can you go 100mph down a hill??

Try it in reverse if you really want a challange

 

according to the real truck drivers way back when Southern Shaker got caught in Arizona on flat ground ( I Think ) running 130mph.

 

Used to get passed by some flower haulers out of FL doing 100 + On I 10,myPete only did 91.

 

Back in the early 70's I rarely drove a truck that could run that fast,unless I used Mexican overdrive (is that politically correct nowadays?), coming off a hill.Most had 250 Cummins and 238 Detroits.We used to call the left lane,the "Monfort Lane",as you probably remember.They're would be nothing but a yellow streak going by me.

 

All of the trucks I drove felt like falling apart at the top of the 85 mph speedos. 90's freightshakers or internationals. scary enough for me. and yeah they needed a good downhill run and load to do so. I don't play that anymore after having scary blowouts at normal speed. I turn pale just thinking about losing a steer at 85+

 

If speced correctly , you can do this on the pedal . No hill needed .

 

my teacher in driving school said he broke 100 running away from a tornado, and got passed by a state cop doing the same thing, but much faster.

 

Both my old trucks would run triple digits 99 Pete would top at 113 and my 96western star at 104 not the hard downhill.

 

Here's some video proof. 625 Cat according to video description.

 

I will settle that right here.

After careful thought I use a 1990's freightliner cabover with a fuel pump on it's 500 detroit that does not quit until 116 mph at 2300. It had a rockwell 9, somewhat short gears but final drives allowed for speeds in excess of 120 plus. Click off a mile in 30 seconds flat.

Townhill which is 4 miles long is south of Breezewood PA southbound downgrade with a 80 mph curve at the bottom. (Speed limit was 65 or actually 55 in my time there.) and it's around 5% give or take a little bit on I-70.

One beautiful day we allowed the truck to max out the fuel pump at 116 and momentum pushed it to around 128 or so where gravity took hold. We had about a mile at 132ish halfway down that hill counting against a stop watch. 125 or so the rest of the way down with the last half mile for braking to 80 for that aforementioned curve. The rest of the downgrade run was a exercise in Newton Physics. Keeping everything in balance all the way down and it was.

We once hit milesburg westbound on 80 in PA coming off the long ridge prior to the buckhorn truckstop exit, there was a rather tight curve at the bottom between the long ridge to the east and the milesburg pull itself towards snowshoe. That curve needed the truck to be around 112 or so to make it safely without tipping. Once we past it, we had a couple hundred yards to gain the top end back to 120 or so before we hit the actual hill.

Halfway up about 4 miles or 5 miles we were pulling at 85 still in top gear and 2100 or so. We crossed over the top at 60 while loaded in the far left lane that day. It was a pretty fast pull. Like a elevator going up. Took a few more ridges before the ears finally settled down near State College.

There is a long hill not far from a small town called Continential Divide, or more precisely Truth and Concenquences. It's about 6 miles long west bound downgrade on one side of the pull. It's not a monster grade but more than sufficient to get to around 130 and stay there. The problem with a big truck in our case was momentum versus what the fuel pump was able to give at 116. We did not get that far west too often that year but one or two runs was plenty to explore what was possible when the Law was not around. The Law must now know about that little run, later in my years I was more professional and in governed trucks and they were around quite a bit.

As far as we were concerned, we were not the fastest. There are owner operators who have 4 turbos, and pressurized fuel among other things done to their rigs. We clocked them at 150 plus at times. I think 132 was plenty fast in a big truck but when you get into the 150's with potential for more speed it's truly fast at 40 ton. I don't even want to contemplate the cost in thermal energy required of the brakes to slow from 150 to say 80.

There were times early in my younger years I had a R model 1970's Mack with like a 350 mack engine turning 3 grand upside down on it's tach at 100 plus across the American Legion bridge with 5 other tankers of Cement. The problem was Arlington Pentagon Cement Ready Mix had 5 silos. The 6th truck will not get more than 4 loads each day. So you did what you needed to do not to be the 6th truck first thing in the morning. Those R model macks were good for 105 at most. Not much more than that because at 3000 to 3200 RPM the smooth bearings deep inside your engine absolutely cannot have even a speck of dust or flaw inside the oil because it will absolutly ruin itself in a few moments turning over that hard and fast. Guess who gets to buy a new one. Yes You. Mr Speed King. I think Mack Engine replacements were around 24,000 dollars to start.

It's 71.20 cents gross pay per load, 5 loads delivered worked out to around 350 dollars for the work day in 12 hours out of Lime Kiln Cement Facility there above 270 in Maryland. As the 6th truck you got to sit for almost 50 minutes it takes to one of the first 5 lucky ones to blow off the cement, 10 minutes to hook up and 40 minutes to empty the cement tanker. You will never get the 5th load in for that work day. Speeding tickets started at 45 dollars per and worked up to a automatic arrest at 92 and over with fines only about 200 or so dollars in those days to start. So for the work week out of Arlington 5 delivered loads each day comes out to around several thousand gross per week. It's worth it. What with the trouble fighting DC aggression and so on. In time even the most aggressive sports car filled with government power types will make room for you coming up on them at 90 plus. After all life is too sweet to die under the wheels today.

Those days are only memories. I recall specifically several drivers who came out of Vietnam working for a company in that area and their speeds on certain roads were above 80 and to me above all reason and sanity. We would call those Drivers with a PTSD diagnosis today and figure they used excessive speed to gain a advantage over all others financially and to think that life still has a edge of danger that gives them a thrill. Trust me when I say these bad drivers were really bad. And I thought I was pretty bad myself. But I was just a young pup copying what other truckers were doing and some of the things they would do I did not have the moxie in those days due to youth and inexperience to keep up.

And you wonder why I have not gotten myself or anyone killed yet. Ive used up 8 of my 9 lives so far. Im still here.

If you want more speed stuff Im able to start writing. But for the immediate purpose of the debate. If you had a tractor that is NOT governed or restricted in any way and ACTUALLY optimized to RUN at 90 and above, there is no reason why you cannot get 120-140 plus out of a big truck today. Espeically today considering the horse power and torque ratings availible that we did not have in our time. That is loaded, not empty.