# Hundred and nineeeeettttty mph!!



## Boile (Jul 5, 2005)

Fast Bob said:


> Nope....128 is the (BMWNA) official limit on all non-M and non-ZHP E46s (and let`s be generous and say the tolerance is plus or minus 5 mph)....and I don`t even believe the accuracy of all GPS units....the only thing I would *really* trust is to measure your time (with a stopwatch) against mile markers, and use those numbers to figure out your *real* speed (i.e., if you have your cruise control set on exactly 120 mph, and it takes you precisely 30 seconds to go 1 mile, then your speedo is correct *at that speed*). BMW speedos are well known for being *way* optimistic on the big end, so anybody who claims his bone-stock 325 (or Xi) did 140 last night is probably blowing smoke...


Well, that M6 was using BMW speedo, no? :dunno:
Lot's of smoke?


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## TeamM3 (Dec 24, 2002)

-


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## Fast Bob (Jun 4, 2004)

Boile said:


> Well, that M6 was using BMW speedo, no? :dunno:
> Lot's of smoke?


Tachs don`t lie, Boiler....eight grand in 7th gear is *somewhere* north of 200 mph...*exactly* how much is probably a moot point, no ?


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## Boile (Jul 5, 2005)

Fast Bob said:


> Tachs don`t lie, Boiler....eight grand in 7th gear is *somewhere* north of 200 mph...*exactly* how much is probably a moot point, no ?


Yes, I agree.
It's just that you were being picky about 10mph (128 vs 138) and said that it gets worse as speeds increase... :dunno:


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## Fast Bob (Jun 4, 2004)

Boile said:


> Yes, I agree.
> It's just that you were being picky about 10mph (128 vs 138) and said that it gets worse as speeds increase... :dunno:


It`s just that maxing out an M6 and hearing some guy with a 325i claiming to have done something normally considered to be physically impossible, are horses of a *completely* different color....


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## pmgreer (Jun 28, 2009)

I used to run this on the autobahns pretty hard - even for an '86, she could still cook. To move at 250kph (approx 155mph) was easy - good on the sweepers because of its weight, but not on the twisties. 









...but the sleeper was my 530d Touring. I got from Kaiserslautern to Oberramergau, a distance of 417km (approx 260 miles), in 3 hr 21 min. That takes into account a lot of places where I encountered _stau_ delays and controlled speed limits. The big E39 diesel wagon could easily reach 200kph (approx 125mph) without breaking a sweat and still get a tad over 25mpg.









I have some driving lessons under my belt, so I wasn't worried about the speed. But you have to pay attention on roads where speeds and skills are mixed. There's also very little margin for error - if you don't have the skills, the vehicle, and the space, don't do it.


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## pmgreer (Jun 28, 2009)

cwsqbm said:


> I felt safer at 100+mph on the autobahn than in normal traffic around here. Over there, people behave, and are used to high closing speeds. I bumped the 128mph limiter with my mom in the passenger seat, and got no reaction from her other than "do you want me to take a picture of the speedometer?"
> 
> Stock, an M6 on level ground would get close to 200mph - in most modern aerodynamic cars it takes a bit over 500hp (at the crank) to reach 200mph.


A newer stock M car has its speed electronically limited to 155. My '86 M635CSi was not. I ran it to redline only once, and the speedo needle was close to 260kph. Since analog speedometers aren't very accurate, I turned on the _bordcomputer_ and got a reading of 253kph (approx 157mph). And that was from a 16 year-old 24-valve, 3.5-liter inline six.


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## Fast Bob (Jun 4, 2004)

pmgreer said:


> My '86 M635CSi was not. I ran it to redline only once, and the speedo needle was close to 260kph. Since analog speedometers aren't very accurate, I turned on the _bordcomputer_ and got a reading of 253kph (approx 157mph). And that was from a 16 year-old 24-valve, 3.5-liter inline six.


Twenty-something years ago, my friend had the same car (purchased grey-market from Ameri-Spec Auto)....incredibly beautiful car, Diamond Black with black water buffalo leather, that thing was sex on wheels. We did a top-speed run with me using a stopwatch on the mile markers....a speedo-indicated 163 turned out to be "only" 157 mph, still quite respectible.


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## pmgreer (Jun 28, 2009)

Fast Bob said:


> Twenty-something years ago, my friend had the same car (purchased grey-market from Ameri-Spec Auto)....incredibly beautiful car, Diamond Black with black water buffalo leather, that thing was sex on wheels. We did a top-speed run with me using a stopwatch on the mile markers....a speedo-indicated 163 turned out to be "only" 157 mph, still quite respectible.


One should always expect an analog speedometer to have some error.

Yeah, the old Sixer M car is a rocket. It reminds me of MiG-25 Foxbat; scorching hot on the flats, but not really maneuverable. It has a pretty heavy front end. As I said, it was lovely on those banked sweepers on the a-bahns.


