Is it correct that US LS600' are restricted to 130 mph
 

In Europe they are restricted to155 mph ( 255 km/h)

Arvid

Sounds right for the 460 too, since there are very few highways in the US with no speed limits, so we are not used to driving at 155 mph....

The LS is so powerful and quiet that sometimes I am driving at 90 without realizing it. I doubt I will ever break the century mark though. My top speed in any car has been 95 mph in a Buick Regal coupe (with the digital speedometer) on an empty stretch of a Texas state highway (55 mph limit) late one night in 1992. Luckily, I had slowed down to 75 mph, when I got caught and received a $300 speeding ticket!! Someone should start a thread for speeding ticket stories in the LS....

The 460 is restricted to 130. I can confirm that. On many occasions. That's always been a disappointment as there are videos of unrestricted ones hitting around 170mph. High speed is what the Hayabusa is for..

I don't speed anymore, out of respect for a kind-hearted police officer that caught me at 110mph in my Integra while in college. It was a quiet Saturday afternoon and Highway 113 was empty between Woodland and Davis, CA. After I crested the hill I spotted the officer in the center grassy knoll area. I knew I was toast. His lights turned on and I pulled over before he even finished his u-turn. I had read police can be nervous about tinted windows so I made sure to have the engine off, all windows down, and both hands on the steering wheel in plain sight. I knew I was busted and could only think of what my parents would say and of their disappointment.

The officer did a field sobriety test and made me read from the vehicle codebook. He had me recite the passage that stated "...any car traveling over 100 mph in their jurisdiction is subject to immediate impound and the driver placed in jail". I had never been in jail before, but I didn't make any excuses and no tears. I figured it was time to face the music and it will be a lesson I will never forget. To my amazement, he let me go and said be more careful. I think he saw my backpack on the passenger seat and realized I was just a college kid making a dumb decision.

Ever since then, I do not speed. I may accelerate briskly but I stay at the speed limit. If I manage to creep over the limit, it isn't more than 5 mph because I will never forget the compassion that police officer showed me. My wife says I drive like a Grandma. So be it.

P.S. Actually, the decision of that police officer has saved me from later potential tickets because there have been more than a few times where I didn't realize a police car was behind me and it was a good thing I was traveling at the speed limit despite enough open road to go faster. Police cars take on so many different shapes and sizes now (cruiser, SUV, Camaro, etc.) and it's hard for me to spot them. Plus, I'm usually carrying precious cargo now and don't want to be the cause of my wife and daughter getting hurt.

The limiter on LS's with 18's should be set much lower than that.

Indeed all US 460's and 600's are limited to 130 MPH. In the initial reviews of the 460, Lexus's engineers said without it, thanks to the aerodynamics and a pretty powerful engine, the 460 was good for around 170 without the limiter.

Not sure why 18's would make above 130 dangerous. Surprisingly the weight distribution on the 460 is close to 50/50. What would really need to be addressed in my opinion would be the brakes which of course were with Brembos up front on the Sport model.

Elaborate please?

EDIT: I wanted to brag and say that a rental 2017 Camaro SS in the Las Vegas desert (utility access road) will hit 155mph with a full 3 gears left to go through... I lifted my foot out of fear at that point.

I don't typically drive my car that fast, but when I do, I didn't want to be limited with the supercharger, so I installed an HKS Speed Limit Defencer (SLD Part No. 45002-AT011)

Works like a charm.

??? I don't follow.

Regardless, all LS's are limited to 130.

I recall my LS600 going past 130mph...

My EU (Dutch) LS 600h is limited to 155MPH, i have tested it on the German autobahn. About 270KPH (170MPH) on the speedo.

Indeed. The Lexii in the EU do have a 155 MPH limiter as opposed to the 130 MPH here. Part of it is the suspension tuning is said to be different and I would not be shocked if the OEM tires there are different as well.

That said, I would not be shocked if somehow lawyers have something to do with it being 130 here as many BMW, Audi, and Mercedes-Benz models and others are likewise limited to 130 here whereas only on the sport packages are many/most reflashed to do 155. Then again, it might be that our roads are comparably terrible to many in Western Europe explaining why the suspension tuning is softer...

The LS used to be limited higher. My LS400 had a limiter at 149. The 430 was 130 and so is the 460.

As for speed limits, the safe speed is not some arbitrary number. I travel on roads every day that if I drove the speed limit, I would be in more danger than I am traveling at 15 MPH over the speed limit. Its all about the flow of traffic...any vehicle doing a speed significantly different than the flow of traffic is a danger, both higher and lower.

You see that in responsible enforcement too. If you're driving along within the flow of traffic on a highway, you're not going to get pulled over even if youre doing 10, 15MPH over the limit. Blowing by people on the left though going much faster thats a different story.

Obviously you'll always have that a-hole cop who isn't looking to actually make things safer. But, by and large, I've been driving a car for 20 years, and I typically set my cruise at 80 on a 65 MPH road, perhaps 75 on a 55MPH road and I think I've had 3 speeding tickets ever.

