I had my 8 out on Saturday, and decided to open it up on the highway. I had it up to 141 mph and had to let off because of cars in front of me. I had a 200 lb. passenger along with me. I think the car would have come close to 150 mph. I'm impressed with the way it felt at that speed- very smooth.

My only mod so far is the Borla exhaust, I just ordered canzoomer's stage 1 mod. I can't wait to get it!

i tool mine up to 118 over the chrstmas break, my stepbrother wanted to go for a ride. it was pleasantly smooth but i am still just slowly working myself up to the higher speeds because i'm only about 3k miles into ownership, and yes i am a little anal about this because i have had too many bad experiences @ high speeds in brand new cars.

getting a speeding ticket will hurt at those speeds.

I would like to hear any stories from people who have actually been pulled over while driving over 100 MPH?

What happened, were you towed/arrested or just ticketed, how much?

well in idaho it really doesn't matter how fast you were going after 20mh over the limit. i got pulled over doing 72 in a 35 and drove off witha fat fine and a fair warning to slow my ass down. cop said, " i should be hauling you off to jail but its early in the morning and i just started my shift."
A friend of mine was pulled over doing 122 in a 65 and just got the fine without the jail time.

I was pulled over by a California Highway Patrolman one fine evening, after he observed me "playing tag" in my 2gen with a guy in a Corvette. Since he was intent on bringing us both down, I don't think he stayed behind me quite long enough to get a precise speed, but told me ,"..you pulled real strong at 100 mph..". Well, that would be because I was doing at least 110 at the time. Luckily, I made him laugh in the ensuing conversation, thereby passing the all-important "attitude check".

He wrote me for "90 ++" on the citation. But in California, that's still a misdemeanor charge, which is more serious than a traffic infraction. It's the one where the Clerk comes into the courtroom and gives you the speech about being entitled to an attorney and all those who cannot afford one stand up and come across the hall.

It was a pretty stiff fine plus traffic school. But way better than actually being cited for 100mph or better, which is an automatic chauffeured ride to the cooler and I believe a license suspension. Be careful out there...

Ive gotten my 8 up to 132 with more left before I slowed down. Car was very smooth and stable. It hardly feels your going that fast. Of course slowing down very quickly wasnt a problem at all which is a good thing.

I went 105 in my father's civic 2003 and it was still silky smooth...funny considering its low HP and relative cheap price.

I hope the RX8 drives smooth at 85-90, that's all I'ml ooking for =D

My personal worst ticket was going over 90 (really was 110 or so), crossing double solid yellow in carpool lane, and going back..as a single passenger. Fun stuff. Ticket was really nasty too... 1300, but luckily the judge gave me a break, and was fined 375 and traffic school. This was when I was 17 years old.

i did 130 on a ramp... it was one BIG RAMP... i was already going 85... go i gunned it and damn my hauls this was the day i got my license..look in my sig. I saw a grandam get pulled over it was doing WELL over 100... cause i was driving 90... and it flew by me.
HE GOT ARRESTED.

When I was in college I was at a friends ranch and my buddy got shot in the arm. We were about an hour from the hospital. We hopped in my Maxima and got up to about 120mph. I then saw the lights in the distance. I slowed down and pulled over. The cop said I must of been least doing 115mph because that was what he was doing and did not gain on me until I hit the brakes and slowed down. The hole in my friends arm saved me from a big fat ticket.

I have been pulled over 3 times already, no tickets!

1st time I approached cautiously an unmarked Chevy impala that was exiting. The bastard was just playing a trick on me and I got lured in as I sped away and saw the word "Sheriff" printed on the side of the vehicle. Luckily it was the end of his shift and he gave me a warning. This was the 3rd day I had the vehicle!

2nd time and 3rd times, I was pulled over for tinted windows. Luckily for me, my old man's a cop and I have a "get out of jail free
card" . So no tickets here either.

The fastest I have taken the vehicle is 148MPH (surpassing the supposed electronically limited 147MPH) And I was in 6th gear at 7000 RPM. With 2000RPM to go before Redline, I estimate 160MPH top speed

That's if the horsepower is enough to push the car that fast. It may be -- let us know, but please be careful!

Originally posted by breezy_rx8
I have been pulled over 3 times already, no tickets!

1st time I approached cautiously an unmarked Chevy impala that was exiting. The bastard was just playing a trick on me and I got lured in as I sped away and saw the word "Sheriff" printed on the side of the vehicle. Luckily it was the end of his shift and he gave me a warning. This was the 3rd day I had the vehicle!