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## mullman (Jan 5, 2006)

:eeps:


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## minty_freshness (Jan 22, 2009)

I'm living in northern Germany right now with some friends of mine who were exchange students in America, and when I was in Wuppertal one of my friend's dad took me out on the Autobahn in a 2009 Audi R8. I'm not sure what it is in mph, but we went 260km/hr. It was pretty cool


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## pmgreer (Jun 28, 2009)

mullman said:


> :eeps:


This is, obviously, a Euro spec ride. What road were you on?


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## pmgreer (Jun 28, 2009)

minty_freshness said:


> I'm living in northern Germany right now with some friends of mine who were exchange students in America, and when I was in Wuppertal one of my friend's dad took me out on the Autobahn in a 2009 Audi R8. I'm not sure what it is in mph, but we went 260km/hr. It was pretty cool


It's cool until some knucklehead driving a Skoda with Romanian plates at about 100kph suddenly pulls out to pass a truck. A lot of that going on...ever notice the length of the skid marks out there? LOL

There are so many more vehicles on the autobahns these days...the number of unrestricted areas is getting smaller and smaller. That's what EU expansion is doing to motoring across Deutschland.


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## Bimmerman4ever (Mar 14, 2009)

My car is slow (according to my standards)
but I had a couple "racer kids" bugging me on freeway 
so I dropped it into 3rd then went through the gears
before I knew it I was well in front of them and doing 135mph
not bad for a heavy 2.5 liter with over 230k miles in it


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## mullman (Jan 5, 2006)

pmgreer said:


> This is, obviously, a Euro spec ride. What road were you on?


A92

Day 2


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## minty_freshness (Jan 22, 2009)

pmgreer said:


> It's cool until some knucklehead driving a Skoda with Romanian plates at about 100kph suddenly pulls out to pass a truck. A lot of that going on...ever notice the length of the skid marks out there? LOL
> 
> There are so many more vehicles on the autobahns these days...the number of unrestricted areas is getting smaller and smaller. That's what EU expansion is doing to motoring across Deutschland.


Up where I have been, I have't really seen many skid marks. I have noticed that most of the autobahn has speed limits though. There are some nice little stretches that don't have limits


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## ///MyLittlePony (May 22, 2008)

pmgreer said:


> I used to run this on the autobahns pretty hard - even for an '86, she could still cook. To move at 250kph (approx 155mph) was easy - good on the sweepers because of its weight, but not on the twisties.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


What's the quote "the older I get, the faster I was"????


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## gtxragtop (Feb 25, 2008)

How about 142 (indicated) in my 70 Roadrunner in 1971 with Goodyear bias ply tires. She got a little floaty at speeds above 120MPH. Then there was the 140+ MPH rush on my 78 Suzuki GS1000-E back in 1980. Now that scared the crap out of me as the stability of the older bikes is nothing like the newer ones like my Yamaha FJR1300. Once was enough and I've never pushed it much above 100 since. Makes for good conversation though.


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## pmgreer (Jun 28, 2009)

mullman said:


> A92
> 
> Day 2


Nice slideshow. Spent a lot of time down in Bavaria - especially O'gau.

All the years I was over (12 total, with 7 1/2 in Germany), I wondered how I'd ever be able to drive a Bimmer in the States. Actually, my experience in Europe is why I own my E36 328ic. That car is almost too much for this country.

Considering these are BMW motors, I think all a person really needs here is the 2.3 liter motor with an LSD and a six-speed manual with the right gear ratios. Not to diss anyone - but most people here buy (or lease?) cars with way too much motor - BMW engines are expensive (look at the price differences between, say, a Bimmer with a 2.8 liter motor and a 3.5 liter motor), and that extra weight amounts to a decrease in fuel economy.

I can certainly afford a new BMW with a big engine, but what's the point? If I can't drive the car in the manner in which it was intended to be driven - and especially since I've had the experience for an extended period of time - I figured I'd spare myself the frustration. The ride I have is perfect for my uses.


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## pmgreer (Jun 28, 2009)

minty_freshness said:


> Up where I have been, I have't really seen many skid marks. I have noticed that most of the autobahn has speed limits though. There are some nice little stretches that don't have limits


I arrived in Germany in the summer of 1996 and left the winter of 2003. Those roads got awfully crowded during that timeframe.

You won't see a lot of skid marks out there, but a lot of the ones you will see are some real doozies. The Germans are, for the most part, very skilled and attentive drivers. I watched people lose control of their vehicles in traffic, swerve across the lanes, bounce off a guardrail and back onto the road - and no other cars touched them. You'd see people engage their flashers to warn other drivers of an impending mishap, and drivers quickly stop their cars and rush to the disabled car with their first aid kits. And I swear that country had, pound for pound, the most doctors/EMTs anywhere I'd been. Those folks would come up from under the asphalt at an accident scene.

There was an unforgettable moment when a motorist driving a Merc wagon and towing a boat lost control of the vehicle. The boat slid off the trailer and down the road, and ended up on a perfect perpendicular, completely blocking both lanes. The Merc ended up t-boning a guardrail with trailer hanging on the road. Not a single person hit that boat, the car, or the trailer. And all traffic veered and stopped (also cutting their engines), pulling to the left and right of their respective lanes to allow a wide path up the middle for emergency vehicle access to the accident scene. Think you'd ever see that here? Naaah...