Don't feed the troll guys ;)

Absolutely. I will never forget the first time I drove by myself through Atlanta on my way to Athens for my freshman year at UGA. Coming from growing up in Knoxville where maybe folks go around 10 over, if you drive anywhere near the speed limit in metro Atlanta on 285 or even I-75 for that matter, you are gonna get even semis inches from you're rear bumper. Saying nothing of the road rage of the locals if driving anywhere near 55!

I remember reading an article years ago in The Atlanta Journal Constitution where they measured the average speed on 285 and it was in excess of 80 MPH all the while the speed limit is 55.

The cruel irony of course for anyone familiar with driving through Georgia is that once a decent bit South of Atlanta, speed enforcement is beyond hardcore and I reckon a large part of many South Georgia community's budgets are predicated on ticket revenue. I will never forget being 18 on my way to Sea Island (St.Simons Islands swankier cousin) for a Kappa Alpha rush event and getting an almost $400 ticket for driving a little over 80 in I think a 60 zone.

These days, I absolutely just go with the flow of traffic doing my level best not to be the fastest car out there, but not too terribly far behind. Another thing that drives me batty is folks who do not merge over from the far right lane when especially semis are merging on the interstate. So much more dangerous than sticking to going 55 while being oblivious to the conditions.

The one thing I will always feel blessed to have experienced was the short time that Montana had a daytime speed limit of "reasonable and prudent". (nighttime limit was 65) With especially Eastern Montana being flat as all get out, going 100 or over is not a crazy thing. However, Western Montana around the Sawtooth Mountains is another story and when the law was in effect they would ticket folks for driving like fools along the curvy roads right at the border with Idaho.

Unfortunately, Montana had to get rid of it. As the story goes, many of the newly minted Microsoft millionaires would take their supercars to ludicrous speed and cause all sorts of mayhem. Given the paucity of troopers per mile out in places like Montana and the Dakotas, speeds are still quite high in spite of the 80 or 85 speed limit. I will only say that it was bliss to be able to focus solely on driving without having to look at the speedometer.

Unfortunately, it was in one of my best friends from schools then new VW Jetta Trek Edition that was not good for much more than 100. Especially due to that giant roof rack which of course is aerodynamic anathema.
This was right after we graduated college and went on Widespread Panic's fall Midwest Tour all through the Midwest starting in Minneapolis (a true gem of a city) and all over the Intermountain West eventually meandering back to New Orleans for their then (and probably still now) annual Halloween show in New Orleans at the UNO Kemper Arena.

im a pretty normal driver but I still get the itch once in awhile to bury the needle. every LS ive ever owned has seen its top speed. ive only had 400s so far but I have been in 430s and 460s as fast as they could possibly go. what I have found interesting is that they are all a little different. and as odd as this may be, my earliest and first LS had the fastest top speed. my early build 90 (8/1989 car) I was able to wind all the way up to 166! -on a slight downhill road, but it was a bit sketchy. my 91 topped out at 155, my 95 tops out dead at 160, and a 92 I briefly had topped out at 152. the 92 felt the most stable at its top speed.

LS430s ive personally driven or rode in at top speed..
2002 - 127
2005 - 135, fairley stable.

Ls460s ive personally driven or rode in at top speed..

2007 - 134.5 - stable but not super smooth and wind noise was really bad
2010 - 138 - VERY stable and smooth as glass
2014 - 132 - smooth and very quiet inside but didn't feel as confident as the 2010

all of these cars behave differently at triple digit speeds over 115. and it seems like the driving dynamic in general changes every 5 to 10 miles over 120, like its a totally different car.
VERY hard to find places in central florida to be able to get them up that high w/o either endangering others or risking jail time these days thanks to urban sprawl. most of the really desolate roads with straightaways for several miles are getting some sort of development on them now, but I still have 2 places that are 100% safe (for now) to be able to absolutely bury the needle. I haven't seen 160 in an Ls400 in 4 years though. they are just so old now that im scared that if I take one up that high something will blow. most of my top speed shenanagans took place back in the early-mid 2000s when I was a young kid that was reckless stupid and was absolutely fearless of death. the law DID catch up to me eventually though. summer of 02 I was doing 149 in my 90 Ls400 down I-4 just north of Orlando and I thought I was safe. I blow through an underpass and there sat a state trooper in a v-10 Camaro and I knew what time it was. when he pulled me he stood behind his door with his gun drawn, made me eat the asphalt and cuffed me, and took me directly to jail on a felony speeding charge (anything over 100 is automatic jail) spent a week behind bars before my friends bailed me out, lost my license for 6 months, had to go to a bunch of safe driving classes, and got 1000 hours of community service -they absolutely threw the book at me. lucky I was only a few weeks before my 18th birthday at the time of my offense so I didn't get a felony on my permanent record. when it comes to speeding in florida especially over 100+ they DO NOT play.