How fast do you drive?

 

The Manta I had back in the 80's, 90's topped out at about 105. I was able to out run one of my friends on the highway one morning in his 1969 Oldsmobile 442. We were heading out to a truck stop in the middle of no where to eat breakfast one morning. I had a friend and his girlfriend at the time in my Manta and he had his cousin in his car. We had just left the city limits when he came up to me and gave me the bye-bye sign and took off. My buddy yelled "catch him". I did not think the Manta had it in it, but I went ahead and floored it. The truck stop was 15 miles away and it took almost all of that to catch him and pass him. Of course my friend gave him the bye-bye sign as we slowly crept past him. He was not a happy camper that morning.

 

Back in 81, with my new to me 73 GT, I tried to keep up with a Lambo on I-5 heading to Portland. I was at an indicated 130 when a puff of smoke came from his exhaust and he was gone!

I always figured I was really doing 115 to 120 mph. It was all I had. Ah the days of being 18 and bullet proof!

Jim

 

With the Commodores I usually drive around 95 mph on the Autobahn, but I didn't have a single car I did not test for max. speed except for the current 2.8 due to its condition (would probably still pass tech inspection in some states in the US, but I don't feel safe with it until I did some overhauling especially of the suspension). The 2.8 clone I used to own ran about 210 km/h according to the speedo, which should be close to advertised top speed of about 190 km/h (around 118 mph). The 2.5 I had up to 195 according to the Speedo, should be around 180 km/h for real. And it still is legal on unlimited portions of the good old Autobahn.:veryhappy

Are there any states in the US without speed limits ? I seem to remember some desert state didn't have it ?

 

Are there any states in the US without speed limits ? I seem to remember some desert state didn't have it ?

The government used coercion to make them drop it to the national speed limit of 55 (for energy conservation). It was my understanding that even though they had to enforce the limit, they still rebelled by writing the ticket for excessive energy consumption and the fine was $5. Years later when the government imposed 55 mph limit was lifted they never returned to the "Set your own pace" days.

Harold

 

I may be wrong, but I thought the question was how fast do you drive. Today, not in your dreams. I do the posted speed limit. Sometimes.......

 

Two threads were merged and the poll results from one of them were lost. Re-enter your response if yours was removed.

 

120 on the speedo which is 115 since I am 5 mph off, plus I had the GPS in the car to confirm. My GT has a LOT more to go, I just haven't wanted to land in the slammer.

 

Heck. We still have 55 on roads that used to be 70 in the good old days. Our interstates and a few limited access have been raised to 70 or 65 though.
For the record, I fudge by 5mph if the traffic and conditions allow.

 

Last September in Germany. Not in Opel unfortunately...

 

P.J., what make of car has a speedo with 20km/hr increments up to 140 km/hr then switches to 30 km/hr increments? Weird!

 

I was hitting 110+ on the long straight at a track day a few years back. Touched 120 a few times, but the front end sure started getting light after 110.
Jc

 

Since the poll is for GT's this may not count. Back in the early eightys I was traveling in Oklahoma from college in Stillwater OK to Tulsa OK in my 75 Manta and was pulled over by a motorcycle cop on a KZ 1100. Had the escort radar detector on and it never went off. The officer walked up and asked for my lic and insurance. As I was handing the information over I asked him how he knew how fast I was going as my radar detector did not sound an alarm. His response was HOT Pursuit Sir. So I said to him Officer you don't know how fast I was going? He said no but proceeded to tell me that his Police bike did 0-60 in 3 seconds, and he was on an on ramp when i passed him and it took him three miles to catch up and pull me over. He wrote me up for 80 in a 55 zone. I thanked him for the ticket and left happy knowing that had he clocked me doing 118 I would be in jail. Ron

 

Right after I got my Manta 2.4L dialed in I put the pedal to the metal on the Ventura Freeway and it got to 110 in a real hurry!

 

My GT does about 700 - 1200 oh yeah RPMs lol. Mine's still up on the jack stands being worked on. No water pump or breaks yet.

 

No breaks? That is a good thing, right? LOL

Jim

 

Back when it had suspension and wheels I think my GT I topped out at 3-4 mph while pushing it.

 

I remember back in High School with my 69 GT I topped out at 115 on I-76. My friends and I used to see who's car was the fastest. The day I topped out, I had raced my buddies and came in second to last. I did managed to beat my friend Julie in her Celica GT.

