Speed limits!?

Question

If most highway speed limits are 65mph, why do car manufactures produce cars that can go 150+? With the way gas prices are now, think the government would make them produce slower cars. And anyway, why does someone need to go 200mph? Maybe for a racetrack!

Answer 1

200 mph , like massive horsepower,  is just the bigger-is-better, macho BS mentality and we love it.

200 MPH is excessive and a total waste but you need more than minimum to get onto freeways without becoming a rolling speed bump and to give you enough power to get over mountains.

Government doesn't want to mandate slower vehicles because they are supplementing their budgets collecting revenue from speeding tickets.

And having to scrape morons off the pavement now and then thins the herd and improves the gene pool.  Win-Win.

Answer 2

I would think for acceleration and cruising. I mean, a person has what? 10 horsepower on a bike? Well that person, with enough time and a low enough gear, could probably reach 60mph on a straigh stretch... but what good is that? Give a car 300 horsepower and you can go from 0-60 in 6 seconds... great selling feature! But of course, on the highway revving an engine at 7000RPM isn't good... so you need a low gear so it can cruise at 2000RPM. But now... combine a low gear with high horsepower and you have a car that can easily bust 150mph.

People like their freedom, and car manufacturers like offering low prices, and since there is no law requiring limiters on personal cars, why would a company cut profits to install them, and people buy a car which limits them (even if they never exceed those speeds)?

Answer 3

Speedometers may read 150 or more, but many engines cannot achieve those speeds, due to the way fuel pumps are designed.  The fuel pump can't keep up & won't let the car go any faster.  

In addition, we don't need speed limiters, especially mandated by the government.  Ride behind a semi belonging to Roadway, Yellow, JB Hunt, or any other major carrier.  They are governed below the speed limit in many states, so they may save fuel, but can't pass anybody when necessary, or cause a traffic jam when they do.

It boils down to personal responsibility.  If used wisely, higher speeds are great, it is the few idiots that ruin it for the rest of us.

Answer 4

It all comes down to the dollar and how much the car manufactures can make, they dont care about some crazy person driving 165mph, they just care about how many they can sell.

Answer 5

So we can show off. Why do females wear gucci or lv instead of old navy or payless? It's the same reason why some guys drives vettes while other drives corollas. There's nothing wrong with which you pick, but some people have self-esteem issues and want to look better than others and the car manufacturers know this, so they produce completely useless vehicle that go up to 200mph because the customer will have the potential power if ever needed.