2nd time and 3rd times, I was pulled over for tinted windows. Luckily for me, my old man's a cop and I have a "get out of jail free
card" . So no tickets here either.

The fastest I have taken the vehicle is 148MPH (surpassing the supposed electronically limited 147MPH) And I was in 6th gear at 7000 RPM. With 2000RPM to go before Redline, I estimate 160MPH top speed I estimate you're full of it, because 5th gear is the one that will max your speed out, not 6th.

Guys, I have to tell you, this car can do well over 250. Going down a mountain with the pedal to the floor in fifth gear after hitting my nitro, I hit 254 easily before I slowed down for traffic.

I raced an F-14 Tomcat down the runway at McGuilre AFB on Sunday and hit 175. Oh wait, no I didnt. Those smokey's scare me, maybe once I pay off my car I'll be able to afford a speeding ticket and the insurance hike.

....yep. got a ticket going 100mph.

It was night and no one around. Then I look in my rear view mirror and I can see a car closing in on me!!!

I knew it before he pulled me over, that it was a Chippy.

Big Polaris: at the time I had tint on the windows so as soon as he pulled me over, I started reaching for both windows to roll them down; that freaked out the two officers - they thought I was reaching for a gun or something so they were a bit antsy. They asked me what I was doing and I admitted that the windows were tinted and I didn't want a ticket for that. As soon as they heard that, they were completely calm. I those days, you could be out of your car and they we not bothered by it.

While I was talking to them, the Polaris was giving off a burning oil smell with smoke from the engine compartment. I asked, what gives with the smoke? He said, "the valve cover seals leak bad on these things."

...I brought my cousin to the court since I figured I was going to be arrested or fined something fierce.

....Then, of course, it was Christmas eve day. The baliff called my name and anounced to the judge that I had been going 100 mph (at night no less). The judge said, "$50 dollars, see the baliff." - I couldn't believe it!!! I was so lucky. That wouldn't happen now.

-jcs-

LOL. Especially since we have so many mountain ranges in Florida huh? :D


Originally posted by noahprtlnd
Guys, I have to tell you, this car can do well over 250. Going down a mountain with the pedal to the floor in fifth gear after hitting my nitro, I hit 254 easily before I slowed down for traffic.

Originally posted by Hercules
I estimate you're full of it, because 5th gear is the one that will max your speed out, not 6th.

Hercules, if you would have the balls to try it you will find out I am not full of it! Sure the vehicle can top out in 5th gear. I am telling you I was in 6th gear going 148 with 2000 RPM to redline!

I also had a 150 lb passenger (and a spare tire kit)!

110 and just a warning!!! he liked the car too much to ticket it, i got way lucky!!

A pax isn't going to impare your top speed by 1 mph, let alone 10.

PB

I am guilty as the next person when it comes to going above the posted speed limits - everywhere. Let's just be safe out there. I have come across some decent folks on these boards and don't care to read about you in the Obituaries.... RX-8 s have great stopping power (both engine braking and disc) use 'em!

getting back to tickets,.... many years ago I was a bit late getting a couple of sisters home to a not so kind father, traveling at around 110 in a '70 fastback Mustang with 4 people in the car, I came over a hilltop and low and behold I see a smokey at the bottom of the hill, I literally lock it up and he clocks me at 92. An insueing "ass-chewing" took place and of course he knew the young ladies father (a local business owner) and that was the end of that as well...Can't remember the amount of the ticket but it seemed like quite a-lot for a 17 year old back then....

You guys need to account for speedo error.

Typically, there’s a 3 or 4 MPH positive variance at highway speeds so you’ll need to multiply your indicated speed by something like 0.94 to determine your actual speed.

That makes the 148 indicated MPH reported by Breezy a more believable 139 actual MPH.

Has anyone calibrated their Speedo’s with highway markers or some other means???

OK, so I don't have an RX-8, but the easiest way to check the speedo is with a GPS. Just run at a steady speed for a while and see what it says.

Using this method I found my '93 RX-7 speedo to be within ~5 mph at 140 and my '02 Liberty to be off by 6-7 at 70. Go figure.

I know the GPS (Garmin Legend) I have is good to at least 650 mph as that's the highest I've been able to verify on it. The accuracy is good to within 3 meters when using WAAS so that means at 120 it's good to within a couple mph for 1 second increments, and the faster you go and the more time you track for the more accurate it is. :D

FWIW, the RX-8 6-speed does 20mph per 1000 rpm in 6th gear, so at 7K rpm the car should be doing 140. At 9K, 180mph would be possible if there were enough ponies underhood.

