AlexM

Tonight I got in a race with a new M3 with SMG and 19's. He was slightly faster until apx. 130 mph, where I had considerable gains. Is that normal? He seemed pretty pleased with himself. My larger question is, what happens if you get caught at 150 mph in a 55 zone on the highway? The thought crossed my mind as I slowed down after he exited. I know that some gumballers have had their cars taken in Europe, but can that happen in the US?

Eric - Plug Guy

In most cases, you will be handcuffed and escorted directly to jail, do not pass go and collect $200, but get your lawyer on the phone. Your car will be immediately impounded and you will lose your license.

Again, not in every case, but most.

Best bet: get yourself some track time and take it out on the track.

LIL RAJA

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">Originally posted by AlexM:
<strong>Tonight I got in a race with a new M3 with SMG and 19's. He was slightly faster until apx. 130 mph, where I had considerable gains. Is that normal? He seemed pretty pleased with himself. My larger question is, what happens if you get caught at 150 mph in a 55 zone on the highway? The thought crossed my mind as I slowed down after he exited. I know that some gumballers have had their cars taken in Europe, but can that happen in the US?</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">wow! a SMG beat you? and that til 130mph. he must have been a really good driver.

My advise. don't do it. No reason to go to Jail for going 150mph. The C4s just looks so nice, no need to prove anything to anyone.

Jim Michaels

Penalties for speeding vary from state to state, but you can look up what it would mean in your state. In some states you'd be taken directly to jail by an officer who's mad as hell; no ticket and "Have a nice day" farewell by the side of the road. You could be bailed out, but not drive home.You would have to appear in court, and you'd better have an experienced lawyer and do whatever he or she says. You would probably pay a very large fine (with court costs), lose your right to drive for some period, and have to complete a remedial drivers' ed course (which you would also pay for). 95 mph over the limit is bad; really bad; but not nearly as bad as racing at 95 mph over the limit. In other states you'd get your choice; gas, electricity, or lethal injection.

Every time I think I'd like to open'er up on the highway, that's what goes through my mind; that and smashing into some minivan that pulled out in front of me from a driveway. That's probably one reason they let us open'er up on the track instead.

MKW

In California , if you are deemed to be " racing" , even by yourself - and that can mean just flying by at an undefined high speed , and you cause a little ol' lady to be startled and run herself fatally off the road , you can now be charged not with the usual manslaughter , but 2nd degree murder . That happened in a case in Hayward (the Bay Area )a couple years ago.
There are always lots of pi**ed off witnesses you pass , too. Bit of a life changing consequence of putting the testosterone pedal to the metal , don'cha think.

caneaddict

Well said by everyone. Racing to 150mph is just unsafe for you and very irresponsible towards all other vehicles on the road. Imagine some old lady that doesn't look in her rear view mirror making a lane change!!!!

However the other issue that is brought up is the M3 SMG beating a C4S to 130 MPH. I have said this before and will say it again; Porsche needs to offer significantly more power to compete with today's rivals. I know that at the track the Porsche is best but a $90,000.00 sports car with few creature comforts should be able to whip a $50,000.00 GT in every way. It looks like the next gen base corvette will have almost 425hp and the Z06 near 500 hp. The next M3 coming out around the same time as the next Porsche will probably have over 400 hp and the RS4 will have over 450 hp. I'm sure the next Porsche will be at the lower end of those numbers. Then Porsche can claim how the TT can whip all those cars. Great, but shouldn't the base 911 beat sports cars priced tens of thousands cheaper? Is there currently another sports car (M3, M5, E55, C32, Jag R, corvette base, Z06, Viper, S4, CTS-V etc.) above $35,000 with less power than a Porsche?

Stem

After dicing with an Audi after I got the new M5, I found that the speedo was at 140. This in a 55 zone. I realized that jail and probably LOSING my job (I'm supposed to have good judgement), I decided to confine my excursions to the upper RPM ranges to the track.

It is safer all around. It is also LEGAL!

Dustman

Great points above. Biz associate got a ticket going 102 in California with his son asleep in the front seat, really opened his eyes to what could have happened (102 on the freeway is not TOO bad, but this was on a small 2 laner near Palm Springs, at night).
Regarding the new crop of cars with power to keep with the 911...I posted a month ago my "drive" with a 97 M3 and I was shocked how closely the cars were matched, his being modified a bit. I did "drive" against a new M3 Cab and beat it soundly from 65-95 each time. I didnt buy my C4 for this reason, rather the handling ti car is supposed to have. So far, complete disappointment as I hadnt realized the stock car needs the M030 (or PSS9!) suspension upgrade to perform at the level described in the magazine tests. Cant decide to upgrade or move on to the M3/M5 and get a more comfortable ride.
P cars have the look though.

