# Top speed limit is an indicated 133mph or so...



## SLO Town (Oct 18, 2003)

Y'all:

Save the flames, but on a very lonely stretch of a very desolate California backroad I thought I'd see just how fast my 2003 330Ci (5-speed) would go. It got to 130 surprisingly fast and kept going past 130. At about 133 (indicated) I noticed a distinct and non-linear drop in power, which I assume was the throttle-by-wire intervening and closing the throttle in order to limit top speed. I once asked Dinan how fast a 330Ci would go if it weren't limited. I was told 147-148, which seems entirely possible given how it strong it was still pulling at 130.

On a personal note (and I'd really, really appreciate it if you could save the flames on this - especially this part), but I had my 16 year old son with me. He doesn't drive, but loves cars and knows more about them then many people on these boards. He doesn't really have any close friends either. Basically he misses out on many, many things in life. In case you're wondering, he was born blind (he's Braille reader).

But you know, cars and other things are rights of passage for most guys and I am sad to say that he misses out on many of the things that you and I enjoy. But, he loves to hang out with me in the garage and "watch" Dream Car Garage on Saturday mornings. 

Before anyone gets critical out there, unless you've been in similar shoes you can't speak with authority. But this 133mph thing - it is one of the few things he has "over" his sighted high school classmates. In fact, later that day on our way home he called his 23 year old brother and asked what's the fastest he'd ever driven. His big brother (and best friend) told him it was about 125. Given his smile and laugh, this "125mph" answer gave my youngest son great pleasure in out doing his older brother in this one little way. 

Given all this, I feel like I did the right thing. And just to reiterate, save the flames. I would really appreciate it.


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## LarryN (Dec 24, 2001)

:flame:

Stoopid thread...


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## Mysticblue325i (Oct 31, 2003)

SLO Town said:


> On a personal note (and I'd really, really appreciate it if you could save the flames on this - especially this part), but I had my 16 year old son with me.


Then why post about such stupid behavior? :dunno:

:tsk: :tsk: :tsk:


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## DINANISR3 (Aug 16, 2002)

give him a break.. We all have driven fast and tested our cars top speed at one point or another. I think its great that you gave your son bragging rights over his older brother. Its hard growing up with a disability i can only imagine. You sound like a great and supporting father. BTW.. Try an ECU upgrade, Shark or Dinan software should do the trick. Then your son can say hes been all the way up to 155. :thumbup:


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## salvo (Feb 28, 2004)

Why is that stupid behavior??? Big deal...why not give your son some added excitement. Next time let him drive in the MOJave or something...


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## THE RING (Feb 14, 2004)

isn't that the reason you buy a car with that much horsepower??? you did good for your boy. thats something hes always going to remember. :thumbup:


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## paulg (Oct 5, 2003)

THE RING said:


> isn't that the reason you buy a car with that much horsepower??? you did good for your boy. thats something hes always going to remember. :thumbup:


great post, great story.

As for the flamers... Hell is other people.

Take your son to Germany and drive as fast as you want. 140mph is a blast in the right car and on the right road although my comfort zone - depending on the car, was 100 - 120mph. You can even make turns there at those speeds. 
Wish the roads here in the US were anywhere as nice as in Germany. Our roads were never built for these kinds of speed.


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## alpinewhite325i (Jan 20, 2002)

I'm usually not a fan of driving like that, but for some reason I think you did the right thing. It is definitley something your son will remember forever. If i were in your shoes, I would have done the same exact thing. :thumbup:


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## johnf (Sep 16, 2003)

paulg said:


> Wish the roads here in the US were anywhere as nice as in Germany. Our roads were never built for these kinds of speed.


I beg to differ. I wish some German Autobahnen were built as generously as most U.S. Interstates. What seems more lacking in the U.S. is a general interest in high-speed driving. In an ideal world, drivers would be more relaxed on one continent and more attentive on the other.


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## Emission (Dec 19, 2001)

That's the coolest thing a dad can do for his 16-year-old!

BTW, I graduated from Cal Poly in '91 - Great school. :thumbup: 

P.S. - My 330i would hit the "wall" at an indicated 133 too. My GPS said it was really 131 mph.


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## andy_thomas (Oct 7, 2002)

SLO Town said:


> Y'all:
> 
> Save the flames, but on a very lonely stretch of a very desolate California backroad I thought I'd see just how fast my 2003 330Ci (5-speed) would go. It got to 130 surprisingly fast and kept going past 130. At about 133 (indicated) I noticed a distinct and non-linear drop in power, which I assume was the throttle-by-wire intervening and closing the throttle in order to limit top speed. I once asked Dinan how fast a 330Ci would go if it weren't limited. I was told 147-148, which seems entirely possible given how it strong it was still pulling at 130.


Mr Dinan - or his representative - is a few mph off the pace. The regular 330i/Ci's top whack is an electronically limited 155 mph/250 kph (152/245 for the auto) as quoted in most markets. IIRC UK magazines have measured the manual version at anywhere between 150 and 155 mph, so I suspect the electronic limit is more for bragging rights (or long downhill stretches!) than anything else - I doubt it could go a lot faster than that, even when fully run in.


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## swindonhost (Oct 26, 2003)

andy_thomas said:


> Mr Dinan - or his representative - is a few mph off the pace. The regular 330i/Ci's top whack is an electronically limited 155 mph/250 kph (152/245 for the auto) as quoted in most markets. IIRC UK magazines have measured the manual version at anywhere between 150 and 155 mph, so I suspect the electronic limit is more for bragging rights (or long downhill stretches!) than anything else - I doubt it could go a lot faster than that, even when fully run in.