115 is the fastest I've had it and not for very long. I was just toying with another Rx-8 on the Jersey Parkway and then realized how fast I was going. With 8 points on my license already, I don't need any more.

The scary thing was I knew I was speeding, but didn't think I was going that fast.

I am going over 150 mph all the time without any problems. No speed limits in Germany. It's a free country ;)

<------- note the location hehe I recently got stationed over here in germany and i must tell you..... The Rx-8 is AWSOME on the Autobahn's. Matter of fact, I Take Autobahn A60 to work EVERY DAY lol i love this car... Top speed so far is 158 @ c9000 rpm in 5th, and then i got my ass handed to me by a F50. pics to come hehehe

My fastest so far is "fifth gear + buzzer."

Theory says that is 143+ mph. Could probably have got more if I changed up.
felix.

In my 1st gen RX-7, I hit around 120 on I-70 in Colorado at 7000 feet elevation. Later in Wyoming, I hit 95 coming down out of the mountains towards Laramie, and this time I got tagged by a highway patrolman. He gave me my license back and told me that my home state of Colorado would have a warrent issued for my arrest if Wyoming didn't receive payment in seven days. In my defense, Wyoming has wide open and nicely paved roads. I stay to the speed limit out here in the midwest... too much traffic.

Those rotaries can cruise that's for sure.

cool :) sounds like fun! you will have problems when you will go home someday ;) isn`t there no speed limit in montana now?

Originally posted by jafosrx8
Has anyone calibrated their Speedo’s with highway markers or some other means???

Yep, a bunch of us independently have used GPSs to calibrate the speedo - at normal highway speeds (60-70mph), the RX-8 speedo indicates less than 2 mph higher than actual speed.

Originally posted by Rx8Freehk
Top speed so far is 158 @ c5000 rpm in 5th, and then i got my ass handed to me by a F50. pics to come hehehe

Not to be rude, but... that's complete BS, unless you're talking 158 km/h @5K rpm in 5th. With the RX-8 gearing, 9K rpm in 5th gear is 148 mph actual. It doesn't matter whether you're in Germany or the US, your number is completely bogus (ie physically impossible).

Regards,
Gordon

Re: Speed Limits in Montana... There most definitely is, for interstates during the day it's 75. Check the chart here http://www.mdt.state.mt.us/speed_limit/

Although sometimes you can get away with more if you have Montana plates. :D

I got up to 141mph in 5th before slowing down back down to 65mph I got clocked at 75 and got pulled over. Only got a warning. If I would have held on at that speed any longer I would have been screwed.

I researched the no speed limit issue in Montana a little further, and there was a time when there were no day time speed limits.

There is also a study that shows that it was a lot safer without the speed limits then with speed limits. The fatal rate doubled after they implemented speed limits again.

We conclude: it is safer to have no speed limits !

Germany has the lowest accident rate (and fatality rate) in the world, and we do not have a speed limit.

Here is the link to the facts (data) of accidents/fatality rates in Montana with speed limits and without (for those who dont belive me):

http://www.hwysafety.com/hwy_montana_2001.htm

So I suggest you write an email to your governour to take a look at these facts and take action ;)

There is definitely speedo error....and it gets worse the faster you go. I've got a Garmin IQue 3600 and it not only shows where you're going, but how fast you're going as well. At around 30 MPH it is dead on with the speedo. At 80 MPH on the speedo, the GPS says 76 MPH. The faster I go, the more it is off. I've read threads on this before and it usually boils down to the VERY stiff fines levied on auto manufacturers from European countries for speedos that read slower than actual travel. The BMWs are exactly the same. The faster you go, the more off the reading. The most accurate speedos (believe it or not) are on American autos where not nearly as many are sold over-seas.

o_town_racer: this is done on purpose. since most people tend to go a "little" faster then the speed limit the speedo shows higher speed then the actual speed you are going at. At higher speeds who cares if you are going 150 mph or 155 mph ?

So its not an engineering problem its simple psychology ;)

When I did the 141 mph, I was in 6th at 7500 rpm. With 1500 rpm's left, I would have come really close to 148-150 mph. I had to back off because of traffic in front of me.

The car was still accelorating in 6th for me, so I believe a top speed could be achieved in this gear.

Not to be rude, but... that's complete BS, unless you're talking 158 km/h @5K rpm in 5th. With the RX-8 gearing, 9K rpm in 5th gear is 148 mph actual. It doesn't matter whether you're in Germany or the US, your number is completely bogus (ie physically impossible).

