Geting my car to go over 85 mph

i have a 1991 mercury sable Ls wagon with a 3.8L engine in it and it won’t go over 85 mph what can i buy or do to fix this problem

Buy a real sports car, then save up some bail money, or funeral costs. Also, save money for higher insurance rates, or life after your license is revoked.

#1 Inlet air - air filter clean? No bird’s nest in the air tube to the filter?

#3 Air metering - there is an air tube from the air filter to the mass airflow sensor. From the mass airflow sensor up to the throttle assembly is another air tube. Remove and examine the tubing between the mass airflow sensor and the throttle assembly. If it has any cracks in it, it must be replaced (or at least taped up tight).

#4 Exhaust - with the car idling, can you feel the individual bursts of exhaust at the exhaust pipe opening? If you feel just a smooth flow of air, there is an obstruction in your exhaust. Obstruction may be due to a damaged catalytic converter or a damaged exhaust pipe.

#5 Tune-up How old are your plugs, wires, distributor cap, rotor? Life expectancy depends on the type of components your car uses, but in general for a car of that vintage, if your plugs are over 50k miles old or your wires/cap/rotor are over 100k miles old, you would be well advised to replace them.

6# Fuel delivery - How long since you replaced your fuel filter? A plugged fuel filter usually gives trouble when climbing a hill. The other component in that system that may have failed after 18 years is the fuel pressure regulator.

You have a 17 year old station wagon and you want it to exceed the legal speed limit? Try a new engine.

Your engine probably has a rev limiter to prevent damage. Disabling or circumventing this will lead to engine damage.

I’ll Fix It!

Come through my neck of the woods in that thing, at just under 85mph, and I’ll fix it for you, permanently! (At No charge!) I’ll be waiting for you. What color is it?

This is the best advice so far. If you really want the car to go faster, start here.

Does the speedometer read past 85MPH? If so the car may be exceeding it.

Also to other posters assume that other ALL other countries have inane low speed limits(eg 55MPH-75MPH). They don’t.

There a plenty of roads where speeds in excess of 85 MPH are perfectly safe. The sad truth is that the speed limits are set so that the most brain dead driver in the most dilapidated piece of crap car can maintain the speed limit without too many problems. It’s sad really. I’ve been known to make the trip from Richmond VA, to Johnson City, TN (A trip of about 360 miles) in less than 4 hours. This includes a stop for gas. I’ve never been in an accident, and I haven’t had a speeding ticket in about 10 years.

The cluster only has an 85 MPH speedo head anyway and I don’t understand for one minute the reasoning for wanting to go over 85 in a vehicle that is far from being a solid, well-handling sports car.

Shoving it over a cliff (if tall enough) could allow it to reach a 117 MPH terminal velocity though.

Who made that assumption? The OP is an English speaking driver of a Mercury Sable. Is that car even sold in other countries?

Not sure why folks are reacting harshly to this question. The legal speed limit in some states is 80mph with a cruising speed of 85mph. If you need to depress the pedal all the way to the floor to achieve that then there would be something wrong with your car that warrants repair.

Read the other thread he posted at the same time. He’s looking for a hot-rod out of a turd. http://community.cartalk.com/posts/list/1618413.page

Driving 85 in a car that can barely make 85 doesn’t have the “margin” that a car that was designed for 150+
You can’t get the manufacture to say their car was designed for 150+
But what speed do you think the designers had in mind with a 600+hp 2008 Corvette?
Now the Corvette could handle 85 with much better control than the station wagon in question.
So its not just the road to consider.
Or are you sugesting the wagon could safely be operated at 85?

That 17 year old wagon will also likely need good tires, new tie rods, and new struts if the driver is going to drive this heap at 85 mph and above. In addition to the cost of engine upgrades/repairs, this will not be cheap.

Why would someone make a significant investment in a 17 year old vehicle, when that same money could be put toward the purchase of a newer car that would be faster, safer, and more reliable?

If it’s in good working order, good shocks,tire,brakes,etc sure.

But I don’t think you want to drive THAT car over 85.