Fuel Economy: Driving Under Speed Limit?

[BradKW]

If speedhighway keeps escalating like this, the thread will be locked down by tomorrow...

 

[skyl4rk]

I like to drive country roads at about 45 to 50 mph unless someone is behind me then I will speed up to just under the speed limit, which is usually 55. On the interstates I like 60 which is semi truck speed. When I pass the trucks I speed up to normal traffic speed which is 70 to 75 mph and then slow down again. My Dodge 5.2 with OD seems to get best mpg at 60 to 70 mph.

 

[speedhighway46]

Brad: my post was to provide facts and information regarding driving in states with split speed limits, not to "escalate." If you thought my post was escalating, then your statements in your post run contrary to the norms on CRVL regarding not attacking the person and clarifying your position with facts.

I think your post was out of line, threatening and rude.

 

[BradKW]

Sorry, it was a joke...there wasn't anything in your prior post escalating at all, just a response. Thought you'd find humor in that...my bad.

 

[vsession]

Driving the speed limit in the passing lane is dangerous requiring others to pass you on the right.  Very small thinking and extremely unhealthy.  

I agree, this is the most dangerous situation. Here in Quebec, the speed limit is 100kph and cops tolerate to 120kph, it’s extremely rare to have a Quebec driver going 100 in the left lane. What I often see, tourist from another province or state driving in the left lane even if many vehicles pass them to the right, they don’t give a **** and stay in the left lane. I think this courtesy is different from province to province and state to state. Cops here can and will stop you if you stay too long in the left lane, especially if going slowly, this is a passing lane. If you're passing a vehicle on the right lane, it can be seen as dangerous driving and you will be pulled over by the cops. Visiting Quebec, stay in the right lane all the time, only pass on the left lane and go back to the right lane as soon as possible. This applies to every road.

 

[speedhighway46]

Brad: Wow! Boy did I miss that. My sincere apology. It's because I'm 70; that's my excuse!

 

[BradKW]

no worries pops...my dad has his "moments" too. lot's of experience pretending "sooo...THAT didn't just happen"

 

[highdesertranger]

boy you guys had me scared there for a second. highdesertranger

 

[Hippiechk]

In my propane powderpuff bus I usually took it real easy, she could not hold up on a hill!!

This 7.3 diesel Willy just put in here has been babied as the legal limit in this valley is 80kph (50mph) & with tourist season it can be hard to get up to 60 & stay there so I don't know for her preference or mileage yet.

I do know she is a powerhouse & so far the gas has seemed reasonable to great but I haven't done a full tank reality test yet.

My preference is also for secondary roads & meandering a bit. I keep up with the slower traffic if I must interstate & if its 3 or more lanes I try to stick to the middle lane & do just a couple under the limit.

Had a family emergency once & went from Jacksonville, Florida to Oroville, Washington starting at noon on day 1 and got in before dark on day 3. That was crazy!!

I don't drive distances at this point in time, I am taking on a co-pilot who's driving I trust for my winter migration this year. He is a retired LEO, he will drive the speed limit exactly & periodically hollar "Where the hell are my lights & siren!" *laugh*

 

[TrainChaser]

ERLH: "Once, I did 55 for about a month ... but honestly it felt dangerous because it was bottle necking everyone else and they were all flying around me any which way they could."

Come out west, and you'll find that this is what they do anyway! If everyone drove like they should, there wouldn't be many problems, but that's not how it goes. Here in WA (esp) many/most of the drivers are idiots. The posted speed limit is 70 (cars), 60 (trucks):
* Few of the trucks pay any attention to the speed limit.
* Many drivers think they are more important than everyone else, so they just do what they want.
* Turn signals are either optional or merely decorative.
* If anyone says truckers don't text while driving, I'll call them a liar to their face; they will roll slowly down the freeway, weaving, for miles.
* Many drivers (esp pickups) exceed the 70 in the right lane (of 3 or 4 lanes) and come flying up behind you, either just to scare you, or to intimidate you into speeding up.
* Many drivers think the left lane has no speed limit.
* Some people slow down almost to a stop in the left/passing lane so they can dodge into the gap in the concrete center barrier to make a U-turn on the freeway (this is forbidden except for cops).
* Many drivers drive 60 or less in the passing lane while they text or talk on their phone.
* A few weeks ago, a pickup driver came to a dead stop in the middle lane, and then made a U-TURN to his left in the N-bound driving lanes of the interstate to go back to the blonde that was pulled to the right in the red Miata convertible.
* If there's ice built up on the freeway (I-5), and traffic comes to a stop and they have to wait too long, they will just leave their vehicle and walk away. REALLY!
* Some semi drivers are just plain psycho: early Sunday morning, just after dawn, no traffic in sight ahead or behind except for that semi from Ontario, CAN. You're in the right land, he's moving faster in the middle lane; he gets beside you so your car is about halfway between his front and back bumpers, and then he moves over (right).
* Drivers here don't know what it means when a State Patrol car, lights blazing, flies down an onramp and starts weaving back and forth in front of a bunch of traffic. He moves left, and the people in the right lanes zoom up to pass him; he moves to the right to cut them off, and the drivers in the left lanes zoom up to pass him on that side. HE'S TRYING TO STOP YOU BECAUSE THERE'S SOMETHING COMING AT YOU FROM UP AHEAD, YOU MORONS!

