If you like high-performance cars and fantasize about driving them while you take a look at their technical specifications, you will also have noticed: many are limited to 250 km/h maximum speed. It is true that this limitation disappears in some supercars and also that there are brands that allow this aspect to be “unlocked” optionally, but it is quite widespread. We are going to explain the origin of this fact and also see that it’s not a coincidence.
This limit at 250 km/h dates back decades and has origin in Germany. This is the country of speed par excellence, one of the few in the world that has stretches without limits: the Autobahn. In the 80s and 90s there was a boom in high-performance vehicles, among which were the Mercedes SL600, BMW M5 or Audi RS 6. These three German manufacturers were the ones that They reached a gentlemen’s agreement to electronically limit the maximum speed of its models to 250 km/h.
Three decades ago the truth is that the restriction could have made some sense, since ensured security of users. However, as time went by, more manufacturers applied the same limit and today it is very present. We could say that the main reason has changed and is now due to a very specific component: the tires. They are those that are in contact with the asphalt and not all of them are designed to withstand such speeds.
We have already talked about the meaning of the tire inscription and that one with speed code S (recommended up to 180 km/h) is not the same as one with the Y (up to 300 km/h). In any case, high-performance cars should have appropriate tires, but that it would also raise its price. The usual thing is that they fit intermediate tires knowing that the majority of users will not reach the maximum speed of the vehicle. Hence, letting them reach 250 km/h would be enough and they would maintain their character.
That allowed competing brands (Audi, BMW and Mercedes) to focus on other aspects. When limiting to 250 km/h they no longer had to fight to continue improving themselves, so they looked for other data such as acceleration or lap times on the Nürburgring. Time has proven them right and now you can run even less than before. Limitations, radars or emissions they go against the speed and there are already manufacturers that set limits even lower. The main example would be Volvo and 180 km/h, not to mention that electric cars are already limited below.
Luckily, there are still cars that have speeds much higher. See Bugatti or Koenigsegg with their records and pursuit of 500 km/h, and even more mundane ones. Going back to the German Holy Trinity, they offer to increase the speed limit ofoptional form. By paying for the M Driver’s Package, some models like the M5 would go from 250 km/h to 305 km/h, a significant increase. The same with Audi and its RS 6 Avant GT that reaches the same 305 km/h.
