Speed Limit - 80 MPH
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-05-16-texas-speed-limits_x.htm

Everybody is already going about 80 anyway....

I see a parallel to the immigration debate. "Well, they're here anyway"....

Sure, everyone's going 80 now anyway, but that's because the limit is 70. After it gets raised, look for everyone to be going 90. Given the quality of the drivers in this country, that is just way too darn fast. I can hear the inevitable comparison to the Autobahn, but in Germany, and most of Europe, the skills requirements to get a license are much more stringent. They actually make sure that a driver is competant to go that fast before they give them a license. Here, you are issued a license, a cell phone, and a drink holder when you turn 16, given a pat on the butt, and sent on your way. It's bad enough at current speeds that most people are tooling down the road with a Coke in one hand, a cell phone in the other, and putting on makeup all while slouched down so far we can barely see the driver's head. Now, there is nothing wrong with being able to go faster, but before we up the speed limit any more in this country we need to seriously think about revamping the driver ed system so that people are actually CAPABLE of handling their cars at those speeds.

that is just way too darn fast

JEALOUS! :beers:

I can hear the inevitable comparison to the Autobahn
You forgot to mention that the Autobahn and most roads in Western Europe are constructed to standards unheard of in the USA. The large number of US Highways are unfit for even 55MPH let alone 80MPH although I do admit that Texas does have some of the best roads along with Arizona but as soon as you cross Route 66 from Arizona into California what a disgrace the Calif. roads are.

Sounds like a dumb idea to me. They must want the average speed to be 90, because it will be. The poor suckers like me who are happy at 70 will just try to stay out of the place.

Also, it makes driving a speed that improves gas mileage, without getting run over, even harder to do than it currently is.

Don't worry, I won't get in your way cause I won't be there.:)

I just can't see mileage doing anything but going down at those speeds. I'll run 70 on my bike around here, turning right around 3k. Anything over that, mileage takes a nosedive. Time for a 6 speed, if I move back there. FWIW, I've been eyeing the Corpus Christi real estate again lately. ;)

I love it!

In the article they mention the average speed on those stretches is already 76-79 MPH. People are already driving that fast anyway, they drive as fast as they want to here in Texas, until they get caught. And in other states that I have driven in for that matter. For you guys in other states, have you ever been or driven in West Texas on I-10 or I-20? That is some wide open space that is flat and straight for miles and miles.

In Oklahoma you can drive 75 MPH on the interstates right now. I think Montana is like that too. My Saturn L200 actually gets better mileage with the cruise set a 75 than it does at 65 MPH. The same for my Saturn SL1. High winding little 4-poppers!

Over drive is a great thing at sustained speed. :D

Hmmm...maybe a good place to test WOT when the velle gets done! lol Maybe that'll keep me from going to jail if I get caught! lol j/k I baby the thing too much. But you guys have a point, everytime I get on I-20 coming out of Dallas, I'm going 75 and cars are passing me!! I actually found a speed limit sign once....said 60. Guess they need to make them alittle bigger. :thumbsup:

I've heard some pretty bad things about driving in the Houston area. Like they avoid Seattle-style traffic jams by driving twice as fast.

I've never driven in Texas, but I used to live in Las Vegas, destroyed a Chevy Sprint trying to keep up with traffic. Everybody drove at least 80, I'm sure half of them were drunk during the day, 80 percent at night. The news called it a "traffic jam" when traffic on the freeway slowed to 30. I know when I was commuting in the Seattle area, you were lucky if you were moving at all.
Started driving the Malibu in Vegas, things went much better. I could be moving with traffic by the end of the off ramp. It was actually fun, once I had a fast car to drive. Of course, it had the stock 4-wheel manual drums. You had to make an appointment to stop. Made things interesting.

Just watched a documentary about the Autobahn. Whole different attitude over there. The german car companies didn't understand why we wanted cupholders - when you're in the car, it's time to DRIVE. I definitely think that it should be more difficult to get a license, and it should be easier to take them away from dangerous drivers. We're pretty spoiled about what we see as a "right". I see no problem making people earn the ability to drive and keep earning it. At that point, we can take away the speed limits because everybody will be a good driver.

