I've seen my MINI do ~120 on the dyno in 4th gear...

 

In a MINI or other 4 wheels? Or does sliding down the pavement after crashing my 1982 GS1100E at 130 MPH qualify?

All day today and last nite I had the cruise control set at 70 MPH to check MPG and cruise through at least a half dozen speed traps!

34 MPG, figured the old fashioned way and about 36 MPG on the OBC.

 

60 mph in a parking lot. Speed is boring, trying to drive fast between cones is fun. Thanks, to autocross and being above 18 years of age I have not taken the mini up to any ridiculous speeds on the highway.

Stick to safe fun legal fun

 

Mach 1.6

 

Cool - my theory is correct - the MINI has made me YOUNGER.

 

I know it's a day late and a dollar short, but my two cents is woth at least a pretty penny. "High speeds are meant for the race track, if you want to go fast, we'll go to the track" -my father circa 1989. It's a safER, controlled environment. Everyone going the same way (usually), barriers to keep you in, safety vehicle only minutes away..... Why would you go that fast on the roads in the states? The autobahn may be legal, but it isn't much safer. What kind of chance do you stand in any vehicle, much less a Mini, at those speeds in a wreck? You don't. I have seen 3 deaths in car wrecks under 55 mph. 2 brothers that were friends and a former teammate, avoiding a raccoon, doing 45mph went sideways into a ditch. He didn't get out. All 3 were wearing their seat belts. You can't react to a vehicle pulling out in front of you, an animal crossing your path, your reactions may be fast, what if there wrong? What if you do react quickly but do the wrong thing? There isn't time to think at those speeds, only react. Get to the track, play safe and have fun. Use your heads for more than a hat rack!

AMEN! -I'm off my box now.

 

Hey if you are on the highway and there is nobody on a straight shot and you do not mind going to jail if you get caught, have at it! Nobody will be in danger but yourself and you have a MINI to do it in which is very controllable at high speeds. Did I mention I got caught going 143 in a 55 with my '03 600RR 4 years ago? They caught me and my cousin going into PA from Ohio about 12 miles up the highway. We did not even know we got caught but the guy who radared us called ahead and had other boys pick us up. The only reason we got caught is because my cousins 600f3 is carbeurated and not FI and it overloaded and shot the air filter off the mounting bracket and started making a hella noise. I learned my lesson that day!

 

Here in the Northeast, you have a chance to see the prosecutor before your hearing ... they usually dismiss the ticket without any court appearance ... sometimes they ask for a token donation to the state crime victim's fund ... but the key point is, NEVER plead guilty and NEVER just send in the ticket.

Oh, and about 110 on the front stretch at Lime Rock. ... I'm still learning.

 

I have never exceeded the posted speed limit on an public motorway and my ticket on Wednesday was issued in error; the officer obviously had faulty equipment.

 

Location, location, location. Track is the best, and only safe, choice.

We drove out to Lake Tahoe last year. I saw a few places crossing Nevada and Utah were speeding doesn't matter. At all. You can see everything taller than a grasshopper for better than 5 miles. The road is flat, smooth, and empty.
We drove 148 miles without passing another vehicle. In daylight. Omega Man syndrome doth ensue.
Held it around 100 for ahile. Maxed at 123. Windows down, sunroof open. Plenty of pedal left.

Prolly never again.

 

fastest herman and i have gone was 129mph. ( that is aprox due to the kph-mph conversion) not to bad for a non s. Dont want to do it again cause over here if you are caught doing 50kph over the limit (limit is 100 or 62mph) they take your car and impound it !!!

 

You keep telling yourself that it's OK to go that fast on the empty freeway. Why is it people always say "I never even saw them" ? At those speed your reaction time is tenths of a second and if you whip the wheel to avoid something.... I hope you have a six point seat belt on because your gonna tumble.

The speeding ticket thing: There is a lot of bad info out there. I have been recertifying (not recalibrating-you can't calibrate a radar unit) and repairing radar units since February of 2001 for Kustom Signals, MPH, Stalker and Decatur, the big 4. The only chance you have of getting out of a ticket is to challenge it's recertification (the radar unit) or the officers credentials. The officer is supposed to complete a training course in properly writing tickets, and the radar is recommended to be re-checked annually. Some state agencies mandate more frequent testing. Michigan and Florida are 2x per year and Pennsylvania is 4x. Ohio has it's own in house department that does it 4x a year for the state police. If you get tagged with a laser it's over, pay the fine and go about your day.
BTW, you can be arrested and the car impounded in many states for anything more than 30+ mph over the posted limit. If the officer deams it reckless, your in trouble. If you get caught racing in North Carolina you lose the car, permanently. Many other states are working on adopting this law, it is a serious deterrent to street racing.

