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a return to federally mandated 55MPH on highways?
http://www.motorists.org/ sent me this email:
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This is the exact same reason why they dropped it to 55 back in the Reagan days. The savings is something like 12% for every decrease of 10mph. There is less incentive to drive slower if everyone is still doing 65+ because you feel like a target waiting to be run off the road.
Not saying I want a lower limit but I suppose it wouldn't be a bad thing. |
lower it for the right lane and let everyone else driver like crazy people in the left lane, except in Pensyltucky where they dont understand the concept of the passing lane :lol:
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Doing 55 in 6th gear is not cool... that would be like 1100 - 1200rpm. And if I switch to 5th that would land me even worse gas mileage.
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Most cars will in fact burn less fuel at 55 mph than at 65 or 75. In F-bodies we're lucky enough to have 6th gear, but I learned that my cherokee would get 23 mpg or more going 55 mph coming back from vermont than the 18 mpg it would get at 75. The new HHR is also geared so that 60mph is the magic number, going up to 65 mpg "drops" to around 31 or so, where as at 60 mph, its around 33-34. At 55 on some of the state roads around here, I got up to 37. So, no, it wouldn't be a terrible thing.
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It depends on the car/truck, but my 454SS pickup got 14 mpg at 70 mph which was right in the perfect rpm range for the combo but would get 12-13 at lower speeds. The F-body get best gas mileage at 70-75 mph as well. 55 mph in an F-body is too low in the rpm range and will hurt gas mileage. A couple of my old 4Runners got best mileage in the 65-70 mph range so I don't think this 55 mph thing is accurate. With overdrive, almost all the new cars are geared for best cruising rpm around 65-70.
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the savings will be far less than back in the reagan era with cars nowadays having 5 gears minimum and better drag coefficients. i say keep it the way it is and leave it to the consumer to decide which speed to drive
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so a cherokee, with a much worse drag coefficient, leads off your argument for 55? sorry, i am not buying it. if it's true, then utilize the right lane properly and drop your speed. the highways are meant for cruising. even when the 55 MPH limit was posted, people still went 65-70, and targets for tickets were 74+. this is still true; most people still cruise between 65-70, but the target is higher, more like 80+... rush hour changes things a little bit, especially if you're in a pack that's cruising right along. cops tend to leave you alone if you are moving with traffic. it's the constant lane changers and tailgaters that get targeted along with those moving faster than traffic. that kind of law enforcement makes sense.
i don't want to go back to the time where 73 in a 55 is a big ticket. then it's all about the money to the cops. there hasn't been a big increase in traffic fatalities like it was fore-casted by the nay-sayers way back when, either. leave it alone at 65. |
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well if the posted speed limit is 55, most people will do 60-65 comfortably. theres your magic number range for gas mileage, there is your decrease in fuel usage nationwide, and there is your reason to post 55. i see this as a good thing.
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not every car gets better mileage at lower speeds, as already stated. all depends on the motor and gearing. bigger motors like to breathe more, and can get better mileage at 75 then 55. someone on tech posted his friend has i think a big jaguar. he gets near 30 at 75-80, but very low 20s at 55, which is where the EPA rating was.
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Well with the way gas prices are I am certain the economist arnt thinking about all of the big block or ls1 or diesel truck owners when they thought this up. They thought about the MAJORITY or motorist who are all trying to scrounge up what ever money they have to pay for gas let alone bills(its not just gas thats getting high in price, taxes food water). Alot of people are under hard times and their trying to do SOMETHING to help ease the burden of the masses. Might be smart for everyone to get a dd that gets 32mpg at 55-60 and drive the muscle car on the weekend if it helps the majority.
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oh and most people these days aren't driving big v8s and such, so they will see better gas mileage but we won't. deal with being a minority! |
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Exactly my point, Graciass. :moon: |
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you are speaking about 1 portion of 1 state.....there's like...i dono....50?
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What is so hard to understand? |
there is a ticket....obstruction of traffic.....you get that for driving too slow....fyi
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