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Volvo is introducing a 112mph speed limiter to all its new cars

108 points by BerislavLopac 8y ago

artemonster 8y ago
laughs in german
SketchySeaBeast 8y ago
Is there any particular reasoning as to that value? If we assume major highway limits of 70 mph and add an excessive 20-30 mph for passing, that's still a ton of extra lethal kinetic energy. edit: Apparently even the Autobahn has a recommended speed of 80 mph (I'm aware you can go faster, but then why have a limit at all?)
- klaustopher 8y ago
  There are markets for cars that have higher speed limits. Or none at all
  - SketchySeaBeast 8y ago
    So why THAT limit?
    - vvillena 8y ago
      It's reasonable enough to make any higher limit unreasonable, while still being high enough for fast drivers. German cars are usually limited to 250 km/h. With this new, still high limit from Volvo, the German manufacturers now have to justify why their own limit is so high.
      - tgsovlerkhgsel 8y ago
        "Because the customers want that, and won't buy a car that is limited that low, possibly out of principle." And good luck getting politicians to push them to do otherwise.
    - bluedino 8y ago
      Tires. Manufacturers rate their tires for certain speeds. https://www.bfgoodrichtires.com/tires-101/tire-basics/about-tires/tire-speed-ratings-and-tread-life.page https://www.bfgoodrichtires.com/tires-101/tire-basics/about-... Many cars use S-rated tires and that's the 112mph limit. It's all about liability. Sports cars usually use higher speed ratings, whereas a truck or van might be limited ~ 100mph. They typicaly have off-road or tires with higher towing capabilities which have lower speed ratings.
- MikeKusold 8y ago
  It's roughly 180 km/h. Your assumption of a 70mph speed limit is based on the US, and it's incorrect. Portions of highways in the US have 85mph speed limits (i70 on the eastern part of Utah comes to mind).
  - SketchySeaBeast 8y ago
    Even then, the difference between 85 and 112 is a rather large one.
  - batbomb 8y ago
    I've done 120 or 130 on the stretch between Wendover and Salt Lake City. Most people go about 90
    - sliken 8y ago
      Heh, yeah, that area is perfect for high speed driving. Mostly perfectly straight, good quality roads, and excellent visibility. There's an annual race in Nevada not too far from there (highway 318) that's the world's fastest road race. Last year someone average 219mph and was doing 4 wheel drifts at over 200 mph on the sharpest (almost straight at normal speeds). Not bad for a normal highway.
  - LyndsySimon 8y ago
    Also, while the speed limit on I-40 through Arkansas is nominally 70 or 75, it's not at all uncommon for traffic to be moving at 85-90 MPH.
    - conductr 8y ago
      In Texas 85 is a thing. At that speed, you really don’t see much speeding. Maybe up to 90. And an occasional need to burst up to 100. Many people start feeling uncomfortable at these speeds even in open road conditions. I think part of it is they also don’t want people to hit the limit often. It’s for egregious drivers. Driving at that speed and suddenly decelerating to a stop is not the safest thing either.
- r00fus 8y ago
  I mean, I get by with an EV limited to 88mph (not sure if that's a in-joke or what). It gets to 88 really fast, but can't go faster. Probably saves me a ton of battery and I still cruise or lead on the left lane. 112 is 25% faster, way more lethal. I'm guessing it's 112mi*1.6km/mi = 180kph.
  - saagarjha 8y ago
    > an EV limited to 88mph Which one?
    - kevin_thibedeau 8y ago
      One of the new Deloreans.
      - SketchySeaBeast 8y ago
        With the 1.21 gigawatts packs.
    - r00fus 8y ago
      Ford Focus EV. Got a massive deal on it back in 2017. Pretty happy with it.
- lambdasquirrel 8y ago
  If we took the top end of your excessive figure (i.e. 100mph), the difference in kinetic energy between 112 and 100 is equivalent to the difference in kinetic energy between 0 and 50. Lethal kinetic energy indeed.
- LyndsySimon 8y ago
  As I mentioned in another comment, tires with an "S" speed rating go to 112 MPH, while tires with an "H" rating go to 130 MPH. I'm guessing they either downgraded the factory tires or were concerned about lawsuits from owners who installed aftermarket "S" rated tires.
  - ilikepi 8y ago
    Yeah, I had the same guess. I'll bet their current higher performance models come with fancy Pirellis or something equivalent, and this is a way to reduce cost.
  - mbell 8y ago
    Lower speed rating also usually means lighter construction and a 'harder' compound, both of which reduce cost and improve fuel milage.
    - sliken 8y ago
      Actually it's the opposite I believe, at least for the same family of tires. Sure there are high efficiency tires with harder compounds and are more efficient. But if you get the sporty tire from whatever brand the higher speed ratings generally have the less flexible/harder material. The limiting factor being the heat generated from the flexing builds up. So generally a 150 mph rated tire gets less traction, costs more, and is worse when it's cold than a 112 mph rated tire. So even on a fairly sporty car and tire you are best off getting the lowest rated tire that will accommodate your max speed.
      - mbell 8y ago
        Conceptually that may be true, but it's next to impossible to get performance tires in speed ratings under W and within any particular model it often varies only by 1, rarely 2, speed ratings.
  - heelix 8y ago
    I've got an old Porsche 996 S4, and I can't say it is a fast car. (fun around the corners, but not fast). I had V rated tires which were rated for 150mph. Not silly expensive either for that matter. I've never driven fast enough to need those tires (or even H rated for that matter) but it would irritate me to no end to know the limiter was there.
- larkeith 8y ago
  I suspect they decided that 180 kph is the sweet spot of "still significantly more survivable than higher speeds" and "won't prompt much consumer outrage". Though I'm sure there will still be no lack of people raging about Volvo impeding their freedom.
  - benj111 8y ago
    Why would there be consumer outrage? If you're planning to speed past 180kph don't buy a Volvo. I doubt the Venn diagram of both groups shows much overlap anyway.
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]
- Matthias247 8y ago
  As a german: - A speed limit of 140km/h would be fine for me, although sometimes disappointing when the road is really empty and there's a lot of distance to cover. - A speed limit of 160km/h would be totally fine for me. Around that +-10km/h is somewhere around the limit that I find comfortable on the Autobahn. - A limit of 180km/h probably also satisfies most of the other customers, and might be the sweet spot between still being very fast and not losing a lot of customers that would want to go even faster.
arethuza 8y ago
This made me wonder what the top speed of my current car is (a very modest Škoda Yeti) and it is 111mph :-)
chasingthewind 8y ago
There is no circumstances under which a maximum speed of 112 would bother me. I drive a Honda Fit. I don't think I have ever driven it over 85 miles per hour (137km/hr). I'm not comfortable driving faster than that. What makes me mad is that my speedometer goes up to 140mph! Why?! The only answer I've ever seen that makes sense is that it's a marketing tool, but who honestly buys a Honda Fit and thinks to themselves "if this thing can't do 140 then forget it!" The downside is that it's actually very hard for me to tell exactly how fast I'm going because in general I'm driving less than 60mph in my daily commute and yet that range is only 43% of my analog speedometer. I honestly wish it only went up to 100mph, then I'd be using 60% of the resolution of the dial. Instead I have no idea whether I'm going 35 or 40 unless I really stare at the thing :(
- rightnow 8y ago
  Tbh i dont think a Honda Fit goes above 85.
- tracker1 8y ago
  I drive a 392 challenger scat pack shaker... I don't think I've ever had it over 100, though the max is 201. I'm not sure I'd be bothered by a regulator for the top speed. That said, I don't think speeding is even close to the number 1 killer these days... Cell phones seem to be the leading cause of accidents these days. Maybe they should detect motion over 5mph and turn off display of messaging apps, only bluetooth voice interactions allowed.
  - bryanlarsen 8y ago
