# Going to test top speed on my car



## Alex Baumann (Dec 19, 2001)

OK, I'm planning to try to 'feel' the upper speed limit on my car this weekend.

If the weather plays along we are expecting a partly cloudy 41-50°F here.

Apart from all other important things like oil, water etc. would I need to tweak the factory recommended tire pressures ? 

Oh, I'm running on Michelin Pilot Sport, 225/40/18 fronts and 255/35/18 rear.


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## gek330i (Dec 27, 2001)

I would go with the recommended tire pressures.
Just be very careful. First thing my dad told me the very first time he handed me the keys to a car was: "Never go and try to test how fast the car can go" :eeps: 
Aside from that, I wish I could be there to do that in my own car "legally".


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## Kaz (Dec 21, 2001)

I believe you should increase tire pressures for a high-speed run. What about a lighter fuel load? That seems to help the F1 cars.


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## Alex Baumann (Dec 19, 2001)

Ah ha ! the old F1 qualifying trick with the lighter fuel load.

:thumbup:


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## elbert (Mar 28, 2002)

Don't forget to dump the spare tire (if your car comes with one). Kaz is right; use the upper end of the tire pressure range.


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## Kaz (Dec 21, 2001)

elbert said:


> Don't forget to dump the spare tire (if your car comes with one). Kaz is right; use the upper end of the tire pressure range.


That brings up a good question. What kind of spare tire does Alpina supply? Do you get a nice fullsize Alpina wheel? Is RDC standard? (I know my Softlines support it) Or is it a donut?


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## Nick325xiT 5spd (Dec 24, 2001)

The car has a limiter, right?

I'd leave the spare in...  Shedding weight won't help you if you're going to hit that.


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## TeamM3 (Dec 24, 2002)

definitely need higher pressures than the factory recommendation, I wouldn't worry about those minimal weight items, they won't impact max velocity much just takes a bit longer to reach it


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## WILLIA///M (Apr 15, 2002)

Alex Baumann said:


> Oh, I'm running on Michelin Pilot Sport, 225/40/18 fronts and 255/35/18 rear.


Just so you know we'll need to check the width of those Michelins after this run to make sure you didn't get an unfair advantage. If you were running Bridgestones we could let it go.



Stay safe.


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## SONET (Mar 1, 2002)

Are you going to use some sort of GPS device to verify your speed, or are you relying on the speedometer? 

--SONET


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## GregD (Feb 5, 2003)

Don't worry about saving a few kilograms of weight; it will have virtually 0 impact on top speed. Wind resistance is all that matters. The tires should be safe at BMW's recommended inflation pressures, although if you kick the pressures up to the recommended heavy load pressures, you might go a mile or two per hour faster due to lower rolling resistance. On some cars, folding in the side mirrors can help a little, haven't tried it yet in a 3 series. Most cars that I've topped out take about 5 miles to totally max out, so pick a good spot and be smooth.

Please let us know if you go faster in 5th or 6th gear.


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## TeamM3 (Dec 24, 2002)

well if you won't take my word on it maybe you'll consider Michelin's instead, see the lower RH corner where they list a table showing recommended inflation pressure increases relative to extended high speed use:

http://www.michelinman.com/assets/pdfs/doc_pilotsport.pdf


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## Alex Baumann (Dec 19, 2001)

Kaz said:


> That brings up a good question. What kind of spare tire does Alpina supply? Do you get a nice fullsize Alpina wheel? Is RDC standard? (I know my Softlines support it) Or is it a donut?


Kaz, it's a donut tire.


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## Alex Baumann (Dec 19, 2001)

Nick325xiT 5spd said:


> The car has a limiter, right?
> 
> I'd leave the spare in...  Shedding weight won't help you if you're going to hit that.


No limiter, it's open


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## Alex Baumann (Dec 19, 2001)

SONET said:


> Are you going to use some sort of GPS device to verify your speed, or are you relying on the speedometer?
> 
> --SONET


I'll use the NAV GPS to verify.


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## Alex Baumann (Dec 19, 2001)

Great advices, you guys rock ! :thumbup:


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## e.biemold (Jul 11, 2003)

I did the same last saturday  

My car has 2200 kilometers on it now so I thought it would be ok to drive to Germany to make use of the Autobahn to check how fast my 316ti would go.

I ended up with a value between 215 and 220 at the speedometer :thumbup: 

The car drove extremely well at that speed and the engine wasn't very loud either. The car ran at around 6200 RPM :bigpimp:


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## LmtdSlip (May 28, 2003)

Alex Baumann said:


> Ah ha ! the old F1 qualifying trick with the lighter fuel load.
> 
> :thumbup:


Weight has nothing to do with top speed. 
You will find the car's top speed with or without a full fuel load the spare tire or a car full of passengers.

Where are you planning to have you land speed record run? You may want to bring along a GPS to verify the speedo accuracy.

