What is average highway speed for the model a?

[DeBordEngineMan]

Thanks guys for all the different answers and different speeds that you all seem to go. In some of the posts some different angles came up that I had not considered before like the shocks.....I am running stock rebuilt shocks and the car handles nicely in the curves and the ride is good for a stock Model A I guess as it is the only A that I have drove so I really don't have nothing to compare to. I think that the car would run good at the faster speeds of 50 to 55 mph but just seemed like a lot of stress on the engine, I personal like it at 40 to 45 mph on the highway maybe later when I get use to the car a little more and know how the motor is going to "hold up", but I like to play it safe also when stopping at the faster speeds I do have new cast iron drums and new brake components all around and she will slide the tires but I hope that I don't have to try them out like in a panic stop if you know what I mean! So I guess it all depends on the driver and road conditions and how well you trust your A's motor to take the higher RPM's and the rest of your drive train as well as your A as a whole I guess? I guess I was just leary to push my A at the faster speeds until I get more comfortable with it also I just thought that the motor seemed to be running to many rpm's it just seemed to be pushing the car to aggressively? But I guess this is the nature of the beast with the stock motor in the A and the standard 3 speed transmission, I wish that I could ride and drive in a stock A so that I could compare, the only other A I have rode in was equipped with the Mitchel overdrive transmission and that was when I first bought mine and the first time that I had rode in one since my youth so I was overwhelmed with trying to take "everything" in that I could so maybe someday I can try another.....but for now I will drive mine at the speed that I am comfortable with till I get better accustom with it. Thanks guys for your posts I really enjoy reading and learning about the A, so keep posting your thoughts it is all good, Thanks Robert DeBord

[Mike V. Florida]

Ford advertised his cars going at 60mph. Your modern car also has a top spped but would you or the engine like that speed very long?

[Jack '29 Sport Coupe]

Mine feels good at about 45-50, but it will do 65-70 if I use the
O/D which I seldom do. It's nice to have on those occasions when you have to keep up with the traffic. Sometimes at 60 the wind makes my top on the Sport Coupe
sound like the flutter of a piece of cardboard flapping against the spokes of a bicycle
back when I was 10 years old. Old timers know what I am talking about, lol.

Jack

[Barry B./ Ma.]

I drive my roadster and coupe between 40 and 50 mph. The coupe is happy up to 50 because of the Mitchell overdrive and the roadster around 40 to 42. Things get noisy in the roadster over 40 but somehow it doesn't feel as fast with the top down.

[Special Coupe Frank]

My '28 Special Coupe presently has 83,000 miles on it, engine heritage is unknown, save that it does not appear to have ever been bored ( original Ford pistons ); I am assuming the bottom-end is factory original too. It is "tired".

Flat-out on level road, it might make 55 mph. I keep it under 50 MPH by the speedo ( which reads about 5 MPH "Fast" at that speed ).

I've put about 3000 miles on the car since January, with no major issues aside from a blown head-gasket.

I know that Ford advertised the A being capable of 60 mph, but I am of the opinion that this was as much a marketing pitch as it was an engineering goal: in 1928-1931 there were few if any roads in this country where one could drive more than a couple miles at 60 MPH... so most folks were limited to relatively brief sprints.

I would be reluctant to take an "unknown" A and push it down the road faster than 50 MPH for any length of time; could be an expensive experiment.

Handling and braking are also important concerns.

I would definitely (personally) NOT take a Model A ( or any other car of this vintage ) out on an Interstate highway; at least not around here (NE Atlantic states). Even if your Ford can maintain 55 mph, it's at the end of its capability, while you will probably be 10-20 MPH slower than the AVERAGE speed of traffic. Add to that skinny tires, limited brakes, poor aerodynamics, no crash protections, and modern drivers, and you're really flirting with serious injury or death. Is it worth that risk ?

My comments are not intended for those with modified/"improved" cars... I'm sure those folks have done their homework and know what they're doing...

For me, the good old secondary roads ( WPA ) are perfect for me and my Flivver... I chug along at 40-50 MPH all day long... I also find myself gravitating towards the secondary roads when driving later antiques (1940's-'60s) or even modern iron when I want a break from the speed-demons, crazies, and tractor-trailers out on the Interstate.

If you need to get somewhere in a hurry, a Model A is probably not the best choice.

Just my observations & opinions, based on my personal experience(over 25 years using pre-1960 vehicles as daily drivers); your results may vary.

Take your time, drive safely, and enjoy your ride !

[1931 flamingo]

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Mine likes 35-40, I do go on the i/state and she likes 45-48, right lane, one eye ahead and one in the mirrors. No problems, trucks give me a wide berth and amazing how many on the 65mph i/state will FOLLOW me for miles.
Paul in CT

[Dick Deegan]

When i have my usual passenger I can get it up to 60 in about 1 1/2 hours - downhill, of course.

[Dick Deegan]

Funny that James Rogers mentions that most Model A's have a vibration spot at 43 - 47 mph. I wasn't aware of that. Mine has exactly that and it does go away at higher speeds of + 50.

I( drive mine at 45-55.

Dick

[V4F]

me & my tudor are most comfortable at 55-60 mph . insert mtr & 3:54's ......... steve

[MN Stumpjumper]

What I would like to know is:
1. What rear end ratio?
2. What RPM's?
3. What size tires?
These are variables in all cars,so they will affect "How Fast" you drive. I've heard to keep the motor between 1800-2500 RPM's. With my roadster, 3.78 rear 7.00-16 tires, 47-53 MPH is 1800-2500 RPM's .Can I safely "push" it Harder?