    Distracted driving is definitely the leading cause these days; driver fatigue, drunk driving and aggressive driving are the other leading causes. But even if it didn't cause the accident, accidents at reasonable speeds (<30km/h for car-pedestrian, <120km/h for car-car) are usually survivable. At higher speeds, fatalities increase dramatically.
  - sorenjan 8y ago
    High speed is one of three problem areas Volvo has identified according to their press release. The other two are drunk driving and distraction, including phones. They will present ideas to tackle the other two on March 20. https://www.media.volvocars.com/global/en-gb/media/pressreleases/249678/volvo-cars-to-impose-180-kph-speed-limit-on-all-cars-to-highlight-dangers-of-speeding https://www.media.volvocars.com/global/en-gb/media/pressrele...
SurrealSoul 8y ago
Pretty cool, by establishing a top speed standard they could run reliable crash tests for the absolute worst case that the car could experience. Looking forward to the future of "No matter how you drive this car, it won't kill you"
- ken 8y ago
  People die every day in car crashes at far slower speeds than that. There's no way to guarantee a car crash won't kill you, even at normal highway speeds.
  - SurrealSoul 8y ago
    yeah bad phrasing on my end, knowing the max speed you could interact with a common obstacle (say a highway barrier) could lead to targeting harding to prevent fatalities, as opposed to general harding for all speeds. Cars could still drive into lakes or off cliffs, but knowing the max speed a car could rear end another car may lead to minor enhancements that could save lives
  - mshook 8y ago
    Plus if speed was really THE main factor, highways would be terribly dangerous. Or they're usually the safest when it comes to accident statistics. So speed is not the main issue but it's a nice tool when you're a politician or you want to communicate. For the Autobahn, wiki says: In 2014, autobahns carried 31% of motorized road traffic while accounting for 11% of Germany's traffic deaths. The autobahn fatality rate of 1.6 deaths per billion travel-kilometres compared favorably with the 4.6 rate on urban streets and 6.5 rate on rural roads.
- cowgoesmoo 8y ago
  I don't think we'll ever see that in a road car unless we mandate 6 point harnesses, helmets, and HANS devices. No matter how big the crumple zone and how stiff the chassis is, 3 point harnesses allow too much movement and people will still die from neck injuries.
- itslennysfault 8y ago
jbob2000 8y ago
I've always wondered why the government sets speed limits but then doesn't enforce them on manufacturers. You can solve 99% of speed "crime" by making it illegal to sell a car that can break the speed limit.
- dethswatch 8y ago
  You've never had a track day... This whole page is filled with "Doesn't apply to me, so go for it", which seems like a really bad rationale to apply to hundreds of millions of people, potentially.
  - presscast 8y ago
    Honest question: can you remove speed limiters on "track day"?
    - mshook 8y ago
      Some cars use their GPS to enable that yes. I think the Nissan GT-R does that. It's from 2007: https://www.autoblog.com/2007/12/22/nissan-gt-r-recognizes-tracks-via-gps-removes-speed-limiter/ https://www.autoblog.com/2007/12/22/nissan-gt-r-recognizes-t...
  - bfred_it 8y ago
    What percentage of the population speeds vs what percentage has track days? Surely those who have track days can disable the limit or buy a car without it, while the vast majority of "casual speeders" won't be affected by it. Even 112 is quite high compared to the speed limit in most of the world. 100 would be right, outside Germany.
  - jbob2000 8y ago
    Yes, I have not had a track day. Most drivers have not had a track day. It’s incredibly expensive and puts a shit ton of wear on your vehicle. For the common man, go karts and rollercaosters are enough.
hnsucksalot 8y ago
Speed limit for children's.. Every Volvo should have straight line to police, who broke speed limits.
throwawayst808 8y ago
Just out of curiosity, am I the only one that's tried the top speed of every car I've owned? German cars have limiters at 130 or 155mph, and the first time I hit the 130 limiter was a surprise (suddenly lost acceleration, thought I had an engine problem, then realized I just hit the limiter). Surely I'm not the only one? Intended out of real curiosity
- spullara 8y ago
  I hit the limiter on my X5 at 145mph. It was jarring as it was really smooth right up to that point.
- mrguyorama 8y ago
  Many places in the USA, passing a cop while hitting the limiter would result in at least a night in jail, instant driver's license loss, and lots and lots of money. The vast majority of Americans cannot afford even a basic speeding ticket, let alone that kind of expense. So no, you aren't the only one, but certainly experiencing that kind of risk is a massively luxurious thing that the vast majority of people cannot afford. Also not everyone has access to long stretches of highway with little traffic to do this in a way that doesn't endanger other people
  - throwawayst808 8y ago
    Oh I feel so bad now. And I like the way you made it a class thing (used cars go just as fast as new cars by the way).
  - derp_dee_derp 8y ago
    what does poor people not being able to afford to get speeding tickets have anything to do with this conversation? should the OP not drive his car in the way that he wants to because of the price of speeding tickets? should people in wyoming, with access to long stretches of highway with little traffic, not be able to drive their vehicles in the way they want to because manhattan doesn't have highways and has lots of traffic? seems to me like you're trying to shame OP and make him feel bad for some reason, but I can't figure out why. whats your point?
ken 8y ago
In the past 2 years, Volvo discontinued all engines with more than 4 cylinders [1], announced that all future cars would be HEV or EV [2], then declared that the current ICEs would not be developed further. Other car companies make a few innovative models, but (apart from Tesla) I don't know any other companies which have made sweeping statements about every model they'll ever make. I think Volvo has the strongest brand today, in the sense that I know what they stand for. They've come a long way from "boxy but good". [1]: https://www.seattletimes.com/business/volvo-xc60-moves-to-all-4-cylinder-engines/ https://www.seattletimes.com/business/volvo-xc60-moves-to-al... [2]: https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a15340510/volvo-electrifying-entire-lineup-in-2019-but-gas-isnt-dead/ https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a15340510/volvo-electrifyi... [3]: https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a18725989/driving-on-e-current-volvo-engines-will-be-the-companys-last/ https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a18725989/driving-on-e-cur...
danmg 8y ago
Great. Now just make an automatic transmission that's not a pile of junk.
- rhinoceraptor 8y ago
  In a couple years there will be no need for transmissions anymore...
  - itslennysfault 8y ago
    ...or steering wheels.
    - danmg 8y ago
      or people
- _archon_ 8y ago
  The Ford/GM 10 speed is a heck of a transmission. Porsche has TDM. Anything with dual-clutch can be automatic. Auto transmissions aren't as bad as they used to be.
userulluipeste 8y ago
Although 180 km/h looks reasonable, I'm not convinced this kind of solutions is the way to go. Speed limiters are not new and were sold on the idea that are improving the efficiency of the engine, burning the fuel better. To do the same thing in regard to safety however, is a bit humiliating or at least patronizing. People already are required to jump through non-trivial hoops in order to legally get behind the driving wheel and all that is to make sure they fully understand the implications of driving a high speed vehicle and accept the implied responsibility. We already took care of setting the proper speed limits through road regulations on the society level, and we do further limit those speeds by choice on the individual level on each driving session. This artificial limitation from the automakers is more akin to fearmongering based marketing stunt, something not derived from rational discernment but from tackling one's lizard brain fears.
- rhombocombus 8y ago
