High speed Prius notes

[bedrock8x]

A true biker does not own any cars.

Originally Posted by hyo silver

Those probably weren't biker bikers, more like fat yuppies on shiny toys.

[uart]

Originally Posted by cwerdna

Without know his route, I'd guess the speed limits were somewhere between 65 and 75 mph. I don't know of any freeways within CA or NV that are higher than 75 mph.

Thanks for the info. Good to know that's similar to the max speed limits here. Those stories of the motorways in Germany with no speedlimits actually scare me. I wouldn't even want to be sharing the same road as someone travelling at 130 MPH.

[David Beale]

Montana tried no limits on a few highways for a while. I got to drive on I15 during this experiment. Yup, it was scary, as some who were driving above 140 km/hr were NOT skilled enough for it and didn't have the vehicle for it (tires not rated that high, older vehicle wandering in lane, etc). Imagine a 20 year old Pickup hurtling down the highway at 160 km/hr often leaving their lane and you'll get a good picture. The police would ticket vehicles traveling too fast for safety, but it was not enough to control the situation (we are just not smart enough for no limits). After a number killed themselves and others, the limit was set to 75 MPH. Not sure what it is today.

I've been staying in Canada for the last number of years. Here the max. limit is 110 km/hr, and on a few highways, even with very heavy traffic, the average speed is over 120 km/hr.

The German autobahns are slowly loosing the "no-limit" parts. Traffic too heavy, and too messy when someone makes a mistake. The pieces that are left can be very small.

[rfelley]

This sounds kind of like something they would do on a proving ground test. I'm impressed but as a mechanic I think you would want to consider that this car just experienced extreme conditions and replace the engine and trans oils well ahead of regular schedule.

Originally Posted by scary jerry

Hi
We have a red 2008 Prius. Lately I have had the chance to take it on 2 relatively long trips at high rates of speed.
The first trip was 399 miles in 5 hours. The Prius pulled in an impressive 42.3 mpg for the trip.

Our second trip was through Nevada. Average speed over 5 hours 20 minutes was 81 MPH. I discovered the speed limiter at 108. The whole trip was done on one tank of gas.

The Prius feels tight and comfortable at high speed and through the mountains of California and Nevada.

So, if you drive fast like I do you will still get great mileage.

Jerry in Sacramento

[M8s]

Originally Posted by rfelley

This sounds kind of like something they would do on a proving ground test. I'm impressed but as a mechanic I think you would want to consider that this car just experienced extreme conditions and replace the engine and trans oils well ahead of regular schedule.

Very interesting perspective and comment.

We split our time between CO and AZ. Every 6 months, we commute back (or forth) in our two Priuses. Each trip is about 837 miles and takes about 12.5 hours. We average about 67 mph but that includes brief stops for fuel, food and bathroom breaks. We basically set the cruise on 79 and go.

Would this be considered extreme conditions too? Anything we should do once we get to our destination, were we stay put for 6 months? Once at our destinations, we just tool around town and do an occasional 100 - 150 mile trip.

[rfelley]

If the outside air temperature is 90 + during your trips then I'd say you are sliding into the severe use area. If the outside temperatures are significantly less then probably not. IT's far safer the err in the direction of changing oil more frequently than called for than the other way round.

Rich

Originally Posted by M8s

Very interesting perspective and comment.

We split our time between CO and AZ. Every 6 months, we commute back (or forth) in our two Priuses. Each trip is about 837 miles and takes about 12.5 hours. We average about 67 mph but that includes brief stops for fuel, food and bathroom breaks. We basically set the cruise on 79 and go.

Would this be considered extreme conditions too? Anything we should do once we get to our destination, were we stay put for 6 months? Once at our destinations, we just tool around town and do an occasional 100 - 150 mile trip.

[M8s]

Originally Posted by rfelley

If the outside air temperature is 90 + during your trips then I'd say you are sliding into the severe use area. If the outside temperatures are significantly less then probably not. IT's far safer the err in the direction of changing oil more frequently than called for than the other way round.