Regards,
Gordon

MY BAD lol thanks for the correction... it was c9000rpm in 5th

(original post edited)


-matt

I calculate that the 8 speedo is "only" 3/4% optimistic at 110 to 130kph. I say only because my sti was close to 10%, which provided a fairly big safety zone re. posted speed limits.

i have been pulled over 3 times in my driving career with no tickets.

1.) driving a 1998 Mazda B2500 doing 90 and passed an undercover cop in a 55 asked why i was going so fast. i was honest and said i had been late for work a few times and if i was late again i would be fired. He asked why i didnt stop right away and i was yet again honest. all he had for lights were his headlights flashing back and forth in a bright summer day. Warning Issued.

2.) Driving my 2001 pontiac grand prix. i was at a stop light and someone wanted to race me in town. they were reving thier engine and when the light hit green we both headed. the other guy squeeled his tires and drew attention of a nearby cop who got behind me and didnt flash the lights. i went to the light on the last turn by my house and wanted to have some fun. when the light hit green i hit the pedal and hit 30mph as fast as i could and with a super charged v6 it doesnt take long. he blue lighted me and asked where i was going in such a hurry i said i live right there and i gotta piss really bad. that excuse didnt work and he tried to issue me a ticket for display of power or something but i told him that if he issued me a ticket we would be in court and would waste his time because i never once squeeled my tires all i did was get up to the speed limit. Issued A Warning.

3.) Pulled over in my 2001 pontiac grand prix, license suspended on xmas eve. The cop could very well have pulled me off to jail or something but i "acted" honest with him. He said you know your license is suspended? i said yes. he asked why i was driving... thank god i had my step daughter with me and she was 5 so i said someone had to get her from daycare... He handed me my license and stuff and said merry xmas, dont let me catch you driving again before your license is re-instated.

i have a feeling that after getting my 8 i will get pulled over a time or 2 just because the cops here are jerks and they will see a 23 year old male driving a sweet ass car like that and hassle me. i had my grand prix and they were questioning how i could afford a car like that... i told them that was none of thier concern all that mattered was that it was mine.

the fastest i ever had the grand prix up to was 130 somewhere in minnesota when i went x-country.

I lived in Montana when "There wasn't a speed limit" there was in fact one actually- I believe it was a resonable and prudent manner, is what they called it! Whenever I was in the eastern part of the state without mountains it was a dream!!! I had two vehicles at the time- a 300z and a jeep wrangler, I buried the needle lots of times in the wrangler and it was VERY scary at times- the z- well I broke the cruise control trying to set it at 125!!! pretty funny huh>? oh the good ol' days!!!

Originally posted by noahprtlnd
Guys, I have to tell you, this car can do well over 250. Going down a mountain with the pedal to the floor in fifth gear after hitting my nitro, I hit 254 easily before I slowed down for traffic.

Was that Km or mph? :p

I know that the RX-8, Corvette, and all other 6 speed cars have different 6 gear ratios, but I fine it hard to believe that while almost all 6 speed cars top out in 5th, that the RX-8 can do it in 6th, especially considering the low torque of the motor (for those who say they topped out in 6th).

And just a reminder, speedometers are not too accurate over 100 mph. So, you may think your doing 150 mph and still pulling, but you may only be doing 140 mph. Which means the limiter is still there at 147 mph, you just haven't reached it yet.

Ya know, that sound barrier thing is a real drag; right around mach 1 that vibration just takes the thrill out of it. ;) ;)

When I was 17, I was a pizza guy. In a very small town where all the police officers knew all the kids and so on and so forth. Anyway, one night about 1 in the morning, I was trying to "beat the clock" for a tremendous tip, guy said he'd give $20 if I got his pie to him in less than twenty minutes after his call.... anyway, he lived out in the country, so once I hit the town limits, I floored it. (In a 70 Cougar) I had the speedo buried in no time.... 120+ in that car was no problem whatsoever. :) There was a cop at sitting at the town limits, who said he clocked me doing 157 MPH. He let me go with a verbal warning... so to speak, he yelled at me for ten minutes after I made my delivery, and I had to give him the $20! Best $20 ever spent. :D

104 mph on the speedo the other night. i've checked my speedo a few times against one of those radar signs that reads "your speed is" and the sign has always shown 1-2 mph slower than the speedo in my rx-8. so i was probably going 102 actual mph.

Auto or manual?

