Top Gear and speed cameras

All UK & European trucks now over 7.5 tonnes are now electronically restricted to 56mph or 90km/h. '03 onwards Scania, DAF, Volvo, Iveco and Mercedes trucks do this via the ECU. To change the top speed at which your throttle stops working requires a laptop computer with special software, of which the dealer accesses the trucks main ecu with a keycode. Thereafter, they can download a bigger BHP fuel map which increases the truck's pulling power, increase / decrease the speed limiter, calibrate a tacho, anything... much like a modern car.

Doing 56mph still doesn't help the average 8.5mpg a 40 tonner does. The volvo 460bhp FH12 (2005 registered) doing Glasgow bulk deliveries uses 130 litres of diesel a day for covering 250km. In english, that's 5.46MPG doing Glasgow stop start deliveries. Traffic sucks.. Yet doing a steady 56mph for an hour solid will return 8.85mpg. Depends what kind of work you're doing.


Back in the good 'ol days when the speed limiter was set to 60, along with Euro 1 & 2 truck emmision rules, the mpg was 9. An old '97 Irish spec Scania 143 500bhp I once drove for a week only managed 6.5mpg... crusing at 62mph. Drive it at 70mph, and it dropped to 4mpg.....will that be cash or credit card sir But it went and pulled like hell and was still pulling a 30 tonne trailer comfortably at 72mph... didn't need a speed limiter (registered in Dublin before new 2005 speed limiter rules).

Any new Irish registered truck since 2005 has had to have a speed limiter set to 56mph fitted. The Irish truck boys aren't very happy now.... you try catching a ferry when you're running late, and you're capped to 56mph. It's boring, you fall asleep, and you end up missing the boat. So much for next day deliveries

Originally Posted by andyaikido

I thought they had to display a change of speed limit sign on either side of the carriageway to be able nick you. The limits shown above each lane on a motorway are just a recomendation, aren't they?

No. The matrix boards in the central reservation or hard shoulder are the advisory ones (these are the ones which also say 'Fog' etc). The red-circled numbers above the lanes are the legal ones, which is why they have been made up to look like a standard painted sign.

The M25 cameras are actually few and far between, although nearly every gantry and bridge has the white lines on the road to make you think they are there. There are cameras at the start of it between the A3 and the A320, but I'm pretty sure there aren't any at all in the newly widened bit between the M3 and the M4. Not sure about the bit beyond that, though occasionally I do drive it and haven't seen any up there.

If you look up at the gantries on the other side of the road as you go round you can easily see if there's cameras on them or not, and if you do the same going the other way you'll soon learn where they are...

Originally Posted by Razor

I thought 56MPH was the old spec that the Yankees used to decide their new speed limit way back when?

Nope! its the maximun speed at which Harley's don't shake themselves to bits

chris

[Kylie]

I'm pretty sure there aren't any at all in the newly widened bit between the M3 and the M4.

I'm less sure, I do a run round from the M40 to the A3 about once a week at night when there are no temporary speed restrictions in place and no "Congestion" signs up and yet most journeys round some car or van gets flashed, usually for doing something just over 80mph. I've seen too many flashes to risk it now, though the SV's engine braking comes in handy going under them gantrys

[Viney]

Originally Posted by tomjones2

I think both clarkson and mcn are talking crap.

I though that the restricted speed cameras on the m25 are activated and will take picutres of people doing over 85 when no lower restriction is in force. I doubt that they delibaritley turn on the speed restriction to catch people, i probaly more to do with computer/user error.

And as for MCN they i would take anything they say with a bukcet of salt, next week will probaly be about biking being banned by 2007.

Not rue. I have hammered round that section in the early hours at over a ton and never had any tickets. When the signs aint on, the cameras aint either. When the signs are on, then yes the cameras are set to that speed. However, last night they where showing 40mph...yeah like that was going to happen. Im sure i saw a snail hurttle past at one point. 5 lanes either way and still a car park!!

[Kylie]

When the signs aint on, the cameras aint either.

I've seen a good few cars and vans get flashed, particularly clockwise between the A3 and the M3, when no restrictions were in place. Might be they don't actually get a ticket, I haven't been flashed so I don't know, but I'm guessing flash equals ticket.

Every single one of them has braked heavily after the flash, which I love, yeah thats gonna help....

Ive been flashed when the speed restriction signs have been off, and never got a ticket, so I suspect they're missfires.

[northwind]

Originally Posted by drumwrecker

As I write this today's MCN article about reducing the tollerance to 10% +2mph and not telling anybody came to mind. Talk about dirty tricks.

Speeding's speeding. The offence isn't "speedign and getting caught". 0 sympathy.

It's funny. We all know the speed limits yet we all break them and then whinge when we get caught. I guess it's becasue we're british. I've been lucky so far, I tend to stick the the 30 - 40 limits as that's where I have seen most police camera action (haha) and people get nabbed. I'm sure it's just as easy on the M-way though. I try not to go above 80 on teh M way with no cameras as most undercover police units are out to get the real speeders, you know the ********s on suoer sports bikes that do 120mph or guys in their big flash exec cars.

Originally Posted by northwind

Speeding's speeding. The offence isn't "speedign and getting caught". 0 sympathy.

which reminds me. today is the first anniversary of my 3 points...

still got my fingers crossed about the incident on the M5!