to Wiesbaden from Eurotunnel

[Grinning]

driving to Wiesbaden from the Eurotunnel and want to stretch the legs on an unrestricted section of Autobahn. Anyone know a route with this in mind? Cheers

[dcb]

Grinning said:

driving to Wiesbaden from the Eurotunnel and want to stretch the legs on an unrestricted section of Autobahn. Anyone know a route with this in mind? Cheers

E40 Calais to Aachen.

A4 Aachen to Koln is mostly unrestricted.
A3 Koln to Frankfurt is the same.

Some of the bends in the A3 are tricky over 130 mph,
and there are plenty of height changes too.

[Grinning]

cheers, sounds like it will be fun...

Now this will sound obvious but how can you tell when you are entering an unrestricted section? What do those signs look like?

Clearly the signs when entering a restricted section will give me a fairly strong indicator!

[Einion Yrth]

Grinning said:

Now this will sound obvious but how can you tell when you are entering an unrestricted section? What do those signs look like?

Looks like an NSL sign but the diagonal bar is made of pinstripes.

Second one down

May not have the speed indicated.

[dumbfunk]

Yup - White circle with 4 thin diagonal lines.
Grow to love it.

[dcb]

dumbfunk said:

Yup - White circle with 4 thin diagonal lines.
Grow to love it.

Indeed.

Folks doing over 200 kmh is a clue, also.

There's a hierarchy

250-300 kmh Porsche, Ferrari, Lambo etc
200-250 kmh Audi, BMW, Mercedes Benz, some Lexi and even an occasional Volvo
100-200 kmh People carriers, Diesel Passat estates, ordinary chariots
0-100 kmh Lorries, assorted Green party vehicles like 2CV etc

The Germans are pretty sensible about limits.

Where there is a limit, it WILL be posted every kilometer
or so, either a permanent limit by signs at the side
of the road, or a temporary limit by gantry overhead.

If you've driven 5km or so and seen no limit signs
or the overhead gantries are switched off, then it
is reasonable to assume you are in an unrestricted
section and so are permitted to drive at any speed you like.

OTOH, if you are in an unrestricted section doing,
let's say for argument 220 kmh, and you enter a 120 kmh
limit, you'd better be prepared to stamp on the brakes
pretty quickly to get within 20 kmh or so of the limit
pretty sharpish.

With freedom comes responsibility.

[Grinning]

Thanks again all - I am looking forward to my unrestricted education.

[dumbfunk]

You'll be fine and will love it!

If you don't mind me giving some basic pointers based upon my 30k or so miles in Germany, try to build the speed up gradually and adjust your thinking to look twice as far into the distance as usual. Aim to anticipate other road user's movements to the extent that acceleration sense means your very rarely need to actually brake. When looking in your mirror remember that some really quite basic vehicles often cruise at much higher speeds than you think possible and take regular breaks - it's much more mentally tiring than 68mph on the M25.

And be sure to report back eh?


dumbfunk

[Grinning]

Sure - i'll provide feedback after 13/14 weekend. Something of a race challenge as I head off from north London by car & Eurotunnel, then the Continental dash whilst the wife catches the plane from Heathrow and taxi... Should be a breeze as I have a morning start & she can't leave til the pm.

[Zod]

The A3 is one of my favourite roads. I used to do that drive several times a year. If I set off early int eh mornign from Frankfurt, it would often be empty enough to go up to the limiter.

[Grinning]

what's a limiter?

[Grinning]

This is sad. I returned to the UK after a cracking drive through the continent and reached the German roads which were A2 Aachen to Cologne and then A3 from Cologne to Wiesbaden/Frankfurt. The A3 was nice and free on unrestricted sections and the lane discipline was great - hardly anyone pulled out on you from the middle lane and you were watching some 500m + ahead when doing over a ton. The unrestricted sections don't last all that long or when they do, they crowd up - it is not that quiet on a 5pm Thursday going to Frnakfurt.

Got to 146mph on the way there and 151mph on the way back. The reason I am sad is cos I didn't go through the Audi/Benz/VW 155mph limiter speed. Cracking fun and the car felt beautiful and planted the whole time with never a rattle or wobble. Dropping back down to a ton felt sooooo sloooow. Haven't had a buzz like that since going on the track or hitting some English country roads - certainly never got a kick out of going on the motorway before for heaven's sake.

Best was entering an unrestricted section at 80mph, dropping into 4th and going up through 5th 115mph, then cruise into 6th for the remainder and leave that pesky S3 behind.

Next time - the 155 mph barrier will be broken.

[dumbfunk]

Good stuff!
Doesn't it just kill you to hit the poxy M20 again though



df

[dcb]

Grinning said:

The A3 was nice and free on unrestricted sections and the lane discipline was great - hardly anyone pulled out on you from the middle lane and you were watching some 500m + ahead when doing over a ton. The unrestricted sections don't last all that long or when they do, they crowd up - it is not that quiet on a 5pm Thursday going to Frnakfurt.

Excellent - but 5 pm is a bad time for a Vmax run.

7 am weekends is good.

Grinning said:

Got to 146mph on the way there and 151mph on the way back. The reason I am sad is cos I didn't go through the Audi/Benz/VW 155mph limiter speed.

I've heard of through the keyhole, but never through the limiter.

Contradiction in terms, surely ?

Grinning said:

Best was entering an unrestricted section at 80mph, dropping into 4th and going up through 5th 115mph, then cruise into 6th for the remainder and leave that pesky S3 behind.

Best I did was last time. Pottering about at 100 mph or so
in unrestricted section of the A3 near Frankfurt. The road
straightens out and I can see no traffic in my lane
for a couple of miles.

I obviously floor it, it changes into third, red line tango
to about 120 mph, change into fourth, more red line tango to
about 135 mph and it decides to change into top and we head
for 147 mph, where a people carrier pulls out on me, only
doing about 130 mph, and so I must slow down.

This with the gearbox in economy mode.

Grinning said:

Next time - the 155 mph barrier will be broken.

You'll need something without a 155 mph limiter for that, won't
you, unless I've misunderstood the word "limiter" ?

[Grinning]

dcb said:

Grinning said:

Next time - the 155 mph barrier will be broken.

You'll need something without a 155 mph limiter for that, won't
you, unless I've misunderstood the word "limiter" ?

Ahh, what I meant was that I was disappointed that I only achieved a sub-155 speed. All German cars seem capable of nudging their 155mph limiter so I wanted to notch up a 155+ speed to demonstrate the victory of pur-ish British engineering over German.