[rks]

I personally do 120-150 kmph only on six-lane expressways. On regular highways, which, unlike expressways, are open to two-wheelers/bullock carts/pedestrians and on which stray animals can wander, buses can stop, etc., I don't normally exceed 120 kmph. It is not a rigid rule, but one which I mostly follow. It is not that one cannot occasionally do 150+ kmph on good empty roads outside of expressways. Just my opinion that if this is done regularly, it could become a bad habit that will catch up with you sooner or later when your concentration slips; after all, we are all fallible human beings and not machines.

[ravikn]

good one rks,
I agree with you. Yesterday I did take my FIAT 1.6 GTX sport to Mysore and even in the best stretch was thinking twice to take it above 120kmph as whenever I touch that mark, used to find something crossing the roads in front my eyes and had to slow down to 80-90 and sometimes even to 60s.

With Regards
Ravi

[rks]

Originally Posted by Surprise

I have a question to fellow bhp'ians, Is it possible to do an emergency stopping while doing speeds at 140+ ( let's say we ride a B/B+ or C segment car)

What I meant by emergency stopping is the need to stop the car within 100 mtrs. Let the situation be local boys running across the roads, bunch of buffalo's blocking the road etc etc

As pointed out, you need a much larger zone of visibility than just 100 mtrs if you are at 140+ kmph. Even if you have the visibility, another requirement is that you should know the road very well in order to speed with confidence. Because while you can see from a distance large obstacles like buffaloes (provided it is day time!) or people crossing and slow down in time, it is quite possible that you can miss speed-breakers, potholes or small stones, sometimes even unmarked junctions/level crossings, etc. from a distance. Unfortunately our regular highways, unlike expressways, simply do not meet the standards required for such speeding on a *routine* basis.

Even on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, I have occasionally seen stones left behind on the left/right lanes by village idiots who cannot get out of their old habits. But the Expressway has a dedicated 24-hr patrol which removes these and other fallen junk from the road fairly quickly; accident/break-down zones are promptly marked and lane diversion signs put up well in advance, and so on. You cannot expect that kind of attention to detail on a regular highway.

[mclaren1885]

And whats most required in panic stricken situations is a cool head. Be calm, think it out (its amazing how the human brain works, even in a split second thoughts can be broken down to several parts and analyzed quickly), remember the basic rules, eliminate all the possibilities one by one and act accordingly. This is something that no one can practice. Its like a gift. Most times fear makes us do things against logic.

[normally_crazy]

Originally Posted by Surprise

Another question is that taking cars to high speeds requires just guts or skill or luck or anything else or combination of all

It just requires a FIRM MIND to stop doing speeds more than 80-90 kmph on our killer highways. If you have the road and the visibility, fine else just slow down and wait.

if the answer is a bit OT.

[Jaggu]

Trust me, be really really careful while doing high speeds of above 100 kph, your reaction time along with the cars ability to respond will be a revelation at those speeds.

Stopping distance multiplies (not increase). The other person (ahead/behind/on the side) also might have the same problems and all these will compound in a situation.

Calculate/Plan actions well in advance while at high speeds. Check RTech's super bike post, most of the caution and techniques like 20 sec rule (V V important) holds good. Indian roads are totally un predictable and ignorance can kill.

I often feel pity when guys claim very high speeds of 150 on our 2 lane highways, unless well trained and has experience these antics can be very dangerous.

My rules, slowly warm up and kewl down to speeds for my impulses to adjust. Especially handy when entering and leaving populated places, also i dip speeds to almost 40 - 60 kph while traversing through small villages or likes on a highway if situations demand.

Avoid very high speeds continuously, brake the trip every 100 kms, lets you relax and concentrate better.

Limit max speed to 100-120 kph max (slower if bad traffic) on 2 lanes and 120-140 kph (slower if bad traffic) on 4 or more lanes, i dont feel comfortable doing more than this on indian road conditions.

Ample use of horn and headlights, they do help but dont be surprised if people dont even bother to acknowledge.

Newer try to push yourself when you are tired, take a break, allow yourself to get some sleep while parked at a dhaba if required.

Twilight hours, drop speeds. Human body is most confused at this time, everyones judgment will be at its worst. If possible park and enjoy a tea during this time.

Thumb rule, over estimate space for error and accept that the fellow coming opposite can be worse than you.

[rks]

Originally Posted by ravikn

good one rks,
I agree with you. Yesterday I did take my FIAT 1.6 GTX sport to Mysore and even in the best stretch was thinking twice to take it above 120kmph as whenever I touch that mark, used to find something crossing the roads in front my eyes and had to slow down to 80-90 and sometimes even to 60s.

That is a sensible driving style that will work well for you in the long run. Most of the professional drivers always follow that style and play safe because they know that the odds are stacked against them if they go to high speeds day in and day out on our highways. If the road conditions do not get them then their own mental fatigue will, eventually. Their situation is a lot different from that of the skilled amateurs who occasionally take a blast on well-chosen empty stretches.

I find that the Cool Cab drivers who do the Mumbai-Pune stretch daily are a highly professional and disciplined lot who follow the right driving practices. No wonder that there has apparently never been a fatal accident involving a Cool Cab ever since the Expressway was set up in 2001.