  I don't think it's fearmongering, especially when you consider that children are allowed to drive (at least here in the US, and with minimal training). This isn't about being a nanny state or keeping folks from driving fast cars (I imagine there will always be cars you can take on the track), it's about keeping everyone on the roads safer. Not one single time in my highway driving life have I encountered a NEED to drive that fast in any traffic maneuver. People die in high speed crashes all the time, I don't think anything about this decision is fearmongering, it's about the health and safety of those around you.
  - Mirioron 8y ago
    Every decision that restricts people is justified with "it's about the health and safety of those around you". It's not a convincing argument when it's used for everything. Volvo does it so they can use cheaper tires without being liable.
    - wsy 8y ago
      If it indeed increases the health and safety of those around you, why is this not a valid argument?
teilo 8y ago
Even when I was on the Autobahn (in a Volvo S6 no less) my max speed was 108 mph, and most of the time I settled in at 100 mph. But there will definitely be some people pissed off at this, as I saw people clearly going closer to 120 on occasion.
- itslennysfault 8y ago
  I cleared 150 mph as a teen 'cause the speedometer went that high and part of being in a new car was seeing if you could actually pin the speedometer. However, that was a very stupid choice, and I'm glad no one got hurt. Outside of a track there is no valid reason to go over 100 mph.
  - 0db532a0 8y ago
    I did 150mph on the Autobahn last year on my motorbike on a straight stretch with three lanes. I thought I’d play it safe and stay in the outside lane in case someone from the inside lane decided to overtake another. Two cars undertook me, albeit very considerately, on the inside lane at considerably higher speeds. At that point I felt defeated and decided to take things a bit easier for the rest of my trip.
- nicoburns 8y ago
  I've been in a car doing 120mph on the autobahn once, which was the fastest the Vauxhall Zafira we were driving would go. We had gotten stuck in a traffic jam and were late for our train. We had a couple of Ferrari's come up on our tail. I've no idea how fast they were going, but it was a fair bit faster than us!
Shorel 8y ago
I would love if all cars had a cruise speed mode where I could say, I want the top speed to be 60, and it never goes faster. The difference here is that I would choose this speed, instead of it being set only by the manufacturer. It is also OK if the car had both limits, a manufacturer max and a lower max speed configurable by the driver.
- smt88 8y ago
  > I want the top speed to be 60, and it never goes faster My (otherwise terrible) 2006 Honda Civic Hybrid did this. It would brake (thereby recharging its battery and improving mileage) whenever the speed went above the cruise-control setting -- usually due to hills, not due to over-zealous automated acceleration. I suspect most electric and hybrid cars do the same today, but I have no data and have not googled it.
- user5994461 8y ago
  It's called a speed limiter, it's in series in many cars. Don't American cars have it?
  - deleted 8y ago
    [deleted]
- ams6110 8y ago
  Just be sure you stay in the right-hand lane please.
- yeahboats 8y ago
  Isn't this what cruise control is? Or do you want this to be a hidden limit, say for one's kids' cars?
  - jandrese 8y ago
    Cruise control won't hit the brakes if you are going downhill and exceed your set speed. I think he's looking for the latter. Setting it to 60 is probably too low though unless the OP only ever drives in the city. I'm hoping he's not one of those people who immediately shove their way over to the far left lane of the interstate and never move until they suddenly jump across three lanes of traffic at the last second to take their exit.
newnewpdro 8y ago
This should be matched with a lowered purchase price, because they're almost certainly going to be equipping cheaper tires w/a correspondingly low speed rating.
- jandrese 8y ago
  This is Volvo we are talking about. They weren't equipping their station wagons with Pirelli tires.
rmason 8y ago
We already have systems that can read speed signs. What I'd like to see is image recognition systems that recognize a school bus and when it is stopped. Couple of times a year I see drivers blowing by a school bus as kids are getting off and trying to cross the street right in front of them. Be nice if the car decided for the driver that it was stopping.
henvic 8y ago
If I were automaker I'd consider allowing bursts above the maximum speed limit for a few seconds. I'm not a fan of limiting (besides for warranty, electronics reasons) and prefer to educate rather than restrict. However, if taking this approach I believe you should consider that some people might drive in the limit and they deserve to be in power of their vehicles regardless. Imagine if you drive near this software-limited speed and suddenly need to speed up a little bit more to avoid a dangerous situation. You simply can't. This may dangerous specially if you don't have in your mind that your speed is limited by software. Just allow breaking out of this limit for, say, 5s so your drivers can get out of a dangerous situation instead... And if they try to abuse the system, disappoint them by blocking acceleration.
- jacquesm 8y ago
  In all of my 32 years of driving and over many many miles I've had exactly one situation where acceleration helped me avoid an accident and it wasn't anywhere near the local speed limit. On the way to visiting another HN user I was about to turn left and looking into the low sun waiting for a vehicle that was barely visible to pass. Then I moved across the lane and another vehicle appeared quite close behind the previous one. Because of staring into the sun for too long waiting for the first one I had developed a really nice blind spot for the second car to hide in. It wasn't visible to me until it was almost on top of me. That's the only time that a large engine ever made a difference (and I'd never really floored it all the way in city traffic before but that was impressive). All the other times it was the brakes that saved the day.
  - tristor 8y ago
    Meanwhile, I find that acceleration has helped me to avoid accidents numerous times in my ~17 years driving. Everybody has different experiences.
    - moonbug 8y ago
      Then you're probably a much worse driver than you think you are. Sorry.
serf 8y ago
Bummer for track folks. It's easy to get a new set of rubber that has a speed rating higher than what the factory provided; It's a lot more difficult for a layman to flash out a speed limit. It's a shame that less and less companies are producing products that take into account that perhaps the potential buyer might actually know better.
- moonbug 8y ago
  Which is practically no-one, to within experimental error.
- itslennysfault 8y ago
  I feel like if you're putting higher rated tires on it, and plan to be doing over 112 mph you can also bypass the limiter.
- gknight 8y ago
  In Japan, the Nissan GTR unlocks the speed limiter when it detects it at a race track: https://gizmodo.com/nissan-gt-r-detects-when-car-is-on-a-race-track-disabl-337096 https://gizmodo.com/nissan-gt-r-detects-when-car-is-on-a-rac...
- DKnoll 8y ago
  Just buy a tuner and remove the limiter. If you're taking the car on the track you probably have a tuner already anyway. Limiters are nothing new.
- tqi 8y ago
  This article mentions geofencing for schools/hospitals: https://www.theverge.com/2019/3/4/18246665/volvo-top-speed-limit-112-mph-kmh-models https://www.theverge.com/2019/3/4/18246665/volvo-top-speed-l... I'm guessing this could be extended to tracks (in the other direction).
- driverdan 8y ago
  No one is taking these Volvos to the track. Do they even make something that'd be worth tracking anymore?
frankherbet201w 8y ago
So many movies are going to don't make sense anymore but it's about time we are anyway going to come to a world where we need to find amusement in something else
snvzz 8y ago
Suddenly can't accelerate because of stupid speed limit -> Death. Due to this fear, many a person (including myself) will simply never buy one such car.
- DKnoll 8y ago
  What car do you have now? Unless it's a high-end vehicle it most likely has a limiter already.
  - snvzz 8y ago
    Full disclosure: I don't own a car or a license, nor am I interested in driving. Doesn't meant I can't understand the concept of accelerating away from danger, or being unable to do so due to a stupid limiter and dying.
- JustSomeNobody 8y ago
