A confession from Steve Wozniak, the latest big-name Prius speed demon

I can understand and have a considerable amount of sympathy for Steve Wozniak about being confused where he was driving and which system is being used to measure rate of travel. Here in the Silicon Valley, we have so many people from so many different places that driving anywhere is truly an international experience...

Keith

 

He must have been late for something. I can't imagine why someone would drive a Prius if they were planning to drive fast. Especially the Woz, he must have other cars.

 

I too feel sympathy, but not for being confused about where you are. If you've spent any amount of time driving on the autobahns overseas, going a measly 65-75 seems just plain archaic... In my case, my father was stationed over in Germany when I was ages 10 - 17, so I actually LEARNED how to drive on the autobahn (which at that time didn't generally have a speed limit). Going 100+ routinely was no big deal. Imagine my shock when we returned to the USA only to find I couldn't go any faster than 55 (again, before the lifted the federal limit). Sacrilege.

P.S. In time I came to discover that it's just as well because the quality of neither our roads nor our average drivers are up to it. It would be just plain dangerous to do in any amount of traffic around here.

 

Not a good excuse, since there is a button on the dash that, with a single push, would put his speedometer in km/h mode. Someone like Wozniak could then easily convert the mph signs to km/h in his head. (5's go to 8's, so 55 -> 88, 65 -> 88 + 8 + 8 = 104. Whoa -- 104! He should have mentioned to the judge that 104 km/h is about 65 mph.)

By the way, I can't figure out why a dash button is devoted to that function. That's something that you do once for the life of the car! It might as well be buried in some third-level submenu.

 

Hi All,

Well I doubt Woz was confused, this does remind me of computer engineer fellow ham radio operator. He flunked his first driving license test, when he proceeded through a three way stop. His reason "I though it was a typo"! Anyway, this guy went on to head a super computer developement lab, as well as scale Mount Everest...

 

That's it. If Steve can do 104 mph, I can do 106. Speed is so much fun, even in a hybrid!

 

Yeah, sure, its a very wise thing to do, if you don't know where you are, and you don't know where you're going, you might as well floor it!! and get there faster!! :blink: No need to slow down and look at the street signs, your GPA, or take time to figure out which exit to take, just endanger your life, and those around you!! That's the way to go!! :lol: :lol:

 

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<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(jkash @ Aug 20 2007, 05:48 PM) [snapback]499473[/snapback]</div>

Any vehicle can have a high top speed and still be wimpy. It is all a matter of gearing. Top speed means nothing, it is acceleration and horsepower that determines if a vehicle is a monster.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(madler @ 2007 Aug 20 10:54 PM) [snapback]499618[/snapback]</div>

It's pretty darn handy when you want to cross the border into a country that has yet to adopt the metric system. Which would be the US and Liberia, I think.

 

The km/hr button is really there to impress dimwitted passangers on deserted roads... "WOW 105, this car is smooth... it only feels like we are going 63" ;-)

 

Woz likes pranks and messing around. IIRC, I think he talked about driving really fast in his Prius on the TWiT (www.twit.tv) podcast long ago. He also had a bunch of lasers that he'd sometimes point at cars ahead of him. They'd get scared, think it's the cops and pull over.

He came to my company to speak and promote his book iWoz awhile ago. Even though I never owned an Apple I or II, (being a computer enthusiast) it was really neat to hear him talk and tell his stories.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(madler @ Aug 21 2007, 01:54 AM) [snapback]499618[/snapback]</div>

I live close to the US/Canada border. When you cross the border, you press the button, when you cross back you press again. Hiding it in a third level sub menu would be rather inconvenient.

So it depends on where you live and travel I suppose, for you its the life of the car kind of function.....

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Topgas @ Aug 21 2007, 07:03 AM) [snapback]499650[/snapback]</div>

Why does the song "Any thing you can do, I can do better..." come to mind?! Well, in seriousness, the governor limits the Prius to 105.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ruaqt @ Aug 20 2007, 11:47 PM) [snapback]499551[/snapback]</div>

Cause it's the Woz. Same guy who doesn't mind destroying a Segway when playing Segway polo! Plus it's entertaining to show that the Prius is just like any car - it can speed.
FYI, I-5 in some parts of WA is great for high speed driving. Far and few speed traps and a 70 MPH speed limit make it easier to push 100+.

 

Wonder if he has the TRD struts and springs, along with Tom's upper strut, lower front and rear braces, without which the Prius is pretty unstable!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(drrjv @ Aug 22 2007, 10:51 PM) [snapback]500770[/snapback]</div>

Naaaaa. Once the Prii reach about 90-95 they smooth out nicely. You're going so fast that even cross winds don't effect the handling.

 

A few months ago I took my Prius up 108 on a highway in Nevada. The acceleration was steadily pushing the speed up until it fell flat at 108. I think the car must have a governor bcause it was still accelerating pretty hard when it abruptly leveled out at 108.

 

It still wanted to go faster? Curses, there must be some way to disable that governor... B)