155MPH in a Mercedes C200?

[Peter C]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-35654611

 

Madness.

[Cavcraft]

I always thought they were a bit wheezy, I bet it was a CL500 or whatever they are.

[steve_earwig]

Not sure why that's worse than 156mph by a footballer in a... oh dear.

[Pete-M]

It's a bit quick for a C220 but it's exactly what they were built to do.

 

S'funny. I've done 120+ mph for quite long (100+ mile at a time) stretches of derestricted Autobahn and it was safer and more relaxed than doing 50 on a busy bit of M6.

 

If people in the UK discovered lane discipline then it would be possible to drive at realistic speed instead of crawling around at 70.

[lisbon_road]

Doesn't seem the time for this forum to be condoning speeding!

 

In another column, I commented that we could be restricting top speeds.  GordonBennet didn't agree, and as he says he's 40 years hgv experience, I am reluctant to argue, but perhaps the speed could be capped at 100 or something?

[tooSavvy]

Feds (unless business is particularly slow) take 80 as default. They frown on 80 'chopping lanes' amongst 70 bods.

 

Differentials in speed are more likely to create trouble, IMHO.

 

TS

[NorfolkNWeigh]

That bit of the M1 is a slight downhill gradient, a petrol C200 has an official top speed of 145 so at a stretch it might be possible.

I reckon it's more likely to have been a C63 though.

 

What amuses me is the obsession with 100mph, I doubt you can buy a car today that can't exceed 100, yet the media treats it like anyone daring to go that fast is a greaser on a Norton in the 50's.

 

What happened to Bub and Chompy was because of bad,irresponsible and dangerous driving. The outcome was made worse by the apparent high speed of the 3 Series , if the BMW had been doing 99mph I don't think it would have made much difference.

[brickwall]

"a quarter were BMW cars or motorcycles"

 

Hmm.

 

The real thing here is the dangerous driving. I've been doing well over the limit and then noticed a cop car behind me - they just nod and then pull up a slip road and leave me alone. I mean, they could do me by rights, but the are looking for maniacs. It's much more fun and satisfying for them. If you make yourself a target then you deserve it.

[Longblackcoat]

_{I saw that as well - the chances of a C200 actually getting to that speed are minimal. Bear in mind that the M1's only just deposited its M25 traffic at that point so that although it's downhill you really don't have that much time to take advantage of the gradient. In any case, the max speed of a standard C200 is around 135mph, a C200K manages around 144mph, and a C200CDi does 126.}

 

_{To get to 155 from there and to have the incredible misfortune to be zapped by police car at the one point on the M1 where you might possibly stand a chance of getting that speed seems somewhat unlikely.}

 

_{I'm sure the person was travelling that fast, just not in a C200.......}

[Negative Creep]

Considering the amount of motorway journeys each year, 2000 seems very low. Also rather dependent on time and conditions - 100mph in heavy traffic is very dangerous, at 7am on a clear Sunday morning not so much

[Pete-M]

Doesn't seem the time for this forum to be condoning speeding!

Inappropriate speed is not the same as someone making progress on a clear dry motorway or autobahn.

 

Some tit doing 100 mph in the wing place at the wrong time is not a reason to punish every other motorist in the UK.

 

I drive across Germany a coyote couple of times a year, it's legal to drive my 145 mph car flat out there, but the car is happier at 120ish. So should it be limited to below its design capacity because the speed limits and standard of motorway driving here are both lower than they should be? I think not. The answer is to punish the likes of the bloke who twitted the van on here, motorway lane hogs, tailgaters, and aggressive drivers.

 

Higher motorway limits, better driver education and stiffer penalties for bad driving and badly maintained cars makes more sense to me.

 

The ability to travel quickly from one place to another was the single biggest advance the Victoriansame gave us, yet we've been held back since the 70s for no real reason other than a speed limit imposed by someone who didn't actually drive, the consequence of which is we now have one of the worst standards of lame discipline on motorways in Europe. Raise the limits and the penalties for bad driving and things will get better and safer.

[jonny69]

Inappropriate speed is not the same as someone making progress on a clear dry motorway or autobahn.

 

Some tit doing 100 mph in the wing place at the wrong time is not a reason to punish every other motorist in the UK.

 

Indeed. The problem is a lot of people are incapable of making a sensible decision between the two. I don't need statistics to back that statement up, you only need to make a single motorway journey to see it.

[Pete-M]

Better training and harsher penalties would soon result in standards improving.

 

Everyone thought there'd be carnage in Germany when the wall came down and thousands of Trabbies and Wartburgs flooded onto the Autobahns. Main casualties were dead two smoke engines. The Ossies picked things up quickly and have been fine. The same would happen here regarding the driving - we're short on two smokes.

 

Unless you think we're less intelligent than the Germans. ...

[cort16]

Top speed of a modern C200 is 147mph. 

 

http://www.parkers.co.uk/cars/reviews/facts-and-figures/mercedes-benz/c-class/saloon-2014/63757/

[Craig the Princess]

Not less intelligent, but a shit load more squashed.

 

For all the poor lane discipline and crowded nature of the road network we are second only to Sweden in fatalities per population and fatalities per billion k/ms traveled.

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_traffic-related_death_rate

 

So no thanks, 70 with a grey area to 80 is fine. 100+ should be an auto ban.

