Does Speed Kill?

[tool fan]

I drive my Bimmers like a Mad Man.......My 530i was constantly over 130mph and now my X3 is usually maintained at 110-115 mph. I drive at these speeds usually for a few hours at a time 2 x's a week. Question is.....Does driving at these speeds signifigantly wear down the vehicle?.........or........Its a Bimmer so it is meant to be driven hard.

 

[Wadula]

i voted no, but have to explain somethings about it. i voted no in regards to the question if it "ruins" the car. even if drivien fast some good and permanent maintenance will keep the good shape. and, of course, it all depends on how much and often and how fast fast is.

basically, i agree that a bimmer is build to handle high speeds. just don´t exaggerate and maintain the car. all will be fine.

 

[bmw046series]

I recently drove a 1999 540i (a friend just bought it), after he got it in for main entice, I took it out, felt like it just came out of the factory, 120- 130 mph on a track like there is no tomorrow- they are designed for it.

 

[Average Jae]

i want to regularly drive 100+ !!

i figure if you keep up w/ maint you'd be fine. i mean , they've been runnig the bahn w/out speedlimits for how long? i don't remember much: "this car failed due to waaaay too much high speed driving" if anything hard fast starts when cold would kill a car way more than high speeds at operating temps.

altho you'll prolly go through tires much faster

 

[Militant-Grunt]

BMW's and right about every german car mark are designed with the autobahn in mind, so speeds in the excess of 110+, are mearly normal? I wouldnt worry about it too much, as long as you maintain her and give her new fluids at proper times, she will definitly keep running strong with no damage to engine components.

 

[Chesty Bonds]

Driving a BMW at over 200km/h is much better for it than constant stop-start city driving. If I could drive my BM at proper speeds I would.

 

[epj3]

BMW's are the kind of car that if you look after it, you can drive it like you stole it all day long. My 15 year old car regularly sees redline and lateral movements...... No problems. Same with my e30 which was almost 17 years old.

With the new dif, 140 really sneaks up on ya

 

[Big Daddy]

Highway speeds and greater are easier on any motor as compared to stop and go driving. My Chevrolet pickup has 160k on her and runs great. Most of that mileage has been on the highways. She does not leak any oil, burn oil, or have any issues. The 750iL I bought used leaked oil and she only had 100k on her. I do not believe she had been properly maintained until I purchased her and fixed all the problems. In short I think most engines will last many years if properly maintained.

 

[codex57]

What's with all the Honda hate? Hondas do just fine when you rev em or run them at high speed. They don't exactly have a reputation for building crappy engines. I can think of a lot other companies to use in its place.

 

[tool fan]

What's with all the Honda hate? Hondas do just fine when you rev em or run them at high speed. They don't exactly have a reputation for building crappy engines. I can think of a lot other companies to use in its place.

I was just playin..........I know how heated debates get on the board with the mere mentioning of the word HONDA[joke]

 

[jaime-330]

What's with all the Honda hate? Hondas do just fine when you rev em or run them at high speed. They don't exactly have a reputation for building crappy engines. I can think of a lot other companies to use in its place.

Then you really don't know Hondas well, I used to own 8 of them in a 6 year period before I started investing my money in BMWs and you just can't compare Hondas with the quality of a BMW engine among many other things. They are just good 5 years at the most point A to B transportation. they actually should cost less

 

[bmwrocks]

I drive my Bimmers like a Mad Man.......My 530i was constantly over 130mph and now my X3 is usually maintained at 110-115 mph. I drive at these speeds usually for a few hours at a time 2 x's a week. Question is.....Does driving at these speeds signifigantly wear down the vehicle?.........or........Its a Bimmer so it is meant to be driven hard.

Is driving that fast for extended periods something you get used to? Cause I can hit 100 or 110 (not 130) but maintaining it for more than 10 or 15 seconds scares the living hell out of me!!!

Maybe it's because it's totally illegal? Or I am scared of other stupid drivers?

I also know it is EXTREMELY DANGEROUS to drive that fast no matter what. Funny no one has mentioned that in this thread.....Am I just a wimpasaurus?

 

[tool fan]

Is driving that fast for extended periods something you get used to? Cause I can hit 100 or 110 (not 130) but maintaining it for more than 10 or 15 seconds scares the living hell out of me!!!

Maybe it's because it's totally illegal? Or I am scared of other stupid drivers?

I also know it is EXTREMELY DANGEROUS to drive that fast no matter what. Funny no one has mentioned that in this thread.....Am I just a wimpasaurus?

Thanks for the input..........buuuuuuuuuut, don't forget that I live in Germany and for the most part, cars over here (even the slow ones) average probably right around 90mph on the Autobahns. I had my 530i up to 157mph once and yes that was scary fast, but 130 in a 5 series isn't that bad.

 

[Big Daddy]

I also know it is EXTREMELY DANGEROUS to drive that fast no matter what. Funny no one has mentioned that in this thread.....Am I just a wimpasaurus?

No you are not, you are correct, it is very dangerous as it only takes a fraction of a second at those speeds for something tragic to happen. As MIke says, he is in Germany driving on roads designed for those speeds and where they are legal. I love speed as well as anyone and have taken several of my BMW's to triple digits, but for the most part when I need a super speed fix I take it to the track with a BMW CCA course!

 

[///M SPEED]

Then you really don't know Hondas well, I used to own 8 of them in a 6 year period before I started investing my money in BMWs and you just can't compare Hondas with the quality of a BMW engine among many other things. They are just good 5 years at the most point A to B transportation. they actually should cost less

Sounds to me you’re the one who doesn't know Honda's well. I have owned (and still do) many Honda's and they last well over "5 years". The engines and the cars themselves can last triple that amount of time. I have put over 200,000 mile on one of my old Honda's and was still running strong when I sold it to my nephew. My “91” Prelude had 120,000 miles when I sold it a couple of years ago and ran and looked like new. This is on top of all my other family members who have owned and still own Honda's that run great. I have many many friends that have no problems as well. Sounds to me you didn't/don’t maintain your Honda vehicle's very well.....

They do have they're share of problems as all car manufactures do, but reliability is at or near the bottom of the list.

 

[///M SPEED]

No you are not, you are correct, it is very dangerous as it only takes a fraction of a second at those speeds for something tragic to happen. As MIke says, he is in Germany driving on roads designed for those speeds and where they are legal. I love speed as well as anyone and have taken several of my BMW's to triple digits, but for the most part when I need a super speed fix I take it to the track with a BMW CCA course!

Hehe, correct and I might add that a deer, cat, squirrel, raccoon, possum, (what would worry me the most) etc... is instant death at those speeds. We wont even going into tire failure. It's a risk you take and I am sure most are aware of what might happen, but the autobahn has been around a long time and it changes that one must take to drive like that there.....

 

[codex57]

My family's had their share of Hondas. Still do. 100,000 miles goes by like nothing on them. And we don't baby them either. Now some other brands on the other hand...

 

[///M SPEED]

....

 

[Average Jae]

[bmwkick] anyquestions?
just so you know i'm being stupid and didn't read much above..

 

[///M SPEED]

Hehe, it's all good....