How to drive fast but safely

[Swissbeatz]

The speed is a real matter in our world, too many crashes on the roads, too many stupid drivers. And the top of this stupidity is the "Street Racing".
We all love speed. It's impossible to love sprtcars and to hate speed.
But when you are making speed you must have some good skills.

I think the speed don't kill, it's stupid drivers who kill or drunk or fly drivers.

There are some good stuff if you plan to beat your speed record:

- Never be distract by others things
- the focus must be and must stay the road
- Never overtake by the right lane
- You must be able to hit the break when you see a car at 100m in front of you
- If you are tired slow down
- If you think that your car has a problem, slow down
- Always check the speed limit of your tires
- Always check the pressure of your tires
- Don't try to prove that you are Schumacher
- Don't try to hit the speed limit if you are not an experimented driver ( minimum 5 years of experience)

That's my experience and that's what I use to apply me and my friends.


Speed Rating

In Europe, where selected highways do not have speed limits and high speed driving is permitted, speed ratings were established to match the speed capability of tires with the top speed capability of the vehicles to which they are applied. Speed ratings are established in kilometers per hour and subsequently converted to miles per hour (which explains why speed ratings appear established at "unusual" mile per hour increments). Despite the tire manufacturer's ability to manufacturer tires capable of high speeds, none of them recommend the use of their products in excess of legal speed limits.

It is important to note that speed ratings only apply to tires that have not been damaged, altered, under-inflated or overloaded. Additionally, most tire manufacturers maintain that a tire that has been cut or punctured no longer retains the tire manufacturer's original speed rating, even after being repaired because the tire manufacturer can't control the quality of the repair.

Over the years, tire speed rating symbols have been marked on tires in any of three ways shown in the following examples:

225/50SR16 225/50SR16 89S or 225/50R16 89S

Each of these was an acceptable method of identifying speed ratings.

Early tires had their speed rating symbol shown "within" the tire size, such as 225/50SR16. Tires using this type of branding were not to have been produced after 1991.

225/50SR16 112 mph, 180 km/h
225/50HR16 130, 210 km/h
225/50VR16 in excess of 130 mph, 210 km/h

Beginning in 1991, the speed symbol denoting a fixed maximum speed capability of new tires must be shown only in the speed rating portion of the tire's service description, such as 225/50R16 89S. The most common tire speed rating symbols, maximum speeds and typical applications are shown below:

N 87 mph 140 km/h Temporary Spare Tires
P 93 mph 150 km/h
Q 99 mph 160 km/h Studless & Studdable Winter Tires
R 106 mph 170 km/h H.D. Light Truck Tires
S 112 mph 180 km/h Family Sedans & Vans
T 118 mph 190 km/h Family Sedans & Vans
U 124 mph 200 km/h
H 130 mph 210 km/h Sport Sedans & Coupes
V 149 mph 240 km/h Sport Sedans, Coupes & Sports Cars

When Z-speed rated tires were first introduced, they were thought to reflect the highest tire speed rating that would ever be required, in excess of 240 km/h or 149 mph. While Z-speed rated tires are capable of speeds in excess of 149 mph, how far above 149 mph was not identified. That ultimately caused the automotive industry to add W- and Y-speed ratings to identify the tires that meet the needs of new vehicles that have extremely high top-speed capabilities.

W 168 mph 270 km/h Exotic Sports Cars
Y 186 mph 300 km/h Exotic Sports Cars

While a Z-speed rating still often appears in the tire size designation of these tires, such as 225/50ZR16 91W, the Z in the size signifies a maximum speed capability in excess of 149 mph, 240 km/h; the W in the service description indicates the tire's 168 mph, 270 km/h maximum speed.

225/50ZR16 in excess of 149 mph, 240 km/h
205/45ZR17 88W 168 mph, 270 km/h
285/35ZR19 99Y 186 mph, 300 km/h

Most recently, when the Y-speed rating indicated in a service description is enclosed in parenthesis, such as 285/35ZR19 (99Y), the top speed of the tire has been tested in excess of 186 mph, 300 km/h indicated by the service description as shown below:

285/35ZR19 99Y 186 mph, 300 km/h
285/35ZR19 (99Y) in excess of 186 mph, 300 km/h

As vehicles have increased their top speeds into Autobahn-only ranges, the tire speed ratings have evolved to better identify the tires capability, allowing drivers to match the speed of their tires with the top speed of their vehicle.

[Brabus]

Very good and interesting post.

[Egg Nog]

For the sake of avoiding any mentions of plagiarism, you might want to note that much of this is from TireRack.com

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tirete...eral/speed.htm

Anyway, great idea for the post. I'll give you a +1 as soon as it'll let me.

