You mean you routinely travel abor 129 mph?

Man, I live in the wrong part of the country; I can't remember the last time I went over 100 mph... I think I was asleep while my wife was driving my 1991 Integra. From refueling to low fuel light in 4 hours, 320 miles, 80 mph average. She told me she had it around 110 mph for a while; I was taking a nap.
Once I let a cop (a brother of a friend at the time) drive that Integra on a long trip; that was a wild ride... cruise set at 92 mph in traffic and lots of hard braking when someone cut us off. He said he's never gotten a ticket; he just shows his badge and they let him go.

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Bob Roe
Lehigh Valley PA USA
1973 Olds 88, 1972 MB 280SE, 1978 Datsun 280Z, 1971 Ford T-Bird, 1972 Olds 88, 1983 Nissan Sentra, 1985 Sentra, 1973 230.6, 1990 Acura Integra, 1991 Volvo 940GLE wagon, 1983 300SD, 1984 300SD, 1995 Subaru Legacy L wagon, 2002 Mountaineer, 1991 300TE wagon, 2008 Murano, 2007 R320CDI 4Matic 52K, some Hyundai, 2008 BMW 535xi wagon, all gone... currently
2007 Honda Odyssey Touring, 2014 E350 4matic

Here's that photo I was talking about. I don't often get to flirt with speeds much over 100 unless I'm on a trip out of state where there are 3-5 mile long flat/straight stretches in the desert with nothing but tumbleweeds in sight. I try to stay under 100 in traffic.

Since turning up the RPM limit to the max (5400-ish) and increasing the power via the full-load screw, it may be capable of 135 or so with the current gearing... not sure if/when I'd be able to test that though.

__________________
Dave
Boise, ID
Check out my website photos, documents, and movies!

I am impressed with that photo.
You are much more brave than I am, taking a picture of your speedo doing 134 indicated... or was someone in the back seat?
At those speeds I'm white knuckling it the whole way.

__________________
Bob Roe
Lehigh Valley PA USA
1973 Olds 88, 1972 MB 280SE, 1978 Datsun 280Z, 1971 Ford T-Bird, 1972 Olds 88, 1983 Nissan Sentra, 1985 Sentra, 1973 230.6, 1990 Acura Integra, 1991 Volvo 940GLE wagon, 1983 300SD, 1984 300SD, 1995 Subaru Legacy L wagon, 2002 Mountaineer, 1991 300TE wagon, 2008 Murano, 2007 R320CDI 4Matic 52K, some Hyundai, 2008 BMW 535xi wagon, all gone... currently
2007 Honda Odyssey Touring, 2014 E350 4matic

You probably missed my earlier photo from a different car, then. (See below. ) With a full Sportline suspension, Michelin Pilots, and proper alignment the car is dead stable at speed - just like Mercedes intended. I also used to amatuer roadrace sportbikes, so those kind of speeds don't bother me much. I start paying attention north of the 120-130 range, that's for sure...

__________________
Dave
Boise, ID
Check out my website photos, documents, and movies!

Plenty of speedo pics here:

http://www.500sec.com/speedopix.htm

I live in the wrong part of the country! If traffic is doing 60 I am happy!

I would pretty much drive with my foot to the floor on those roads!

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

120mph in a Renault diesel driving across Turkey!
110mph in a rusty rabbit with the fenders flapping madly 'cause the support brackets rusted through
100mph in my trusty old 300e... I've got to get out on CA Rt 5 and break that record!

168 mph in a 1990 Q45 with JWT ECU-speed limiter removed. This was about two years ago while going driving through Northern Nevada. Seemed to have some left but the road ran out.

Let's think about this for a moment. A 2000 BMW Z8 with 400 HP can only go 167, a 2003 ford Mustang Cobra can go 169 but a 4 speed automatic equipped 1990 infinity with 278 hp is faster than the Z8 but only slightly slower than the Mustang SVT Cobra??????

I think the speedo may have been wildly optimistic. The top speed was electronically limited at 151 but I don't think there was that much more in the Q45. I drove the car and I don't think they were very spectacular performers in any sense of the imagination.