  If one is in a situation on a typical road where accelerating beyond 112MPH is going to cause death, I'm not completely sure that limiting to 112 is the real issue.
  - shric 8y ago
    Being chased by a psychopathic Volvo driver springs to mind
meddlin 8y ago
Any enthusiast wishing to operate their vehicle closer to the engineering limits will most likely flash the ECU anyway (or simply not purchase the vehicle if you lock them out via DRM). On top of that, I drive a 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe (3.8L); the car can reach 140mph or 150mph rather easily, can be found for under $10k. However, with most vehicles on the road, the tires are more susceptible to failure than the powertrain is to not delivering the speed. (i.e. my all-season, mid-grade tires are only rated to safely operate up to about 130mph). I would expect this from Volvo, and for the people who care it's more of a moot point.
myrandomcomment 8y ago
So my current car tops out at 163MPH (not a Tesla). Being in the Bay Area (a large parking lot is how I would describe the freeways) the chance of every going that fast is zero. It is possible (no admission of guilt) that I may have hit 120MPH once or twice very late at night on the I280. That being said, this limit bugs my libertarian views. The issue is of course all the people in a car that can hit a stupid level of speed (100MPH+), that lack the correct breaks, tires, handling for that stupid level of speed. Drive down the 17. It is a wreakfest of people that drive too fast on winding road without understanding that just because your engine can push does not mean the rest of the important car parts function at that level. The engine tech level in the standard consumer car has hit a possible speed level without effort that is not matched by the other parts of the vehicle. Pair that with someone that thinks, well it can go that fast so it must be okay...
- henvic 8y ago
  This limit shouldn't bug you at all. If it's voluntary (you buy the car without coercion), there is nothing wrong about it. disclosure: I'm a hard-core libertarian myself.
imartin2k 8y ago
German here. I once drove an Audi A8 from Hanover to Berlin (while working for a car rental company). It was pretty much 250kph (155 mph) all the way (except where there was a speed limit of course). Definitely an insane experience. My hands were extremely sweaty. Yet I couldn't stop driving that fast. In that type of car, you don't really notice it anyway. But you DO notice it when suddenly another car is getting into your lane, seemingly far ahead, but within a few seconds you're so close that you have to hit the breaks really hard. It's fun and all and a few years ago I would have hated that type of "paternalism" by Volvo. But now, with self-driving cars around the corner and my own more mature understanding of human fallibility, I would argue that it makes little sense that humans do drive at speeds higher than around what Volvo is aiming at.
- rad_gruchalski 8y ago
  You driven like that once, some people drive like that daily. Usually it’s not them causing accidents. Whatever, anyone can be fast in a straight line.
  - tobib 8y ago
    > Usually it’s not them causing accidents. I hear that all the time, do you have a source?
    - rad_gruchalski 8y ago
      In the current climate regarding the speed limit in Germany? Good luck. It’s from experience, you know, seeing it from the perspective of the fast driver. I know it’s another slogan but driving slower makes one more suspectible to distraction.
    - pcurve 8y ago
      There are accidents, but fatality on autobahn about 40% lower than U.S highway. With that said, I wouldn't really want to do sustained high speed driving anyway due to fuel economy. Going from 100kmh to 180kmh, fuel economy drops by half.
  - 8y ago
gerbilly 8y ago
Off topic, but neat speedometer trick. Preconditions: * You have an analog speedometer which is in both miles and km/h. [1] * You are on a road trip on a highway, driving at or near 100km/h. In Canada on the 400 class highways, both are often true.[2] The trick is simple. It must be, I figured it our when I was a kid looking of my father's shoulder while he drove. Notice how 100km/h nearly aligns with 60 mph on the speedometer? You can use the mph gauge as the approximate number of minutes required to travel a given distance in km. Say you just saw a sign saying a rest stop was in 42 km. To estimate the time to your rest stop, just line up 42 km/h with the corresponding number on the mph scale, which in this case gives about 27 min. [1] http://www.storiesfromschoolaz.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/read-for-speed-0-to-120.jpg http://www.storiesfromschoolaz.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/0... [2] I drive at 110 because the trucks drive at the same speed, so you don't have to pass as often.
rurban 8y ago
I was a Formula 1 test driver virtually, building the simulators and test drives. Limiting it to 112 would limit it to gear 1 of 6. That's laughable. You could eliminate the gearbox at all then on better, extremely expensive cars.
charliebrownau 8y ago
Gday I am unsure what countries still use miles instead of KM but I cant see most people needing over 125 Km/per hour ------------------ * 80 mph is 128.74 km/per hour * 85 mph is 136.79 km/per hour * 112mph is 180 km/per hour
youeseh 8y ago
A fine example of segmentation. Most Volvo customers don't buy Volvos because they're fast cars. They buy them because they are safe cars.
- grkvlt 8y ago
  Well, there is their Polestar [0] performance division, which suggests there is such a market...? 0. https://www.volvocars.com/uk/cars/new-models/s60/variants/polestar https://www.volvocars.com/uk/cars/new-models/s60/variants/po...
  - youeseh 8y ago
    There are quite a few M's compared to regular BMWs. How many Polestars does Volvo sell compared to their regular models?
georgebarnett 8y ago
I see a lot of commentary on break quality and stopping distance. Those things matter, but not as much as reflex response time, which is mostly a fixed constant for most people. Going faster means you travel further before even getting to the brakes.
PostOnce 8y ago
I don't want Volvo, or a computer, or a mechanical system to kill my family because it didn't account for an edge case. Everyone here is talking about normal highway use, but, as everyone knows, not all situations are normal. Bad things happen. My imagination is limited, but for example: Fires can spread quickly and surround you (e.g. a valley with one road out), a tsunami can happen with only a couple of minutes warning, some hospital trips can't wait for an ambulance, sometimes people try to kill you (jealous ex? opposing political group or religion in some countries, who knows what the future holds). So, die in a fire I guess, it's for your own safety.
- givehimagun 8y ago
  So do we allow someone who is reckless to go 150mph and kill your family on the highway while we wait to account for all the edge cases? I think you have to assign a probability to each event and then in sum decide which ones you want to handle/not handle. I've never once driven above 112mph in my life so far. Outside of fun, I've never even gotten close.
- georgebarnett 8y ago
  I find this argument rediculous. We should not allow a huge negative behaviour every single day, just on the off chance that there’s a possibility it would restrict us in a very unusual event. Hundreds of people should die because maybe we can save a few? Makes no sense.
  - PostOnce 8y ago
    How many auto fatalities are a result of people driving 150? Almost none, I'd wager. So then is my argument still ridiculous? Freedom has value. Just because we can force some people to do some things more safely in some cases doesn't mean we should always do it. Otherwise, we can just outlaw cars entirely and force everyone to only go places where rails take them at government-approved speeds.
    - georgebarnett 8y ago
      Fortunately, somebody has actually studied this and has found that yes, speed does matter: "In Rheinland-Pfalz, a 130 km speed limit was also introduced on a 167km section of the A61 in 1991 and has been retained since then. This measure was combined with a ban on overtaking for heavy good vehicles. The impact of these two measures was a 30% reduction in fatal and severe injury accidents (comparing one year after and one year before their introduction – Rheinland-Pfalz Ministry of Transport)." https://etsc.eu/wp-content/uploads/Speed_Fact_Sheet_1.pdf https://etsc.eu/wp-content/uploads/Speed_Fact_Sheet_1.pdf

