# speed limiters/ governors



## jerome (Jun 15, 2004)

I am about to buy a 2005 3.5 SE altima with 5 spd auto. Just curious about speed limitations imposed upon the new altimas. What is the top speed (US version) and is it related to the speed rating of the tires? Does anyone know if the tires on the 2005 se auto are v rated? If the limits are placed according to the spees rating of the tires, is it possible to request different tires at the factory?


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## Coco (Apr 30, 2002)

I believe the governor kicks in at 115mph on the automatics. Some people say they have gone faster though. You tires should be H rated. They come standard and I don't think you can ask for different tires. You'd have to go with aftermarket tires.


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## blitzboi (Apr 13, 2004)

jerome said:


> I am about to buy a 2005 3.5 SE altima with 5 spd auto. Just curious about speed limitations imposed upon the new altimas. What is the top speed (US version) and is it related to the speed rating of the tires? Does anyone know if the tires on the 2005 se auto are v rated? If the limits are placed according to the spees rating of the tires, is it possible to request different tires at the factory?


I have a 2005 3.5 SE 5MT, and the tires that came on it are Bridgestone Turanza EL42 93V's in 215/55R17 size. According to Bridgestone's website *they are V-rated*.

In addition, these tires have a UTQG (Uniform Tire Quality Grading) of "260 A A". The first portion represents tread-wear, and 260 is middle-of-the-road (it's a trade-off for traction). The second portion represents traction, where AA is the best possible, thus A is second-best. The final portion is temperature dissipation, where, again, AA is the best possible. Overall this tire is a good compromise between all-out grip and decent life-span.

Hope this info helps in your buying decisions... And btw, the 2005 Altima 3.5SE 5MT is an awesome car. I've had mine for less than four weeks and I've fallen in love with the power, the looks, pretty much everything. In fact, my rich executive-type neighbour (who incidentally has a Volvo XC90, Mercedes SLK320 and a Lexus GS430 in his  driveway) keeps coming over and looking at my car everytime I'm out washing it. And he's always telling me how much he likes the colour (Sparkle Red A15), asking when I'm going to put a spoiler on it, etc. LOL!


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## jerome (Jun 15, 2004)

Coco said:


> I believe the governor kicks in at 115mph on the automatics. Some people say they have gone faster though. You tires should be H rated. They come standard and I don't think you can ask for different tires. You'd have to go with aftermarket tires.


thanks for the info. Kind of disappointing top speed for such a well performing car. Are the manual tranny versions faster?
We have a friend who knows the owner of a nissan dealership who will be able to get us the invoice price for a nissan- waiting to hear from him in a few days. I wonder if the owner of the dealership would have any influence as to tire selection and regulation of the governor to allow similar top speed to match the manual tranny versions of the altima?


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## blitzboi (Apr 13, 2004)

jerome said:


> I wonder if the owner of the dealership would have any influence as to tire selection and regulation of the governor to allow similar top speed to match the manual tranny versions of the altima?


In some cars an aftermarket ECU chip will remove the top-speed limitation, but I'm not sure if this is the case for Nissans.. does anyone know??


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## Coco (Apr 30, 2002)

jerome said:


> thanks for the info. Kind of disappointing top speed for such a well performing car. Are the manual tranny versions faster?
> We have a friend who knows the owner of a nissan dealership who will be able to get us the invoice price for a nissan- waiting to hear from him in a few days. I wonder if the owner of the dealership would have any influence as to tire selection and regulation of the governor to allow similar top speed to match the manual tranny versions of the altima?


 Manuals are faster...some people claim to have gone over 135-140.


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## blitzboi (Apr 13, 2004)

Coco said:


> Manuals are faster...some people claim to have gone over 135-140.


Said "people" must be cRaZy if that was on a public road... :fluffy:

Actually, on second thought, I've had mine up to 190 km/h on the highway (late at night with no cars around!)... which is about 115 mph or so... so I shouldn't talk about safety.. DOH!


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## FIX MIX (Feb 15, 2004)

I did 140 plus in my 03 altima M/T a few times.


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## JJNISSAN4X (Sep 6, 2005)

*Autobahn*

I have a 2.5MT and the governor kicks in at 120MPH. Which is a shame as the car seems to be rarin' to go at about 5100RPM and jumps from 115 up to it kickin' in. My wife is ready to change the computer if I wouldn't make her let me get an intake and exhaust first(its her car for now). I definitely changed the tires. The factory tires are only rated for 118MPH and got chewed up in 20K miles cruisin at 110. I got BFG Traction T/A tires rated to 130 and they handle like a dream. There is no push in the curves and I have pushed it as far as I am comfortable in the corners and it is glued to the road.
Oh yeah I am in Germany and it is legal to run on most sections of the autobahns. It is amazing how fast you can get places cruisin' at 110 or slightly more.
Later...


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## bmj9975 (Sep 7, 2005)

The governor on most vehicles is set based on the speed rating of the tires that the car ships from the factory with. H-rated tires are good to 130mph, V to 149mph, etc. A car mfgr. won't have a speed limiter ABOVE what the stock tires can handle, but it may very well be below that.

I'm sure an ECU reflash can cure that problem on most newer vehicles.


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## Sublime_intervention (Oct 5, 2005)

*3.5 SE*

My 2005 3.5 SE automatic is electronically limited to 235 Km/h...
but it has middle east spec's... im not sure if the states set a different limit for US spec Altima's...

i test it almost daily... and i top off at around 230 km/h {144 mph}...

a friend has a Technosquare re-flash on his Altima (same model as mine) and has claimed reaching 260 km/h {160 mph}

he couldn't tell the speed after the speedometer needle got off the scale...
but he got the speed confirmation from a police speed radar that he passed...

bad part\\\ his car got impounded for 3 months by local PD...
good part\\\ his wheels didn't melt/pop cuz he had swapped OEM for aftermarket...


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