kenstudios

Driving down on I240 minding my own business and obeying the speed law when suddenly this 5 series comes rolling on. I decide to follow and match his speed without any problem. He guns it, I down shift and gun it. Pass him at about 100 and I keep about 2 car lengths infront of him and hit 130. My limiter kicks in and I cant go any faster. I think he knew that so he passes me and he's gone. Anyone has an AMG for sale???????????

fusion2007

there is a way to get rid of the limiter.

Big "H"

How! I had the same problem; the BMW never pass me, but came close.

Big "H"

newton22

AMGs have limiters too, just at 155. I think Renntech or Kleemann ECU will do it.

kenstudios

I dont wan't to spend an arm and leg on this car. There's alittle more that goes with those ECU upgrades than just the $1700 to buy. You have to think about brakes, airbox, exhaust and more. It's not required but heck, what's the point of being able to hit 186 and cant stop in time? I just didn't want to spend $10-20K on upgrades. I'm really waiting to get a 221 next year. I wanted it now but remembered what happened when I rushed to get my 00.

newton22

I seriously doubt the S-class can hit 186 mph (Except for the two AMG versions and the S600). I've heard that without the limiter, the S500 is capable of a little over 160 though.

1phd1jd

The S class should not be driven above 155MPH. The car is too heavy and is dangerous at greater speeds. My S600 can easily peg the speedometer at 160MPH.
If you want to drive fast on the streets, you need the 911 Turbo S cab. This car is unreal.

newton22

The S-class is designed for autobahn cruising. It's perfectly stable at high speeds. Weight is a good thing at such speeds, keeps the car planted.

fusion2007

the easy way is to take it to a mercedes technicion and pay him a 100$ to do it on the side. or if u have experience go into ur command system setup and u should be able to change it from their depending on ur model.

Arnie

I remember reading an article in "Car and Driver" about 3 years ago. They were trying to disable the limiter on the '00 S class, and even the Renntech guys could not do it.

lloyds

My Euro 430 is limited to 155 mph which think is standard over here. Mercedes say the limiter is because of EEC law for tire speed ratings.

1phd1jd

The car is not safe after the 155 MPH mark. The handling is off and deadly accidents happen. For example, Princess Diane was in an S600 at high speeds.

As I stated before, if you want to drive faster (relatively safely) than 150 MPH, add a Porsche or Ferrari to your stable. My 911 Turbo S will do 198 MPH and stop in an instant.

kenstudios

Even if I could, I wouldn't do 150. I dont even do 80. I just need to know that if and only IF I need to run from someone, I can do it. Princess had alcohol factor in there somewhere.

IluvS500

lets not forget...she also did not have her seatbelt on, i think the only person that survived that crash had his seatbelt on.

lloyds

Plus she was in a much older and heavier W140 driving on unsuitable city roads at night. I have taken my car upto 155mph with no stability problems, and have heard of some mad people over here removing the limiter on S55s and with engine mods reaching speeds around 200mph.

newton22

Some of the E55 and SL55 owners have actually surpassed the 200 mph mark by a tad.

1phd1jd

I am not saying that the car S600 can not do high MPH’s and sustain them for long periods of time. I know what these cars can do since I have had other AMG’s that did 180 MPH. My 2004 S600 is a great car and my first choice 90% of the time.

I am simply saying that you have to be able to stop quickly and controlled when speeding around in the streets. Even though my Benz has awesome AMG brakes, they do not stop with the authority of the PCCB’s or Porsche Ceramic Composite Brakes. The PCCB’s are unreal and can bruise your ribs with repeated brake stomps.

This any a few other reasons is why I like the Porsche over the Benz to race around the streets or OC.

Wolfman

I am not sure what your message is; don't go 160mph around the streets? You shouldn't do that in your Porsche either.

When it comes to highway driving or driving on the Autobahn, the S-class even with the standard brakes (like the S500) is perfectly able to safely slow down and stop the car at any speed, including 155 mph. Have done that for years and this is what these cars are engineered for. Safe driving and braking has always been a priority over acceleration at MB and other German car manufacturers.

These kinds of comments are just plain nonsense.

Wolfman

Btw, the 155mph limiter is a self-imposed limit by the manufacturers and not guided by any laws, including in Germany.

1phd1jd

By stating a self imposed limit on the cars performance, you mean that the car buyer sets the limit? I thought that the entire threat of this discussion is based not being able to change the top speed.