124 so far in auto.. not bad very smooth, can def get up to 140 i'm sure, i'll open it up soon enough

manual

140 in a race with an Acura Integra. The Integra (not stock) was fast but I took him.
The fastest I've every been is 155 on my motorcycle. I got pulled over when I got stuck in trafic. The Georgia State Patrol officer was cool about the whole thing and gave me a warning. He said he clocked me at 135. He then pulled a helmet out of his trunk and tried to sell it to me. Pretty lucky that time.

The reason Germany has less accidents is NOT because they have no speed limits. The reason is that they have drivers that have to do more than a parallel park and a drive around the block to get a license. Plus gas/licensing are a lot more expensive there. If we removed speed limits here without increasing driver training it would be a frigging disaster.

john

"If we removed speed limits here without increasing driver training it would be a frigging disaster.
" then how do you explain the numbers (stats of deaths correlated between speed limit and no speed limit) in montana>????

Originally posted by Butt Dyno
The reason Germany has less accidents is NOT because they have no speed limits. The reason is that they have drivers that have to do more than a parallel park and a drive around the block to get a license. Plus gas/licensing are a lot more expensive there. If we removed speed limits here without increasing driver training it would be a frigging disaster.

john

This very true! It cost an average DM2000 just for the school which is required and govt regulated. Then you have to pass the test both 150 (?) question written and then the driving test. In order to get my USAREUR (POV) drivers licence I had to take a 65 question test on road signs and another 100 question test on driving (right-of-way) laws.

130 mph...handled great! Seemed to have plenty of room for more.

Originally posted by Speed-ER doc
I would like to hear any stories from people who have actually been pulled over while driving over 100 MPH?

What happened, were you towed/arrested or just ticketed, how much?

Many years ago, I was driving my 1st gen at 120MPH in Hayward Ca, got pulled over by a cop saying I was doing 130. Ended up spending the night in jail, and was written up for a reckless. When I went to court, the judge was retiring the next day, changed it to a speeding ticket. I went to traffic school for a day, paid no ticket, and got no points.

I lucked out big time.

Everytime I have gotten a ticket (4 times now and should be a lot more) It has allways been for the same thing... It was allways 17 mph over posted speed. Needless to say I never drive exactly 17 over limit anymore... havent got a ticket since.

On I-15 between Las Vegas and Baker, I topped out at 125mph on a straight flat section of road. At a long downgrade, the needle still topped out at 125mph. I suspect my car has some kind speed limiter on it.

BTW, the RX-8 feels very stable and smooth at high speeds. On my old Dodge Stealth, I'd get nervous at 110mph, with the steering and ride feeling unstable, like I was barely in control.

This is what happens when you go too fast...only thing is you won't be able to tell anyone about it after you've been burnt to a crisp in a ball a flames like these guys.

j3, do you really need to post that same pic in every thread that mentions any kind of speed?

I did 125 mph last night in my completely stock Protege5. It might be able to do one or two more mph but not much more. I let off the gas when some cross wind tried to push me to the side...

I did 142 in my modded 88 Mitsubishi Starion, 130mph when it was stock. Got my old 95 Golf up to 115mph, and the rx8, I am still breaking in, but those days of me driving those kind of speeds are long overwith. OK maybe maybe not, I might have to try it once. :)

Originally posted by i3man
This is what happens when you go too fast...only thing is you won't be able to tell anyone about it after you've been burnt to a crisp in a ball a flames like these guys.

going too fast is realtive! going 200 mph or more when driving from Boise to Portland is on most parts of the highway totaly safe (probably safer then going 65 mph, which makes you fall asleep).

On your picture it is very unsafe to go any faster then the flow of traffic.

So please, don't generalize speed limits. It always depends on these factors:

road conditions
road construction
traffic
your car
weather conditions

These factors should determine the "safe" speed limit, which can be anything between 0 mph (in a traffic jam) up to no speed limit at all (100 miles highway going straight without any curves and with NO traffic).

That accident happened at 3AM when there were no cars on the 5 lane freeway. That picture is of morning rush hour traffic. I don't care if you speed, you do what you like. Everyone who ultimately loses their life in an accident like this thinks they are larger than life and knows better than anyone else.

Maybe you're a great driver and this could never happen to you...good for you. But when it does happen it's too late...I'm sure if you could ask those guys who were speeding/racing if they wish they hadn't been they'd wish they were driving slower. Too late.