Rich

Thanks for the response.

It doesn't sound like we're in the "extreme conditions" category. As we only do this twice a year and only for 837 miles each time, I'll just follow the recommended maintenance and keep an eye on the fliuds and tire pressures.

[Croft]

Originally Posted by uart

Thanks for the info. Good to know that's similar to the max speed limits here. Those stories of the motorways in Germany with no speedlimits actually scare me. I wouldn't even want to be sharing the same road as someone travelling at 130 MPH.

130mph? I'm afraid that's really not terribly fast on the Autobahn. I used to use them regularly when my wife was stationed over there a couple of years ago. We used to set the cruise control at 120mph on her Merc and that was a fairly comfortable speed (took it to 140mph for a while just to see how fast it would go!). You still have to maintain strict lane discipline though, and a keen eye on the rear view mirror as there were many cars going substantially faster. I knew people who'd be doing 160mph and getting the flash from a car on the horizon behind warning them they were coming up fast and to move over! The Germans are very used to it and do keep to the right.

[esskay]

Originally Posted by uart
Thanks for the info. Good to know that's similar to the max speed limits here. Those stories of the motorways in Germany with no speedlimits actually scare me. I wouldn't even want to be sharing the same road as someone travelling at 130 MPH.

Originally Posted by Croft

130mph? I'm afraid that's really not terribly fast on the Autobahn. I used to use them regularly when my wife was stationed over there a couple of years ago. We used to set the cruise control at 120mph on her Merc and that was a fairly comfortable speed (took it to 140mph for a while just to see how fast it would go!). You still have to maintain strict lane discipline though, and a keen eye on the rear view mirror as there were many cars going substantially faster. I knew people who'd be doing 160mph and getting the flash from a car on the horizon behind warning them they were coming up fast and to move over! The Germans are very used to it and do keep to the right.

Indeed, it's not scary at all in Germany.

I've done a lot of business there and have driven on the Autobahn. The roads are meticulously maintained, and it seems less and less of it is speed-unlimited each year. There are speed limits on many parts of the autobahn.

Speed is not scary; speed itself is not necessarily dangerous. It is the disparity in speed between vehicles which can be very dangerous. The key to it working in Germany is driver discipline and adherence to conventions (or laws in their case). Much of the autobahns I experienced are just two lanes, so this is crucial. Passing always on the left, never on the right. Slower traffic must stay in the right lane, no left lane laggards like here in the states. When there are faster cars behind, you get out of the way, right away! Naturally German vehicles are tuned and built to handle properly -- strong brakes, good handling, etc.

I would easily and comfortably cruise at ~240km/h which is about 150mph, and that's in a typical diesel Mercedes. Just wonderful, love it!

[jdcollins5]

Originally Posted by esskay

Indeed, it's not scary at all in Germany.

I've done a lot of business there and have driven on the Autobahn. The roads are meticulously maintained, and it seems less and less of it is speed-unlimited each year. There are speed limits on many parts of the autobahn.

Speed is not scary; speed itself is not necessarily dangerous. It is the disparity in speed between vehicles which can be very dangerous. The key to it working in Germany is driver discipline and adherence to conventions (or laws in their case). Much of the autobahns I experienced are just two lanes, so this is crucial. Passing always on the left, never on the right. Slower traffic must stay in the right lane, no left lane laggards like here in the states. When there are faster cars behind, you get out of the way, right away! Naturally German vehicles are tuned and built to handle properly -- strong brakes, good handling, etc.

I would easily and comfortably cruise at ~240km/h which is about 150mph, and that's in a typical diesel Mercedes. Just wonderful, love it!

I have ridden on the Autobahn with a group of German engineers. We were running about 100 mph and went to pass. Before we were hardly in the left lane to pass, a vehicle was flashing lights from what looked like miles away. Before we could even get back in the right lane, a streak came by that looked like a BMW !

We asked the engineers about wrecks. Their comments were that there are not many wrecks, but when they do have them, they are a "hell of a mess" in their words.

I believe I will let the Germans do the driving on the Autobahn !