108 points by BerislavLopac 8y ago

laughs in german

Is there any particular reasoning as to that value? If we assume major highway limits of 70 mph and add an excessive 20-30 mph for passing, that's still a ton of extra lethal kinetic energy. edit: Apparently even the Autobahn has a recommended speed of 80 mph (I'm aware you can go faster, but then why have a limit at all?)

klaustopher 8y ago
There are markets for cars that have higher speed limits. Or none at all
- SketchySeaBeast 8y ago
  So why THAT limit?
  - vvillena 8y ago
    It's reasonable enough to make any higher limit unreasonable, while still being high enough for fast drivers. German cars are usually limited to 250 km/h. With this new, still high limit from Volvo, the German manufacturers now have to justify why their own limit is so high.
    - tgsovlerkhgsel 8y ago
      "Because the customers want that, and won't buy a car that is limited that low, possibly out of principle." And good luck getting politicians to push them to do otherwise.
  - bluedino 8y ago
    Tires. Manufacturers rate their tires for certain speeds. https://www.bfgoodrichtires.com/tires-101/tire-basics/about-tires/tire-speed-ratings-and-tread-life.page https://www.bfgoodrichtires.com/tires-101/tire-basics/about-... Many cars use S-rated tires and that's the 112mph limit. It's all about liability. Sports cars usually use higher speed ratings, whereas a truck or van might be limited ~ 100mph. They typicaly have off-road or tires with higher towing capabilities which have lower speed ratings.
MikeKusold 8y ago
It's roughly 180 km/h. Your assumption of a 70mph speed limit is based on the US, and it's incorrect. Portions of highways in the US have 85mph speed limits (i70 on the eastern part of Utah comes to mind).
- SketchySeaBeast 8y ago
  Even then, the difference between 85 and 112 is a rather large one.
- batbomb 8y ago
  I've done 120 or 130 on the stretch between Wendover and Salt Lake City. Most people go about 90
  - sliken 8y ago
    Heh, yeah, that area is perfect for high speed driving. Mostly perfectly straight, good quality roads, and excellent visibility. There's an annual race in Nevada not too far from there (highway 318) that's the world's fastest road race. Last year someone average 219mph and was doing 4 wheel drifts at over 200 mph on the sharpest (almost straight at normal speeds). Not bad for a normal highway.
- LyndsySimon 8y ago
  Also, while the speed limit on I-40 through Arkansas is nominally 70 or 75, it's not at all uncommon for traffic to be moving at 85-90 MPH.
  - conductr 8y ago
    In Texas 85 is a thing. At that speed, you really don’t see much speeding. Maybe up to 90. And an occasional need to burst up to 100. Many people start feeling uncomfortable at these speeds even in open road conditions. I think part of it is they also don’t want people to hit the limit often. It’s for egregious drivers. Driving at that speed and suddenly decelerating to a stop is not the safest thing either.
r00fus 8y ago
I mean, I get by with an EV limited to 88mph (not sure if that's a in-joke or what). It gets to 88 really fast, but can't go faster. Probably saves me a ton of battery and I still cruise or lead on the left lane. 112 is 25% faster, way more lethal. I'm guessing it's 112mi*1.6km/mi = 180kph.
- saagarjha 8y ago
  > an EV limited to 88mph Which one?
  - kevin_thibedeau 8y ago
    One of the new Deloreans.
    - SketchySeaBeast 8y ago
      With the 1.21 gigawatts packs.
  - r00fus 8y ago
    Ford Focus EV. Got a massive deal on it back in 2017. Pretty happy with it.
lambdasquirrel 8y ago
If we took the top end of your excessive figure (i.e. 100mph), the difference in kinetic energy between 112 and 100 is equivalent to the difference in kinetic energy between 0 and 50. Lethal kinetic energy indeed.
LyndsySimon 8y ago
As I mentioned in another comment, tires with an "S" speed rating go to 112 MPH, while tires with an "H" rating go to 130 MPH. I'm guessing they either downgraded the factory tires or were concerned about lawsuits from owners who installed aftermarket "S" rated tires.
- ilikepi 8y ago
  Yeah, I had the same guess. I'll bet their current higher performance models come with fancy Pirellis or something equivalent, and this is a way to reduce cost.
- mbell 8y ago
  Lower speed rating also usually means lighter construction and a 'harder' compound, both of which reduce cost and improve fuel milage.
  - sliken 8y ago
    Actually it's the opposite I believe, at least for the same family of tires. Sure there are high efficiency tires with harder compounds and are more efficient. But if you get the sporty tire from whatever brand the higher speed ratings generally have the less flexible/harder material. The limiting factor being the heat generated from the flexing builds up. So generally a 150 mph rated tire gets less traction, costs more, and is worse when it's cold than a 112 mph rated tire. So even on a fairly sporty car and tire you are best off getting the lowest rated tire that will accommodate your max speed.
    - mbell 8y ago
      Conceptually that may be true, but it's next to impossible to get performance tires in speed ratings under W and within any particular model it often varies only by 1, rarely 2, speed ratings.
- heelix 8y ago
  I've got an old Porsche 996 S4, and I can't say it is a fast car. (fun around the corners, but not fast). I had V rated tires which were rated for 150mph. Not silly expensive either for that matter. I've never driven fast enough to need those tires (or even H rated for that matter) but it would irritate me to no end to know the limiter was there.
larkeith 8y ago
I suspect they decided that 180 kph is the sweet spot of "still significantly more survivable than higher speeds" and "won't prompt much consumer outrage". Though I'm sure there will still be no lack of people raging about Volvo impeding their freedom.
- benj111 8y ago
  Why would there be consumer outrage? If you're planning to speed past 180kph don't buy a Volvo. I doubt the Venn diagram of both groups shows much overlap anyway.
deleted 8y ago
[deleted]
Matthias247 8y ago
As a german: - A speed limit of 140km/h would be fine for me, although sometimes disappointing when the road is really empty and there's a lot of distance to cover. - A speed limit of 160km/h would be totally fine for me. Around that +-10km/h is somewhere around the limit that I find comfortable on the Autobahn. - A limit of 180km/h probably also satisfies most of the other customers, and might be the sweet spot between still being very fast and not losing a lot of customers that would want to go even faster.