'01 C4

Frank Brown

I happen to be a Deputy Sheriff and also hold a regional SCCA racing license.

As for the arrest question, in Florida, you would be arrested. The first time is a second degree misdemeanor with a fine between $250 and $500, plus a one year suspension of your driver's license. Second time is a first degree misdemeanor with a fine between $500 and $1000 with a 2 year suspension of your license. Depending on your driving skills and the officer's attitude, you may get charged with reckless driving as well that can get you 90 days in jail. Then there's the speeding ticket you'd get and fines are quite high with that speed.

That having been said, you really need to get your car on a track and race the right way. Once you've been on a track and have been taught how to drive, you'll not want to do it on the street. Not only will you have a better appreciation for your car and yourself, you'll realize that racing on the streets is just plain dumb. It's not only other drivers that are a concern, but the road conditions themselves. A race track is groomed and kept in near perfect condition. At these speeds, it doesn't take very much of a road surface irregularity to ruin your day. Look at it like this - a jumbo jet airplane becomes airborne at about 150MPH. It's the aerodynamic lift that creates enough force to lift such a heavy object. Race cars would easily become airborne if not for the wings they have on them to produce a negative lift. In fact, if you put a road upside down and a race car was travelling at 130MPH, if would be glued to the track and not fall down (as long as the speed was kept up, of course). At 130MPH (or less) on the roads in a production car, there is a significant amount of lift that is created. The amount of rubber on the road is much less than at 55MPH. If you hit a slight bump or other surface irregularity at that speed, your car can become airborne. Maybe only to a very slight degree, but that slight degree means you have no steering, no braking and no acceleration. Do you really want this? I sure wouldn't. Racing on the street is a huge gamble. Not just in getting caught, but you don't have a predictable road surface, most likely you are not trained to drive at high speeds, and the guy you're racing is of unknown skill and demeanor.

It's fun to go fast, but do it smart. Join the PCA and go to Driver's Ed. Or join the SCCA and get your racing license. It's a heck of a lot more fun.

slodrivingmike

I completely agree with Deputy Brown. Just to add a point, there are lots of car clubs where you can learn to run on the track and with different makes. It is common to see Porsches, BMWs, Ferraris, ZO6s, etc. at the events. After you get some skills under your belt and maybe move up to the solo run group, you can, in relative safety, see how you do against other cars and more importantly other drivers. The driver is usually more important than the car, by the way. For example, the former chief instructor at my local PCA region runs a stock 944S and he is quicker than most everyone else, including 996s, BoxsterSs, etc.
Regards,
Mike

KWC4S

you mean you expect to get caught while driving a porsche?
why let a cheap, slow, poor handling american car get that close.
that's blasphemy.

okay, just kidding. way too many variables off the track to get to those speeds. life is too valuable....especially the lives of the rest of us if you don't respect your own.

cvuplay

<a href="http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-speeders5may05,1,3716041.story?coll=la%2Dhome%2Dtodays%2Dtimes" target="_blank">http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-speeders5may05,1,3716041.story?coll=la%2Dhome%2Dtodays%2Dtimes</a>

Pete.

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">Originally posted by MKW:
<strong>In California , if you are deemed to be " racing" , even by yourself - and that can mean just flying by at an undefined high speed , </strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">I haven't ever seen any reference in the CA vehicle code to "racing, by yourself"

Do you have the section handy?

Hamann7

If you like to go fast in the People's Republic of California, you need the following:

1. A Valentine 1
2. Lidatek Laser Echo
3. Eyes glued to your rear view mirror
4. A highly skilled attorney

Fortunately in CA unless the Freeway is in a radar enforced zone, the cop needs to pace you, so if you are highly attentive on the Freeway, you can usually spot the cop before he gets to pace you.

For a highway, the V1 and Lidatek are your best bets.

The right lawyer can also be an indispensible tool if you happen to get caught.

cvuplay

For those who don't subscribe to the LA Times website.

<a href="http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-speeders5may05,1,3716041.story?coll=la%2Dhome%2Dtodays%2Dtimes" target="_blank">http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-speeders5may05,1,3716041.story?coll=la%2Dhome%2Dtodays%2Dtimes</a>




Speeders Push Past 100 MPH
CHP says the number of tickets issued for three-digit speeds has tripled in 10 years.
By Jia-Rui Chong
Times Staff Writer

May 5, 2003

SAN BERNARDINO -- Kenneth Smith wanted to get to Corona by 7 p.m. to pick up a glass vase on layaway. Instead, the 18-year old ended up with his first speeding ticket — for driving 101 mph.

