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Top Speed Limiter Removal


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Hey everybody, I've got a 1996 Legacy Brighton Wagon (named Alice), and she has an electronic limiter set at 110mph. I heard from a buddy of mine that a speed sensor in the transmission is what controls the limiter, but I dont know which sensor, because it has 3 built into the transmission. Does anyone here know if this is true (refering to what he told me), and if it is, do you which one it is so I can remove it and see what Alice can really do. I know one of them is for the speedometer and one is for the reverse lights, but theo ther one I'm not sure about. Any help would be awesome. And I dont have a tach, so I was wondering if anyone know whether or not a set of Legacy guages with a tach will swap in and work, or if I will need to do any wiring to make it work. Thanks!
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the trans , 96 legacy auto, has 2 speed sensors. the front one drives the speedo which then sends info to the ECU. the rear one is used to determine ''when'' more power is needed in the rear.

 

the speed limiter is in the programming of the computer, ECU. if you find out how to disable it, be sure to buy better tires, because the ones on the car are not rated for over 110 mph.

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When and where do you people need to go that fast just so I know where and when I shouldn't drive. At the drag strip your cars unless highly modified in which you would no longer have a speed limiter your cars will not come anywhere near hitting the speed limiters. On a Rally course you might possibly with the proper downhill curve and a strong back wind hit your speed limiters, again unless highly modified. My guess is you are trying to break records while driving on city streets or hwy's. "when no one is around or out in the middle of nowhere" which still does not justify the need to go that fast illegally.

 

/rant

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johnegg, would you know how to remove the 115mph top speed limit that's on my '96 GT?? if it could rev higher in 4th my car could possibly hit 140ish based on a 6250 redline, tire size, and gearing...

 

i have no idea.

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The governor is built into the ECU. You can either run some kind of piggy back ecu or a stand alone ecu to get rid of the governor.

 

What are you doing that you need to go faster then 110mph anyways? If you're determined to go faster, you need to look into getting a decent spoiler, run close to 0 camber, get better tires (higher speed rating), and know how to handle a vehicle at high speeds.

 

You can't just remove the governor and drive faster and be safe at the same time.

-broknindarkagain

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there is no need to get all worked up about a simple question.

 

whether it is trying to find out your top speed in a straight line, what it can do in a quarter mile race, 0 to 60, how fast you can take it around a turn, quickest lap at a track, etc. It is a test of limits.

 

unlike most people who for some unknown reason, allowed to drive by the government, and unlike most other people that like to drive fast, I actually know my car. I know the physics of it. I know what it can do and what it can't. Not because I randomly decide to go all out in any situation. I build up to it. Pushing it further every time I try something.

 

I the case of my car and getting it to the top speed it's capable of... yes, there plenty of roads where I live that is possible to hit almost any speed for various reasons. in regards to it's legality, of course it's illegal to drive faster that posted speed limits. people do that every day, in every situation. what justifies going that fast illegally, is different person to person.

 

as for my car, the suspension has been upgraded to '04 STi struts and springs, and the tires are bridgestone potenza's on a set of rims that a buddy of mine had sitting in his garage. they fit my cars lug pattern and the outside diameter of my stock setup... this combination is perfectly stable at speed.

 

I'm not an unsafe, and clueless idiot. I am just a gear head who loves cars, and loves driving

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there is no need to get all worked up about a simple question.

 

whether it is trying to find out your top speed in a straight line, what it can do in a quarter mile race, 0 to 60, how fast you can take it around a turn, quickest lap at a track, etc. It is a test of limits.

 

unlike most people who for some unknown reason, allowed to drive by the government, and unlike most other people that like to drive fast, I actually know my car. I know the physics of it. I know what it can do and what it can't. Not because I randomly decide to go all out in any situation. I build up to it. Pushing it further every time I try something.

 

I the case of my car and getting it to the top speed it's capable of... yes, there plenty of roads where I live that is possible to hit almost any speed for various reasons. in regards to it's legality, of course it's illegal to drive faster that posted speed limits. people do that every day, in every situation. what justifies going that fast illegally, is different person to person.

 

as for my car, the suspension has been upgraded to '04 STi struts and springs, and the tires are bridgestone potenza's on a set of rims that a buddy of mine had sitting in his garage. they fit my cars lug pattern and the outside diameter of my stock setup... this combination is perfectly stable at speed.

 

I'm not an unsafe, and clueless idiot. I am just a gear head who loves cars, and loves driving

 

 

This is pretty much me. I do auto-X, which eliminates any kind of high speed usage of my car. But I also like to go out on the back roads around where I live and run my car sometimes. I just get frustrated when it shuts off at 110 because I know it has more in it than that. I dont think that the 5-speeds should have the limiter, but Subaru obviously does/did. I just want to know what shes got in her. I'm not some junkie out looking to kill himself, I've spent plenty of time working my way up to speeds, and I have parts installed that can handle it, I'm looking to upgrade more of them ASAP, which will most likely eliminate my speed issues, sine I ultimately would like an EJ205 or EJ207 swap with wiring, ECU, and 6-spd Trans. I know that stock tires wont handle those pseeds, so I bought better ones, and when I finally get a turbo swap, I'm gonna buy a new set of performance rated tires. I'm trying to do this in an educated and responsible manner, even though speeding is technically not responsible in most people's opinions.