arethuza 8y ago

This made me wonder what the top speed of my current car is (a very modest Škoda Yeti) and it is 111mph :-)

chasingthewind 8y ago

There is no circumstances under which a maximum speed of 112 would bother me. I drive a Honda Fit. I don't think I have ever driven it over 85 miles per hour (137km/hr). I'm not comfortable driving faster than that. What makes me mad is that my speedometer goes up to 140mph! Why?! The only answer I've ever seen that makes sense is that it's a marketing tool, but who honestly buys a Honda Fit and thinks to themselves "if this thing can't do 140 then forget it!" The downside is that it's actually very hard for me to tell exactly how fast I'm going because in general I'm driving less than 60mph in my daily commute and yet that range is only 43% of my analog speedometer. I honestly wish it only went up to 100mph, then I'd be using 60% of the resolution of the dial. Instead I have no idea whether I'm going 35 or 40 unless I really stare at the thing :(

rightnow 8y ago
Tbh i dont think a Honda Fit goes above 85.
tracker1 8y ago
I drive a 392 challenger scat pack shaker... I don't think I've ever had it over 100, though the max is 201. I'm not sure I'd be bothered by a regulator for the top speed. That said, I don't think speeding is even close to the number 1 killer these days... Cell phones seem to be the leading cause of accidents these days. Maybe they should detect motion over 5mph and turn off display of messaging apps, only bluetooth voice interactions allowed.
- bryanlarsen 8y ago
  Distracted driving is definitely the leading cause these days; driver fatigue, drunk driving and aggressive driving are the other leading causes. But even if it didn't cause the accident, accidents at reasonable speeds (<30km/h for car-pedestrian, <120km/h for car-car) are usually survivable. At higher speeds, fatalities increase dramatically.
- sorenjan 8y ago
  High speed is one of three problem areas Volvo has identified according to their press release. The other two are drunk driving and distraction, including phones. They will present ideas to tackle the other two on March 20. https://www.media.volvocars.com/global/en-gb/media/pressreleases/249678/volvo-cars-to-impose-180-kph-speed-limit-on-all-cars-to-highlight-dangers-of-speeding https://www.media.volvocars.com/global/en-gb/media/pressrele...

SurrealSoul 8y ago

Pretty cool, by establishing a top speed standard they could run reliable crash tests for the absolute worst case that the car could experience. Looking forward to the future of "No matter how you drive this car, it won't kill you"

ken 8y ago
People die every day in car crashes at far slower speeds than that. There's no way to guarantee a car crash won't kill you, even at normal highway speeds.
- SurrealSoul 8y ago
  yeah bad phrasing on my end, knowing the max speed you could interact with a common obstacle (say a highway barrier) could lead to targeting harding to prevent fatalities, as opposed to general harding for all speeds. Cars could still drive into lakes or off cliffs, but knowing the max speed a car could rear end another car may lead to minor enhancements that could save lives
- mshook 8y ago
  Plus if speed was really THE main factor, highways would be terribly dangerous. Or they're usually the safest when it comes to accident statistics. So speed is not the main issue but it's a nice tool when you're a politician or you want to communicate. For the Autobahn, wiki says: In 2014, autobahns carried 31% of motorized road traffic while accounting for 11% of Germany's traffic deaths. The autobahn fatality rate of 1.6 deaths per billion travel-kilometres compared favorably with the 4.6 rate on urban streets and 6.5 rate on rural roads.
cowgoesmoo 8y ago
I don't think we'll ever see that in a road car unless we mandate 6 point harnesses, helmets, and HANS devices. No matter how big the crumple zone and how stiff the chassis is, 3 point harnesses allow too much movement and people will still die from neck injuries.
itslennysfault 8y ago

jbob2000 8y ago

I've always wondered why the government sets speed limits but then doesn't enforce them on manufacturers. You can solve 99% of speed "crime" by making it illegal to sell a car that can break the speed limit.

dethswatch 8y ago
You've never had a track day... This whole page is filled with "Doesn't apply to me, so go for it", which seems like a really bad rationale to apply to hundreds of millions of people, potentially.
- presscast 8y ago
  Honest question: can you remove speed limiters on "track day"?
  - mshook 8y ago
    Some cars use their GPS to enable that yes. I think the Nissan GT-R does that. It's from 2007: https://www.autoblog.com/2007/12/22/nissan-gt-r-recognizes-tracks-via-gps-removes-speed-limiter/ https://www.autoblog.com/2007/12/22/nissan-gt-r-recognizes-t...
- bfred_it 8y ago
  What percentage of the population speeds vs what percentage has track days? Surely those who have track days can disable the limit or buy a car without it, while the vast majority of "casual speeders" won't be affected by it. Even 112 is quite high compared to the speed limit in most of the world. 100 would be right, outside Germany.
- jbob2000 8y ago
  Yes, I have not had a track day. Most drivers have not had a track day. It’s incredibly expensive and puts a shit ton of wear on your vehicle. For the common man, go karts and rollercaosters are enough.

hnsucksalot 8y ago

Speed limit for children's.. Every Volvo should have straight line to police, who broke speed limits.

throwawayst808 8y ago

Just out of curiosity, am I the only one that's tried the top speed of every car I've owned? German cars have limiters at 130 or 155mph, and the first time I hit the 130 limiter was a surprise (suddenly lost acceleration, thought I had an engine problem, then realized I just hit the limiter). Surely I'm not the only one? Intended out of real curiosity

spullara 8y ago
I hit the limiter on my X5 at 145mph. It was jarring as it was really smooth right up to that point.
mrguyorama 8y ago
Many places in the USA, passing a cop while hitting the limiter would result in at least a night in jail, instant driver's license loss, and lots and lots of money. The vast majority of Americans cannot afford even a basic speeding ticket, let alone that kind of expense. So no, you aren't the only one, but certainly experiencing that kind of risk is a massively luxurious thing that the vast majority of people cannot afford. Also not everyone has access to long stretches of highway with little traffic to do this in a way that doesn't endanger other people
- throwawayst808 8y ago
  Oh I feel so bad now. And I like the way you made it a class thing (used cars go just as fast as new cars by the way).
- derp_dee_derp 8y ago
  what does poor people not being able to afford to get speeding tickets have anything to do with this conversation? should the OP not drive his car in the way that he wants to because of the price of speeding tickets? should people in wyoming, with access to long stretches of highway with little traffic, not be able to drive their vehicles in the way they want to because manhattan doesn't have highways and has lots of traffic? seems to me like you're trying to shame OP and make him feel bad for some reason, but I can't figure out why. whats your point?

ken 8y ago

In the past 2 years, Volvo discontinued all engines with more than 4 cylinders [1], announced that all future cars would be HEV or EV [2], then declared that the current ICEs would not be developed further. Other car companies make a few innovative models, but (apart from Tesla) I don't know any other companies which have made sweeping statements about every model they'll ever make. I think Volvo has the strongest brand today, in the sense that I know what they stand for. They've come a long way from "boxy but good". [1]: https://www.seattletimes.com/business/volvo-xc60-moves-to-all-4-cylinder-engines/ https://www.seattletimes.com/business/volvo-xc60-moves-to-al... [2]: https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a15340510/volvo-electrifying-entire-lineup-in-2019-but-gas-isnt-dead/ https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a15340510/volvo-electrifyi... [3]: https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a18725989/driving-on-e-current-volvo-engines-will-be-the-companys-last/ https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a18725989/driving-on-e-cur...

danmg 8y ago

Great. Now just make an automatic transmission that's not a pile of junk.

rhinoceraptor 8y ago
In a couple years there will be no need for transmissions anymore...
- itslennysfault 8y ago
  ...or steering wheels.
  - danmg 8y ago
    or people
_archon_ 8y ago
The Ford/GM 10 speed is a heck of a transmission. Porsche has TDM. Anything with dual-clutch can be automatic. Auto transmissions aren't as bad as they used to be.

userulluipeste 8y ago

Although 180 km/h looks reasonable, I'm not convinced this kind of solutions is the way to go. Speed limiters are not new and were sold on the idea that are improving the efficiency of the engine, burning the fuel better. To do the same thing in regard to safety however, is a bit humiliating or at least patronizing. People already are required to jump through non-trivial hoops in order to legally get behind the driving wheel and all that is to make sure they fully understand the implications of driving a high speed vehicle and accept the implied responsibility. We already took care of setting the proper speed limits through road regulations on the society level, and we do further limit those speeds by choice on the individual level on each driving session. This artificial limitation from the automakers is more akin to fearmongering based marketing stunt, something not derived from rational discernment but from tackling one's lizard brain fears.

