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yanno....we have more high speed highway in montana than what europe has. their speed limits are pretty low (most of their cars are in the 1.2-2.0L class anyway) and their cops are unforgiving...
Well, when I'm in Germany I drive routinely for a couple hours +120mph (that's redline at about 6200 RPM) if traffic allows (which it still does occasionally). In Montana I did drive ONCE 130mph with my A4, but it's not a good idea. Montana highways are NOT the Autobahn. I was afraid a deer might hop on my hood, too!
The German Autobahn has still no speed limit (130km/h is a suggested speed), and even my old '89 Scirocco GT with the 1.8 engine could go 125mph (200km/h). The oil in that car would reach easily 140 degr.C (284 degr F). That's probably why ultimate protection is preferable under those conditions, and 5W-40 and 10W-60 oils are popular. It's true that many engines are small (the higher the displacement, the higher the yearly tax!), but they are usually high performance engines. Just look at the VW/Audi 1.8T engine. Not to mention the plethora of bigger BMW, Mercedes, VW, Audi, Porsche engines that are quite common.
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also, they were behind the US for 20+ years when it comes time for emissions and 'cafe', now they are playing catchup and their phase ins of each tier is actually pretty agressive.
European engines were far ahead of the US in terms of lower fuel consumption, though. Catalytic converters became pretty much standard in the early '80s. They should have gotten rid of leaded gas a long time ago, though.
I don't know if Europen car makers are really playing catch-up when it comes to emissions. Without seeing their requirements to pass the bi-annual TÜV (smog and safety check) I will not comment on this issue. But I will say that Europeans generally maintain their vehicles MUCH better than Americans. 3/4 of the beaters I see stink up the air here in the "Republik of California"
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wouldn't have a chance to pass the German smog and safety check!