BMW why do they?

Is that also true in Europe? I thought they limited the speed limit in USA due to some federal traffic laws?

My understanding is that it has been a "gentleman's agreement", between BMW and Mercedes, along with Audi to a lesser extent. I don't actually remember the reasons but I suspect if they opened these cars up to their potential speeds the OMC cost for tires would escalate significantly. So I am not certain their agreement was not about the consumer as much as it was about limiting their costs for cars they knew weren't ever gonna be driven faster than that anyway. Most of these makers have gone above and beyond the limit in certain "special" models...Audi in particular with their RS and S models and Merc with some of their AMGs.

I believe each is still offering to program these limits out of your car, after your have taken possession of it, for a small fee and a number of signed waivers and disclaimers.

It's the OEM tires that are the limiting factor.

Hmm. My 328i is limited to 128 mph and my Z4 to 155. Both came with OEM W rated tires (168 mph).

Tom

It's called a gentleman's agreement between them and others and the German Government. If they and merc etc competed in top speed the government threatened a blanket top speed limit well below this.

If this is accurate, and I am not implying it isn't, why is Porsche free to sell cars without this top speed limit, or Audi allowed to pay heed when they want and not when they don't want? Seems all this is doing is limiting Merc and BMW, but not lowering the possible speeds to be acheived on german roadways. What is it about porsche/Audi that the government decided wasn't pertinent to the high speed these cars are capable of?

my 1991 525i is stock and i have had it going about 145-150 mph no problem

Ross Garrett wrote:

This is a thread about speed limiting, not optimistic BMW speedometers.

More like 170 for the M3, 175 for the E39 M5.

John

Rarely if ever. Although BMW limits some of its US cars the 128 in anticipation of owners replacing their tires with lesser equipment.

R / John

theres a factory option to remove the electronic max speed limit..

for my (x5) the option code is 0840

What I dont know - is how fast it can actually go....

Regards,

"John Carrier" wrote

That is not true - you've got it backward. Most BMWs in the US without the sport packages are limited to 128, because they come with H-rated tires from the factory. For instance my '01 330xi came with Conti Sport Contact 91H, and is limited to 128.

Floyd

It might be that they are trying to help you from smearing yourself across the road. 99% of drivers cannont handle a car over 100 mph. I've learned this at a few driving schools including Skip Barber. You may be able to drive you car in a strait line at 150 or so, and maybe even some light corners, but try and execute an emergency manuver or hit a pothole in the road at 100mph and its a whole different story.

I would say V1 ~220kph and V2 ~240kph. I do hope meant M5, the X5 has all the aerodynamics of a garden shed with a parasol on the front*...

• the original joke was about UK police Range Rovers that had loads of trim removed and an uprated (higher compression than the standard low compression 'tractor fuel' 3500 V8). These went quite fast, but were very thirsty and had all the aerodynamics of a brick ****house.

Range Rovers in the UK have always been in general high compression. Even the early ones perhaps aimed at the working farmer etc by the rubber mats rather than carpets.;-) Although I'm sure you could specify a low compression version as these would have been sold overseas.

There is - or was - a low compression version fitted to vans and ambulances that only managed 128 bhp from carbs. ;-)

The Met - London police - at one time specified low compression for all their cars so they only needed to stock one type of low octane petrol for both cars and vans. So the old rumour about them being tuned was in fact correct - but tuned down. ;-)

'Area' cars - that's the type that may do chases - round here are now E39 diesels. They were bought towards the end of the run, so I'd guess the Met got a very good deal. There are also some Tourings.

The Range Rover was released in June 1970 with the "Same engine as used in the 31/2 litre and 3500 models, but with lowered compression". [of 8.5:1]. A key market for Range Rovers was overseas, but low compression was the standard spec'.

This was changed to 9.35:1 in 1981, although plods, working farmers (an original sales point was that you could get sheep in the back and then hose it down to go to ut for the evening...) etc. could order a down spec' "Fleetline" version.

As it happens an X5 is a vastly superior drive to a Land Rover (only been driven a Range Rover), but whilst the oomph is much the same as a 7 series, I would guess that pushed round corners with similar haste one would soon come a cropper. (a Range Rover of course would go through the hedge and carry on on the other side as if nothing had happened).

Man, that Denver cop who drives the Ford Crown Vic, must get bummed reading stuff like this :^)

It's definitely accurate - read *any* European car magazine and they'll mention it. Porsche is exempt because it's an exotic, and there won't be as many on the roads. Brabus, AMG, and other "tuner" cars aren't so limited because in Germany tuners have the same status as car-makers. From what I've read, isn't the EU pushing for all the countries to go with the same top speed, slowing down Germany and Italy's roads? Thought I heard about that last year. Emanuel

My '94 325i with the Sport Package One came with 92V tires, and a 128 mph speed limit.

I don't think the tires have anything to do with the speed limit in the computer. Indeed, it appears to me that my car will reach the red line at about 145 (if there was no limiter), so I have to assume that an engine failure at that speed - both ground speed and engine speed - would be at best mildly problematic for most drivers, and at worst hugely problematic for everybody else that was anywhere nearby. I prefer to think that the limiter will keep the car well below redline at its maximum speed, and this is the only reason to have the limiter.

I can hear some moron now, "your honor, they never told me to not go that fast ..."