usually about 85ish, though occaisionally faster in the wee small hours. I'm often driving at 3 and 4am and I find that driving a bit quicker means I keep more alert.
I don't tend to overtake anyone at more than about 20moh faster than they're going.
I've never been faster than 165mph (abroad) and never faster than 130 in the UK.
when there's three miles of empty road ahead of you then the only danger is to myself
--
I read often, only post occasionally
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on the M60/M62 (one of britains best car parks) about 40mph or less.
the M66 on the other hand 90-110 every week day.
The rest of the time about 85-90
Lee
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Depends on road, traffic, weather etc etc. Usually between indicated 80 and 90, but often restricted to average of 65-70 due to overtaking lorries. Earlier this year I drove 330 miles from County Durham to Bournemouth in under 5 hours with no stops or traffic jams - not advisable I know, but I was really hammering the car all the way and still only managed an average of 69-ish. So basically, even when you think you've been doing 90+ most of the way, by the time you've slowed down for a few roundabouts and overtaking lorries, it evens out to 70mph.
Did a 60-mile return jaunt up the A1M yesterday, hit indicated 105 at one point but mostly speed was around 70-80. No points on my licence as yet!
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Indicated 75mph which equates to 69mph on the GPS - simply becuase on a long distance trip, I can return almost 40mpg at this speed which I feel is very good going.
Always wonder quite how people get away with it as I head down the M5 at night to have people flash past at over 100mph. If I though I'd get away with it, I'd do it as well in the evenings - the car is easily and safely capable of such speeds, but knowing me I'd get nicked the first time I tried it.
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70 mph ~ you surely don't expect me to joun the band of people who admit to (or even brag about) breaking the law, do you?
--
L\'escargot.
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I was just thinking that.
At the end if the day the law is the law -we may not like it - but you guys are fodder for pro-scamera campaigners.
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wondered when the 'holier than thou' brigade werte going to kick in
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I wasn't being "holier than thou". I just don't intend to admit to (or brag about, as some people do) breaking the law.
--
L\'escargot.
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A little older and wiser, maybe.
Clk Sec
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Spain and Germany have some (relatively) new graduated speeding penalties. Full details in a FAQ answer on this site.
HJ
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I think it's interesting to note that just about everybody aims to exceed the maximum speed limit on the motorway (me included).
I think, as the OP says, the police turn a blind eye to these sort of speeds (as long as you're not driving dangerously or over 100mph).
Chris
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Again - I am not being holier than thou - just trying to exhibit some common sense on the subject.
Since when has this site been a conffensional for everyone to admit how they break driving laws.
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I speed when its safe to do so in the same way I would'nt drive passed a school at 3.30PM at 30MPH even though its legal to do so. My speed suits the conditions and I've not caused harm to anyone in 23 years of driving.
I drive using common sense, not a rule book
;O)
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Usually around 75-80mph, maily because of the amount of traffic.
One thing though - if you think 96 on the speedo equates to 96 in reality, you may be in for a shock. I checked my Accord's speedo against a GPS unit and it was only 2mph out. I suspect this discrepancy may have been true in the past but I reckon modern speedometers are more accurate.
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Agreed, Andy. I find the x-trail very high - when it says I am doing 39 the GPS shows 30 and so on. Trying the same Road Angel in the Micra (54 plate) and daughters car (T) over the same route, both are spot on.
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So those that reckon they dont break the limit,you are on the M20 at the weekend, traffic on all three lanes doing in excess of 80 mph most iro 90+,what do you do when you join this lot,stick to 70 or do similar or same speed as other motorists???
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0mph in a queue, never under 100mph if the road is deserted at night.
The fasted I have been was around 125-130mph.
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>>> most iro 90+
Perhaps many, but not most.
For me, however, it would be around 70.
Clk Sec
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>>Perhaps many, but not most.
For me, however, it would be around 70.
If the slow lane is doing 80+ then the rest is most ie middle and fast lane going much faster
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These days I stick to around 56mph true speed. I go the same speed as the lorries basically. It's for economy reasons, and also I find it good being able to leave early, go slow (and save money) and if I get held up in a jam or something, I can just put my foot down and make up the time.
I've owned 3 cars and each car seemed to top out at 110mph indicated. I used to drive at between 70 and 95 indicated on the motorways with the very occasional 100+ but for some reason my driving has totally changed lately.
