Why Speeding Is Bad For Your Car

Car drifting, Blurred image diffusion race drift car with lots of smoke from burning tires on speed track.

If you drive fast, you might wonder if it’s so bad for your car. After all, cars are built to handle higher speeds and there are plenty of people who speed without any issues at all. 

But the truth is that driving faster than the standard limit damages your vehicle in several ways. You can even get involved in an accident (check over here for more information of similar tales). If you love speeding beyond the limit, it’s time you considered a change in driving habit. 

Here are some reasons why speeding is terrible for your car. Keep on reading to learn more. 

1) Speeding Lowers Gas Mileage

The first reason that speeding is terrible for your car is that it lowers gas mileage. When you drive at high speeds, the engine works more challengingly to maintain speed and propel you forward. This means that more fuel gets used per mile traveled than when going at a slower speed. While this may seem like an obvious point, it’s easy to forget when you’re in a hurry.

When you drive faster than 60 miles per hour (mph), you’re making an economically wasteful decision – you’re spending more unnecessarily.

2) Speeding Wears Down Tires Faster

The faster you travel, the more stress you put on your tires. And when a tire hits a pothole or runs over debris, it can damage the rubber and even blow out.

It’s also important to note that tires are designed to move at certain speeds. This means that as you go faster, your car is generating more heat, which can damage any component of your vehicle. If a car travels too quickly for its tires (or drives at high speeds while under-inflated), there may be an increased risk that parts will wear down prematurely or blow out completely.

Tires in a tire store, Spare tire car, Seasonal tire change, Car maintenance and service center. Vehicle tire repair and replacement equipment.

3) Speeding Can Break Your Vehicle’s Axles, CV Joints, And Drive Shafts

When you drive too fast, the strain on your vehicle’s axles, CV joints, and drive shafts can cause them to break. 

CV joints are the most common cause of failure in a car. Although they’re less likely than axles to fail due to excessive strain when you’re speeding, they’re still susceptible to damage. 

Drive shafts are also susceptible to damage if you speed excessively because they provide power to your wheels via the transmission and differential.

4) Speeding Causes Increased Wind Resistance That Wears Out Your Vehicle’s Paint Job And Other Body Parts

If you’ve ever been inside of a car that’s moving at high speeds, you know that wind resistance is a force that pushes against the vehicle that slows it down. This can be felt as an increased drag (or resistance) on the car as your speed increases.

Wind resistance is proportional to your speed square: if you double your speed, wind resistance will increase. Because of this, speeding can hugely impact how fast your vehicle wears down over time, especially when painting jobs and other body parts like windows and headlights are added to the mix.

5) Speeding Increases Your Chance Of Getting A Speeding Ticket

Before you get a speeding ticket, you need to know that it’s not only dangerous for you but also expensive. If you’re caught speeding, the police officer will give you a fine and add points to your driving record. 

The fines vary depending on where you live and what the speed limit is in that area. You can also receive demerit points on top of this fine if this is your first offense or second offense within a year (or both).

6) Speeding Gets You Fewer Miles Per Tankful Of Gas

Speeding gets you fewer miles per tankful of gas; it also increases the wear on your engine which leads to it using up more gas over time. 

If you drive at a higher speed than what’s recommended by the manufacturer, your car will use more fuel, meaning fewer miles per tankful or even a shorter lifespan for your vehicle. 

You could also get into a road accident due to overspeeding, which would cost you even more in repairs and car insurance premiums. Driving faster than 60 mph increases fuel consumption because vehicles are designed to operate most efficiently when traveling at around 55 mph (88 km/h). 

Conclusion

The bottom line is that speeding isn’t just bad for your wallet and your vehicle. It’s also bad for the environment and it can put you at risk of getting into a crash and harm your personal safety. For these reasons, it’s only wise to reduce speeding when driving by following the recommended numbers from your car’s manufacturer and local legislation and regulations involving road and driver safety.