Here are some top speeds of cars for the last few decades. That's one impressive Q45:

Car Theoretical Limited
1994 McLaren F1 227 mph
1995 Lamborghini Diablo SE 5.7 207 mph
2003 Ferrari 575M Maranello F1 200 mph
1996 Ferrari F50 195 mph
1991 Ferrari F40 193 mph
2002 Porsche 911 GT2 192 mph
2003 Dodge Viper SRT-10 191 mph
1998 Mercedes-Benz CLK-GTR 190 mph
2004 Mercedes-Benz E 55 AMG 189 mph 155 mph
1997 Lotus Esprit Turbo 184 mph
2003 Mercedes-Benz SL 55 AMG 184 mph 156 mph
1998 Dodge Viper GTS-R 183 mph
1997 Ferrari F355 Spider 182 mph
2002 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 176 mph
1997 Acura NSX-T 175 mph
1999 Chevrolet Corvette LS1 Hardtop 175 mph
2001 BMW M5 173 mph
2000 Maserati 3200 GT 173 mph
2002 Maserati Spyder Cambiocorsa 173 mph
1993 Mazda RX-7 Twin Turbo 172 mph
2001 Jaguar XKR 171 mph
2002 Porsche 911 Targa 171 mph
2003 Ford Mustang SVT Cobra 169 mph 155 mph
1996 Aston Martin DB7 168 mph
2000 BMW Z8 167 mph
2001 Holden GTS R (Aus) 167 mph
1994 Toyota Supra Turbo 167 mph
2001 Mercedes-Benz CLK 55 AMG 166 mph
2002 Audi S8 Quattro 165 mph
2001 BMW M3 165 mph
1994 Dodge Stealth R/T Turbo 165 mph
1993 Nissan 300ZX Turbo 165 mph 155 mph
1989 Pontiac Trans Am Turbo 164 mph
1995 Acura NSX 163 mph
2001 Panoz Esperante 163 mph
1998 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 162 mph
2002 Mercedes-Benz C 32 AMG 162 mph 155 mph
1966 AC Cobra 427 159 mph
1994 Mitsubishi 3000GT VR-4 159 mph
1999 Cadillac Seville STS 158 mph
2002 Infiniti Q45 158 mph
2003 Porsche Boxster S 157 mph
2003 Infiniti G35 Coupe 156 mph
2003 Nissan 350Z Track 156 mph
1996 Nissan Skyline GT-R (R33) 156 mph
2004 Pontiac GTO 5.7 156 mph 155 mph
2001 Porsche Boxster S 156 mph
2002 Subaru Impreza WRX Sedan AccessECU2 17" 156 mph
2003 Ford Mustang Mach 1 155 mph 151 mph
2004 Mazda RX-8 154 mph 148 mph
2004 Subaru Impreza WRX Sti (USA) 154 mph 146 mph
2003 Acura 3.2CL Type-S 153 mph
1997 BMW M3 153 mph
2003 Dodge Neon SRT-4 153 mph
2003 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution (USA) 153 mph
2003 BMW Z4 3.0i 152 mph
2001 Ford Mustang SVT Cobra 152 mph
2003 Infiniti M45 152 mph 147 mph
2001 BMW 540 i 151 mph
2002 BMW 745i 151 mph 147 mph
1968 Chevrolet Corvette L88 151 mph
2002 Subaru Impreza WRX Sedan AccessECU1 151 mph
1994 Subaru SVX LS 151 mph
2002 Acura RSX Type-R (Jap) 150 mph
1994 Alfa Romeo 164 Quadrifoglio 150 mph
2003 BMW 330 Ci Coupe 150 mph 135 mph
2002 Lexus SC430 150 mph 148 mph
2002 Mercedes-Benz CLK 430 Convertible 150 mph 130 mph
2002 Mitsubishi Lancer EVO VII (Jap) 150 mph
1998 Subaru Impreza WRX 22B Sti 150 mph
2001 Cadillac Deville DTS 149 mph
1970 Ford Mustang Boss 429 149 mph
2003 Infiniti G35 Sedan 149 mph 145 mph
1973 Porsche 911 Carrera RS 149 mph
2003 Porsche Boxster 149 mph
2000 Saab 9-3 Viggen 3-Door 149 mph
2003 Acura 3.2TL Type-S 148 mph 140 mph
2001 Acura Integra Type R 148 mph
2000 Honda S2000 148 mph
2003 Lexus LS430 148 mph
2002 Subaru Impreza WRX Sedan 17" 148 mph
1991 Toyota MR2 Turbo Coupe 148 mph
1998 Volvo C70 Coupe 148 mph
1991 Chevrolet Lumina Z34 147 mph
1991 Dodge Stealth ES 147 mph
2001 Jaguar S-Type 4.0 147 mph
1990 Mazda RX-7 Turbo 147 mph
2000 Porsche Boxster 147 mph
2002 Subaru Impreza WRX Sedan 147 mph
1995 Eagle Talon TSI AWD 146 mph
2002 Acura RSX Type-S 145 mph
2003 Audi A6 2.7T Quattro 145 mph 133 mph
2001 Audi S4 Quattro 145 mph
1989 Chevrolet Camaro IROC-Z 350 145 mph
2003 Mazda 6 s 145 mph 120 mph
2004 Nissan Maxima 3.5 SE 145 mph
1992 Subaru SVX AWD 145 mph
2001 Audi A6 4.2 Quattro 144 mph
2001 BMW 330 i 144 mph 130 mph
1998 Ford Contour SVT 144 mph
1989 Toyota Supra Turbo 144 mph
1995 Volvo 850 T-5R 144 mph
1999 BMW 328 i 143 mph
2001 BMW 330 Ci Convertible 143 mph 128 mph
2001 BMW 330 xi 143 mph 128 mph
2003 Honda Accord EX V-6 Sedan 143 mph 130 mph
1967 Maserati Ghibli 143 mph
2002 Subaru Impreza WRX Sedan 143 mph
1997 Volvo 850 T5 143 mph
1987 Buick Regal Grand National GNX 142 mph
1998 Ford Mustang GT 142 mph
2001 Lexus IS300 142 mph
2003 Mercury Marauder 142 mph 117 mph
1995 Mitsubishi Eclipse GS-T 142 mph
2003 Nissan Altima 3.5SE 142 mph
1999 Volvo V70 R AWD 142 mph
1994 Chevrolet Impala SS 141 mph
2002 Lexus IS300 141 mph 139 mph
1997 Pontiac Grand Prix GTP Sedan 141 mph
2001 Acura 3.2CL 140 mph
2001 Audi TT Coupe Quattro 225 HP 140 mph 130 mph
1999 Bentley Arnage 140 mph
2003 Cadillac CTS 140 mph 140 mph
1999 Chrysler 300M 140 mph
1993 Ford Mustang LX 5.0 Coupe 140 mph
2004 Infiniti FX45 140 mph
1995 Oldsmobile Aurora 140 mph 135 mph
2002 Audi A4 3.0 CVT 139 mph 134 mph
2000 Audi TT Coupe 180HP 139 mph
2001 Audi TT Roadster Quattro 225 HP 139 mph