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I am not worked up as I too am a gear head...the difference is I test my cars limits in safe controlled environments. Thanks for verifying my thoughts. Good luck with the car and just because you changed your suspension and tires doesn't make your car any safer at the higher speeds. Is your car corner balanced? Are your brakes upgraded? Have you had any additional aero components such as a diffuser or actual useful spoiler added to your car? The government ratings are such that the car has met the proper requirements to safely reach said ecu pre-programmed speeds. Plus, you are still driving an N/A car that is gear limited.
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"when no one is around or out in the middle of nowhere" which still does not justify the need to go that fast illegally.

 

/rant

 

respectfully, I disagree.

 

I live out in the country. There are miles upon miles of open deserted roads. Personally, I feel its safe and there is nothing wrong with opening the car up on these roads.

 

However with that being said, the city in the middle of the night on the interstate is a different story. I never drive "fast" in populated areas.

-broknindarkagain

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I just get frustrated when it shuts off at 110 because I know it has more in it than that. I dont think that the 5-speeds should have the limiter, but Subaru obviously does/did. I just want to know what shes got in her.

 

You're right. The 5MT does not have a governor on it. A stock 5MT 2.5 Legacy is capable of doing 162.7mph. I've had my 97 Legacy GT 5 speed up to speeds of 150 - 160mph. Yeah, it wasn't a great idea to get that fast on a stock Legacy GT, but I did it. I have a need for speed lol. I've grown up though and now I don't get anywhere near those kind of speeds without the proper equipment.

 

I'm not some junkie out looking to kill himself, I've spent plenty of time working my way up to speeds, and I have parts installed that can handle it, I'm looking to upgrade more of them ASAP, which will most likely eliminate my speed issues, sine I ultimately would like an EJ205 or EJ207 swap with wiring, ECU, and 6-spd Trans.

 

Just curious, what parts have you installed that are capable of handling that kind of speed?

 

I know that stock tires wont handle those pseeds, so I bought better ones, and when I finally get a turbo swap, I'm gonna buy a new set of performance rated tires.

 

What tires are you currently running? You're likely running H rated tires, and those support speeds up to 130mph. And regardless of turbo or no turbo...speed is speed. Just because you have a turbo doesn't mean you need better tires. 150mph is 150mph regardless of the engine. How fast you reach the 150mph (or whatever speed you're trying to hit) doesn't matter at all. One thing you have to keep in mind though is that most performance tires are summer tires ONLY. Meaning that they will not grip a cold road, and they most certainly will not give you ANY kind of traction on ice or snow. If you're wanting performance tires, be prepared to be switching wheels every 6 moths like I do

 

I'm trying to do this in an educated and responsible manner, even though speeding is technically not responsible in most people's opinions.

 

Speeding can and can not be responsible. I belive it depends on how, where, the car, etc. There are several factors that come into play.

 

 

 

Back to the OP, Removing the governor on a car isn't quite a simple task.

-broknindarkagain

My Current Project - Click Here

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"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."

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yes, upgrading the suspension and tires makes it safer at high speeds. you have so much more control the faster you go. I can feel the difference between the stock setup and upgraded at all speeds. I'm not going to get into a pointless debate about what upgrades make high speeds safer. it will never end no matter who is right.

 

btw, if I changed the redline to 7k rpm. it'll be geared out at almost 170...

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Lol. An endless debate....its always the uneducated people that keep it going even though they are dead wrong

 

Sent from my Android powered HTC HD2

-broknindarkagain

My Current Project - Click Here

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"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."

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yes, upgrading the suspension and tires makes it safer at high speeds. you have so much more control the faster you go. I can feel the difference between the stock setup and upgraded at all speeds. I'm not going to get into a pointless debate about what upgrades make high speeds safer. it will never end no matter who is right.

 

btw, if I changed the redline to 7k rpm. it'll be geared out at almost 170...

 

.....and never come close to hitting 170 with the stock HP:lol:

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I never said it would ever reach 170 stock, that's absolutely ridiculous!

 

considering the drag coefficient, frontal area, vehicle and my weight, I'd somewhere around 400 hp to hit that... which is somewhere over 300 hp lost to drag...

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brokin i deff dont see a stock legacy going 150 or 160 their is no way.

 

I've pegged my speedometer and kept going. The 5MT has no governor on it, so nothing except drag and the cars capabilities limit its speed. Until you test for yourself, you can keep speculating.

-broknindarkagain

My Current Project - Click Here

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"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."

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I never knew these had a speed limiter? If it did, why does subaru install a speedo onto my dash that goes to 140 mph? (not like it can attain that---a 2.2 stock L sedan---yeah right) It would make sense if the 140 was KPH.
RIP 96 Legacy 2.2 4EAT lost reverse @ 374,000 miles
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I never knew these had a speed limiter? If it did, why does subaru install a speedo onto my dash that goes to 140 mph? (not like it can attain that---a 2.2 stock L sedan---yeah right) It would make sense if the 140 was KPH.

 

If your car is an automatic it has the limiter. the 5 speed does not.

 

Its not uncommon for the speedometer to read more then the car will really do. My taurus speedometer reads 120mph but is governed at 112mph. Most cars are like that.

-broknindarkagain

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"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."

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I'm sure I've had mine past 6250rpm before. That seems a little low. I can't test it though because I sold my GT lol....and the tach needle broke anyways

-broknindarkagain

My Current Project - Click Here

COME AND TAKE IT

"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."

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