I tired to test the top speed of my 1993 240 with 3 of my friends in the car and only got 90mph. Is this normal? Then with out people and stuff I still only got 93mph. So is this how it is how it should be or is something wrong? I heard that a stock 240 can get over 100 but mine has a hard time with 90. BTW my car is stock. Thanks 93volvo.

Apparently, this is not the sort of question to which a majority of forum members feel obliged to dignify with a reply.

While I was young (and stupid) once, I would not today presume to risk the lives of three of my friends and others on the road in a reckless test of my car's performance. And oh yeah, it's illegal.

That being said, my wife and I do share an interest in speed and regularly race a turbo RX-7 at the dragstrip, where such behavior is acceptable. I would encourage you to find such a facility in your area for future high speed runs.

BTW, the numbers you mention seem appropriate to me for a 10+ year old car with a normally-aspirated Volvo four pushing a somewhat heavy and not particularly aerodynamic car down the road. While the 240 has many virtues, rapid acceleration and a high top speed are not among them. If you want a race car, you should find a car better suited to that end. If you want safe, reliable, long-lived transportation, you already have the right car.

There's a difference between speeding recklessly, and speeding responsibly. True, in both cases you're breaking the law, but of course, you're also breaking the law when you say... jaywalk, for example.

For all you know, the guy is speeding out in the middle of the Arizona desert on level, straight ground that you can see for miles out where there are no children, animals, or road irregularities. Hell, even in NYS, there are places on the thruway that are nothing but straight road where you can do 100 for a good hour and not have to worry about things (not that I'm advocating you go out and do this.)

As for 100MPH being more dangerous than 55MPH, you should know that most accidents occur at speeds below 35MPH, and that anything over that is already risking a serious injury, or possibly death. If you have a serious accident at 55MPH, you're in trouble. If you have a serious accident at 100MPH, you're pretty much in just as much trouble. The only reason 100MPH might be more dangerous is because of the car's tendency to lift thanks to the Bernoulli effect, but since he's weighed down by 3 more people, it's not as bad.

My point is that before getting on a high horse and damning the guy, you should think back a bit about it. Speeding in itself really isn't as horrible as people make it out to be. Speeding doesn't kill people. Speeding irresponsibly and recklessly does.

No hard feelings. :)

Anyway, for the question:
I have a 90 740 NA and I've been able to take it up to about 105 with 1 passenger and no cargo (except the spare in the trunk.) I probably could have done 110 if I wanted to, but I decided to slow back down before I got nailed for speeding that much.
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Kenric Tam
1990 Volvo 740 base sedan (B230F)
My Volvo 'Project'

Wow. I had to go back and re-read my post. I didn't intend to "damn" this guy, but he really didn't give us any indication of the circumstances surrounding his speeding. Naturally, I just assumed it was after an un-countable number of beers, which is when I did most of my serious speeding some twenty years ago. Fact is, sober or not, there aren't that many places that you can run near 100 mph and not encounter any other motorists. I stick by my original post, wherein I suggested that if he felt the need to run at a high rate of speed, that he do so at a track and not on public roadways with families on vacation and babies in carseats.

No, you're right. He didn't give us any indication about it. But it's human nature to assume the worst of people. ;-)

Peace.
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Kenric Tam
1990 Volvo 740 base sedan (B230F)
My Volvo 'Project'