rpm I used, as well as any manner of headwind, slight incline, tyre/road/suspension variables.
 
Speed and rpm are dead locked together in a relationship based on gearing and tyre diameter. Drag has nothing to do with it unless the tyres or clutch are slipping. Could be I got bad info on gear ratios, or there is some variation in gearing between European and North American vehicles, or from '06 to '07. Finally, tyre diameter varies with speed, pressure, wear, size, etc.

In other words, I can't explain the difference, but I'm not that surprised it exists. I assure you drag has nothing to do with it, drag comes into play with power output and speed, not rpm and speed. In the top speed calculation, the vast majority of available power is used up overcoming wind resistance.
 
Only made it to 120mph on the Bahn so far as had my winter Tyres on. Just swapped back to summers so will have a go on the way to work next week.

Not far from you Teeps and sometimes down Bad Fallingbostel way. If you see a Grey O3 then could well be me!!
 
Sounds awesome :thumbsup: making me think of planning a trip down to the other half in Stuttgart by road :driving: :evil: , never been on an Autobahn as a driver yet.
 
You should definitely do it. Overnight Ferry it easy and not too expensive. Just be aware of some of the German drivers. They must have far better reactions than me as seem to think nothing of sitting 3 meters behind you at 120mph+!! A lot of the Autobahns are restricted to 120/130kph and even those without normally have too much traffic to get upto the highest speeds. As teeps said best early morning or late evening when there aren't so many lorries.

:thumbsup:
 
Made it to 155 today, RPM between 5500 and 6000 so fits with bcworkz's calculation. I have to say it wasn't completely planted but the road surface wasn't perfect and I still have RFTs fitted. Fun though and unbelievably legal! :driving:
 
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