[yo_shiva]

The driver of the Nano clearly has no idea of the trouble he is asking for! Braking above 80 in a Maruthi Omni was scary enough, 100 plus in a Nano is NUTS Given the crazy things that happen on our highways
( vehicles driven on the opp side of divided highways, cattle, dogs, sudden crossings etc.) , these kind of drivers are just pushing their luck till something untoward happens.

[veedub89]

The question is never how fast you can go, it is always how quickly you can stop after reaching the top speed of the car. The tyres on the car play a huge role here which most people seem to overlook.

Any car these days can reach speeds of close 120km/h but all of us know how an Alto and how a German car would feel and react at that speed.

[kutts]

I have done 90+ on my Nano and as many Nano owners have commented,the car easily reaches the 80 - 90 mark. Getting it beyond 90+ needs a bit of coaxing and you can feel the strain on the engine. Never managed to go 100+ since the car does behave a bit tipsy at high speeds. I do occasionally get a feeling of the engine gasping for fuel and a sudden dip in power if driving at constant high speeds (still under 90).

[turbodude]

I drive nanos (ours 1 and in-laws 2) since almost 3 yrs. Till few months back I did not exceed 80 kmph on any of them.

However, with new speed limits declared by government, I decided to try triple digit speeds. To my surprise Nano is easy to cruise on 90 kmph. Cross winds is an issue because when a Shivneri Volvo passes me on expressway, Nano shakes a bit.

Cruising steadily at 100 is a problem because of the drum brakes. It takes more time to decelerate than disc brakes. But I feel that driving nano at 100 kmph is better than driving Wagon-R. Nano 2012 edition also features anti roll bar which is very useful on taking turns on high speed.

Safety of nano is still an issue but I feel an experienced driver can handle it. Thumb rule is never exceeding speeds of 80 unless you have sufficient margin to stop from the car ahead. I do not cross 80 kmph if I don’t see clear road ahead and only go above it if I see empty road or vehicle ahead of me going faster and far ahead.

Observations of many bhpians are true; I did overtake many vehicles while cruising at 90+ speeds on mumbai pune expressway. One Honda city (he was a family guy and travelling with wife and kids) could not take the so called insult and vanished ahead by 140+ speeds.

One small tip, keep AC on for 80+ speeds; it helps you in engine braking. I have experienced this. Experts please correct me if I am wrong.

The next time you see a green nano going at rocket speeds on mumbai pune expressway, it can be turbodude.

[saket77]

Originally Posted by veedub89

The question is never how fast you can go, it is always how quickly you can stop after reaching the top speed of the car. The tyres on the car play a huge role here which most people seem to overlook.

Exactly. Most machines today, however modest, can easily do 100 KMPH all day long. But how they react to sudden braking, swerves coupled with other handling capabilities is what is more important. A good driver knows the limitations of his car and more importantly - his own.

Originally Posted by veedub89

Any car these days can reach speeds of close 120km/h but all of us know how an Alto and how a German car would feel and react at that speed.

This comparison, in my opinion, is unwarranted. There is no German car in the segment the Alto sells. The cheapest of the German is at least twice the cost of an Alto, hence, you expect better handling and driving characteristics when you pay twice the price. Not disagreeing with the fact that German cars handle better inherently, but this does not mean that all other cars in the segment are boats. In that way, I expect the Swift to handle much better than the Alto.

However, my other personal thought is that except for the 4 laned NHs like GQ and others in the league, anything over 80 KMPH is shifting your safety from your hands to luck.

Observations of many bhpians are true; I did overtake many vehicles while cruising at 90+ speeds on mumbai pune expressway. One Honda city (he was a family guy and travelling with wife and kids) could not take the so called insult and vanished ahead by 140+ speeds.

Bad! The Nano is like any other vehicle on the road. Once on my way back from trip to Shantiniketan and Deul, an off white Nano overtook my Zen while I was consistently doing 80-90 KMPH on the Golden Quadrilateral stretch. My wife said - look, your Zen is defeated! I told her that I leave my ego at home when on road. She understood my point and now even she takes the Nano as any other car that we overtake or get being overtaken by. A Nano is capable of clocking 105 KMPH and by the law of physics, it can overtake even a Porsche or a BMW which is doing 100 kmph. This should not be surprising at all.


Regards,
Saket

[Wanderers]

Hi,

There is no doubt about capability of Nano or Nano crossing 100 kmh Mark.
Its the safety & the amount of protection which Nano can provide in case of any eventualities, God forbid, but if it happens while driving high speed.

Also, I serious doubt the driver's control viz a viz brake & steering on a Nano doing 100+ speed.
All in all, it should be strongly discouraged.