Originally posted by i3man
That accident happened at 3AM when there were no cars on the 5 lane freeway. That picture is of morning rush hour traffic. I don't care if you speed, you do what you like. Everyone who ultimately loses their life in an accident like this thinks they are larger than life and knows better than anyone else.

Maybe you're a great driver and this could never happen to you...good for you. But when it does happen it's too late...I'm sure if you could ask those guys who were speeding/racing if they wish they hadn't been they'd wish they were driving slower. Too late.

There will always be people who will overestimate their skills. Not just with cars. But that does not justify you to generalize.

If there were no cars on the freeway then why did they hit the truck. Its like driving in the desert and hitting the only cactus plant.

It is obvious that they were not paying attention to the road ahead and may have been looking at each other to see who would blink first!

If you look at that picture, there is a "zipper lane" that opens in the morning for use by high occupancy vehicles. The "only cactus plant" was inspecting the inner most lane (which it does every morning) of the freeway where the zipper lane opens into.

The freeway also falls off slightly there as you can see and is bending to the right. According to the papers here the first car slammed into the back of the truck causing the gas tank to explode, the 2nd car slammed into the back of the 1st car. These were soldiers heading back to base so they probably knew each other rather than it being a random street race.

I'm guessing they were sort of playing follow the leader racing so they very well could have been speeding in the same lane which is why the 2nd car wasn't able to avoid the wreck.

What is ridiculous now is the father of one of men driving the one of the speeding Eclipses is questioning whether the city vehicle was properly lit implying that was the cause or contributed to the accident. Witnesses have said the 2 vehicles were racing when they sped past other cars on the freeway just before the crash.

has any one topped out 6th i hit 122 in fourth at 8000 rpm just curious what this beast is capable of

Originally posted by gunit28vp
has any one topped out 6th i hit 122 in fourth at 8000 rpm just curious what this beast is capable of

Go back and actually this thread.

yeah, reading the thread would help. i think that question has been answered.. oh i dont know.. about 20 times already

143....

I was going 126, slowed down, got clocked at 89. piggy paced me for 2.4 miles averaging me down to 79 in a 65, bs ticket 135 bucks

Here is the worst story ever... I was testing my friends 350Z out because he was about to sell it so i was doing a little over 130 on the highway. This Monte Carlo starred at me at the light before.. i figured he wanted to race (I dont race) and while i was testing it out he was coming up behind me while i was over 130 i didnt want to race so i exited the highway i was testing it on. It turned out the the monte carlo was a undercover cop and ticketed me for 125 in a 45 (speed limit of the access road) I went to court for it and simply told them the truth that i was testing the car out and she let me off with a simple fine. But it was expensive for me ... a good $800.00

OUCH!

For those of you who've been caught....do you have radar detectors? A good one is much cheaper than even one ticket. All my cars are wired and (knock on wood) haven't had a speeding ticket in years. They have definitely paid for themselves.

Checked in PA new highway marked by 1/10 mileposts 76 mph on speedo actual speed 75 mph give or take .2 mph

Originally posted by jafosrx8
[B]You guys need to account for speedo error.

Typically, there’s a 3 or 4 MPH positive variance at highway speeds so you’ll need to multiply your indicated speed by something like 0.94 to determine your actual speed.

That makes the 148 indicated MPH reported by Breezy a more believable 139 actual MPH.

Has anyone calibrated their Speedo’s with highway markers or some other means??? [/B ] :p

Cars have much higher limits than their drivers. I have to people who (no matter what they are driving - it could be an 8 or a minivan) think that just because they can depress an accelerator pedal they are good drivers. In an emergency situation, a lot changes.
Also, people tend to overestimate the capability of their cars. I can start, stop change lanes a lot quicker than the SUV tailgating me.
Germany's autobahn is a great place to speed. But you should see how disciplined German drivers are. They actually move over to give you right of way if you are coming up fast from behind them. WOW! But off the autobahn, the cops traffic enforcement is STRICT! I passed a car and two wheels (not even four) went over a double solid line. I was pulled over.
Public works should provide venues for people who want to get their speed jollies. Would you beleive that we have a track here that is largely unused. It's operated by Transport Canada and is part of their vehicle testing center up north (20 mins from Mtl). The last exciting thing that happened there was filming of that Stallone racing movie (I forgot the title). There's a high speed banked oval! Was up to about 240km in a Jaguar XKR once with a pro driver on that oval. Great ride. I beleive there's a road course as well.
Get people to take performance driving certification classes, sign a legal disclaimer, and turn them loose. They'll kill themselves on the road anyways, let them do it in a controlled environment so that they don't take out anyone else with them.