Speed limits going up

[imagoon]

My car (2007 Mazdaspeed 6) has a 25MPG EPA rating for highway. It can get close to that going 75-80MPH. Going 65MPH, it can get higher (up to 30MPG). I calculated this a few years ago on a long road trip (WI to CO to CA to CO to MI to WI) by keeping track of fill-ups and mileage.

Glad I am not the only one that wondered how I would pull 450+miles out of a 15 gallon tank that should be getting 25mpg or about 375miles a tank... 75+ mph trips

 

[Zap]

That's not true. Before raising I-15 to 80 in Utah they did traffic studies for a couple years and found that once you set it at 80 people were more likely to do 80 and not go higher. When it was set lower people did go faster, but 80 seemed to be the sweet spot in Utah.

That's pretty much what I did when driving through Utah.

I've found that above 80MPH the road/wind noises seems to go up, so up to 80MPH-ish is pretty comfortable, but not necessarily much more above that.

Of course the used 1986 Mustang GT I had years ago sounded and felt like it was falling apart above around 50MPH...

Glad I am not the only one that wondered how I would pull 450+miles out of a 15 gallon tank that should be getting 25mpg or about 375miles a tank... 75+ mph trips

It's all about how the vehicle is driven. My wife's WRX also officially gets 25MPG EPA highway just like my Mazdaspeed, but my wife pretty much just does a highway commute going fairly tame speeds (lots of speed enforcement combined with moderate traffic) and the car reports somewhere around 26.5MPG average on the center console display.

 

[mb]

I tried driving around 67mph (limit is 65) this morning on my way to work since I was already late and didn't give a f***. I couldn't do it for more than a mile before I was back to 75.

 

[exar333]

80mph is the upper limit of what most people will drive, regardless of if the posted limit is 55, 65, 75, or 80. I agree with others here that when people are driving around the posted limit (in cruising type conditions) then the limit is definitely reasonable.

I always found it odd that interstates slow from say 75 to 55 when they hit a city. There are not people crossing the road, so I wonder why it neccessitates a lower limit? If there is a lot of traffic, that naturally slows traffic anyways.

 

[mb]

80mph is the upper limit of what most people will drive, regardless of if the posted limit is 55, 65, 75, or 80. I agree with others here that when people are driving around the posted limit (in cruising type conditions) then the limit is definitely reasonable.

I always found it odd that interstates slow from say 75 to 55 when they hit a city. There are not people crossing the road, so I wonder why it necessitates a lower limit? If there is a lot of traffic, that naturally slows traffic anyways.

Closer to piggy HQ so they don't have to travel as far to rack in the tickets.

 

[ThatsABigOne]

Just drove in south Utah at 87mph for an hour. Great time savings.

1998 Acura 3.5RL driver here. Great, stable car with balanced tyres.

 

[ShawnD1]

Just drove in south Utah at 87mph for an hour. Great time savings.

1998 Acura 3.5RL driver here. Great, stable car with balanced tyres.

Epic. That was the top speed in my Ford Tempo. I wonder if the engine would blow up if the thing ran full throttle for an hour straight :biggrin:

 

[exar333]

Just drove in south Utah at 87mph for an hour. Great time savings.

1998 Acura 3.5RL driver here. Great, stable car with balanced tyres.

This is great. Try driving the posted 80mph driving across the state of Montana. After a couple hours, you are going 90-95 and 80 feels 'slow'.

 

[bryanW1995]

I drove right by 2 cops going 90 on a road trip 2 weeks ago, a mustang was trailing me doing 87-88. cops didn't bat an eye at us (we both thought we were fucked though)

Not the first time that has happened, I tend to agree if you are just rolling in your own lane and not just flying by traffic, you are generally okay.

One time when I was in the m5 I passed a TX county sherrif on the interstate. He was in one of those old brown cars and didn't have a light bar, and a large SUV was right behind him so I had no idea he was a cop. For some annoying reason they were both in the left lane, so I passed both on the right. At 110. I slowed down to about 93 before the started cop was able to turn his radar gun on. He and my wife thought it was hilarious. My wallet and I were not quite so amused.

 

[Zap]

Epic. That was the top speed in my Ford Tempo. I wonder if the engine would blow up if the thing ran full throttle for an hour straight :biggrin:

Let me guess... 3 speed auto?

 

[ShawnD1]

Let me guess... 3 speed auto?

You bet! Makes me wonder how fast it would go if it had a CVT or 6 manual in it. Maybe 100mph? ^_^

 

[RU482]

40 is better on gas, let's do that.

maybe in a 1980 Malibu with a three speed auto

 

[Lithium381]

here in cali it's 65....... even if they did raise it to 70 or 75 i'd still put the needle at 62 and press cruise. yes i'm in the right lane.

 

[TakeNoPrisoners]

I approve speed limits going up except I would probably go 20mph over anyway.