Trying to win a small disagreement here. My 997 doesn't have any particular speed governor in place, like they have on BMWs and Audis, correct?

I didn't think so, but figured this is the place to verify.

TIA

 

Go as fast as you dare!

 

No governors. These cars have no aerodynamic deficiencies requiring the use of one.

One a side note: My first NEW car was a 1987 Buick Grand National. That car was fast as hell back in the day. However, because of the brick like bodywork of the Regal body, that car had a governor which limited top speed to (I think) 124 mph

 

Thanks gents. That's what I thought.

 

I'd be curious to know if the two posts above settled your disagreement. You go to the Rennlist site, find a couple of folks who share your opinion, and bang-case closed?

 

Maybe for a newbie like yourself (just joining in April) your answer would need additional verification. But, for two veterans such as Mjones and myself (both joined 2002) our answers are like gold!

 

The fact is, Porsche does not put speed governors on their cars. They do put rev limiters on them. Many car manufacturers, like Mercedes, and BMW, put an arbitrary 155 mph limit on cars. I can assure you, I have never hit any limiter on my car, seeing over 180 mph on the autobahns.

 

The only speed limiter your car has is in top gear and the engine rpm cutout. I'm not sure if a NA engine would even reach redline in top gear.

Both BMW and Mercedes-Benz have a gentleman's agreement to limit top speed to 155mph. Both of these car makers have entered into a HP war (which has shown signs of wearing itself out and green/hybrid-ness is becoming more invogue) but to placate the greenies/HP haters adapted that 155mph speed limit.

Audi was not in the initial HP war along side (or against I guess would be a better word) BMW and M-B but probably adapted the 155mph limit too to avoid attracting any negative attention its way.

Porsche has not yet adapted a 155mph speed limit for its cars. Will it? Hard to say. Right now Porsche has more pressing problems in how to stay in existence facing the need to deliver fleet fuel averages far above what it delivers now. Porsche could be facing $10s of millions in fines in a few years if it doesn't get its fleet averages up.

Oh, I might add almost every car review article at least those published in the UK mention the top speed of any cars tested and if it is limited a footnote in the specs page will point this out.

I just found a R&T review of a 2010 550i and the performance page lists the car's top speed as beign 150mph with an asterisk that says this is electronically limited.

http://www.roadandtrack.com/var/ezfl...7d379343b7.pdf



Sincerely,

Macster.

 

I believe Mercedes has an option on the AMG cars that ups the performance level and eliminates the 155mph limiter.

 

There may be one depending on for which destination country the car was built. I'm under the impression that some governors are mandated in the UK, for example, but never really paid attention to the specifics as to it being country wide or model specific there.

 

Yes, I've read that is the case.

Also, for the other cars, at least some of them, I seem to recall there are some shops that specialize in chips that remove the speed limiter.

But since I haven't much interest in BMWs or Mercedes I never looked into this in depth.

Sincerely,

Macster.

 

Not true, most if not all AMG's has limiter with the exception of the black series, I believe that also has a limiter but at a higher speed. You can always send it to a tuner and have the limiter remove.

 

Some M-B models have 130 mph top speed. The reason for the governing is due to tire ratings. There are many cars with 130 mph top speeds due to the widespread use of H rated all season tires. If renting a car in Germany in the winter you will find a sticker on the instrument cluster indicating you should limit your speed to 190 or so kph as winter tires are often limited in top speed.

 

Does not remove, but elevates.

Most if not all brands have chips to remove the speed limiter.

The standard mercedes typically has a 130mph limiter. AMGs hike that to 155.

The performance package option increases this to 186mph, just like the black series cars.

 

Was on the Autobahn in my new BMW cruising along at 155 (limiter), got zapped by a Porsche as if I was standing still. Got a Porsche the next year and love the fact that there isn't a limiter.