Be careful! :thumbup:


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## Alex Baumann (Dec 19, 2001)

LmtdSlip said:


> Where are you planning to have you land speed record run? You may want to bring along a GPS to verify the speedo accuracy.
> 
> Be careful! :thumbup:


I'm planning to do it on an Autobahn section with no speed limit here around Cologne. I'll start very early.


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## rumratt (Feb 22, 2003)

Alex, what's your top speed so far?


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## Alex Baumann (Dec 19, 2001)

rumatt said:


> Alex, what's your top speed so far?


260 km/h (on GPS) 

But that was with 5000 km on the odometer. According to Alpina the car is supposed to reach its top performance around 12.000 km.

A fellow Alpina B3S owner drove 290 km/h :eeps:


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## RCK (Jan 29, 2003)

Alex Baumann said:


> 260 km/h (on GPS)
> 
> But that was with 5000 km on the odometer. According to Alpina the car is supposed to reach its top performance around 12.000 km.
> 
> A fellow Alpina B3S owner drove 290 km/h :eeps:


 :yikes: :yikes:

Thats about 180mph :dunno: I can't even do half that on LA freeways without worrying about getting a ticket or gettin stuck in traffic. 
We really need an autobahn


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## gek330i (Dec 27, 2001)

RCK said:


> :yikes: :yikes:
> 
> Thats about 180mph :dunno:


About 161.59mph = 260kmh.


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## rumratt (Feb 22, 2003)

gek330i said:


> About 161.59mph = 260kmh.


:yikes:

And I was excited about going 125 on the autobahn.


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## Kaz (Dec 21, 2001)

Argh, our limiters are set at 206kph.

Though I'd need a 6th gear to get to 135mph before hitting the revlimiter.


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## RCK (Jan 29, 2003)

gek330i said:


> About 161.59mph = 260kmh.


:doh:

161 isn't THAT fast :eeps:


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## The Roadstergal (Sep 7, 2002)

Topaz330xi said:


> Just so you know we'll need to check the width of those Michelins after this run to make sure you didn't get an unfair advantage. If you were running Bridgestones we could let it go.


 :rofl:


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## Rich_Jenkins (Jul 12, 2003)

rumatt said:


> :yikes:
> 
> And I was excited about going 125 on the autobahn.


Rumratt - Roger that - I got up to 105 or so with a C class NW of Paderborn on the way to Hanover. The driving was fine it was just how fast the cars came up that got me thinking a little bit...When I drive in the UK (e.g. M40 etc) and tach it up in a rental car its surprising how you quickly get used to pretty high speeds. I mean of course I WOULD NEVER exceed the speed limit but I've seen folks cruising at 90-100 or so with no problems.

Alex - Be interested in observations about stability / feel etc of the car at these speeds...and of course, if you were overtaken at any point :thumbup:


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## Alex Baumann (Dec 19, 2001)

Well, although it was not the optimal weather to go for the run (very windy), I have *tested* the top speed on 3 different runs. 

First run, 272 km/h (~280 tacho), 2nd run 281 km/h (~290 tacho), 3rd run 284 km/h (~295 tacho).

I have used the on-board GPS feature of the NAV system to measure those speeds.

The car was very stable to drive at those speeds, but the 'tunnel effect' is very disturbing and scary. I was sweating all over after the first run :eeps:

Anyway, it was very cool


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## rumratt (Feb 22, 2003)

284km/h --> 176 mph.  

Glad you're still alive. :thumbup:


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## Patrick (Dec 23, 2001)

Alex Baumann said:


> Well, although it was not the optimal weather to go for the run (very windy), I have *tested* the top speed on 3 different runs.
> 
> First run, 272 km/h (~280 tacho), 2nd run 281 km/h (~290 tacho), 3rd run 284 km/h (~295 tacho).
> 
> ...


*WOW! *

The fastest that I have driven my POS was 182km/h (speedometer), and amazingly, it felt steadier, smoother and easier to drive than 120km/h.

Anyway, nice work! :thumbup:


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## Dr. Phil (Dec 19, 2001)

rumatt said:


> 284km/h --> 176 mph.
> 
> Glad you're still alive. :thumbup:


:yikes:

Tunnel effect = brown undies :dunno: :eeps: :lmao:


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## rumratt (Feb 22, 2003)

Dr. Phil said:


> Tunnel effect = brown undies :dunno: :eeps: :lmao:


 :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

Tunnel effect? :dunno:


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## Alex Baumann (Dec 19, 2001)

LOL! No brown panties 

RE: Tunnel Effect : At higher speeds everything you see through the windshield is looking like as if you're driving in a tunnel. If you aren't used to speeds like these it's very difficult to keep the speed.


