Is it ok to break the speed limit in a NSX or similar sportcar?
When most talk of 'the limit' it is in the context of road maximum posted speed limits. In the US, maximum vehicular speed limits are put in place by traffic engineers that have to consider just about every possible variable in the interest of public safety, so tend to reflect the lowest common denominator (Commercial traffic and the chick in the number 4 lane doing 51mph while doing make-up). They also consider regulations, congestion, road conditions, community, our legal climate, DWI epidemic, $35 licenses, and other social issues which obviously sit relatively unique in global scope.
Some of the better written state statutes note that vehicular traffic speed limits are intended to be secondary to conditions as Vance mentioned. Many road signs are advisable limits, not maximum. In the end, they are all just tools... a fraction of the billions spent in the interest of 'public safety'.
As to your question. I think it depends on who you ask and what their driving career consists of. The majority will likely fall into the bucket that 35mph could be way too fast for an arterial or during stop and go while 70mph could be "a little" slow for a long stretch of Kansas interstate fundamentally impairing mobility. That being the case, first responders still find themselves with a full day as 5mph apparently must be the "limit" for many motorists tagging cars during stop and go.
Asking an educated, calibrated, driving enthusiast, obviously lends an entirely different perspective which we won't get into.
In a country where there is no speed limit how fast would you go?
At the salt flats in Bonneville the guys with the streamliners seem to feel the top end is about the speed of sound, which like climbing into a rocket on top of several tons of rocket fuel, must take some real cahonies.
If the speed limit was 100mph as in Austria would you go 100?
What, at that rate I might even see the top of 4th gear? Austria's a long drive just to do that.
100 years ago the speed limit was 14mph. Would you go 50 mph to pass a model-t chugging along at 14mph ?
14mph, yeah that's progress. I'd just
run. At this rate society might even see 140mph in 3007... hopefully in something
future celebrities and
crack heads don't have any control over as that what would be pretty scary.
The bottom line is that you can't legislate a replacement for a driver making good decisions, and pre-emptive speed enforcement is an entirely ineffective behavior modification tool. Encouraging states to adopt make sense traffic statutes that encourage mobility as well as a higher threshold of public safety is the job of the
NMA.
So, before going balls out (drafting that model T) check that you have the proper signage (I photochopped an example below) and always consider your personal limit as may be prudent for allowable conditions. After you get bored come out to the track. Eventually, you'll just disconnect and stop worrying about your speed-o all together- oil & water temp are more interesting anyway.
