How Fast In Reverse?

[coopns]

Stupid stuff I think of these days...

I was backing up today and was wondering how fast YOU could go in Reverse? Would the RPM's break...like is there a limit? Does seem to rev higher in R.

Just chattin' here...

 

[blupupher]

maybe 20 mph, depending on the vehicle.

 

[555]

It's been too long since I've rented a car.

 

[ls1mike]

That was a huge discussion on the Firebird/Camaro boards. Based of gear ratio a current SS should touch right about 48mph for the manual, 58 ish for the auto. I don't know anyone brave enough to try it. My Trans Am should be able to go about 50ish. 30 is all I was willing to try.

Here is a 2.0 Ford Fuzion. I never would have guessed. Spoiler 40 mph.

 

[Kira]

1) Cool enough idea but not worth a nearly 4 minute video.
2) My relative had a 1985 (?) Chrysler LeBaron and said a minus sign came on when in reverse. That'd be helpful.
3) "Frog 1" in "The French Connection" went backwards on the bridge with "Popeye" Doyle waving at him. Nifty scene

 

[ls1mike]

Stupid stuff I think of these days...

I was backing up today and was wondering how fast YOU could go in Reverse? Would the RPM's break...like is there a limit? Does seem to rev higher in R.

Just chattin' here...

You have successfully ruined my productivity for the afternoon
After watching the following video I am wondering about the Caprice.

Police Crown vic. Spoiler 60mph.

 

[ls1mike]

1) Cool enough idea but not worth a nearly 4 minute video.

Ok, I gave you spoiler.

 

[RhondaHonda]

We tried it in a mid 90s Caravan in high school in a parking lot. Gets very loose above 25 mph. It’s like a forklift steering with the “rear” wheels and add the higher center of gravity of a van with the idiotic exuberance of 16 year old boys. End result is a huge spin out and we avoided hitting any other parked vehicles by some miracle. I think maybe we got to 30 before it spun. Fortunately we didn’t roll it over.

 

[ls1mike]

We tried it in a mid 90s Caravan in high school in a parking lot. Gets very loose above 25 mph. It’s like a forklift steering with the “rear” wheels and add the higher center of gravity of a van with the idiotic exuberance of 16 year old boys. End result is a huge spin out and we avoided hitting any other parked vehicles by some miracle. I think maybe we got to 30 before it spun. Fortunately we didn’t roll it over.

My Ex wife and I dated in high school. She had an 86 woody Caravan with the Mitsubishi 2.6 Hemi. I remember her cutting reverse donuts during a snow storm in a huge empty parking lot. I loved that van...for lots of different reasons.

 

[Saabist]

If you have a DAF with Variomatic transmission it will drive in reverse just as fast as it will going forward.

 

[blupupher]

The way the OP asked the question is how fast YOU can drive in reverse, not how fast can a car drive in reverse.
Above 20 mph, things get squirrely really fast, but with training you can do a lot faster.

 

[Srt20]

 

[redbone3]

The fastest cars in reverse were the 3 cylinder 2 stroke SAABs. You could start the motor backwards and go just a fast backwards as you could normally go forward.

 

[JT20]

We tried it in a mid 90s Caravan in high school in a parking lot. Gets very loose above 25 mph. It’s like a forklift steering with the “rear” wheels and add the higher center of gravity of a van with the idiotic exuberance of 16 year old boys. End result is a huge spin out and we avoided hitting any other parked vehicles by some miracle. I think maybe we got to 30 before it spun. Fortunately we didn’t roll it over.

I was gonna say, probably up to about 30 before any car becomes uncomfortably twitchy and ready to hit anything next to it.

There is also a difference in force between that and if you maybe had to throw your car into a "spin", or "catch" it going backwards to continue the car in a straight line if a 180 somehow occurred, to either keep control of the vehicle, or put on a show.

Keep that transmission fluid spot on for fast engagement because oh boy would you need it.

 

[Andrew1972]

An interesting video sort of related. Negative 40MPH back to 20 MPH???:

 

[JT20]

Can you spot the two screw-ups in this video?

 

[oilstudent24]

I think I remember a car and driver or motortrend article in the early 2011 called rental car olympics... google it. where they rented a Lincoln town car and got it going around 60+ in reverse as well as other shenanigans

 

[01rangerxl]

An interesting video sort of related. Negative 40MPH back to 20 MPH???:

That grinding noise is so M5OD.

 

[DriveHard]

I don't understand why this is a question. Find the reverse gear ratio, take that through your final drive ratio and tire size and then use the maximum engine speed. This is easily answered with some simple math.