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## mquetel (Jan 30, 2003)

Alex Baumann said:


> 260 km/h (on GPS)
> 
> But that was with 5000 km on the odometer. According to Alpina the car is supposed to reach its top performance around 12.000 km.
> 
> A fellow Alpina B3S owner drove 290 km/h :eeps:


 :yikes: :yikes: :thumbup:

Those little white lines must have been going by really, really fast...


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## rumratt (Feb 22, 2003)

Alex Baumann said:


> RE: Tunnel Effect : At higher speeds everything you see through the windshield is looking like as if you're driving in a tunnel. If you aren't used to speeds like these it's very difficult to keep the speed.


So basically the car can handle high speeds better than your eyes/brain can. Cool.

Did you try any emergency lane change manuevers to see if the DSC still works at 284 km/h?


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## Alex Baumann (Dec 19, 2001)

rumatt said:


> Did you try any emergency lane change manuevers to see if the DSC still works at 284 km/h?


It was already emergency without changing the lane :eeps:


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## alee (Dec 19, 2001)

rumatt said:


> Did you try any emergency lane change manuevers to see if the DSC still works at 284 km/h?


I was wondering if the ebrake works at that speed.


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## e.biemold (Jul 11, 2003)

Did you make use of cruise control at high speed?

I enabled it while driving 200km/h for a short period :drive: 

Did the autobahn you used for the test had 2 or more lanes? If there is almost no traffic and there are 3 lanes and the road is slightly going upwards it will be less exciting.


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## Alex Baumann (Dec 19, 2001)

I was too busy with car control that I have totally ignored everything else 

It was a three lane Autobahn section with a nice 4 kilometer stretch :str8pimpi


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## Plaz (Dec 19, 2001)

rumatt said:


> 284km/h --> 176 mph.


 :wow:

Phew!


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## GregD (Feb 5, 2003)

You should be very proud of Barney. He's VERY efficient to go that fast. Excellent! :thumbup:


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## SergioK (Aug 14, 2002)

Alex Baumann said:


> I was too busy with car control that I have totally ignored everything else
> 
> It was a three lane Autobahn section with a nice 4 kilometer stretch :str8pimpi


Do you ever start smelling burnt oil on these high speed runs? :dunno:

Whenever I get up to the high speeds in my car, 130+mph, I always smell the oil being burned off the cylinder walls from the engine. My old e36 (318i) did the same thing at about 120-125mph.


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## Alex Baumann (Dec 19, 2001)

sergiok said:


> Do you ever start smelling burnt oil on these high speed runs? :dunno:
> 
> Whenever I get up to the high speeds in my car, 130+mph, I always smell the oil being burned off the cylinder walls from the engine. My old e36 (318i) did the same thing at about 120-125mph.


No, actually no burnt smell.

Only the tires were smelling after I stopped.


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## GregD (Feb 5, 2003)

sergiok said:


> Do you ever start smelling burnt oil on these high speed runs? :dunno:
> 
> Whenever I get up to the high speeds in my car, 130+mph, I always smell the oil being burned off the cylinder walls from the engine. My old e36 (318i) did the same thing at about 120-125mph.


Never gotten a burnt oil smell after a high speed run in any newer car. A little bit in an old Lotus and an old Lamborghini, but they both leaked a little bit. I'd be concerned if I smelled oil in a newer car at high speeds.


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## SergioK (Aug 14, 2002)

GregD said:


> Never gotten a burnt oil smell after a high speed run in any newer car. A little bit in an old Lotus and an old Lamborghini, but they both leaked a little bit. I'd be concerned if I smelled oil in a newer car at high speeds.


Well, my old 318i had 100,000+ miles on it and whenever it'd get up above 120-125mph it would start to emit an oil burning smell. My e46 323ci has now started to do the same thing above 130mph. I'm assuming it's oil blowing by the piston rings during these elongated stays at 6000+ rpm. I don't think the engine likes being there for more than 5 minutes at a time.


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## The Roadstergal (Sep 7, 2002)

Damn, boy. Pete's going to have to photoshop you a Barney with speed trails behind. :yikes:


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## Mystikal (Dec 20, 2001)

Did you guys know an auto E46 320i will happily go up to 215km/h and still be accelerating? Amazing. :eeps:


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## SergioK (Aug 14, 2002)

Mystikal said:


> Did you guys know an auto E46 320i will happily go up to 215km/h and still be accelerating? Amazing. :eeps:


Allot of it has to do with the aerodynamics. They 3'er keeps getting more and more aerodynamically efficient. :thumbup:


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## ChrisTO (Jan 24, 2002)

doesn't count when the car is up on jack stands. :angel: 


Mystikal said:


> Did you guys know an auto E46 320i will happily go up to 215km/h and still be accelerating? Amazing. :eeps:


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## AF (Dec 21, 2001)

rumatt said:


> 284km/h --> 176 mph.
> 
> Glad you're still alive. :thumbup:


I can't beleive your car is THAT fast :yikes::yikes:

Are you sure that speed is accurate ? What does Alpina say your top speed should be ?


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