Caught doing 120mph on the motorway

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[youngsyr]

WinstonWolf said:

youngsyr said:

WinstonWolf said:

youngsyr said:

WinstonWolf said:

They don't, they really don't. If you were local I'd put my money where my mouth is and show you just how effortlessly they get to and travel at that speed. The scenery tells you you're going quickly, but that's it.

But that's my point - I'm not saying you have to labour the engine to reach that speed or in any way stretch the car, I'm saying the driver has to make a deliberate and sustained attempt to reach that speed, whether that's ignoring the scenery flashing past for 15 seconds on part throttle or holding the throttle flat to the floor for 5 seconds - neither is something a competent driver would do by accident, regardless of the car.

I'm well aware that there are cars that will reach 120 mph (and significantly faster) with ease.

But that's the point, you *don't* have to make any effort. Gentle squeeze, whoops, better slow down. If you've never been in one you should, it redefines what you think a luxo barge can do

Those first two sentences are contradictory - a "gentle squeeze" is an "effort" (in the sense of a physical action).

Any competent driver will know that if they're driving a 4.2 TD A8 at 70 mph, a "gentle squeeze" of the throttle for 15 seconds will see them at licence losing speeds.

Let me know when you've actually been in one. Until then I'm afraid you simply have no idea... If you're in Cambs I'll take you out, can't say fairer than that...

My Dad owns an E55 AMG, it's a 5.4L supercharged V8 with 470 bhp and 520 Ftlbs. I was a passenger in it on repeated Vmax runs at RAF Marham a few years back - I know full well what powerful German barges take to get to 120 mph and I repeat that a competent driver wouldn't do it by accident.

My sister in law owns a C63 AMG. Ditto - the noise alone makes it obvious you're hammering it!

[WinstonWolf]

youngsyr said:

WinstonWolf said:

youngsyr said:

WinstonWolf said:

youngsyr said:

WinstonWolf said:

They don't, they really don't. If you were local I'd put my money where my mouth is and show you just how effortlessly they get to and travel at that speed. The scenery tells you you're going quickly, but that's it.

But that's my point - I'm not saying you have to labour the engine to reach that speed or in any way stretch the car, I'm saying the driver has to make a deliberate and sustained attempt to reach that speed, whether that's ignoring the scenery flashing past for 15 seconds on part throttle or holding the throttle flat to the floor for 5 seconds - neither is something a competent driver would do by accident, regardless of the car.

I'm well aware that there are cars that will reach 120 mph (and significantly faster) with ease.

But that's the point, you *don't* have to make any effort. Gentle squeeze, whoops, better slow down. If you've never been in one you should, it redefines what you think a luxo barge can do

Those first two sentences are contradictory - a "gentle squeeze" is an "effort" (in the sense of a physical action).

Any competent driver will know that if they're driving a 4.2 TD A8 at 70 mph, a "gentle squeeze" of the throttle for 15 seconds will see them at licence losing speeds.

Let me know when you've actually been in one. Until then I'm afraid you simply have no idea... If you're in Cambs I'll take you out, can't say fairer than that...

My Dad own's an E55 AMG, it's a 5.4L supercharged V8 with 470 bhp and 520 Ftlbs. I was a passenger in it on repeated Vmax runs at RAF Marham a few years back - I know full well what powerful German barges take to get to 120 mph and I repeat that a competent driver wouldn't do it by accident.

Ooh they do make a nice noise when you press the loud pedal. Unlike an A8

[mybrainhurts]

Sump said:

popeyewhite said:

youngsyr said:

I've driven some pretty powerful cars (400 bhp+) over the years and I can assure you it takes a deliberate and sustained effort to hit 120 mph. It's certainly not something you do accidentally after leaning on the loud pedal a little too hard for a couple of seconds, even with that kind of power.

An E63 AMG or M5 both have in excess of 550bhp. Trust me there's no 'deliberate or sustained effort' involved in hitting 130-140+ in one of those. 70-120? Blink of an eye.

Rubbish, your brain will absolutely notice you going from 70-120. It does require you to actively think, let me push that pedal further.

No idea what you've driven of late, but poppywhite is quite correct.

[R8VXF]

mybrainhurts said:

No idea what you've driven of late, but poppywhite is quite correct.

+1, I do quite often have oh st moments, though usually only when accelerating onto the mway and looking for spaces as the HUD usually keeps me on track. Driving a car that can happily take you from 20-130 in 4th in about half a mile, 85-120 in 6th is pretty bloody easy pretty bloody quickly. Also consider that redline at 6250rpm is geared for 210mph, there is not a considerable raise in either rpm or noise. Have had passengers say they were surprised we were going so quickly when I tell them the true speed we were doing where they had guessed 20mph or so lower.

