Date: Sat, 12 Feb 2005 00:29:22 +0100 From: "Matthias Retzer" <matthias_retzernospamline.de> Subject: Re: how fast does your Saab go?
Nice story to read ;-) especialy for one guy from Germany like me. I hit the Autobahn almost every day and 185 km/h is nothing unusual. I drive an 9-5 Aero (250 hp) wagon - maximum speed is 256 km/h (around 160 miles) GPS measured (speedo shows 260). Im pretty sure the car could go faster but maximum speed seems to be somewhat limited by Trionic 7, as the turbo-boost decreases at 255... Greetings from Bavaria, Matthias "Grand Poobah" <grandpoobahNOSPAMnospamdise.net.nz> schrieb im Newsbeitrag news:41fb3a84nospamr.net.nz... > Dangerous question. > > I've owned my 1996 9000 CS LPT for 3 and a half years and have 188,000 km > on > the clock with an auto box. The speedo goes up to 250 km/hr and with the > open road speed limit in NZ at 100 km/hr, I've always wondered, how fast > will my car actually go? I've sometimes touched late 140's while > overtaking > but always felt there was plenty in reserve. > > Anyway, last Monday while on holiday in Rotorua, I drove down for a round > of > golf at one of the two courses at Taupo golf club with a good mate who > lives > locally. We teed off at about 2.15pm. I shot a 92 (not bad for my first > time > on the course) and ended up losing by one stroke so the beers were on me. > After a couple of pints (don't worry, I was well under the limit) I bid my > mate good bye and started to drive the 80km or so back up to Rotorua. > > The time is about 7.30pm, the light is good, its a Monday evening so > hardly > any traffic on the road. There are a couple of really good long straights > just north of Taupo and a few things are running thru my mind: > > Is today the day?- yes, provided there is no oncoming traffic. > What are the chances of a cop being on the road- low probablilty, its > summer > on a Monday evening, they're all at home having dinner (I hope!) > What happens if I get caught? Automatic loss of licence at 150 km/hr- lets > not go there. The two beers helped me with this one. > > So I resolve to "find out" at the first straight, but promise myself that > I > will immediately decelerate if I spot oncoming traffic. If the car becomes > unstable, I don't want to put others at risk. > > Onto the straight, all clear, no cars either way. The cruise control is > set > at 108km/hr for the open road ahead. I begin to press the gas pedal- not > all > the way but like I'm in a heavy overtaking situation. The car surges > forward. The speedo passes 120-130-140 no problems. > > At 150km/hr I start getting excited. The car feels rock steady. I can > hardly > hear the engine but the stereo is also up loud so no surprises there. > > I hit 160km/hr or 100 mph for the metrically challenged. Easy. I haven't > done the "ton" for years, the speeding laws here are diabolical and it > just > isn't worth it. This fantastic car is just humming along sweet. > > 170 the car is still pulling strong. > > 180, this is as fast as I've ever gone in any car and that was years ago > in > a rental car. The car is rock steady on the road. I'm so intent on the > speedo and looking ahead I can't see what the rev counter is getting up > to. > > 185, wow. The car is STILL pulling strong and rock steady. I feel safe as > houses. Exhilirating, thrilling! I am about two thirds down the straight > and > look up to see two oncoming cars. > > *Damn* As I promised myself, I take my foot off the gas and let the car > coast down. We all know our saabs take a while to slow down. I must be > doing > about 140 when the cars pass me going the other way. > > I can't stop grinning the rest of the way back. I'm tempted to have > another > go at some other straights further along the road, but I've taken enough > risks for one day. > > The roads here are not very good but the car felt safe and under control > the > whole time. Even at 185 km/hr I felt the car had much more to give, I > reckon > I could have made 220 comfortably. No signs that the engine is tired even > after 188,000 km. > > So thats my story. I still don't know exactly how fast my saab will go but > I > know that it will go way beyond what is legal and a fair idea that the car > handles satisfactorily even at extreme speed. > > I won't be doing this again in a hurry. > > cheers, John > > >
