Top Speed/Comfortable Cruising Speed

73 New Yorker

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I'm asking this question because I want to know if the work I put into the front end suspension of my car has given my car at least a comparable level of feel and performance to other C bodies. I just want to know what the highest speed you've had your c body up to is and what speed you feel comfortable with cruising on the highway.

My top speed is 90 mph, this where the front end starts floating. I feel comfortable driving on the highway at 80 mph.
My New Yorker is the only c body I've ever ridden in (and I would like to change that at Volo if anyone is willing) so I currently have nothing to compare it to.
Thanks for the input in advance.
 
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I have had the needle buried on my '68 New Yorker, but the speedometer is so inaccurate that it's hard to say how fast I was really going. I would have to say that at speeds above 80 I'd probably start getting nervous.
 
When my '70 Monaco 383 4bbl was my daily car, it started to get a driveline harmonic at 100mph, so never had it above that. With HD shocks (from back then, when they were what they should have been), 90mph was a comfortable speed. I felt confident at that speed on the Interstates when traffic was light or less. With others around, about 78 was the limit for a quicker slow-down from 70mph. Didn't know where to take it to get the driveshaft looked at, back then, so it stayed as it was.

I was in junior high school when we got our '66 Newport (with 7100 miles on it). We were taking our first decent trip in it to west Texas. We left home and were the other side of Odessa when it was about 10pm or so. I had noticed that our cruising speed had crept upward, with my father driving. Finally, he proclaimed that "This car just wants to run 90", so we did.

In later life, with HD shocks on the car (from back then) and the tires at 30-32psi, the car would sit at 70mph with no problems. Once you got to 75mph, it was like "let's have some fun". The upper end of that feeling was 90mph, which was about 3100rpm. Past that, the 383 2bbl took a bit more throttle to increase speed and the suspension was a bit soft, so 90mph was just fine. Everybody had fun. At 70mph, it was bored . . . at 75-90mph, it was "smile time".

Would those cars run faster? Certainly! But to get there, there had to be a good reason to push them to it. One thing I liked about that '70 Monaco 383 4bbl, once the throttle was cracked to about 3/4 open, it had NO problem or trouble getting to "triple digits" quickly and easily, unlike any other car I've had. 20-100 took about .4 mile to happen. It knew what it liked! One of my fantasies was for Springstein's "Born To Run" come on the FM Multiplex, have about 10 miles of open road ahead, and let that AVS inhale through the dual snorkels, everything exhaling through the HP manifolds and factory dual exhaust, everybody having fun.

Having the rubber bushings and such replaced is good, but no guarantee of "high speed handling". For that to happen as it can, you need some good HD shocks all around and good tires at 30-35psi inflation. And then the good sense to know when to slow down, as conditions present themselves!

Of course, now-a-days, any little 4cyl with a triple OD automatic can run 80mph with ease, but getting past that takes horsepower it might not have, even with a "glowing red turbo". So the dominance of a 383 or 440 on the Interstates is not what it used to be, but still credible (with 3.2 or 2.7 gearing). So just cruise at elevated speeds on the Interstates and enjoy the Chrysler product you might be in!

just some thoughts and experiences,
CBODY67
 
75-80 around here is dangerous… people passing you like you’re standing still. I prefer to cruise around 65 so screw them ! Besides the secondaries start opening by 70.
I had my 70 Charger with a 383 mag upto 140 briefly back in the day . I had swapped in 2.76s .
Front end was getting VERY light !
 
"It will cruise at 70 all day."

That cliché (not said here) cracks me up, as if hitting 70 was some type of miracle. Any car made from 1955 on was built to do that. (With exceptions of course; my '61 VW had a top speed of 72.)

Unless your front end is junk, travelling at 75-90 is not a problem. It also depends on your rear gears. I asked a guy I knew why he drove his '70 Challenger so slow on Highway 99. He said if he went any faster his MPG killed him! He was running 3.90 gears.

I drive my Newport 75 if I'm on a major highway, and I've had it to 110. The Scotsman in me kicks in if I go any faster.
 
Out here in east texas my 68 300 would cruise along 110 with 2 finger steering and hold the road like it was born to do. 440 would run cool to.
 
My 68 T/C wagon likes 70mph...with the 3.23 gears and the 440 it's just the sweet spot where it seems the happiest, everything just hums along with no complaints or odd noises.
 
The top speed of my dad’s 69 300 with 2.76 gears is somewhere over 120 since he has buried the speedometer racing a muscle car. The cruising speed of that car is still a reasonable 85-90 since it likes to go around that speed.
 
My New Yorker is the only c body I've ever ridden in (and I would like change that at Volo if anyone is willing)
you know you don’t have to go to VoLo for that extra experience :poke:
 
I sometimes have to drive my 67 300 at 80 mph just to keep everyone from blowing me off the road. The car is VERY happy cruising at 75 to 80 mph. I've had it up to 90 for short periods but there's something that doesn't seem right about driving a 50 some year old car faster than 90mph so I don't do it often.
I don't worry about slowing down, my car feels like you throw out the boat anchor as soon as you let off the gas. I don't know what causes this. It has Budd disc brakes so maybe that causes some extra friction. Anyone have any idea about that??
 
My 68 polara 105 no problem. 1971 fury buried it and felt like a 727 and waiting for take off to the sky. Braking after on both like a c130 landing on a 1/8 mile runway trying to Fred Flintstone the car to stop. Speed no problem. Braking , *** water tight and finger prints embedded on steering wheel and brother cussing and praying same time
Fury has disc fronts and polara drum fronts.
 
55 is good on my 70 Fury 225 three on the tree with 3.55 gears. 70 gets “busy” and my wife says “it doesn’t seem like this car is touching the road anymore.” Top speed? 90 is about it I’d say. It will do more but the slant and 3.55 wouldn’t like it!
 
I find this post and its replies interesting. It reflects opinions on our cars' perceived capabilities at speed. It offers opinions on our own skill and comfort levels at speed. And it points to issues involved in sharing the road with other drivers. That said, all of these points are valid despite the age, condition, or any type of car we're driving.

I drive my 60+ year-old Chryslers because I like to drive my 60+ year-old Chryslers. (And my 60+ year old Dodge, too.) I am not shy about using the pedal on the right when conditions are right. But I keep in mind that the "safety features" of my cars are essentially an afterthought, if thought of all. So, I tend to keep the speed at or a few over the posted limit, hang out in the granny lane, and wave at the drivers blowing my doors off. My Chryslers are for cruising, and I make the time for that whether it's a six mile drive for ice cream or a couple hundred miles to a show.

If I'm in a hell-fire hurry to get somewhere, I drive one of my late model cars. Ninety miles an hour may be okay in my old cars, but I have other cars where ninety miles an hour is a safer choice.

I get it that we all have different cars with different capabilities. Heck, I drove my 1963 over 800 miles between 65-70 and (occasionally) 75+ on a long trip. So I'm no extremist on this issue. It's just that when I drive my old cars, I'm happier rolling along, enjoying the time I share with a car that few others will ever have. I figure, what's the hurry?

Thanks for reading this long post. And if you see "TAILFINS" on a tag of a 1960 Chrysler rolling in the granny lane, move to the left, give me a thumbs up, and pull away at your chosen speed!
 
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In about 94 when I was at Dyess,AFB i run my 68 NYer up to a guesstimate of about 140. The needle was buried for a long time and that car had long legs with 2.76 gears. A few years later i ended up having v the speedo tested and it was only of by about 3 mph.

I've not run the current one that fast. Nowhere in western Pennsylvania to even think of doing something that crazy.
 
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