"I was going downhill at what I thought was 90," Smith said, standing on the shoulder of the Cajon Pass recently as CHP Officer Mark D. Conner issued the citation. "I didn't even notice, because the music was on, I was dialing numbers on my phone and I was switching lanes."

Smith is not alone. Speeds of more than 100 mph are not uncommon throughout California.

The number of California Highway Patrol citations for driving more than 100 mph has tripled statewide over the last decade. In 1992, 5,290 drivers received tickets, compared with 15,372 last year. In parts of the Inland Empire, such as San Bernardino and Temecula, the numbers have more than quadrupled in the last 10 years, from 184 in 1992 to 856 last year.

High ticket areas include the 17-mile Baker Grade on Interstate 15 southbound from Las Vegas and Interstate 10 from Banning through Indio, CHP officials said.

Inland Empire law enforcement officers said they have seen all types of people breaking 100 mph on the freeways, from older men to young mothers with babies in their cars.

"It's any car from the Saturn to the Porsche," said Lee Nuez, a spokesman for the CHP's Inland Division. "Speed is no respecter of vehicles out here."

Excuses abound. Lateness is typical. Some blame illness; others say they don't even notice their speedometers hitting the triple digits.

Jim Sprowls, on his way back from a fishing trip in Hesperia, said he was just following the flow of traffic that was going 80 mph in a 70 mph zone.

"I may have been going over the speed limit," the Rialto resident said. But there "ain't no one going the speed limit."

Humorous Excuses

Some of the excuses make even experienced officers chuckle. Indio CHP Officer Tami Low said drivers have told her they were hypnotized by books on tape.

"Something I get often is, 'I had to use the restroom,' " Low said. "I tell them, 'But you just passed a rest stop. Why didn't you stop at the Chevron a mile back?' Then they give me this 'You got me' look."

Low acknowledged that some drivers may hit the pedal too hard without realizing it.

"Usually people are traveling long distances when they go through here," she said. "It's two lanes in either direction with nothing to look at and not a lot of exits. The speed can creep up to 100 and you don't realize it."

While that might appear hard to imagine to city motorists who would be happy to go more than 60 mph, most of the citations are given to people on less congested freeways.

Light traffic volume on seemingly endless straightaways and smoother-driving cars can tempt many motorists to nose the needle above 100 mph, particularly if adrenaline is pumping on a trip to Las Vegas, some officers said.

They also said that the growing desert population, with many people trying to cut time from their commute to Los Angeles, drives up the statistics.

Some CHP officials cautioned, however, that the bumped-up numbers may reflect an improved detection method.

"In 2000, we started using radar on the freeways, which makes it easier to catch people," said Ron Seldon, a CHP spokesman in San Bernardino. "Now we can sit in a spot and wait for them to come to us. It's like putting out a fishing net."

Putting Others at Risk

Officers said they rarely give 100-plus speeders a break because they are traveling so fast and putting others at risk.

Two Upland men died in January when an overcorrection on a turn made their car vault off the side of Temescal Canyon Road near Corona.

CHP Officer Maurice Walker, who was at the accident, said he could tell the car was going more than 100 mph by the length of the accident scene, the skid marks and witness statements.

The Subaru Impreza WRX flew 500 feet through the air, striking a tree and a fence before it hit the trailer of a big rig. The impact, which shoved the trailer four feet, killed the driver and a passenger.

"Judges take a dim view of cases over 100 mph," said J. Michael Welch, presiding judge for San Bernardino County. "Fines tend to be $500, and they may take the license."

Not only have his traffic commissioners seen double the number of 100-plus-mph offenders in their courts since last year, but the violations seem more flagrant too, Welch said.

"We also see more extremes," he said. "There are people in Barstow cited for 120 to 130 mph."

Occasionally, local police will catch 100-plus speeders on city streets. Two weeks ago, Victorville police caught a motorist going more than 100 mph on a four-lane road.

Lyman Baker, a spokesman for the Victorville Police Department, said the 33-year-old man told them he was late to pick up his daughter.

Meanwhile, at the 70-mph Cajon Pass on Interstate 15, the CHP's Conner was having an average afternoon. With his patrol car parked on the center divider, the 23-year CHP veteran aimed his radar gun between two trees and spotted a Chevrolet Blazer blowing past smaller cars and lumbering trucks at 101 mph.

"I'm late to pick up my girlfriend," said the 17-year-old boy, who was driving his mother's car. He declined to give his name because he said he was in enough trouble with his mother, adding, "Now I'm even later."