[glenn in camino]

If you want your stock Model A to last long, keep it under 50 on the flat and dont lug it on hills.

[Barry B./ Ma.]

Originally Posted by MN Stumpjumper

What I would like to know is:
1. What rear end ratio?
2. What RPM's?
3. What size tires?
These are variables in all cars,so they will affect "How Fast" you drive. I've heard to keep the motor between 1800-2500 RPM's. With my roadster, 3.78 rear 7.00-16 tires, 47-53 MPH is 1800-2500 RPM's .Can I safely "push" it Harder?

My 30 roadster has 3:54 rear and now has 17" (1934) wheels (5,25-17 tires) and seems comfortable up to around 45. My 29 Special coupe has 3:78 rear, 21" wheels, H.C. head and Mitchell O.D. and she's comfortable up to 55m.p.h. I don't push it over 50 because of the mechanical brakes and narrow tires.

[Tim]

Originally Posted by MN Stumpjumper

What I would like to know is:
1. What rear end ratio?
2. What RPM's?
3. What size tires?
These are variables in all cars,so they will affect "How Fast" you drive. I've heard to keep the motor between 1800-2500 RPM's. With my roadster, 3.78 rear 7.00-16 tires, 47-53 MPH is 1800-2500 RPM's .Can I safely "push" it Harder?

Mine will cruise nicely at 65 all day long. But it has a 3:54 rear in it and 7:50-16's on the rear. I also have juice brakes 6:5 head, magneto, and a '39 box. Before I changed the car to this configuration 50 was as fast as I wanted to take it. Stockers like 45-50. If you want to drive it faster you need to change a few things, but they take right to the mods and if you like to drive on the freeway or long distances you'll be alot happier.

Tim

[Jerry Parr WI]

This question gets as wide a range of answers as what's the best oil. My dead stock A's seem have a sweet spot in the low 50's and that where I usually drive. On interstates I have driven low 60's for hundreds of miles. With 3.54 and HC head I usually add 5.

Seems like many get their first A as a "old" collector car and drive it like a fragile antique. My first A was a daily driver and I was a teen. It had good brakes and I never drove less than flat out. It was still going strong when I sold it.

[Kevin in NJ]

There are a wide range of opinions on the average highway speed of the A.

What people feel their car can do is based on how well restored their car is and the mindset as they drive their cars.

What is known as fact is the top speed and realistic cruise speed.

The dependent factor is all in the chassis. How well balanced is the engine, how well assembled is the chassis.

Clearly an unbalanced engine and a chassis put together with a mix of good used parts is going to be mixed in how it drives.

How many of those only running 45 mph knows if their crank was ground on center and has the flywheel on center? How many have their rods at the +- 1 gram at each end like the factory rods would have been made? What about that used cam that has uneven wear on the lobes? Who has that extra couple of thou here and there in their steering because they used a reamer on the bushings instead of hone them to fit.

With the mix and match of parts some cars just work ok and others not.

If you take the time to return the parts to factory specs then you will have a car that will run 55+ mph all day and night long. It will be comfortable and smooth running with a very minimum of vibration. Most guys would not believe they were actually in the Model A cause they have never been around a fully restored car. They only know others opinions based on cars put together with less then restored back to factory parts.

Personally, my opinion is that many guys that think 45 is the top speed of the A are being too optimistic. Some of the cars are not really safe at 30 MPH, but they run them 45 anyway.

Regardless of the opinions, the fact is the Model A can run the 60 MPH when properly restored to the factory prints. Today with the better fuels and a better understanding of combustion chambers, the better understanding of cams and the better quality of rubber we have our A's be very safe reliable and capable cars that you should NOT be afraid to run at highway speeds and expect more than 20 MPG.

Always know and understand that the Model A car restored back to the factory specs is very reliable and a joy to drive at any speed up to the 60's.

[Jordan]

My car will go as fast as i want it too. I have a mostly inserted motor with a snyder hc head from Rich in Skokie Il. This motor is the best motor I have ever driven in a Model A, and I have driven alot of cars in the DFW area. Usually I keep it around 55-57, but when I feel like I'm in danger on the interstate, I will get up over 60 no problems. And my brakes are very good mechanicals. And I have a stock transmition, and a stock rear end. And I have a big heavy '30 town sedan

[cannon]

a lot depends on your "fear factor" over 45 my factor starts to twitch!

[Tom Foster]

[QUOTE=Kurt in NJ;73993]When driving a car without properly operating shocks 40 mph is fast.

X2 on that. Adding shocks to my coupe was the best driveability enhancement I made, back when it was stock. No shocks: white knuckles, hope-it-stays-between-the-fences. Good shocks: arrow straight and cruised with a 'sweet spot' at 55-58. That's when it was bone stock, 3.78 rear, 19" Goodyears, no HC head, no 'cam', etc. Just a good-running stock A.
Fearless

[steve s]

When our club does its tours, which may have 10 - 20 Model A's in them, we are normally in the 35 - 45 mph range. When those of us with overdrives get off by ourselves, we are in the 50 - 55 mph range.

Steve

[steve s]

Originally Posted by cannon

a lot depends on your "fear factor" over 45 my factor starts to twitch!

Reminds me of a friend's friend from Germany who said he knew that he was pushing too hard on the Autobahn when his peripheral vision saw the sweat start to bead up on his forearms. My comfort zone runs out much over 55 mph, but pretty good up to that point.

Steve