[Jim Bell]

If you need to be going a hundred miles in an hour, a car is a poor choice of means.

 

Get a ruddy helicopter.

[dieselnutjob]

It's been many years since I drove on the Autobahn; I found it a pain in the neck.

 

I was driving my 305 diesel estate flat out in fifth, which means bouncing off of the rev limiter at 95mph.

 

Everytime I pulled out to overtake a truck doing 60 there would be a Porsche or a Merc which had previously not been there at all, or a tiny spec on the horizon, arriving on my back bumper flashing like a luny.

 

Did they expect me to just spank into the back of the truck?  or restrict myself to 60 so that they could do 155?

 

After the novelty of being able to legal drive at 95mph wore off, which didn't take long, it just became stressful and annoying.

 

I prefer Italy where 95 seems to be a natural speed that no one has a problem with.

[Lukas]

It seems the brits have discovered the "Freie Fahrt für freie Bürger"-lifestyle of the germans... 

[DSdriver]

 

 

I saw that as well - the chances of a C200 actually getting to that speed are minimal

 

If it was a Sprinter it would be far more believable.

[Pete-M]

I do more motorway miles than most folk, often 2000 miles a week. I don't hang about but I do keep left as everyone should. We've got three lane motorways when a lot of derestricted autobahns are two lane - if everyone kept left and the tailgaters were punished severely the motorways would work properly.

 

As for the "things fly up your arse on the autobahn" thing, that's bollocks. My old Escort had a top whack of about 70 for much of the trip from Czech and the number of people who nearly hit that? Zero. I've also towed a trailer with a RHD 70 bhp Transit across Germany (absolute top speed 60 mph) - number of issues? Zero. Range Rover + trailer from Liverpool to Zakynthos, zero problems. Porsche 911 Turbo from Stuttgart to Liverpool (Top speed 190 mph+) again no problems. Jag XJR? No problems. Dead easy, check your mirrors and indicate before pulling out. Anticipation is the name of the game on the motorway. If you're tanking it in something quick then anticipate everyone pulling out on you.

[Aston Martin]

I've said before east of M18 turnoff. M62 East is 90 average.

[Lacquer Peel]

Every car should be restricted to the top speed and performance of a Xantia 1.9D automatic.

[Pete-M]

Go fast, folks.

 

Just not in stupid places

[Vin]

Here's a thread from a few months ago on a similar subject...I'm sure it will head the same way...

 

    http://autoshite.com/topic/22318-halfwit-goes-200mph-probz-thinks-its-a-larf/?hl=halfwit

[Sealtainn]

Seeing the van in daylight just makes my blood run cold, you see that and your mind screams "How the fuck could anyone walk away from that?" let alone 2 people !!!! I'm sending up many thanks to whatever beige deity was looking out for you guys on that day.

How you doing anyhow, now your body has had a chance to "recover" from the shock?

[mercrocker]

I am not a structural engineer nor indeed an engineer of any kind but what that van kind of does illustrate is the desirability of a damned great crumple zone.   Driving a decently built 3 box saloon car feels safer to me than a tall, stunted "people MPV sport utility" or whatever they are called.   Might be just a false sense of security but I like the feeling anyway. 

 

As regards cracking the ton as a daily occurrence I don't fancy it in this country any more.   I just did a twenty mile stretch of motorway in the Cowley - cruising at 65 just seems to make you invisible.   Motorway driving these days seems to consist of playing trains at 75mph - no more and no less.    

[cort1977]

People travelling around at the speeds we got shunted at should be sterilized and lose their licence!

We were travelling @60mph an an A road (2lanes)

 

Just as a reminder to everyone in the u.k to slow the fuck down ...here a present!

WP_20160222_15_21_54_Pro.jpgWP_20160222_15_23_15_Pro.jpg

 

I'll never go over 60mph again

Jesus Christ lads, that is terrifying.

[Pete-M]

I'm currently on a train and have just had the misfortune to be sitting opposite a RoSPA spokesman - I discovered this as his phone went as someone wanted an interview with him.

 

"There's no excuse for traveling at 100 mph. It's just thrill seekers and businessmen on phones. "

 

So I grabbed my phone, fired up the GPS speedo and showed him the 125 mph current reading. Gave him a bit of grief when he got off the phone. "If you campaigned for better driving standards instead of trying to drag journey times back to the 17th century, you'd do a load more good"

 

Cue dirty look from RoSPA bloke.

[egg]

70mph is enough for me, I've never owned a car where it felt comfortable to go consistently faster over more than a few miles.

 

This island is crammed with cars (well certainly the English part), and you burn loads more fuel at faster speeds. So I'm ok with it.

 

Just plan enough time for your journey. 

 

Lane discipline is sometimes a function of queues at junctions at rush hour - sometimes in the interests of safety, the second lane can be necessary to avoid crazy last minute queue avoidance.

[inconsistant]

I want to drive at 65mph because it's more relaxing, more economical, quieter, less stressful, and I don't like rushing to get somewhere so I leave plenty of time. Also my car feels safer and more able to deal with any unforeseen problems at that sort of speed. Also I just don't want to go faster because I'm risk averse.

By wanting to drive at 100mph+ that's creating a much bigger variation in our speeds. I believe large differences in speed are probably more potentially dangerous than poor driving standards, because I can expect and anticipate poor standards, and drive defensively.