Kitt at 500 MPH!!!!!

[Knight-Armen]

Do you guy's remember when Michael made Kitt a ramjet (Goliath)? It's extremely hard for me to believe that a car can travel 500 mph (800 km/h)! I mean, the car weigh's about 2 ton's and it was travelling in the desert (imagine the freeway)! Even if this would be possible, the chassi would not be able to hold onto the car!

[whet]

I think kitt's speed readout could have malfunctioned so that maybe could explain it showing 500 MPH.

I do wonder however if we ever get this movie that keeps getting talked about what Kitt's top speed would be?

[Major Ursa]

I did remember that episode where Micheal had ro jerryrig the drive systems to make aramjet engine so KITT could escape to the safety of the Serivec truck. before Goliath could come back to do more damage.

[Knight2000]

I think it was more that KITT wasn't designed to run on a ramjet and that the speedometer probably wasn't calibrated for ramjets, which meant that it gave false readings.

But then again, many of KITT's systems were malfunctioning too so that could have given a false reading.

[Knight-Armen]

But Kitt was confirming at the same time that their speed was about 500 mph!? I think the lines went like this:

Kitt: Michael, our speed is about 500 miles per hour, the odds is if we are going to survive!

Michael: I hear ya, but the ramjet doesn't seem to be able to control! Hang on buddy!

Kitt: But, where are we going?

Michael: Out of the desert...

[KFCreator]

No, KITT did not confirm that they were going anywhere near 500 MPH. Also, I don't know where in that scene you saw the speedometer at 500 MPH because I just watched it and the highest I saw it get to was about 212 MPH. The line from the scene in that episode is:

KITT: Michael, at our prsent speed of 310 MPH, the odds of our survival are...(shows screen of KITT's circuitry)...my odds calculator just malfunctioned.

Hope this helps clear this up!

[Akaihiryuu]

I didn't really like that part of the episode, honestly. First off, why was Michael looking under the hood for turbine blades? The turbine blades are *inside* the engine, near the back. And why would broken turbine blades make the engine a ramjet? The compressor is at the front...though it is usually driven by the turbine (except at startup where it has to be driven by an external motor). Even if you DID take the compressor out, you still have to have enough airflow into the engine to make the ramjet work. Ramjets have to be at at a *minimum* of half the speed of sound (at ground level about 750 mph/2 or 375 mph) to produce any thrust. Quoted from Wikipedia: "Ramjets generally give little or no thrust below about half the speed of sound, and they are inefficient (less than 600 seconds due to low compression ratios) until the airspeed exceeds 1000 km/h (600 mph). Even above the minimum speed a wide flight envelope (range of flight conditions), such as low to high speeds and low to high altitudes, can force significant design compromises, and they tend to work best optimised for one designed speed and altitude (point designs). However, ramjets generally outperform gas turbine based jet engine designs at supersonic speeds (mach 2-4)." Sadly, I thought that whole part about "rigging a ramjet" was ridiculous, meaningless technobabble at best. It's hard to suspend disbelief when they do ridiculous things like that. Goliath was great otherwise though...probably in the top 5 of the series.

All the info you could want on ramjets: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramjet

[Knight-Armen]

No, KITT did not confirm that they were going anywhere near 500 MPH. Also, I don't know where in that scene you saw the speedometer at 500 MPH because I just watched it and the highest I saw it get to was about 212 MPH. The line from the scene in that episode is:

KITT: Michael, at our prsent speed of 310 MPH, the odds of our survival are...(shows screen of KITT's circuitry)...my odds calculator just malfunctioned.

Hope this helps clear this up!

I didn't say that I "saw" the speedometer at 500 mph, did I!? My assumtion was that Kitt said that their speed was about 500 mph. Now, whether that's true or not, I can't tell, because it was a long time ago, since I watched that particular episode...

[JKDY]

KFCreator has got it exactly right.

[Rossy]

i think he only did it to get out of the desert then got a lift back to flag

[James_kr]

theres almost no reason for SPM if KITT can travel at that speed but I think SPM is faster.
Also on the S3 dash the speedometer has lights up to 300 + in S1/S2 it had 200 +

[Starship]

Ahhh! Does that bring back memories! I remember that episode when I first saw it way back when I was in college. The whole ramjet scene was one that stuck with me -- not realizing how improbable it would be to be able to "rig up a ramjet." I even remember KITT saying something like "A ramjet?! My exhaust system is not designed for the kind of heat a ramjet would produce, not to mention that navigation would be practically impossible!" I was wondering if the car was going to fly. But, yes, as I recall, KITT only spoke of a speed of 310 mph, though I presume he was still accelerating at that point.

[James_kr]

how could a ramjet work when all the turbine blades are shot

[knight_rider_turkey]

Wowww that is impossible

[Jay_n1]

No Kitt didn't really confirmed that they were going 500 MPH, I think the scene went like this:

(Michael gets Kitt up and the ramjet gets Kitt going.)

Michael: "It's working!"

Kitt: "Yes but for how long, the odds of serviving at these speeds are a gamble a best."

Michael: hear ya, but the ramjet doesn't seem to be able to control! Hang on buddy!

Kitt: But, where are we going?

Michael: Out of the desert...

[James_kr]

he said 310mph theres no 500mph involved i think he had a correct reading

[Knight-Armen]

I think I got it now, no need for any further explanation...

[Skav]

What bugs me about this scene is how michael was able to control kitt once he were back onto the main road?