The manufacturer sets the limit according to legal liability and the cars engineering.
The S600 is built as a luxury sports car, but luxury is first. A Porsche or Ferrari is a sports car with a little luxury (leather, radio, Nav, electric seats/windows). They are a sports cars first. The Benz can not compare to around the town sporting especially the SL65 or SLK55. They both tend to run warm under hard driving in OC in the summertime.

The Porsche and Ferrari manufacturers need not limit the car because it is built to drive at higher rates of speed and they are less likely to be liable.

kenstudios

Why should MB limit their cars close to what regular cars are limited at? After reading your responses I took all my cars to the track where I could push them hard. My Maxima went a little above 134 m/hr, my Altima is governed at 128. I guess the point is why should other $20K-$30K cars be able to do these speeds with relative ease and yet a $90K car (new) cannot go past the 130 mark?????? My maxima has a great deal of torque steer and besides a lot of wind noise it felt pretty steady.

1phd1jd

Nissans can go fast but can not sustain the high rate of speed for long periods of time without modifications. Also, the track surface is a much smoother surface than a highway and most cars can reach there limits with ease and little effort. The street, on the other hand, is not perfect and $100K cars shine when they hit a bump on the road at speeds above 100 MPH.

Wolfman

It would be nice to stick to facts, not just hear about your assumptions on the subject.

The 250 km/h or 155 mph limit started initially when standard sedans were able to go faster and move towards the 300 km/h mark. Given German traffic conditions (high traffic density and the limited use of the left speeding lane which can easily have traffic moving 80 mph faster than the right lane), all major German manufacturers with the exception of Porsche decided to limit their cars to 155mph. But it is important to understand that this was primarily a marketing move and not appear reckless, nothing else. Porsche excluded themselves due to the fact that they were strictly a sports car manufacturer and this limit would have hurt their brand. Besides, there are very few Porsche's compared to millions of cars on German highways that can go the speed.
Today, many manufacturers offer speed delimiting directly from the factory.

The only LEGAL requirement that German car manufacturers have is that the car can be driven and handled safely at any speed it is capable of. So if it can go 180+mph then it must be safe to use from 0-180+ mph. Simple as that.
There are NO liability issues whatsoever related to speed for the manufacturer, only for the driver (in Germany). Anytime an accident occurs, a car driving above 180km/h may be considered at fault. This is the result once again of the traffic conditions, not engineering.

You also keep on bringing up speeding on streets. Throwing a car around the corner has really nothing to do with safety.

I venture out to say that a S600 is in fact much safer at high speeds that a Porsche or Ferrari, including the ability to walk away from the car in case of an accident.
It takes more than strong brakes to make a safe car. You also need well designed active and passive safety systems and you need a heavy car.

Btw, since you discuss track vs. streets, German highways are designed for speeds up to 250 mph or 400 km/h. This has actually less to do with the surface of the road but with the design of curves to keep you on the road.

Wolfman

lloyds

Thanks Wolfman nice to hear from someone who knows his facts. Having driven many thousands of miles on German autobahns I personally would prefer the Mercedes over the Porsche at long sustained high autobahn speeds. You cannot beat a nice piece of classical music whilst traveling in excess of 140 mph in perfect comfort. Try that in a porsche !!!

1phd1jd

No speculation since I have owned most of the luxury and sports cars and can compare them from experience. Facts, it is hard to give factual data if you do not own the cars for which we are discussion.

Correct, the S600 is very safe and that is why I drive one. The object is not to get into the accident and I think the Porsche or Ferrari has a better chance of NOT getting into an accident when driving at high rates of speed.

Wolfman

You keep on stating your personal opinions and preferences which is great. I only object when you pass them off as engineeing limitations of a car which is simply false.

I also believe that you get to know any cars limitation when you drive them regularly and at their limits.
Having lived in Europe and traveling by car for business I have logged countless high-speed miles on a couple of S-classes and got to know them up close and personal. A friend of mine had a Ruf conversion of a Porsche Turbo which we had taken through hours of high-speed excursions in the french burgundy. The highway there is quite curvy and a real challenge at 190+mph. So I do have a bit of experience...
Point is that this kind of driving is simply not available anywhere in the US and when we discuss why cars are being speed-limited it is valuable to understand those backgrounds.

Don't get me wrong. Porsche's and Ferraris are beautiful high perfomance cars. But in the area of accident avoidance they simply aren't better, rather the opposite. Both are more difficult to manover at high speeds, at least in real traffic conditions due to their less invasive or missing traction controls. Braking from 150+ to 0 requires a certain distance no matter how good the brakes. If that distance isn't available, a heavier car with with elaborate traction and brake controls will win.

Wolfman