FWIW, top speed is more a function of HP and Cd (coefficient of drag) than weight or other factors. A car with relatively low HP can have a hign top speed if the Cd is excellent, and vice-versa. That's how the brick-looking 500E can manage about 175mph top end with "only" 322hp if the rear end is changed to taller gears... it has an excellent Cd. (In stock form, the car is redline limited to around 165mph.)

__________________
Dave
Boise, ID
Check out my website photos, documents, and movies!

I saw a video of a CLK-GTR doing 240 mph. The SLR should do 206 mph. The http://www.koenigsegg.com/ did 241 mph.

My dad drove a '90 Q45 around when I was younger(very briefly). The acceleration feel was similar to the 4.2 liter M119.

However, I was quite dissapointed by how poorly it pulled downhill against a run-away Peterbilt playing chicken with us. My father hit the gas at 123 mph to get past this lunatic. It seemed to take forever to get near 140. I was very unimpressed.

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1987 300SDL (324000)

1986 Porsche 951 (944 Turbo) (166000)

1978 Porsche 924 (99000)

1996 Nissan Pathfinder R50 (201000)

Most high end sports cars are not gear limited; rather, they are drag limited. I don't think there is any way that a 500E could manage a top speed of 175 in anything other than a vacuum.

Maybe with a good tailwind

I thought they were rev limited somewhere around 160-165 mph

__________________
Bob Roe
Lehigh Valley PA USA
1973 Olds 88, 1972 MB 280SE, 1978 Datsun 280Z, 1971 Ford T-Bird, 1972 Olds 88, 1983 Nissan Sentra, 1985 Sentra, 1973 230.6, 1990 Acura Integra, 1991 Volvo 940GLE wagon, 1983 300SD, 1984 300SD, 1995 Subaru Legacy L wagon, 2002 Mountaineer, 1991 300TE wagon, 2008 Murano, 2007 R320CDI 4Matic 52K, some Hyundai, 2008 BMW 535xi wagon, all gone... currently
2007 Honda Odyssey Touring, 2014 E350 4matic

The 124.036 was allegedly goverened to 155mph, however some cars seem to not have the governor (don't know why). Ungoverened, with the stock 2.82 gears, they will reach 164-165mph, gearing/redline limited. With the gears changed taller (say, the 2.62 gears from an R129) the car is drag limited in the 172-175mph range. If you don't believe me, ask some people in Europe who actually play with these things frequently at those speeds. The Cd is amazingly good on the W124. The assorted 6.0/6.5L W124 tuner cars (AMG, Brabus, RENNtech, etc) were mostly capable of 180-190mph due to the extra power *and* taller gears. I found some specs on those once, I can dig them up again and post here if anyone cares.

__________________
Dave
Boise, ID
Check out my website photos, documents, and movies!