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## mullman (Jan 5, 2006)

pmgreer said:


> I can certainly afford a new BMW with a big engine, *but what's the point*?


Because although we have bad roads, dismal driver training, and low speed limits, there are no laws on how quick your car can be 0-100 kph (62 mph). 

And BTW, it makes more sense to lease if you can expense it (main or side businesses)...


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## pmgreer (Jun 28, 2009)

mullman said:


> Because although we have bad roads, dismal driver training, and low speed limits, there are no laws on how quick your car can be 0-100 kph (62 mph).
> 
> And BTW, it makes more sense to lease if you can expense it (main or side businesses)...


Leasing is okay if you want to just drive it around town. If you do a lot of road trips or have a big commute, leasing won't work too well.

As for the "quick" part - any car will do as a drag racer. A Bimmer is a _road_ car...


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## Kayani_1 (Dec 8, 2005)

The fastest I have been is 149 mph in a 645ci, 147 mph in 745i and 143 on a GSXR-1000...... and by far the quickest to triple digit speeds and a bit scary was the gixxer you can feel the wind and see the road just inches away from you.


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## mullman (Jan 5, 2006)

pmgreer said:


> Leasing is okay if you want to just drive it around town. * If you do a lot of road trips* or have a big commute, leasing won't work too well.


We drove from NC to Canada last week (1800 miles RT), in three weeks we are going to Maine (2500 miles RT). 
We lease and take lots of roadtrips. :dunno:
FWIW you can negotiate the miles at the end, nothing is set in stone unless you are a horrible haggler.

BUT otherwise my commute is 8 miles and my wife's is 6. 
And lots of times I take a two wheeler anyway (like today).


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## pmgreer (Jun 28, 2009)

mullman said:


> We drove from NC to Canada last week (1800 miles RT), in three weeks we are going to Maine (2500 miles RT).
> We lease and take lots of roadtrips. :dunno:
> FWIW you can negotiate the miles at the end, nothing is set in stone unless you are a horrible haggler.
> 
> ...


I know a lot of people try to negotiate their mileage at the end of their leases. That's good if you go over a few hundred miles.

My daily commute is 108 miles round trip. Extrapolate that to an annual, and there's no negotiating that kind of mileage. And I haven't even begun to add the other miles I put on a car, including my road trips. If I had an eight-mile commute, I'd be riding my bicycle to work every day.


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## mullman (Jan 5, 2006)

pmgreer said:


> I know a lot of people try to negotiate their mileage at the end of their leases. That's good if you go over a few hundred miles.


I'm usually 2-6K over per vehicle.



pmgreer said:


> My daily commute is 108 miles round trip.


That is your lifestyle choice.


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## minty_freshness (Jan 22, 2009)

pmgreer said:


> The Germans are, for the most part, very skilled and attentive drivers. I watched people lose control of their vehicles in traffic, swerve across the lanes, bounce off a guardrail and back onto the road - and no other cars touched them.


They are in general extremely good drivers. I rarely see any car with dents or scratches on it. However, I did see one guy in a Merc with the goodluck horse shoe thing on his grill drive right into a sign that was on a little median by a turn. I found it rather humorous, but I felt sorry for that guy. I bet he felt like an idiot, I know I would have.


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## pmgreer (Jun 28, 2009)

minty_freshness said:


> They are in general extremely good drivers. I rarely see any car with dents or scratches on it. However, I did see one guy in a Merc with the goodluck horse shoe thing on his grill drive right into a sign that was on a little median by a turn. I found it rather humorous, but I felt sorry for that guy. I bet he felt like an idiot, I know I would have.


His good luck charm didn't work.

I know Germans who have angel statuettes on their dashboards. Some say you need two...


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## pmgreer (Jun 28, 2009)

mullman said:


> I'm usually 2-6K over per vehicle.
> 
> That is your lifestyle choice.


Of course it is. It's why I do it...


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## BMWFM1 (Jan 22, 2008)

~250 km/h. BMW 525d, Germany. 

FM


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## tmba2002 (Jan 31, 2005)

In 2004 I visited a friend of mine who had moved to Germany. We drove from his home outside of Frankfurt to Stuttgart in his 320 d Touring. That car was amazing, it would cruse at 135 mph and didn't sound like a diesel. I came back to the States and purchased my E46. I really wanted a diesel, but didn't want to wait.


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## pmgreer (Jun 28, 2009)

tmba2002 said:


> In 2004 I visited a friend of mine who had moved to Germany. We drove from his home outside of Frankfurt to Stuttgart in his 320 d Touring. That car was amazing, it would cruse at 135 mph and didn't sound like a diesel. I came back to the States and purchased my E46. I really wanted a diesel, but didn't want to wait.


The 3.5-liter diesel is available here in a couple of models. If you think that 2-liter diesel is a monster, you ain't seen nothin' yet...

The new diesel has a two-stage turbocharger on it that completely eliminates turbo lag. Now, add all that diesel torque, and you get a no-kidding kick in the pants.

I had a 3-liter diesel in my 2001 530d Touring when I lived in Europe. I could turn off the driver's aids and smoke the tires from a standing start.


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