Best I ever got from my 2000 330 step was 147, it pulled well to there then it was just flat. On a long run it might have got higher, but then you need a pretty long stretch for 140+

The 03 3.0 X5 Diesel pulls to 126 then goes flat as a pancake, it doesn't cut out it just sits with no power. (well short of the red line).

NB In Germany on both occasions.


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## K1 (Mar 8, 2002)

Stock (manual) 2003 330CI. Reached 155mph (according to the spedometer -so some deviation from true speed should be taking into account) on the A1 autobahn in Germany... Did not know 155 mph in a 330 should be a big deal... :dunno:


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## Sierra_Nevada (Jan 21, 2004)

I personally don't think it is stupid nor do I think it was tremendously dangerous. IMO it is more dangerous to drive at the speed limit in traffic. There are cars unfit for the road and morons driving their unsafe vehicles right in front of/behind you with no brakes etc. I saw one person driving today talking on the phone with one hand and smoking a cig with the other. You were on a DESOLATE strip in a car that was actually built to deal with high speeds. Is everyone on the autobon stupid for driving over 100 with other vehicles on the road? No!! I personally don't like it when conservatives get a little information and blow it out of proportion. Additionally, I would much rather my son get a taste of high speeds with me on a safe road than somewhere with his highschool buddies or big brother in a race or something. I hope this event lifted the spirit of your son. I wouldn't recommend it as a daily act though. You know with the cops and all.


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## Bavarian (Jun 15, 2002)

LarryN said:


> :flame:
> 
> Stoopid thread...


Go F*CK yourself. It's a sad story, not stupid.

My most recent record is 243km/h (151.875 MPH).


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## 03BMW330 (Nov 30, 2002)

alpinewhite325i said:


> I'm usually not a fan of driving like that, but for some reason I think you did the right thing. It is definitley something your son will remember forever. If i were in your shoes, I would have done the same exact thing. :thumbup:


I am with You  :thumbup:


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## SLO Town (Oct 18, 2003)

Sierra_Nevada said:


> I personally don't think it is stupid nor do I think it was tremendously dangerous. IMO it is more dangerous to drive at the speed limit in traffic. There are cars unfit for the road and morons driving their unsafe vehicles right in front of/behind you with no brakes etc. I saw one person driving today talking on the phone with one hand and smoking a cig with the other. You were on a DESOLATE strip in a car that was actually built to deal with high speeds. Is everyone on the autobon stupid for driving over 100 with other vehicles on the road? No!! I personally don't like it when conservatives get a little information and blow it out of proportion. Additionally, I would much rather my son get a taste of high speeds with me on a safe road than somewhere with his highschool buddies or big brother in a race or something. I hope this event lifted the spirit of your son. I wouldn't recommend it as a daily act though. You know with the cops and all.


I'd like to thank all you guys for you support. I had a serious case of "thread remorse" after getting the first couple of replies - the negative ones. But they are entitled to their opinion and I can't fault them for that.

To those of you that responded with your words of encouragement, I really do appreciate it. Lately, my 16 year old and I have been making weekend day trips in the BMW because he really doesn't have anything else to do. And understand, the kids at school are really kind to him. It's a simple matter of them having cars, girl friends, etc. Though definitely not intentional, they don't have time for him. We've met lots of blind youth since our son was born and this is a universal complaint among them.

So, when we were out on a truly untraveled and desolate road - not a car, person, or animal within miles (we were in the desert) - I thought "what the heck". Like most of you I consider myself a really good driver that knows all the nuances of car control - the car was certainly up to it, and the road and conditions were virtually perfect. These conditions were as good as could be found on the German autobahn which, BTW, I have had the good fortune to drive. It's truly awesome to drive fast without fear of getting caught!

I replied to Sierra Navada's post because it says "I wouldn't recommend it as a daily act". My feelings exactly.

Once again, I appreciate your compassion. Not to get too personal, but I'm just feeling a little....not sure what. When our first son turned 16 it was a BIG day. I just wish our youngest son could enjoy some of the little things we all take for granted.

But understand, I am confident he will have a good life. He's happy, smart, and likeable. He will be a taxpayer one day, I'm sure.


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## Emission (Dec 19, 2001)

SLO Town said:


> "...We've met lots of blind youth since our son was born..."


I just caught the fact your son was blind. Then - I read the original post again. Amazing.

Talk about trust! I don't know if I'd let my dad drive me as a passenger at 130 mph - let alone if I couldn't see. The bond of trust must be amazing between the two of you. :thumbup:

How does your son describe the 130 mph trip? With sight, we see the speed, and our mind tends to blur everything else as we focus on the road. How did your son say it felt? What was the sound like? Did the car feel just as stable to him? Was he nervous? I'd love to hear his impressions...

Once again, my applause to you for showing your son the world!


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## HUMMM 3 (May 10, 2003)

You sound like a wonderful father. I'm sure your son will turn out to be a fine man you will always be proud of.


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## LarryN (Dec 24, 2001)

Bavarian said:


> Go F*CK yourself. It's a sad story, not stupid.
> 
> My most recent record is 243km/h (151.875 MPH).


HAHA, were you in diapers at the time? Firstly, there's NO WAY, you drove a 330i automatic that fast, cuz it just don't go that fast. Secondly, an idiot 16 y.o. driving 151 mph is a valid candidate for a darwin award. Please step up to the podium to collect your award, but don't take anyone else out doing it. Does mommy know you are trying to break your records in her car?

Also, I do think it's great that the dad is proud to hang/interact with his son, I'm just not sure this is the best way. This is my opinion. There's nothing "sad story" like in this thread at all, except for your poseur life.


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