People down in Oregon call WA State "FSC" (effing stupid central).

 

[highdesertranger]

I have heard that from Oregon drivers as well about the WA drivers. although I don't get up to Washington very often I just take their word for it. highdesertranger

 

[LeeRevell]

In 1983 I drove my hotrodded '75 Firebird from Charleston, SC to Tallahassee, FL then out to Mare Island/Vallejo, CA, for Navy tech school. I gotta speeding ticket in Louisianna, doing 80 in a 55 zone. I saw the cop and managed to drop to 70 before he radared me.
A couple days later I am in Southern California, cruising 80 in a 55 (yeah, my "young and stupid" days...), and I learned something. Then in SoCal, you could go as fastvas you liked, just NEVER PASS THE COP! I was cruising along ( in a t-shirt with windows down in December, wonderful weather - day before I drove in below-zero temps in Texas!), and I nearly passed the little brown Mustang in front of me. Suddenly my Spider Sense jangled hard! He was CHP! Oh crap..... I dropped back a bit and followed him for miles, at 80MPH. He never bothered me.
Don't know if they are that laid back still.
Earlier that same trip, a cop in Mississippi had pulled me over in town, because I looked "suspicious", since I was being very careful to not speed! Sheesh....

 

[rvpopeye]

Someday I'm gonna get one of those "special people" licenses so I can ignore all the traffic rules . Yup Yup.
Just as soon as I find out how.
I know they exist cuz so many people seem to have one........................

 

[Every Road Leads Home]

I think it's called a "Massachusett's License"

 

[rvpopeye]

I considered that as a possibility.
Any secret codes or places to check you have inside info on ?

I'm also thinking bout trying to invent a tractor beam type device so I can slipstream a big rig and "latch on" my , 6 mpg will get much better after that and I'll probably just be counted as extra axles when they go through a toll booth !!!

Failing both of those , I'll probably just go 55 ,,,,, remember the nationwide "55 saves lives" ? (back when gas went up to 75.9cents to a whole dollar a gallon)
Guess they don't care about that any more with so many states raising speed limits so dramatically..........

 

[IGBT]

I have found through extensive testing that the sweet spot for our 4 cyl diesel pulling our sailboat (almost 22,000 pounds GCVW) is 2300 rpm which yields about 52mph on flat terrain.  At that speed and rpm, we get right at 10mpg, which really isn't that bad when you consider how much air we are pushing in front of our camper and the total weight.   At 60mph it is around 2800 rpm and drops to 8mpg.

So I go 52mph and stay in the right lane and let everyone pass me by.   I pull over and use turnouts if I get more than a couple of cars or there is no ability for them to pass me.  

Traveling 5000 miles getting 10mpg instead of 8mpg is 125 gallons which is about $300.  It takes about 13 total hours longer to go 52 than 60 for 5000 miles.   $300/13 = $23 an hour.


How many of you make $23 an hour tax free?

 

[NickTheoBennett]

That's a great way to look at it, IGBT. I get around 7MPG different going 80 vs 55 in my minivan. I keep meaning to start going slower but it's a tough habit to get into for some reason. I'm working on it though. Time I have plenty of, money not so much

 

[rvpopeye]

Good one IGBT

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

. . . Traveling 5000 miles getting 10mpg instead of 8mpg is 125 gallons which is about $300.  It takes about 13 total hours longer to go 52 than 60 for 5000 miles.   $300/13 = $23 an hour . . . How many of you make $23 an hour tax free?

And how many of you would rather have 13 more hours of your life doing instead of getting there?

I go as slow as safety allows when the journey is important.  I go as fast as is safe if getting there is important.  I go like a 'bat out of he!!' if I have to get out of town in a hurry. 

 -- Spiff

 

[SternWake]

I drive the speed which minimizes my interaction with other drivers.

If no other drivers, 65 mph. Mpg tanks when going faster.

Keep right except to pass. Left lane campers should be flayed alive, then salted.