rhombocombus 8y ago
I don't think it's fearmongering, especially when you consider that children are allowed to drive (at least here in the US, and with minimal training). This isn't about being a nanny state or keeping folks from driving fast cars (I imagine there will always be cars you can take on the track), it's about keeping everyone on the roads safer. Not one single time in my highway driving life have I encountered a NEED to drive that fast in any traffic maneuver. People die in high speed crashes all the time, I don't think anything about this decision is fearmongering, it's about the health and safety of those around you.
- Mirioron 8y ago
  Every decision that restricts people is justified with "it's about the health and safety of those around you". It's not a convincing argument when it's used for everything. Volvo does it so they can use cheaper tires without being liable.
  - wsy 8y ago
    If it indeed increases the health and safety of those around you, why is this not a valid argument?

teilo 8y ago

Even when I was on the Autobahn (in a Volvo S6 no less) my max speed was 108 mph, and most of the time I settled in at 100 mph. But there will definitely be some people pissed off at this, as I saw people clearly going closer to 120 on occasion.

itslennysfault 8y ago
I cleared 150 mph as a teen 'cause the speedometer went that high and part of being in a new car was seeing if you could actually pin the speedometer. However, that was a very stupid choice, and I'm glad no one got hurt. Outside of a track there is no valid reason to go over 100 mph.
- 0db532a0 8y ago
  I did 150mph on the Autobahn last year on my motorbike on a straight stretch with three lanes. I thought I’d play it safe and stay in the outside lane in case someone from the inside lane decided to overtake another. Two cars undertook me, albeit very considerately, on the inside lane at considerably higher speeds. At that point I felt defeated and decided to take things a bit easier for the rest of my trip.
nicoburns 8y ago
I've been in a car doing 120mph on the autobahn once, which was the fastest the Vauxhall Zafira we were driving would go. We had gotten stuck in a traffic jam and were late for our train. We had a couple of Ferrari's come up on our tail. I've no idea how fast they were going, but it was a fair bit faster than us!

Shorel 8y ago

I would love if all cars had a cruise speed mode where I could say, I want the top speed to be 60, and it never goes faster. The difference here is that I would choose this speed, instead of it being set only by the manufacturer. It is also OK if the car had both limits, a manufacturer max and a lower max speed configurable by the driver.

smt88 8y ago
> I want the top speed to be 60, and it never goes faster My (otherwise terrible) 2006 Honda Civic Hybrid did this. It would brake (thereby recharging its battery and improving mileage) whenever the speed went above the cruise-control setting -- usually due to hills, not due to over-zealous automated acceleration. I suspect most electric and hybrid cars do the same today, but I have no data and have not googled it.
user5994461 8y ago
It's called a speed limiter, it's in series in many cars. Don't American cars have it?
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]
ams6110 8y ago
Just be sure you stay in the right-hand lane please.
yeahboats 8y ago
Isn't this what cruise control is? Or do you want this to be a hidden limit, say for one's kids' cars?
- jandrese 8y ago
  Cruise control won't hit the brakes if you are going downhill and exceed your set speed. I think he's looking for the latter. Setting it to 60 is probably too low though unless the OP only ever drives in the city. I'm hoping he's not one of those people who immediately shove their way over to the far left lane of the interstate and never move until they suddenly jump across three lanes of traffic at the last second to take their exit.

newnewpdro 8y ago

This should be matched with a lowered purchase price, because they're almost certainly going to be equipping cheaper tires w/a correspondingly low speed rating.

jandrese 8y ago
This is Volvo we are talking about. They weren't equipping their station wagons with Pirelli tires.

rmason 8y ago

We already have systems that can read speed signs. What I'd like to see is image recognition systems that recognize a school bus and when it is stopped. Couple of times a year I see drivers blowing by a school bus as kids are getting off and trying to cross the street right in front of them. Be nice if the car decided for the driver that it was stopping.

henvic 8y ago

If I were automaker I'd consider allowing bursts above the maximum speed limit for a few seconds. I'm not a fan of limiting (besides for warranty, electronics reasons) and prefer to educate rather than restrict. However, if taking this approach I believe you should consider that some people might drive in the limit and they deserve to be in power of their vehicles regardless. Imagine if you drive near this software-limited speed and suddenly need to speed up a little bit more to avoid a dangerous situation. You simply can't. This may dangerous specially if you don't have in your mind that your speed is limited by software. Just allow breaking out of this limit for, say, 5s so your drivers can get out of a dangerous situation instead... And if they try to abuse the system, disappoint them by blocking acceleration.

jacquesm 8y ago
In all of my 32 years of driving and over many many miles I've had exactly one situation where acceleration helped me avoid an accident and it wasn't anywhere near the local speed limit. On the way to visiting another HN user I was about to turn left and looking into the low sun waiting for a vehicle that was barely visible to pass. Then I moved across the lane and another vehicle appeared quite close behind the previous one. Because of staring into the sun for too long waiting for the first one I had developed a really nice blind spot for the second car to hide in. It wasn't visible to me until it was almost on top of me. That's the only time that a large engine ever made a difference (and I'd never really floored it all the way in city traffic before but that was impressive). All the other times it was the brakes that saved the day.
- tristor 8y ago
  Meanwhile, I find that acceleration has helped me to avoid accidents numerous times in my ~17 years driving. Everybody has different experiences.
  - moonbug 8y ago
    Then you're probably a much worse driver than you think you are. Sorry.

serf 8y ago

Bummer for track folks. It's easy to get a new set of rubber that has a speed rating higher than what the factory provided; It's a lot more difficult for a layman to flash out a speed limit. It's a shame that less and less companies are producing products that take into account that perhaps the potential buyer might actually know better.

moonbug 8y ago
Which is practically no-one, to within experimental error.
itslennysfault 8y ago
I feel like if you're putting higher rated tires on it, and plan to be doing over 112 mph you can also bypass the limiter.
gknight 8y ago
In Japan, the Nissan GTR unlocks the speed limiter when it detects it at a race track: https://gizmodo.com/nissan-gt-r-detects-when-car-is-on-a-race-track-disabl-337096 https://gizmodo.com/nissan-gt-r-detects-when-car-is-on-a-rac...
DKnoll 8y ago
Just buy a tuner and remove the limiter. If you're taking the car on the track you probably have a tuner already anyway. Limiters are nothing new.
tqi 8y ago
This article mentions geofencing for schools/hospitals: https://www.theverge.com/2019/3/4/18246665/volvo-top-speed-limit-112-mph-kmh-models https://www.theverge.com/2019/3/4/18246665/volvo-top-speed-l... I'm guessing this could be extended to tracks (in the other direction).
driverdan 8y ago
No one is taking these Volvos to the track. Do they even make something that'd be worth tracking anymore?

frankherbet201w 8y ago

So many movies are going to don't make sense anymore but it's about time we are anyway going to come to a world where we need to find amusement in something else

snvzz 8y ago

Suddenly can't accelerate because of stupid speed limit -> Death. Due to this fear, many a person (including myself) will simply never buy one such car.