 

Yeah, it's amazing there are any Germans (or Montanans) still alive... woulda thought excess speed would have made them all extinct by now...

Geesh.

 

Nice Blimey- geuss you haven't been fortunate enough to know anybody who ended up in a twisted ball of wreckage?
Last weekend some idiot in Ohio thought he would show his son, late at night when the road was clear, just how fast his car was. The family "enjoyed" a double funeral this week.
It's all fun and games until it happens to you, then it isn't so funny.
I've rolled a car, hung upside down for 30 seconds and walked away. Oh ya, I was in a 6 point harness and the roll cage surrounding me held up nicely. And the road was completely clear too......

 

on mini, about 120+ish

on my convertible, 125ish with top down

on my e36 325is, about 135.

on my buddy's e46 m3, 160 with 3 passengers.

on my buddy's is-f, about 185+ish

 

^ Oh Yeah, +1

It scares me to think that some folks out there are going sooo fast and that they are way in over their heads.

If something unexpected were to happen... I shudder to think of the consequences!

I suppose that then we will see pics posted on this forum showing the remains of someone's MINI all balled up & torn apart.

Let's Motor safely and when the need for speed hits you, then take it to the track!

 

You seem really angry. Maybe you should step back and chill a bit.

I've known my share of auto fatalities. With all kinds of causes, including excessive speed for the conditions.

I've also known folks who have safely driven many, many hundreds of thousands of miles at speeds appropriate for the conditions, which frequently has very little to do with the posted speed "limits".

But the consensus of many in this country, including lawmakers, that anyone who drives over X miles per hour is recklessly endangering their lives and others is irrational. You can drive dangerously and slowly, just as you can drive safely and fast. Many do both.

 

Angry? No. I like the little red face the best. Are you actually rationalizing 100+ MPH speeds on public roads? You have to be kidding me. This isn't a speed limit issue, it's safety. Those speeds are just plain dumb. I went 135, on the public roads, as a 18 year old. I would think/hope you be smarter than that. There is no being reasonable or being within your's or your cars limits at those speeds. Your attempt to justify it is weak.

 

just want to let you know minimike1 that i agree with the speed issue. yes i have taken the mini to the 120 plus range but it was on a closed strait road with permission from an officer (friend on the local force who was with me) No chance on public open highway for me.

 

The fastest I've ever gone is 575 mph. In a Boeing 727. Boring as hell.

Fastest I've ever gone in a four-wheeled vehicle: 135 mph in a Formula Ford entering Canada Corner at Road America. Far more enjoyable than the Boeing ride.

Most fun I've ever had on four-wheels: 125cc Shifter Kart at the 0.6 mile long Badger Kart Club in Dousman, WI. The g's encountered in a shifter kart during acceleration, deceleration, and cornering are absolutely insane.

Fastest in the Mini: 75 mph.

My personal addiction is to the g-forces, not the velocity. Gotta love them 270 degree on-ramps!

 

Amen and a second on that Goldbrix! I haven't raced at Road America, I will one day. The Glen too. The G's are where it's at!

 

I agree Gold Brix!

Canada Corner is a hoot but the Kink is the one that makes me pucker!

 

Those are the BEST!

 

I haven't said what speed I drive on public roads and have nothing to gain by doing so on a public forum.

I haven't said anything previously to "justify" it but since you mention it, now I will. I want to. There. That's all the "justification" I need as an adult in a (at least still partially) free country.

Now, to "rationalize" it... speeds such as the ones you mentioned are WELL within the performance envelope of the MINI. The fact that owners in Germany routinely drive at those speeds with no ill effect prove that. And the fact that there are SOME roads in the US with conditions very similar to the autobahn *rationally" support the concept that it's no more dangerous to do it in those conditions, regardless of which side of the Atlantic you're on.

In contrast, I NEVER drove fast as a teen. I was smart enough not then, and too afraid of dying (unlike many). But now, about half a million miles of training later, I'm confident that I can better judge what's safe and what isn't than someone who isn't in my car at the time.

No matter what... it's still safer (for me) than riding a motorcycle.

 

Turn 2 at Big Willow is pretty fun too...