[napster1311]

Originally Posted by Blr_RK

That is when I got this question in mind. Nano's reliability at high speeds cannot be questioned. But the question arises on the safety side. How safe is it to drive the car that has no ABS, Airbags and other safety features at this speed on a highway, where other high speed and heavy vehicles were sharing the road space.

Any thoughts ??

IMHO Any car leave aside a smaller city specific designed car like Nano, should not be driven on 100+ speed levels if it does not have ABS, Airbags and designed to take the beatings of the road.

[D4D]

Originally Posted by dass

Why just corner the Nano? Is it safe for other vehicles to drive at that speeds constantly on our roads? I do not think so. Having said that, doing these speeds in a nano is extremely dangerous and should be avoided, but I agree with what others have already posted. I have seen a lot of Nano's being driven at extremely high speeds.

+1 to that. I had the same thing after going through the thread.
With our highways, lack of traffic sense and indiscipline on the road, the speeds are not advisable on any car.

Coming to the Nano, it's dangerous to drive at that speeds. Hope the Guardian Angels of the people in and around that car are keeping close watch.

[Sheel]

Originally Posted by turbodude

Nano 2012 edition also features anti roll bar which is very useful on taking turns on high speed.

How does anti-roll bar help?

[saket77]

Originally Posted by Sheel

How does anti-roll bar help?

That is news to me! I was all ignorant that the pre-2012 Nanos did not have anti-roll bars. Wondering how did they control the body roll!

[nim_peter]

Well, what surprises me is, we've had lot of discussions on Nano's structure, now high speeds, but I haven't come across any Nano accidents recently that I'm aware of. It is always the big hatches and SUVs, please correct me if I'm wrong. Do we have anything like brake to weight ratio where braking distance reduces with lesser kerb weight?

[KMohanan]

I had my nano for 3 years and driven approx 35K kms.

On good roads, I used to drive the nano above 100 kmph. The drive in nano at such speeds is very comfortable, even though people seeing or sitting in other cars feel uncomfortable ! Surprisingly, the driver never feel that he is driving the car at such a high speed.

It will not go beyond 110 kmph. The fuel is cut intentionally. But, since the engine is not yet redlined, I think, it will not harm the engine. The speed is limited for the safety purposes.

Hard braking, I did not try, but may be dangerous.

[vibhorwadhawan]

Tata Nano is very light weight car with thin profile tires as compared to other small cars such as the Alto and Celerio, which too lack the basic safety features such as ABS and the Air bags.

Also not to forget the recent crash test by Global NCAP on five most selling cars in India, at which the Tata Nano scored zero stars in safety.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buMXtGoHHIg

[Wanderers]

Originally Posted by nim_peter

Well, what surprises me is, we've had lot of discussions on Nano's structure, now high speeds, but I haven't come across any Nano accidents recently that I'm aware of. It is always the big hatches and SUVs, please correct me if I'm wrong. Do we have anything like brake to weight ratio where braking distance reduces with lesser kerb weight?

Hi Peter,

Yes you are correct about Nano.

I think its because of people knowing the capability of Nano and taking note of it during driving as a result we have fewer accident with Nano.

Speed is reason for most of the accidents. As a Nano driver you ensure to drive it less than 60-80 km/h and this is safe & controllable speed.

Once speed is control, structure will not be questioned

[Dr.Suraj]

My $0.02

Yes - that 600 cc engine does 105 kmph.
Yes - it is possible. (been there done that)
Yes - it doesn't need to pushed very hard if you slot into 4th after 75 kmph
Yes - it takes a toll on the FE. Down to 16-17 kmpl from the usual 21-22
Yes - it does well in a straight line and with a steady hand but not in the least for the faint hearted
Yes - it feels more planted with 4 adults seated inside and takes a stronger push to make it cross 100 (but you also endanger 3 more lives in the process)

NO - it should NOT be done.
NO - it is NOT meant to be pushed. It is a CITY car. 80 kmph max. Stick to 70 for best results - FE, drive, handling.
NO - it is not fun or thrill or bold or wise
NO - it does NOT fly off even with the 634 kgs of weight

I repeat

NO - it should NOT BE DONE. Should NOT be encouraged.

I agree the car is comfortable over long distances too.
And if you are on the highway comfortable cruising at 80 kmph with the AC or windows rolled down - enjoyable journey as well as good FE (easily 23)

But that is NOT it's primary purpose.

Then don't blame the manufacturer or car for being 'poor' on safety or unsafe on roads.

The Nano is very cheap to repair or service (sorry - not cheap - reasonable, inexpensive ... whatever suits better - but genuinely it doesn't get lighter on your pocket than Rs. 3100 for 4 years / 20,000 kms SERVICE and labour and parts inclusive)

But... is your BODY or LIFE that cheap?