[Mayavi]

1. Driving at 150 KMPH a car will cover 42 feet per second.
2. At 150 KMPH, if you see some one running across a road or a car stopped 100 feet ahead, you will get there before you blink.
3. In perfect health, your brain will take atleast 1 second to react to the situation and a make a decision. So by the time you notice an obstacle 100 feet ahead and think of braking, you have already hit him. If you are tired or drunk, add couple more seconds and then some more.
4. Travelling at 42 feet per second, you will take atleast 300 - 400 feet to come to a dead stop without swerving. If you do not have ABS or EBD, then you would come to a dead stop in 50 feet having foudn a tree or ditch. This ofcourse assuming you are driving a B segment car and not a Lamborghini.

[Jaggu]

Originally Posted by Mayavi

1. Driving at 150 KMPH a car will cover 42 feet per second.
2. At 150 KMPH, if you see some one running across a road or a car stopped 100 feet ahead, you will get there before you blink.
3. In perfect health, your brain will take atleast 1 second to react to the situation and a make a decision. So by the time you notice an obstacle 100 feet ahead and think of braking, you have already hit him. If you are tired or drunk, add couple more seconds and then some more.
4. Travelling at 42 feet per second, you will take atleast 300 - 400 feet to come to a dead stop without swerving. If you do not have ABS or EBD, then you would come to a dead stop in 50 feet having foudn a tree or ditch. This ofcourse assuming you are driving a B segment car and not a Lamborghini.

These are FACTS, better keep them on mind

[1100D]

Originally Posted by Mayavi

1. Driving at 150 KMPH a car will cover 42 feet per second.
2. At 150 KMPH, if you see some one running across a road or a car stopped 100 feet ahead, you will get there before you blink.
3. In perfect health, your brain will take atleast 1 second to react to the situation and a make a decision. So by the time you notice an obstacle 100 feet ahead and think of braking, you have already hit him. If you are tired or drunk, add couple more seconds and then some more.
4. Travelling at 42 feet per second, you will take atleast 300 - 400 feet to come to a dead stop without swerving. If you do not have ABS or EBD, then you would come to a dead stop in 50 feet having foudn a tree or ditch. This ofcourse assuming you are driving a B segment car and not a Lamborghini.

Well said but 150 kmph is around 42 mps (136 fps). But my personal experience says that around half a kilometre is needed to come to a stop (given the surface treatment our roads have).

How far do we look down the road for approaching obstacles?

But coming to a halt from 150 (even 170) is possible in a non ABS car without having found a tree or ditch to end up in.

[sreenivass]

Originally Posted by 1100D

Well said but 150 kmph is around 42 mps (136 fps). But my personal experience says that around half a kilometre is needed to come to a stop (given the surface treatment our roads have).

How far do we look down the road for approaching obstacles?

But coming to a halt from 150 (even 170) is possible in a non ABS car without having found a tree or ditch to end up in.

per OD Honda city needs 55+ meters to go from 100-0. If the reaction time is 2 secs we need to add another 20 meters. We are talking about 75+ meters already at speeds of 100. For 150 KMPH I believe it would go well over 120 meters roughly. I would not do this speed unless I have at least 250+ meter visibility.

OD table of comparison of various cars for 0-100-0

17 CARS - ULTIMATE PERFORMANCE TEST

[danlalan]

in Normal conditions...doing 150+ and seeing someone cross the road 100mts or + ahead...first sends you into a state of shock....there is no reaction time and you just intend to slam the breaks...there no time to think of shifting down gears or falanah and dikhna.....The more narrow the road is, the faster you seem to be going...the wider the road the slower it seems that your going....so 150+ may not look like much on the expressway but on a normal highway it would look/feel superfast in the eyes of the driver..

[VJ_MAVRICK]

I always believe and feel that there are a very few skilled among the whole driving lot who always rely on these 2 P's of driving---Perseverance and Prediction.Its not only important for own personal safety and security but also other lives too on the road. Knowing the road conditions and better judgement of other vehicles maneuverability is important too. One should race hard and fast but should never be a menace on the road....

[Mayavi]

Originally Posted by 1100D

Well said but 150 kmph is around 42 mps (136 fps). But my personal experience says that around half a kilometre is needed to come to a stop (given the surface treatment our roads have).

How far do we look down the road for approaching obstacles?

But coming to a halt from 150 (even 170) is possible in a non ABS car without having found a tree or ditch to end up in.

Right, its 42 metres and not fps. I forgot to covert.

Without ABS, a car can come to a halt but it will only take longer distance. If you stand on the brakes at 150 kmph, most probably the car will end up in a ditch, driver experience not withstanding.

Also one has to remember the condition of brakes when applying sudden brakes. The 100-0 tests are done with good brakes but in normal driving this is not always the case. If you have been driving at 150 kmph and on worn out brakes, add a good half KM to come to a dead stop without incident.

[esteem_lover]

Originally Posted by sreenivass

per OD Honda city needs 55+ meters to go from 100-0. If the reaction time is 2 secs we need to add another 20 meters. We are talking about 75+ meters already at speeds of 100. For 150 KMPH I believe it would go well over 120 meters roughly. I would not do this speed unless I have at least 250+ meter visibility.

OD table of comparison of various cars for 0-100-0

17 CARS - ULTIMATE PERFORMANCE TEST

what is OD ? are you referring to Overdrive ? I would rather prefer my own judgment.