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Volvo is introducing a 112mph speed limiter to all its new cars

arstechnica.com

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Re: Volvo is introducing a 112mph speed limiter to all its new cars

#91

Post by derp_dee_derp »

mrguyorama wrote: post #65
throwawayst808 wrote: post #31

Just out of curiosity, am I the only one that's tried the top speed of every car I've owned? German cars have limiters at 130 or 155mph, and the first time I hit the 130 limiter was a surprise (suddenly lost acceleration, thought I had an engine problem, then realized I just hit the limiter). Surely I'm not the only one? Intended out of real curiosity

Many places in the USA, passing a cop while hitting the limiter would result in at least a night in jail, instant driver's license loss, and lots and lots of money. The vast majority of Americans cannot afford even a basic speeding ticket, let alone that kind of expense. So no, you aren't the only one, but certainly experiencing that kind of risk is a massively luxurious thing that the vast majority of people cannot…

what does poor people not being able to afford to get speeding tickets have anything to do with this conversation? should the OP not drive his car in the way that he wants to because of the price of speeding tickets?

should people in wyoming, with access to long stretches of highway with little traffic, not be able to drive their vehicles in the way they want to because manhattan doesn't have highways and has lots of traffic?

seems to me like you're trying to shame OP and make him feel bad for some reason, but I can't figure out why.

whats your point?

Re: Volvo is introducing a 112mph speed limiter to all its new cars

#92

Post by benj111 »

lawlessone wrote: post #15
chasingthewind wrote: post #5

There is no circumstances under which a maximum speed of 112 would bother me. I drive a Honda Fit. I don't think I have ever driven it over 85 miles per hour (137km/hr). I'm not comfortable driving faster than that. What makes me mad is that my speedometer goes up to 140mph! Why?! The only answer I've ever seen that makes sense is that it's a marketing tool, but who honestly buys a Honda Fit and thinks to themselves…

>that range is only 43% of my analog speedometer. I don't know why electronic display isn't more of a thing. My 13 year old Toyota displays the number using LED lights, it's far easier to read.

Personally I prefer analog.

I think its mainly down to analog giving you feedback as to whether you're increasing or decreasing in speed. If I'm approaching a speed camera in a 30mph zone, a glance at an analog speedo, and peripheral vision to confirm it isn't increasing is enough. Digital I need at least 2 full readings.

Plus you have a spacial element to analog speedos. I know where 30mph is, I don't need to read 30mph.

Re: Volvo is introducing a 112mph speed limiter to all its new cars

#93

Post by pickle-wizard »

chasingthewind wrote: post #5

There is no circumstances under which a maximum speed of 112 would bother me. I drive a Honda Fit. I don't think I have ever driven it over 85 miles per hour (137km/hr). I'm not comfortable driving faster than that. What makes me mad is that my speedometer goes up to 140mph! Why?! The only answer I've ever seen that makes sense is that it's a marketing tool, but who honestly buys a Honda Fit and thinks to themselves…

It is funny that you mention the speedo goes to 140.

The speedo on my Miata goes to 150, except in 6th gear you hit the rev limiter at 136. I'd rather them make the top end more reasonable and make the scale s bigger.

Re: Volvo is introducing a 112mph speed limiter to all its new cars

#94

Post by ams6110 »

mrguyorama wrote: post #58
ken wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Which Honda goes 140 mph? As the article points out, Japanese domestic cars have been limited to 112 mph for years. High performance cars like the NSX and Type R trims go far faster than that.

Without the speed limiter, I'd guesstimate that any Civic or Accord could brush up against 140 mph. 2.0L 4cyl engines make surprising power nowadays

Most of these cars are not fitted with tires that can safely handle that speed. It would be a dangerous thing to try, even on a track, if the car is not properly prepped beforehand.

Re: Volvo is introducing a 112mph speed limiter to all its new cars

#95

Post by mhh__ »

andrepd wrote: post #82
dethswatch wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You've never had a track day... This whole page is filled with "Doesn't apply to me, so go for it", which seems like a really bad rationale to apply to hundreds of millions of people, potentially.

I seriously doubt "hundreds of millions of people" regularly go for a lap in the Nordschleife.

Especially given the mechanical wear, motor racing (Even karting) is a rich man's game

Re: Volvo is introducing a 112mph speed limiter to all its new cars

#96

Post by user5994461 »

Shorel wrote: post #74

I would love if all cars had a cruise speed mode where I could say, I want the top speed to be 60, and it never goes faster. The difference here is that I would choose this speed, instead of it being set only by the manufacturer. It is also OK if the car had both limits, a manufacturer max and a lower max speed configurable by the driver.

It's called a speed limiter, it's in series in many cars. Don't American cars have it?

Re: Volvo is introducing a 112mph speed limiter to all its new cars

#97

Post by ams6110 »

Shorel wrote: post #74

I would love if all cars had a cruise speed mode where I could say, I want the top speed to be 60, and it never goes faster. The difference here is that I would choose this speed, instead of it being set only by the manufacturer. It is also OK if the car had both limits, a manufacturer max and a lower max speed configurable by the driver.

Just be sure you stay in the right-hand lane please.

Re: Volvo is introducing a 112mph speed limiter to all its new cars

#98

Post by emaginniss »

tracker1 wrote: post #14
chasingthewind wrote: post #5

There is no circumstances under which a maximum speed of 112 would bother me. I drive a Honda Fit. I don't think I have ever driven it over 85 miles per hour (137km/hr). I'm not comfortable driving faster than that. What makes me mad is that my speedometer goes up to 140mph! Why?! The only answer I've ever seen that makes sense is that it's a marketing tool, but who honestly buys a Honda Fit and thinks to themselves…

I drive a 392 challenger scat pack shaker... I don't think I've ever had it over 100, though the max is 201. I'm not sure I'd be bothered by a regulator for the top speed. That said, I don't think speeding is even close to the number 1 killer these days... Cell phones seem to be the leading cause of accidents these days. Maybe they should detect motion over 5mph and turn off display of messaging apps, only bluetooth…

That would really suck if you were a passenger in a car, train, bus, or airplane.

Re: Volvo is introducing a 112mph speed limiter to all its new cars

#99

Post by benj111 »

subway wrote: post #54
ocdtrekkie wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Most speedometers have a second ruler specifying the km/h speed. It would add a lot of unneeded complexity to change the speedometer's movement rate depending on mph vs. km/h: It's a lot easier to just use a different guideline on the existing dashboard.

The secondary ruler is clearly just that -- secondary. The text and markings are often smaller. It's likely way easier to flip a switch on the spedometer, then swap out the faceplate than you think.

But MPH says 'MPH' on my car at least. It would be very confusing if that wasn't MPH. The manufacturer would probably also end up getting sued.

Re: Volvo is introducing a 112mph speed limiter to all its new cars

#100

Post by yeahboats »

Shorel wrote: post #74

I would love if all cars had a cruise speed mode where I could say, I want the top speed to be 60, and it never goes faster. The difference here is that I would choose this speed, instead of it being set only by the manufacturer. It is also OK if the car had both limits, a manufacturer max and a lower max speed configurable by the driver.

Isn't this what cruise control is? Or do you want this to be a hidden limit, say for one's kids' cars?
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