My driving has chilled a lot and I'm much more careful of getting caught speeding now. I've got a clean licence and want to keep it. But, I will still always test out each car I buy to its fullest extent at least once.
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Assuming decent road conditions, I usually wait for someone to come past at about 90 then follow them about half a mile behind while keeping a weather eye open for traffic patrols and cameras. Hopefully, the guy in front will be pulled by the unmarked car rather than me.
It amazes me the number of people who do these speeds in heavy rain and even fog. Madness!
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Assuming decent road conditions I usually wait for someone to come past at about 90 then follow them about half a mile behind while keeping a weather eye open for traffic patrols and cameras. Hopefully the guy in front will be pulled by the unmarked car rather than me.
If the cop's coming from behind, then he would get you, surely.
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I don't have a target , just try to work out the best compromise between arriving in the same calendar month & doing as little 'work' as possible. This usually means leaving a gap in relative speeds between me & the different 'communities' that make up the travelling universe - a bit faster than governed vehicles if the road is cleari-sh, but slower than the lane-3 zoomer & brakers. With a vitually empty or night passage, inidicated 75-80. All the above with the weather condition override of course - if braking/visibility is impaired signifigantly, I'll travel with the slowest governed convoy. Imo, A/B roads can be fun, but motroways/duals are simply work, so I do that as efficiently as possible.
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Depends what I'm driving and why. In either car, on a commute/driving in relation to work I'm usually aiming to spend as little time as possible on the road so drive accordingly. I often find that I'm overtaking on the m-way rather than being overtaken, but generally don't go above 90. If I don't have to be somewhere by a particular time and it isn't a 50+ mile journey, I often drive under the speed limit. On the trike I am more affected by wind resistance so riding long distances at high speed can be very tiring - 65-70 is usually a comfortable cruising speed, unless riding directly into a gale - I've found that even 50 could be exhausting on a long trip in those conditions.
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andymc
Vroom, vroom - mmm, doughnuts ...
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Maybe these northern motorways are a little different to those in the south.
When I can, I set the cruise control to a little over 75 (76/77). Tomtom says that's 72 or 73. Yes, some cars come past me very fast, but not that many and I'm sure I pass far more than pass me. So I don't reckon the general traffic speed is as high as some are suggesting.
So I make good progress, don't hit the MPG too badly, don't have to worry about the plods and stay a bit safer. Sounds like a good comprise to me.
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Very rarely more than 80 indicated - even when the motorway is empty. No point for the extra stress doing 90+ and the journey times aren't that much different. I use the M62 after 10pm quite often and am often passed by cars doing 100+, but doing 70-80 you don't have much time to notice them, by the time you have they have gone.
Just last week I noticed a Sprinter van in the outside lane doing 90+ - road was wet after rain. I was in the middle lane, overtaking a wagon. I'd seen the Police in front of the wagon - Mr Sprinter hadn't. When he did see them he slammed on the brakes and swerved into the middle lane. He'll get caught one day - I hope.
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Between 70 and 90 - usually 85 ish. Slow enough to ease off the juice without having to jam the brakes if something happens in front or there's a marked car about. Lower than 85 or so and you're forever moving back and forth between lanes. Safer to stay in one lane if the conditions permit it, rather than change lanes every 300 yards. I do not advocate sitting in lane 3 for hours, but nothing wrong with staying out if you've passed one car and there's another 500 yards up the road that you're gaining on and you're not holding anyone else up.
Got 150 indicated out of the XJS though...
--
Career: (n) Job, profession.
(v) Downhill, rapidly, out of control.
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On a long journey like up to Scotland, i cruise between 70/75 to compensate for inclines to keep good progress as i go along.
If it was a 5 minute up the duel carriage i maybe tempted to faster if the conditions were permitting like during the night.
--
Its not what you drive, its how you drive it! :-)
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On the commute (in the Mondeo) I'm lucky to be able to sustain 60 mph on the M3/M25.
Otherwise, I drive at at around 80-85 indicated where traffic and environmental conditions allow. The Mondeo's speedo is exactly 10% optimistic at all speeds according to GPS.
Haven't tested the Scenic's speedo for accuracy yet, but it takes more concentration in the Scenic to avoid straying up towards a ton. The gearing sticks the engine right in its sweet spot, bang peak torque at 80 mph meaning 80-90 or even 80-100 mph is quick and as far as the engine goes, virtually noise free.