DKnoll 8y ago
What car do you have now? Unless it's a high-end vehicle it most likely has a limiter already.
- snvzz 8y ago
  Full disclosure: I don't own a car or a license, nor am I interested in driving. Doesn't meant I can't understand the concept of accelerating away from danger, or being unable to do so due to a stupid limiter and dying.
JustSomeNobody 8y ago
If one is in a situation on a typical road where accelerating beyond 112MPH is going to cause death, I'm not completely sure that limiting to 112 is the real issue.
- shric 8y ago
  Being chased by a psychopathic Volvo driver springs to mind

meddlin 8y ago

Any enthusiast wishing to operate their vehicle closer to the engineering limits will most likely flash the ECU anyway (or simply not purchase the vehicle if you lock them out via DRM). On top of that, I drive a 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe (3.8L); the car can reach 140mph or 150mph rather easily, can be found for under $10k. However, with most vehicles on the road, the tires are more susceptible to failure than the powertrain is to not delivering the speed. (i.e. my all-season, mid-grade tires are only rated to safely operate up to about 130mph). I would expect this from Volvo, and for the people who care it's more of a moot point.

myrandomcomment 8y ago

So my current car tops out at 163MPH (not a Tesla). Being in the Bay Area (a large parking lot is how I would describe the freeways) the chance of every going that fast is zero. It is possible (no admission of guilt) that I may have hit 120MPH once or twice very late at night on the I280. That being said, this limit bugs my libertarian views. The issue is of course all the people in a car that can hit a stupid level of speed (100MPH+), that lack the correct breaks, tires, handling for that stupid level of speed. Drive down the 17. It is a wreakfest of people that drive too fast on winding road without understanding that just because your engine can push does not mean the rest of the important car parts function at that level. The engine tech level in the standard consumer car has hit a possible speed level without effort that is not matched by the other parts of the vehicle. Pair that with someone that thinks, well it can go that fast so it must be okay...

henvic 8y ago
This limit shouldn't bug you at all. If it's voluntary (you buy the car without coercion), there is nothing wrong about it. disclosure: I'm a hard-core libertarian myself.

imartin2k 8y ago

German here. I once drove an Audi A8 from Hanover to Berlin (while working for a car rental company). It was pretty much 250kph (155 mph) all the way (except where there was a speed limit of course). Definitely an insane experience. My hands were extremely sweaty. Yet I couldn't stop driving that fast. In that type of car, you don't really notice it anyway. But you DO notice it when suddenly another car is getting into your lane, seemingly far ahead, but within a few seconds you're so close that you have to hit the breaks really hard. It's fun and all and a few years ago I would have hated that type of "paternalism" by Volvo. But now, with self-driving cars around the corner and my own more mature understanding of human fallibility, I would argue that it makes little sense that humans do drive at speeds higher than around what Volvo is aiming at.

rad_gruchalski 8y ago
You driven like that once, some people drive like that daily. Usually it’s not them causing accidents. Whatever, anyone can be fast in a straight line.
- tobib 8y ago
  > Usually it’s not them causing accidents. I hear that all the time, do you have a source?
  - rad_gruchalski 8y ago
    In the current climate regarding the speed limit in Germany? Good luck. It’s from experience, you know, seeing it from the perspective of the fast driver. I know it’s another slogan but driving slower makes one more suspectible to distraction.
  - pcurve 8y ago
    There are accidents, but fatality on autobahn about 40% lower than U.S highway. With that said, I wouldn't really want to do sustained high speed driving anyway due to fuel economy. Going from 100kmh to 180kmh, fuel economy drops by half.
- 8y ago

gerbilly 8y ago

Off topic, but neat speedometer trick. Preconditions: * You have an analog speedometer which is in both miles and km/h. [1] * You are on a road trip on a highway, driving at or near 100km/h. In Canada on the 400 class highways, both are often true.[2] The trick is simple. It must be, I figured it our when I was a kid looking of my father's shoulder while he drove. Notice how 100km/h nearly aligns with 60 mph on the speedometer? You can use the mph gauge as the approximate number of minutes required to travel a given distance in km. Say you just saw a sign saying a rest stop was in 42 km. To estimate the time to your rest stop, just line up 42 km/h with the corresponding number on the mph scale, which in this case gives about 27 min. [1] http://www.storiesfromschoolaz.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/read-for-speed-0-to-120.jpg http://www.storiesfromschoolaz.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/0... [2] I drive at 110 because the trucks drive at the same speed, so you don't have to pass as often.

rurban 8y ago

I was a Formula 1 test driver virtually, building the simulators and test drives. Limiting it to 112 would limit it to gear 1 of 6. That's laughable. You could eliminate the gearbox at all then on better, extremely expensive cars.

charliebrownau 8y ago

Gday I am unsure what countries still use miles instead of KM but I cant see most people needing over 125 Km/per hour ------------------ * 80 mph is 128.74 km/per hour * 85 mph is 136.79 km/per hour * 112mph is 180 km/per hour

youeseh 8y ago

A fine example of segmentation. Most Volvo customers don't buy Volvos because they're fast cars. They buy them because they are safe cars.

grkvlt 8y ago
Well, there is their Polestar [0] performance division, which suggests there is such a market...? 0. https://www.volvocars.com/uk/cars/new-models/s60/variants/polestar https://www.volvocars.com/uk/cars/new-models/s60/variants/po...
- youeseh 8y ago
  There are quite a few M's compared to regular BMWs. How many Polestars does Volvo sell compared to their regular models?

georgebarnett 8y ago

I see a lot of commentary on break quality and stopping distance. Those things matter, but not as much as reflex response time, which is mostly a fixed constant for most people. Going faster means you travel further before even getting to the brakes.

PostOnce 8y ago

I don't want Volvo, or a computer, or a mechanical system to kill my family because it didn't account for an edge case. Everyone here is talking about normal highway use, but, as everyone knows, not all situations are normal. Bad things happen. My imagination is limited, but for example: Fires can spread quickly and surround you (e.g. a valley with one road out), a tsunami can happen with only a couple of minutes warning, some hospital trips can't wait for an ambulance, sometimes people try to kill you (jealous ex? opposing political group or religion in some countries, who knows what the future holds). So, die in a fire I guess, it's for your own safety.

givehimagun 8y ago
So do we allow someone who is reckless to go 150mph and kill your family on the highway while we wait to account for all the edge cases? I think you have to assign a probability to each event and then in sum decide which ones you want to handle/not handle. I've never once driven above 112mph in my life so far. Outside of fun, I've never even gotten close.
georgebarnett 8y ago
I find this argument rediculous. We should not allow a huge negative behaviour every single day, just on the off chance that there’s a possibility it would restrict us in a very unusual event. Hundreds of people should die because maybe we can save a few? Makes no sense.
- PostOnce 8y ago
  How many auto fatalities are a result of people driving 150? Almost none, I'd wager. So then is my argument still ridiculous? Freedom has value. Just because we can force some people to do some things more safely in some cases doesn't mean we should always do it. Otherwise, we can just outlaw cars entirely and force everyone to only go places where rails take them at government-approved speeds.
  - georgebarnett 8y ago
    Fortunately, somebody has actually studied this and has found that yes, speed does matter: "In Rheinland-Pfalz, a 130 km speed limit was also introduced on a 167km section of the A61 in 1991 and has been retained since then. This measure was combined with a ban on overtaking for heavy good vehicles. The impact of these two measures was a 30% reduction in fatal and severe injury accidents (comparing one year after and one year before their introduction – Rheinland-Pfalz Ministry of Transport)." https://etsc.eu/wp-content/uploads/Speed_Fact_Sheet_1.pdf https://etsc.eu/wp-content/uploads/Speed_Fact_Sheet_1.pdf