So...

[Cory Wolfe]

I needed a slight jolt of excitement... Plus, I was curious what the Jetta could do.

[Nick]

That must have been one long road...

Edited November 21, 2008 by Nick

[ocnblu]

VWs are longlegged... they have to be, so they don't get squished on the Autobahn. And they're made to run at high speeds all day.

[daves87rs]

VWs are longlegged... they have to be, so they don't get squished on the Autobahn. And they're made to run at high speeds all day.

Yep...

Don't think my Cobalt could handle that....

[Robert Hall]

Watch out for the snow and ice...could be bad at the kind of speed (isn't the weather dreadful in PA currently?)

[Cory Wolfe]

That must have been one long road...

It did take a few miles of road. Luckily I-80 has some pretty good straight stretches.

However, it wasn't until I hit 110, that the speed in which it was gaining really started to taper off. It has a nice little sweet spot around 90-100 where it rides smoothly and feels very spunky for high speeds. It's a surprising little car. It's no sports car or even a modern family sedan, but I wouldn't have thought I could hit 120+ with only 116 horses on hand. It officially topped out at 123 mph, rev limited.

Watch out for the snow and ice...could be bad at the kind of speed (isn't the weather dreadful in PA currently?)

I did this a few weeks ago when the weather wasn't so bad.

[A Horse With No Name]

120 must have been a little hairy on those all season tires. Next time you try that, you might want to try it on better rubber.

BTW, How did it handle at that speed?

Chris

[Cory Wolfe]

120 must have been a little hairy on those all season tires. Next time you try that, you might want to try it on better rubber.

BTW, How did it handle at that speed?

Chris

Better tires would have helped a bit, yes.

As I mentioned, though, this car is very surprising. It handled those speeds very well for what it is. It was stable and fairly smooth. It didn't feel loose at all, as if turning the wheel a bit too suddenly would mean tragedy. It's a decently confident car at high speeds for its size.

[A Horse With No Name]

I've always liked the way VW suspensions were set up. I've been looking at buying an older Jetta like yours for a 3rd car/backup car.

I'm curious to see what one would do on an open track or at an Autocross. My friend Dave Brown used to race a VR6 Golf and that car was prett amazing at speed for an front wheel drive car.

BTW, I like your car, BV. Glad to see you ahve some fun with it, and glad you didn't kill yourself. In Indiana a few months ago, IIRC a teen was pulled over for doing 149 mph in a WRX, so I'm glad you didn't get busted by the police also...

Chris/66

[The O.C.]

I've always liked the way VW suspensions were set up. I've been looking at buying an older Jetta like yours for a 3rd car/backup car.

I'm curious to see what one would do on an open track or at an Autocross. My friend Dave Brown used to race a VR6 Golf and that car was prett amazing at speed for an front wheel drive car.

BTW, I like your car, BV. Glad to see you ahve some fun with it, and glad you didn't kill yourself. In Indiana a few months ago, IIRC a teen was pulled over for doing 149 mph in a WRX, so I'm glad you didn't get busted by the police also...

Chris/66

What has got to be one of the BEST stretches of freeway for high-speed driving.......the 5 fwy between San Clemente in Orange County and Oceanside in San Diego County.

On one side, the ocean.....on the other side, Camp Pendleton.....sheer nothing-ness for roughly 15 miles. The freeway is 8 lanes wide.....and for like 98% of the stretch, there is a barrier in the median (no cops crossing the median to come after you.)

Normal traffic flow seems to be 80-90mph......I hit a governor-limited 120mph in my Mazda 6.....did about 120-125 in the CTS, but never hit a limiter (I thought it had one).....

CTS was GREAT at that speed. Felt very Germanic.

It's wierd because you are in totally built up Orange County then, all of a sudden, NOTHING.....(due to the land being owned by the govt and part of the base.) Then, 15 miles later, you are back suddenly into another massive urban area (San Diego County.)

Once you hit the San Diego County line, where the base starts, it's like traffic thins out...and everyone ratchets up their speed by a factor of 10-15mph.....

Edited November 21, 2008 by The O.C.

[Robert Hall]

What has got to be one of the BEST stretches of freeway for high-speed driving.......the 5 fwy between San Clemente in Orange County and Oceanside in San Diego County.

oh, I know that stretch of road...I've driven it a few times in Hertz rentals--a white 350Z, an orange Mustang convertible, and a black Town Car.

[MikeyMo84]

ugh didnt ur brother just have an accident!?!?!

[ocnblu]

Of all the vehicles I've owned, my VWs felt the most stable at very high speeds. Once again, it's that Autobahn pedigree.

[Croc]

Nice! The most thrilling ride I've ever been in was when one of my fraternity brothers drove from San Diego to USC in 45 minutes (mostly along the 73). He told us he needed to drive at 125 to "clean the carbon out" of his 80s Mercedes diesel because it had been a while since he'd done it and that is was just "routine maintenance."

[balthazar]

My buddy & I took his '65 Catalina 389 up so high, it literally 'buried' the needle- it suddenly fell off to the right (horizontal speedo), tho right before that it was pointing where 135-140 would've been. It 'came back' when we slowed down.

[Robert Hall]

I took my M3 up to 140-145 a couple of times on I-25 in Colorado at night in the 'dark zone' (a 20+ mile stretch between Castle Rock and Monument with no lights and only a couple exits)..took my buddy's NSX to 150 on the same road, and was a passenger in it at 150 once also (on the C470 beltway around the south Denver area). I've had my sister's Merc 500SEL up to about 110 out in the desert on a straight 2-lane.

My '87 Mustang GT speedometer only goes to 85, but has some space beyond there to the peg. I don't know how fast I've ever had it, but it was past 100 I'm sure....late at night on the Ohio Turnpike in the darkness between Toledo and the Cleveland area, and a few other times, incl. I-40 west of Albequerque and I-80 west of Omaha.

Those speeds in modern or relatively modern cars are pretty smooth, not a lot of sensation of speed. For the most raw, terrifying fast ride I've ever had, it had to be the time my brother took his '68 Camaro SS 396 up to 120... deafeningly loud, vibrating, windows down, thrill ride..

[Nick]

I wish we had an autobahn...160 in the 5er felt sooo good.

[daves87rs]

You guys suck-My cav barely passes 100.....

Makes me realize I need a fun car....

[The O.C.]

I wish we had an autobahn...160 in the 5er felt sooo good.

I did about 130 in an Alfa Romeo GT Coupe 1.9L TDi on the autobahn just outside Frankfurt........

Man it did good at that speed.....and still felt like it had more to come.....which surprises me 'cause it's just an L4 TDi.....

[Lamar]

I haven't opened up the Cruise Missile just yet... fastest I've gone in it was about 82 on I-95 from Baltimore to DC, and that was with traffic.

When I would go home from college, there were stretches of road between Charlottesville and Richmond that just begged for high speeds. I don't travel that way anymore though since I graduated and moved.

Maybe soon though... if I'm driving alone...