Cheers
DP
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04 Grand Scenic 1.9 dCi Dynamique
00 Mondeo 1.8TD LX
97 Ford Fiesta 1.4 16v Chicane (for sale)
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If conditions are good i.e. downhill and with a very strong following wind, I can reach 70mph in my N reg Defender!
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N reg Defender!
early on in the year, whilst staying with friends in Devon I borrowed a mate's petrol SWB Defender for an errand.....and my mate's 13 yr old son came along.
Whilst returning, i had to briefly join a dual carriageway, which meant a sharpish right turn under the dual carriageway and a prolonged uphill bit afterwards joining it etc
having forgotten how slow these things are... i thought i'd whizz around the corner a bit to get some momentum for the hill
at a speed i thought prudent i glanced at the speedo quickly and noted 55mph (which believe me felt more than fast enough).........when this voice piped up "Dad can do it at 62"
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I have to do a run down the M40 at around 5am Sunday morning once every month or so.
I cruise at 85 which is a comfortable speed for the Toledo but the majority of the traffic knifes past me so they all must be doing 100+.
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Around 80mph indicated cruise, true 75 from GPS. Faster during overtaking manouvers, sometimes, to get clear air.
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On a clear Mway, I stabilise at a indicated 80 mph maxing at around 85mph.
Er .. why does everyone assume that their speedo overreads?
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why does everyone assume that their speedo overreads?
It's not an assumption. I've timed mine against motorway marker posts in France and the UK. At a CC-set speedo 80, it covers a marked kilometre in 30 seconds - 120 km/h or 74.5 mph. In France, where the roads are clear enough to allow this, I've even timed it over 10 km and got the same result.
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Er .. why does everyone assume that their speedo overreads?
..........because manufacturers build in 'optimism' in order to make sure they comply with the law.
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Er .. why does everyone assume that their speedo overreads?
Our satnav systems give us true speed so we can make the comparison.
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I obviously need to get satnav for this alone.
So, if I underread by 10% and the cops allow a 10% tolerance then I can drive at an indicated 85 mph without any danger of being stopped. Excellent!
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I'm with a few of the others here, who keep the speedo at or below 80 (a true 74 or 75). I do find, though, that I have three distinct driving modes, according to the conditions:
1. Moderate traffic I tend to trundle along with the needle around 80, which means I can use the left lane when it's clear but don't impede anyone else's progress when I need to use the middle or right lane; very occasionally I'll let it touch 85 or even 90 if I feel the need to complete a move quickly or leave a situation behind.
2. Heavy traffic / bad weather Like the others here with a sense of self-preservation, I drop my speed as far as necessary (40 if it's raining really hard) and look for a section of left lane with as clear a view as I can get. Even if it's dry but just busy, I'd rather drop to 60 and keep left as much as possible than join the nose-to-tail convoy on my right. Diesel flexibility makes it easy to exploit any gaps that do appear to get into the clear road in front of an HGV convoy.
3. Clear road This may surprise a few but I find I drive more slowly when it's clear than when it's half-busy. The main reason for exceeding an indicated 70 is to avoid getting constantly boxed in by faster traffic in the middle lane. When there's no-one about, this isn't a problem, so I can set the CC at an indicated 70, enjoy the reduced tyre noise and hear all the quiet passages while Alfred Brendel plays Schubert. This is the mode I like best; even in France, with higher limits and clearer motorways, I seldom feel the need to go much faster than this.
On a related note, there's much talk here of police tolerances. My strategy hasn't elicited so much as a raised eyebrow in 18 years, and my licence is dog-eared but squeaky-clean. I'd be interested to know, though - from those willing to say - what are the lowest speeds people here have been stopped for on 70mph roads.
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Am I the only one here who sticks to 70 actual?!
The point a few posts above about average speeds - if you can get the Holy Grail of good weather and light traffic, you can really shift without exceeding the limits; a couple of months ago I did Hartland, Devon to Epsom, Surrey in a flat 4 hours, which is an exact 55mph average speed.
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I wasn't stopped but have 3 points for 81 mph (Same as the sat nav reading) in a 70 mph.
Now stick below the ACPO guideline of 78 even when I am in a hurry (don't want another 3, SWMBO gave me hell ! ! ! ! !) When I have plenty of time then 65 ish.
BTW don't assume your speedo reads high by much. Borrowed a Laguna which read 88 (GPS) at an indicated 90. So in that an indicated 85 would get you three points and £60.
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