Why do cars go up to 140 mph when you cannot legally go that fast on any street???

Question

Makes no sense

Answer 1

Because this is what sells.

It they were to place a governor on cars to limit their speed, it would only create a market to disable them.

Most production cars already have speed limiters on them.  The manufacturers generally limit the speed to the speed rating of the tires installed at the factory.  Most American cars are limited to 115 MPH.  But there are aftermarket devices to remove this limit.

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If they made a car that only went 55 MPH, no one would buy it.  Face it, the manufacturers build cars to make money.  If they didn't, they wouldn't be in business for long.  So they build what sells for the most profit.

They also need to allow enough reserve power to make the car drivable.  You need to allow for different loads, hills, towing, on ramps, etc.  You wouldn't want the engine to be running at maximum capacity all the time.  The engine would only last a short time.  Race cars run at maximum speed and the engine only lasts for 500 - 600 miles.  Not acceptable for a production car.  Instead they have the engines running at about 20% of their capacity so they last over 100,000 miles.

Answer 2

If you legally drag race or in Germany on the auto bond they are allowed to go as fast as they want and we do sell American cars to the Germans. Besides that I'd say population control.

Answer 3

because if they only made it able to go 70 or 80 the engine would be stressing to do so.  since it can go much faster going 70 or 80 is a lot easier on the engine

Answer 4

Blame the driver

Answer 5

THE ACTUAL ANSWER:

any car can have the speed governing chip removed and it can be run on a dragstrip, race track or other closed course.  90% of the cars will go faster than the governing chips allow.  and you can choose to take the chip out to race.  or to tempt fate on the highway.  my vw will do 174.

Answer 6

maybe they plan to take a trip to some streets that have no speed limit, they do exist, and sometimes you need that breakaway speed for the cops

Answer 7

Just because your spedometer says 140 doesn't mean it can actually go 140. Most cars whose spedometers say 140 can probably actually only go about 110 at most. Lots of cars can't even go that fast, I know my buddy has a Ford Taurus that tops out at about 85. As for why cars go faster than the speed limit, speed limits in different places are different. BMW makes cars different for the U.S. and Europe in terms of what side the driver is on, however the engine is still the same and on the Autobon in Europe there's no speed limit. It would cost more money to make two different types of cars.

Answer 8

they cant go that fast on a street! theyre off their head or d**n crazy like h**l!

Answer 9

1. Because there are streets you can go that fast (Autobahn)

2. Because there are non-streets you can go that fast (race tracks)

3. Because people feel that it is safer to be able to go faster to escape problems and no body can agree on what is the right amount of faster.

  4. Because Congress had problems enforcing the 55 mph limit and lacks the guts to require that cars be limited to 80 or 90.

5. Because if cars were limited to 80 or 90, the auto industry would go berserk and those people most dangerous on the road would quickly know how to bypass the governor.

Answer 10

- There is a market for such vehicles. As long as people buy fast vehicles, they will be continued to be manufactured and sold.

- There are legal places where drag racing takes places, such as Irwindale Speedway in Irwindale, CA (Live Oak Ave @ I-605)

Answer 11

you are wrong there are places with no speed limit

in the us in Nevada

Answer 12

good question. some microwaves go up past 9 hrs. even television display settings like brightness or volume allows people to change it to where you cant see anything or blow speakers. its like companies secretly "WANT" people to F*ck up.

Answer 13

It used to be illegal for speedometers in the US to show more than 85.  But that law was lifted.  now, it's basically a marketing gimmick - hey! the car is so powerful!

Answer 14

Excellent point!  This is because the automobile market is driven by the consumer, and the vast majority of people would rather have a powerful personal automobile than worry about environmental concerns.  We humans are very spoiled and self-centered and tend to satisfy our own vanities rather than seriously consider the future of all mankind.  And since consumers are also voters - no politician is going to get very far passing laws to 'power-down' our cars and trucks.

Answer 15

because fast cars sell more and are more expensive and use more gas

Answer 16

If all cars were equipped with the same horsepower, engine size, and the inability to go over 70mph, we'd all be driving Kia Rios or Hyundai Accents.

Travis and Mad Jack pretty much summed it up.

Answer 17

Because rules are made to be broken.

Answer 18

cuz you can. Its just because they can.

Answer 19

your right, in the US there are no roads that have a posted speed limit of 140... however, outside the US, there are highways that have NO speed limit.

Answer 20

Same reason you can buy a set of eight steak knives and either eat a steak or kill someone. You can also buy a bow and arrow and either shoot at a paper target or kill your neighbor's barking dog. You can buy a shotgun and either fire at a clay pidgeon, or you can kill a bank teller and take the money. You can also go to Home Depot and buy some gopher poison and either pour it down the gopher hole or mix it with your nagging wife's coffee. Life is full of choices. Not all of them are legal or healthy. But since it's a free country, you can make them. Until you get caught, at least.

Answer 21

because the man wants to catch you and fine you.  It is just a trick by the corporations to be all, corporationy, then they sit back in their corporation building and invest all your ticket money in tobacco stocks and haliburton and blackwater.

Answer 22

well in germany when you are on the motorway, there is no speed limit. you can go whatever speed you want. On cars that come in from japan, there is a limiter put on the car so the car can only go 112mph. so im thinking they just make them and dont give a ****

Answer 23

because some people turn cars in to race cars and things like that and they need to go that fast

Answer 24

Exactly. So, I suggest the manufacturers should set the meters with a cap of say 100 mph so that the vehicles can never exceed that speed!

Answer 25

I agree with you there! But some countries have a higher rate of speed that you are allowed to go up to. I am not sure though, unless you are a race car driver, the need to go up to 140 mile per hour? Unless maybe you have a death wish!

Answer 26

Supply and demand.  Enough people want to buy those cars, so manufacturers make them.   Nearly any consumer item can be used unlawfully, but they still sell knives, rat poison, etc.

Answer 27

yeah, my 9 year old asks that all the time!

It is just pointless!

Answer 28

If they are German cars it does, because you can drive that fast on the German Autobahn (their equivalent of a motoway/freeway)

Answer 29

so that we can compare cars, the more mph the better the car ( not nesacarily i know but just an idea). and so that we can show it off to our friends and family lol!