[blank]

mybrainhurts said:

Sump said:

popeyewhite said:

youngsyr said:

I've driven some pretty powerful cars (400 bhp+) over the years and I can assure you it takes a deliberate and sustained effort to hit 120 mph. It's certainly not something you do accidentally after leaning on the loud pedal a little too hard for a couple of seconds, even with that kind of power.

An E63 AMG or M5 both have in excess of 550bhp. Trust me there's no 'deliberate or sustained effort' involved in hitting 130-140+ in one of those. 70-120? Blink of an eye.

Rubbish, your brain will absolutely notice you going from 70-120. It does require you to actively think, let me push that pedal further.

No idea what you've driven of late, but poppywhite is quite correct.

Doesn't even need to be that powerful, my TT is only 270bhp but I've had to remind my girlfriend when she's been driving that 115mph is probably a bit much. Although obviously as she's female the 'driving' element of driving is about 5th on the list of priorities when piloting a vehicle.

[Sump]

What are we actually discussing here?

Is it, does 120 feel like you're going 70 or is it that you actually require some input from your brain to go from 70-120?

Anyone who ends up doing 120 without genuinely realising ( not the, my car is so well built brigade, you can't even tell the speed you do cause that's the cool thing to say ) shouldn't be driving.

[mybrainhurts]

Sump said:

What are we actually discussing here?

Is it, does 120 feel like you're going 70 or is it that you actually require some input from your brain to go from 70-120?

Anyone who ends up doing 120 without genuinely realising ( not the, my car is so well built brigade, you can't even tell the speed you do cause that's the cool thing to say ) shouldn't be driving.

How very authoritarian.

If you are competent, you can recognise where you can safely make rapid progress, according to conditions, and choose an appropriate speed without looking at your speedo or knowing the number on it.

Do you really drive the cars in your profile?

[Captainawesome]

WinstonWolf said:

youngsyr said:

WinstonWolf said:

youngsyr said:

WinstonWolf said:

youngsyr said:

popeyewhite said:

youngsyr said:

The power is irrelevant - you either use it and accelerate quickly (more G force = more noticeable) or you don't and accelerate slowly (longer time = more noticeable).

Hence my point: you can't get to 120 mph without noticing it.

No, your point was 'without deliberate and sustained effort'. A bit higher up the page.

And I outlined why even in a powerful car, it takes a sustained effort to hit 120 mph:

1) you rarely ever use full throttle (as the acceleration is extremely aggressive); and

2) even when you do, it's extremely rare that you do it for more than a few seconds (because the speed obtained is dangerous for most road conditions).

So, holding full throttle in a powerful car for even a few seconds is a sustained effort.

Does it easily on a partial throttle in an A8

Sorry, mine's got the 4.2TD

Great, I'm over the moon for you, but a 4.2 TD A8 isn't 500 bhp+, which is what we're discussing here.

How long does it take your A8 to go from 70 mph to 120 mph?

It's not about the BHP, it's about the torque. 480 lb ft makes it easy. I've no idea how long it takes, just that it's a doddle to do it and the car is just as composed as it is at 70.



The whole point about these cars is to be able to travel at speed on the Autobahn and arrive feeling fresh.

Nice question dodge! My point isn't that no car in existence is capable of doing 120 mph, that's clearly ridiculous. What I'm saying is that no competent driver can do 120 mph without noticing, regardless of the car.

The non-M/S/RS German barges are possibly some of the few cars designed to do that speed comfortably, but even they take a deliberate and sustained effort to hit 120 mph, even if they have a 4.2 TD engine.

They don't, they really don't. If you were local I'd put my money where my mouth is and show you just how effortlessly they get to and travel at that speed. The scenery tells you you're going quickly, but that's it.

Having just gone from a high bhp/low torque car to an equal bhp/torque car (of equal bhp to the previous car) I can certainly say that the torque makes picking up the same speed weirdly serene. No real sense of the car shifting so much other than to watch the speedo climb.

[Sump]

mybrainhurts said:

Sump said:

What are we actually discussing here?

Is it, does 120 feel like you're going 70 or is it that you actually require some input from your brain to go from 70-120?

Anyone who ends up doing 120 without genuinely realising ( not the, my car is so well built brigade, you can't even tell the speed you do cause that's the cool thing to say ) shouldn't be driving.

How very authoritarian.

If you are competent, you can recognise where you can safely make rapid progress, according to conditions, and choose an appropriate speed without looking at your speedo or knowing the number on it.

Do you really drive the cars in your profile?

