top speed of the Mazda 3?

[AzMz3]

They are limited at 118mph and that is from experience. If you go and faster you are running down hill, speedo is off or your are telling stories.

[malice4you]

Originally posted by Mazda3_954@Jul 15 2004, 09:12 PM
I have gotten mine up to 130, once you get to 110 it takes a little time, but I had a nice 10 mile stretch to top her out.

ouch....130+ is easy with my car...in fact she's slow 0-60...at speed she's hard to catch :P

[Mazda3_954]

Well there must be something wrong with my car then because it made it to 130 fine. Almost at redline but it made it.

[AzMz3]

Originally posted by Mazda3_954@Jul 17 2004, 11:08 PM
Well there must be something wrong with my car then because it made it to 130 fine. Almost at redline but it made it.

Right

[beinkken]

Originally posted by AzMz3@Jul 18 2004, 02:18 AM
Right

i agree, you must be lying or else plain crazy

or you got really lucky and the govenor isn't working or something

[supreem39]

hmmmm....for some reason my 3 tops out at 107mph. maybe it has something to do with that 138hp in California deal.

[malice4you]

so you can't run from the cops since apparently everyone in Cali does :P

My old 96 Lumina LS topped out at 107 with a 160hp 3.1L....damned governor....

[Ghoulish Delight]

I've topped 100 with ease, and without long stretches of straight road.

So what happens when you run up against the limit? Does it just stop accelerating, or does the engine cut out or something?

[malice4you]

in one of previous cars (1992 Buick Le Sabre Limited GT), the governor cut the RPMs and wouldn't ket me above somewhere around 115-125mph (~5500rpm in 4th)

in the Lumina LS, it would cut the engine or gas at 105-107mph

My millenia S doesn't have a governor It'll top out over 140

[Mazda3GT]

Originally posted by beinkken@Jul 18 2004, 02:41 AM
i agree, you must be lying or else plain crazy

or you got really lucky and the govenor isn't working or something

The speed limiter is in the PCM and ALL North American Mazda3s have this in their programming. ALL vehicles sold in North American (GM, Ford, Chrysler, Honda, ...., ALL) must have their speed limited based on the speed rating of the tires. This is a requirement to meet US Federal Standards (which Canada piggy-backs on).

You can thank the US Legal System that allows people to sue (and win) from various companies because the company "did not keep the stupid customer from hurting themselves". If a manufacturer sells a vehicle which can exceed the speed rating of the tire: and a person has a serious crash because the tires failed (due to exceeding their speed rating) - the manufacturer is liable.

The only way a manufacturer can have a "higher speed" is to sell the car with tires with a higher speed rating. Z (and I believe W/Y) rated tires allow the manufacture to be exempt if they choose to have no speed limiter.

I do not know about European models, but the Australian 2.3 version appear to NOT have the speed limiter in the PCM programming. Australian laws do not require this. Australian law makes the DRIVER wrong for exceeding the speed limit - not the manufacturer.

I've worked with a number of PCMs from other manufacturers and I'm trying to learn as much as possible about the PCM used in our Mazda 3s. I am HOPING that the PCM used in N/A and Aussie cars are the same (it wouldn't be the first time than N/A cars are different from the cars sold in the rest of the world). But I would like to investigate the possibility of reprogramming a N/A Mazda with Aussie PCM programming and see if it overides the speed limiter.

I would be interested in corresponding with Aussie 2.3 owners that would like to investigate the possiblity with me, and figure out how to override the speed limter in the PCM programming.