[Swissbeatz]

Originally Posted by Egg Nog

For the sake of avoiding any mentions of plagiarism, you might want to note that much of this is from TireRack.com

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tirete...eral/speed.htm

Anyway, great idea for the post. I'll give you a +1 as soon as it'll let me.

h sorry you're right the aticle of speed rating come from http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiret...neral/speed.htm

[fpv_gtho]

Originally Posted by Swissbeatz

The speed is a real matter in our world, too many crashes on the roads, too many stupid drivers. And the top of this stupidity is the "Street Racing".
We all love speed. It's impossible to love sprtcars and to hate speed.
But when you are making speed you must have some good skills.

I think the speed don't kill, it's stupid drivers who kill or drunk or fly drivers.

There are some good stuff if you plan to beat your speed record:

- Never be distract by others things
- the focus must be and must stay the road
- Never overtake by the right lane
- You must be able to hit the break when you see a car at 100m in front of you
- If you are tired slow down
- If you think that your car has a problem, slow down
- Always check the speed limit of your tires
- Always check the pressure of your tires
- Don't try to prove that you are Schumacher
- Don't try to hit the speed limit if you are not an experimented driver ( minimum 5 years of experience)

That's my experience and that's what I use to apply me and my friends.

come over here and the government will try and tell you speed causes about 40% of the fatalities on the roads. go to somewhere like italy and they'll tell you its really under 10%. the difference being, with the government surveys and studies done on speed here, the idiots include things like fatigue, driver inexperience and drink driving into the results. so they might come across a case where some 19 year old bloke on his P plates, driving drunk at 11pm and 5km/h over the limit crashes his car and dies, they'll put the blame on speed

[crisis]

One point I would add is to expect the unexpected. Most accidents happen because someone was doing something they shouldnt have. For example
Running a red light
Running a stop sign
Swerving onto the wrong side of the road
Not giving way.
When I approach an intersection I always ease off the accelerator and look both ways regardless of whether I have right of way. Never assume you have right of way cause some drug enhanced semi driver might not feel inclined to use his breaks for that red light.
Without making too much of a point of it, watch other drivers and try to anticipate their actions.

[Matra et Alpine]

Originally Posted by crisis

One point I would add is to expect the unexpected. Most accidents happen because someone was doing something they shouldnt have.

Excellent reminder.
No matter how good or careful a driver we think we are we CANNOT account for the unexpected.
It may not be stupidity by other drivers as some of the points listed.
It may be kids who're where they shouldn't be.
Something on the road from a prior incident - shredded truck tyres being one of the worst in the UK in summer !
Broken down car/truck/bus.

Swisbeats list is good, but I have to question 100m stopping.
This is in perfect conditions and at a speed that the car can STOP in that distance. How good are the brakes ? If they're not up-rated then after a few uses at speed the pads have faded. THAT can triple your stopping distance until they cool down! ( or fit competition pads - but then you don't stop as well when they're cold, driving around town )

Best advice I would offer is to learn to ride a motorbike.
The advanced IAM training in the UK teaches how to ride safely on the roads and "to make good progress" - they're NEVER going to say quickly
Interestingly, the focus should NOT be the road but shoudl be on the whole field of vision for anything which may be a hazard on the road as you progress - so it may be a bus stop ( because their could be a bus around the corner if the bus stop is empty ) There are lots of examples int he roadcraft books on other things we shuold take in. If anyone's interested I can post the advanced motorocylists 'technique' for safe and "good progress" riding which is apoplicable to cars too.
Anyway, when you're on a vehicle where you realise that ANYTHING that happens above 20mph is going to result in painful injury and above 60mph in likely death or if your lucky disability iy hones the mind and driving approach.
We have maybe be unfortunate to know someone killed in a car, bikers can name many friends maimed or killed. And so often it's not their fault. ( Lost a friend when a ladder came off the top of a van and hit him doing 60mph )

But bike experience makes a difference to drivers. I've seen it.
So often the box we're in makes us feel safe beyond the practical reality of what we're doing.

Find out if their is advanced driving training in your area.
I'd rallied and raced for years (decades!) and I still learned a LOT from guys more experienced than me who were willing to spend the time to teach it. Often the lesson passed on is one that in the past someone learned the hard way.

[Matt]

Originally Posted by 250 GTO

Thanks for the tips

You can read these year-old threads without commenting on them. Please heed this advice or I will begin deleting your posts so as to send these old threads back into their prior spot.

[targa]

i read the entire thing, wrote a legnthy reply, then realized i had misunderstood what i was replying about

oops

[QuattroMan]

just close your eyes and drive youll be fine

[taz_rocks_miami]

Let me add a little to this tip: - the focus must be and must stay the road, look as far ahead as you can. Doesn't matter if your on the street, highway or track. The farther ahead you look, the more time your brain and body will have to react.