No, someone has previously said that it is possible to get to 120 without even realising. The important factor here is without even realising part. If you are looking to make progress then you're obviously going to realise roughly when you're going over a tonne.

I am calling BS on anyone saying then can go from 70-120 without even realising.

[LoonR1]

I can't beleive this discussion.

If you're cruising along at 80 on the motorway, then you're likely to be in top gear. To then go to 120 will mean, either dropping it a few gears (conscious effort), or putting your foot to the floor for a while and letting it gradually cruise there (again, conscious effort).

I've just tested this in my M3, which passes the 400+bhp test. It takes longer than you'd think by leaving it in 7th. I didn't time it, but I'll do it again tomorrow and time it then if you want. To get there "in the blink of an eye", took a drop down to 4th and heavy right foot, then it flew.

To say you don't notice the speed difference is ridiculous.

[Sump]

LoonR1 said:

I can't beleive this discussion.

If you're cruising along at 80 on the motorway, then you're likely to be in top gear. To then go to 120 will mean, either dropping it a few gears (conscious effort), or putting your foot to the floor for a while and letting it gradually cruise there (again, conscious effort).

I've just tested this in my M3, which passes the 400+bhp test. It takes longer than you'd think by leaving it in 7th. I didn't time it, but I'll do it again tomorrow and time it then if you want. To get there "in the blink of an eye", took a drop down to 4th and heavy right foot, then it flew.

To say you don't notice the speed difference is ridiculous.

[LoonR1]

You're welcome.

My bike is even quicker, but you seriously notice that!

[popeyewhite]

Sump said:

No, someone has previously said that it is possible to get to 120 without even realising.

You need glasses, but you can have a prize for making up quotes.

[Sump]

popeyewhite said:

Sump said:

No, someone has previously said that it is possible to get to 120 without even realising.

You need glasses, but you can have a prize for making up quotes.

115 / 120

btcc123 said:

After buying my latest car on the way home I turned onto the motorway slip road,pressed the throttle about the same as my previous car while looking to my right at the traffic on the motorway and as I joined the motorway I realised I was doing 115mph that felt like about 70.

120

popeyewhite said:

An E63 AMG or M5 both have in excess of 550bhp. Trust me there's no 'deliberate or sustained effort' involved in hitting 130-140+ in one of those. 70-120? Blink of an eye.

[popeyewhite]

LoonR1 said:

If you're cruising along at 80 on the motorway, then you're likely to be in top gear. To then go to 120 will mean, either dropping it a few gears (conscious effort), or putting your foot to the floor for a while and letting it gradually cruise there

lol, been in an M5 recently?

LoonR1 said:

I've just tested this in my M3, which passes the 400+bhp test. It takes longer than you'd think by leaving it in 7th. I didn't time it, but I'll do it again tomorrow and time it then if you want. To get there "in the blink of an eye", took a drop down to 4th and heavy right foot, then it flew.

In a tiny torqued M3 you'd probably have to wait a week or two.

LoonR1 said:

To say you don't notice the speed difference is ridiculous.

To use your M3 as a baseline for a torque test is somewhat naive.

[popeyewhite]

Sump said:

popeyewhite said:

Sump said:

No, someone has previously said that it is possible to get to 120 without even realising.

You need glasses, but you can have a prize for making up quotes.

115 / 120

btcc123 said:

After buying my latest car on the way home I turned onto the motorway slip road,pressed the throttle about the same as my previous car while looking to my right at the traffic on the motorway and as I joined the motorway I realised I was doing 115mph that felt like about 70.

120

popeyewhite said:

An E63 AMG or M5 both have in excess of 550bhp. Trust me there's no 'deliberate or sustained effort' involved in hitting 130-140+ in one of those. 70-120? Blink of an eye.

So...you made it up then.

[Sump]

I'm sorry, you just said in that quote, 120 blink of an eye, no effort etc etc.

We just concluded that was complete BS....

[popeyewhite]

Sump said:

I'm sorry, you just said in that quote, 120 blink of an eye, no effort etc etc.

We just concluded that was complete BS....

No need to apologise.

It's quite obvious you took the quote completely out of context. And as it's a quote of mine I feel I can 100% assure 'blink of an eye' means very quickly... not 'without realising'.

Try not to be rude in your reply why don'tcha.

[Sump]

popeyewhite said:

Sump said:

I'm sorry, you just said in that quote, 120 blink of an eye, no effort etc etc.

We just concluded that was complete BS....

No need to apologise.

It's quite obvious you took the quote completely out of context. And as it's a quote of mine I feel I can 100% assure 'blink of an eye' means very quickly... not 'without realising'.

Try not to be rude in your reply why don'tcha.

Yes very quickly ....if you go flat out. The discussion is based on "without realising"...