Top Speeds for Diesels
 

Have always wondered what the top speeds are for cars. Not the car manual top speed, but the driven top speed. For the record, these are my numbers
1.

Let me try again
 

Sorry guys, sometimes Ihave fat fingers and next thing I know, it is posted. At least I haven't accidently bught a car on EBAY yet. So let me finish, these are my top speeds:
1983 300D, 105mph
1969 220D, 92mph coasting down the grapevine, mech limit is 84mph
1963, 190D, 80mph, the noise was to loud and king pins where shot, was hard to stay in the lane
1987 300TD, 111mph, still had room, but was driving on bald tires

Henry

1983 300SD about 100 down a huge hill got to 95 on a straightaway on the highway.

The fastest I've driven my diesel was 90mph. It was funny to see people's faces when they see the old diesel crusing at a decent speed on the left lane :D

I know I was surprised when one guy did that! I'll never forget it...it was a 300D Turbodiesel W123 in Gold. I was driving a Ford Focus at some 80+mph when he zoomed past me..

My 1981 300SD has no problem promptly passing the 85mph/140kph mark that is the upper end of the spedometer. I imagine it probably can do 100mph but I never drive that fast for long enough to time it. Even more than the speed, the acceleration the tubro provides is what amazes me.

I've topped out the 79SD and the 85 SD both at about 108. Curiously, the 79 is much quicker, at every speed, than the 85. My guess is that the 85 ran for about 15 years with the egr throwing soot into intake manifold.

The banjo valve and line to overboost control were packed when I got it.

Anybody else have any experience with this phenomena and possible solutions that would quicken the 85?

I don't know how accurate the speedo is but, on my last trip to L.A. from S.F. I averaged about 85mph. On the way back I hit about 85-105mph. At one point I had the speedo at the 110 mark. This was on Highway 5. All flat and straight. I wasn't pushing it as hard as it wanted to either. What I do know is that I was mighty close to the redline. I had the tach at about 4000-4100 rpm for about an hour and a half before my senses kicked in to what I was doing. From then on, I averaged about 90 mph. FYI, my car is a bone stock 84 300D turbo. I had just changed the oil and done a coolent service on it as a precausion. I just got a boost control from Dawes Devices and am gonna bring the boost back to about 13.5 psi. By the way, it is very stable at those speeds. I had a lot of confidence in the car. Even in cross winds.

When I got her up to high speeds I was amazed at the power that she had left. I was able to get from 80-100 with almost no problems. If only some of this power was there off the line as well.

i had the SD up to about 110 on a trip back from tallahasee, on the veterans expressway(route 589), completely flat, not a car in sight, and vision far enough to know there werent any cops. This was definately maxed out, any upward incline and it would drop to about 100
Ryan

Got my 190D 2.5 up to 99 last night. It took about 2 miles but I had to slow down and brake for the curve so it might have gone faster.

i thought the 2.5 D's were supposed to be quick-real quick, like almost gasoline type quick?? did it have alot more???
Ryan

early 80s speedo
 

When I found my '82 I noticed the speedometer only went to 85mph. The Jaguars were the same way.. in America we're to go 55mph in the early 80s, so these instruments replaced the Euro ones (a psychological tactic) My '83 went to 120 or something like that. Anyway, I've been 83mph easily on interstate when passing. Don't want to replace my instrument because I plan on keeping this one to get another medallian and consider this speedo to be the "original" for America anyway.. but I miss the higher mileage one.

Does "mplafleur" have the 87 190 2.5 TURBO? That's the quick one.



I wasn't trying to top out, but a new Toyota Sequoia? - (v8 longer wheel base 4 runner) was messing with me.

He started getting smaller in my mirror after hitting a little over 100. I picked it up to about 115 to get some spacing, but didn't max out.



87 300SDL

My sdl is supposed to hit anywhere from 121 to 130 mph. I don't know why the range. Perhaps it's trap oxid vs no trap-o? I have had it to 120 with more to go...

Got a new speedometer this week, hit 100mph quickly then climbed for a while to 110 going up a hill and into traffic 4100-4200 rpm and nailed to the floor, of course had to slow down before the traffic. I think it may max out at 115 possibly 120 with lots more road...Max power is suppossed to be at 4600 rpm in the owner's manual. I don't like to run the car that hard and pissed me off when all that traffic "appeared."

By the way.. I am no speed demon, that was only once. For some reason I usually let everyone pass. It's so much fun driving, I usually do with-in 10mph of the speed limit!