Pecking order is as follows: 1980 Corvette, 1976 280Z, 1985 RX-7 GSL, 1969 Opel GT, 1985 Celica GT.

Knowing what I know now...I would never do that again....especially in an ill prepared car and on a public road. Ah to be 17, indestructible and stupid again.

 

a little puzzle for those who are math,s inclined

7500 rpm , 1:1 top gear , standard 3.44:1 diff and 205/60 13 tyres on the rear:veryhappy:veryhappy:veryhappy:yup:

 

O.K. let me give it a try, it is a boring winter Sunday:

7500 RPM / 3.44 = 2180.23 RPM of the rear wheels.
Circumference of 205/60x13 tire is 1809 mm (source Custom wheels, chrome wheels, alloy rims - BIGCUSTOMWHEELS )
2180.23 x 1.809 = 3944 m/min or 3.944 km/min
3.944 x 60 = 236.6 kph or 147 mph.

Real speed will be somewhat lower due to tire slippage (probably 2-3%).

 

On freeways in Germany I taken my GT up to approx.225km/h ( 140mph). But it's not comfortable and fuel consumption is really high. So, better is 160- 170km/h ( approx. 100mph ).
Regards
Rudolf

 

So given enough power to overcome the resistance you could get close(r) to that number

jtb

 

i pegged the speedomiter at 140 in my manta but its not the correct speedo gear so more like 120.00

 

No standard Opel can reach 7500 RPM in 4th gear. It was just theoretical calculation.
The value of 7500 RPM was set by Baz. May be he could explain what was he aiming for...

 

ah but i never said standard engine
this was when i used to run a lotus 907 /912 hybrid in it with a gearbox from a 1.8 viva ( kind of like a kadett but not if you know what i mean lol ) dont have the exact number now but it was over 200 bhp when dyno'd

my math worked it out at 153 btw using actual size of tyre but not allowing any extra diameter for centrifugal force on tyres ballooning the tread up and timed over a mile on a level road gave a number of 150 , speedo said 0 was not hooked up , lift from front was not noticed much but was not something i was looking for

 

ah but i never said standard engine

I thought it was obvious, even PJ mentioned that a STANDARD Opel engine wouldn't do it. I've put together an engine or two that would turn 7500rpm in 2nd (more than once ), 4th is a different story though.

Harold

 

Yeah, most standard Opels wouldn't spin 7500 with a brick on the pedal...in neutral!

Not to mention there's that little thing called a power curve...stock Opel peaks at 5200-5400 rpms, making all of 75-90 hp (I'm being very generous too). By 7500 rpms there's about 45-50 hp left on the table. Surely not enough to push past 150 mph.

But with an honest 150-160 hp it's very feasible in a GT.

 

... Surely not enough to push past 150 mph.

But with an honest 150-160 hp it's very feasible in a GT.

Within how many miles?

Harold

 

Last summer I was cruzin down the freeway and had some jerk in an Infinity Q something or other came flying up my ass. I couldn't get out of his way because of the slow moving 18 wheelers. So I gave him a run for his money. He backed off when the speedo hit 120, but I didn't let up till 140. He was PISSED. The cool thing was I had plenty of pedal left.:veryhappy

 

My GT, with the 2.4L, tops out at 131 in 5th gear repeatedly. Cruising with Gil up to the Opels of WA meet this last July we cruised up and over Shasta through Weed, CA into OR at speeds averaging between 85 & 115 mph for over an hour. Luckily the CHP was not out In-Force that day. Any speed on 95 mph (generally) will get you arrested and your car impounded.

 

Hmm, back in 1988, halfway to Houston from Dallas. Driving a 70 gt, with a bored, balanced, blueprinted 2.0 (Reher Morrison did the work) with header, custom exhaust, weber, electronic ignition, hot cam, electric fan, and lowered with sport springs, I saw just over 6500 on the tach, before I decided that today was not a good day to have my car impounded. That should put me in the 130+ club. Funny thing was it didn't have the hood hold down lever working, so the faster I went, the more the hood raised up. at that speed, I was having to sit up in the seat, to see over it. Also, you had to turn on the electric fan, over a hundred, otherwise the air passing through it, made it spin so fast it vibrated the whole car. BTW, the engine sounded fantastic. LOL

 

BTW, the engine sounded fantastic. LOL

The Opel engine sounds beautiful above the 5500 RPM range. Smooth as butter, but it is screamin!If you ever plan on going near 5500 RPMs you must get your engine balanced by a shop. I recommend always balancing, regardless. The benefits are worth the cost.