N.t's New Maximum Rural Default = 110km/h

[SS8_Gohan]

a lot of car companies do testing on those roads. speed and hot weather testing, and obviously a combo of both.

there goes that, or are there other unlimited roads about?

[gtrchick]

truck are speed limited to 100 anyways

I wouldnt say thats entirely true, the amount of times ive been passed on the highway doing 110km/h by a truck.....

[scathing]

a lot of car companies do testing on those roads. speed and hot weather testing, and obviously a combo of both.

there goes that, or are there other unlimited roads about?

They haven't done that in years.

The Europeans don't bring their cars to Australia anymore. South Africa has the same climate that we do, and at least as nice roads, and they're in the same time zone as Europe so their on-site engineers can communicate with home base without stupid shift work.

The Aussies also don't do high speed testing anymore. They used to, but apparently since the OH&S f**kwits have gotten more clout Holden and Ford no longer do V-Max testing on public roads.

[phee]

Umm... yes they do

[readyGO]

care factor 0... I dont see myself taking my car there ever anyway..

[phee]

Why'd you bother posting then? That's 5 - 10 seconds of your life you'll never get back. Do you know what the sound of one hand clapping is?

*clap*

[Duncan]

tragedy.

i love commuting to work from alice springs at 200km/h

[FATGTS-R]

truck are speed limited to 100 anyways

I wouldnt say thats entirely true, the amount of times ive been passed on the highway doing 110km/h by a truck.....

Some trucks have 100km/h speed limiters and some dont. We have a fleet of 12 trucks where I work and none have limiters.

But I think what PHAT32 was trying to say is that trucks are techinically not allowed by law to go faster than 100km/h regardless of the signed limit. i.e if the highway has a 110k limit then being the driver of a heavy vehicle you are only allowed to do 100ks.

[scathing]

I stand corrected

SPEED limits to be introduced on Northern Territory roads next year will slam the brakes on an international car testing industry estimated to be worth $9 million.

Car-makers from all over the world flock to the NT for its combination of unrestricted roads and hot weather, but many will abandon their testing programs when the 130km/h speed limit comes into effect from January.

Holden, Toyota and Ford Performance Vehicles will cease or prune their NT testing programs, and sportscar specialist Porsche is expected to relocate to South Africa.

Territory businesses say accommodation, transport and security services will suffer.

"From our point of view speed limits will have a huge effect on the testing business and our members stand to lose millions," NT chamber of commerce chief executive Chris Young said.

Then again, CarsGuide is run by News Interactive...so their quality of journalism can be summed up with two words: "Daily Telegraph".

I am reasonably sure that Porsche, at least, has already relocated the vast majority of their hot weather high speed testing to South Africa already. With better road surfaces, similar weather, and being in the approximately same time zone as Europe, its just a better location for most European companies to do such testing.

And I'd read in Motor (which, I suppose, also gets stuff quite wrong) that Holden / Ford had ceasted doing v-max runs through the NT on their development cars due to OH&S concerns.

Anyway, I wonder if all the speed camera revenue in our most sparsely populated territory will make up for the $9 million shortfall from the loss of business, as well as affecting our local car manufacturers' ability to test their cars in a full range of environments.

[siksII]

I stand corrected

Then again, CarsGuide is run by News Interactive...so their quality of journalism can be summed up with two words: "Daily Telegraph".

I am reasonably sure that Porsche, at least, has already relocated the vast majority of their hot weather high speed testing to South Africa already. With better road surfaces, similar weather, and being in the approximately same time zone as Europe, its just a better location for most European companies to do such testing.

haha is that the truth, or is your News Limited?

i have also read in multiple magazines reference to porsche doing testing in South Africa rather than NT for the last few years.

[scathing]

Either way, all I know is that the NT government can go f**k themselves.

I went up to Uluru around 3 years ago, and the best part of the trip was hitting the SA/NT border and flooring the throttle.

[siksII]

Either way, all I know is that the NT government can go f**k themselves.

I went up to Uluru around 3 years ago, and the best part of the trip was hitting the SA/NT border and flooring the throttle.

I feel the same way, im sure most people do! What a stupid solution to the problem, are they retarded?

I have never had the chance to go to NT but was really looking forward to it, with the new speed limit its that much less attractive to go now.

[scathing]

I'd say go now before the new speed limits kick in, but with a turbo car you'd be better off going in winter.

[Duncan]

better off going in winter.

yeah but not because it is any colder up there....it floods like crazy in summer, even down south.

although it was nice and cold overnight (all year round) in alice, just too many animals to hit unless it is the middle of the day

[siksII]

I'd say go now before the new speed limits kick in

although it was nice and cold overnight (all year round) in alice, just too many animals to hit unless it is the middle of the day

Is there a firm date on when the new limit will be implemented?

I am always worried about hitting animals even on backroads in NSW, is the animal situation real bad in NT Duncan?

The worst thing i find around NSW is that usually when there is animals there is bushes around the road so they pop out of no where, im assuming most roads in NT arent that bushy!?

[dan_the_man]

im not going to say anything racist here, but i wonder whose been doin all this....

a few of my dads mates were all up there for a riding tour, cruisin down whatever strip it was at about 160... when a ute comes flyin past em, with like 5-6 people in the back, then a trailor with about 10 more people in there. lol when they got to the other end, there were supposedly less people than when they started but luckily i dont think any of em could count to 16

this isnt really needed mate. keep it to yourself next time

[scathing]

Animals are mostly out between dusk and dawn. No animal aside from humans are generally stupid enough to be wandering around the desert during the middle of the day.

The only time we encountered wildlife was when we were driving back to the resort in Uluru from one of the places nearby at night, and there were a pack of kangaroos jumping across the road.

It was dark by then, and luckily I wasn't driving at that point because chances are I would have been doing 130km/hr and wouldn't have been able to stop in time.

[SilverECR33]

I'd say go now before the new speed limits kick in, but with a turbo car you'd be better off going in winter.

sorry to burst ur bubble.....

There is no winter. Just 'Wet and Dry' seasons.

and neither gets gold enough for a turbo

i feel for the turbo guys in darwin with skylines. what they are missing out on..

[phee]

Don't need the reminder thanks!

[EvilINGT]

Yeah, broome is just as bad as darwin, got some friends here from Darwin who reckon the heat is worse .

Evil