It's needed here!!!

I just did a weekend road trip (in the rental car) to a friend's house in Albuquerque from Dallas. 600 miles in about 8 hours. Ran about 80 in a 70mph zone all thru Texas. Once in NM, ran around 85 in the 75 zone-all very safely. Made good time, got around 22mpg in the Chevy Equinox. But when you're driving for HOURS AND HOURS, and the roads are in good shape, I don't see any problem running 80 or 90 as long as your car (and the driver) are competent for that speed AND the road & traffic conditions support it.

Just curious, for all you guys happy they raised the limit, would you be even happier if they raised it to 100...or just got rid of it completely?

The german car companies didn't understand why we wanted cupholders

Silly Germans - to hold our beer, of course! :beers:

That's so you don't burn to death going through the fires.....

Cam

In Oklahoma you can drive 75 MPH on the interstates right now. I think Montana is like that too. My Saturn L200 actually gets better mileage with the cruise set a 75 than it does at 65 MPH. The same for my Saturn SL1. High winding little 4-poppers!
Over drive is a great thing at sustained speed. :D

Better hang on to those Saturns, they're very special.:)

Here's some interesting stuff about speed vs gas mileage.

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/question477.htm

Better hang on to those Saturns, they're very special.:)

Here's some interesting stuff about speed vs gas mileage.

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/question477.htm

Interesting read. I remember taking a basic automotive class when I was 18. The instructor said cars get their best mileage between 35 and 45 mph. Slower than that and the engine is fighting a lot of friction. Any faster and the car starts requiring more power to move it. He also said you will meet a lot of people in your life who will try to tell you how their car gets better mileage at 75 than at 55, and every single one of them will be full of crap.

Interesting how that's still true even after 20 years.

Andy

I think you need to be able to count to 80 first, so I doubt it will happen in Texas......LOL.....J/K you Texans

Just curious, for all you guys happy they raised the limit, would you be even happier if they raised it to 100...or just got rid of it completely?


It would depend on the road. Many sections of the roads I just drove last weekend would have easily been safe for another 15 mph. Don't know if I've felt comfortable driving that fast in the rental Chevy, but in my personal car (Olds Aurora) I'd feel VERY safe running 110-120. I had it up to 130 once just to verify it had the 'Autobahn' option that moves the speed limiter to 140 v/s 110. Now to run that fast, your car should have V rated tires, and of course be in good operating condition.

And like I said, weather and traffic conditions also play a part. My only concern is for old farts and busybodies that say "XX is the speed, and I'll do just that in the LEFT LANE". Or try to enforce the limits themselves. IF all americans were as diciplined as the Germans as to road manners, we'd have a LOT less road rage!

Just remember-slower traffic, keep right. That means YOU! :D (not you R.E)

Donch'a remember the Saturday morning cartoons?? Schoolhouse Rock singing "Elbow Room, Elbow Room!" Yeah, now that's America!!

Maybe if you didn't live so close to everyone, you'd be named "therelaxer' instead??? :D

Gotta good point there!! :p

PS. When I bought my place it was a fairly quiet little corner at the edge of town. I guess all the stupid SOBs couldn't resist the allure of it, and now it is all built up around me. Same way with just about every town in MN- lots of new developments going up. Gotta have places to stuff all the breeders I guess. :rolleyes:

Soon it'll be time to get the heck out of here.

IF all americans were as diciplined as the Germans as to road manners, we'd have a LOT less road rage!

That's one of the things I like about driving in Texas. Drivers are cooperative. The shoulders are plenty wide on most 2-lanes, and they'll still pull over onto the shoulder to let you pass. Years ago even big-rigs would pull over to let a family in a station-wagon go by. Usually with a friendly wave too! :waving: It eliminates tail-gating so everybody wins. "Drive friendly" signs are everywhere.

That's one of the things I like about driving in Texas. "Drive friendly" signs are everywhere.

If they put these signs up in Arkansas they'd be full of bullet holes and have a pile of beer cans laying near them.:sad:

You should see road signs on an Indian reservation... can hardly tell they were actually signs at some point, they are so riddled with bullet holes. :sad:

the only problem i would have at 80 is that people will then go 90 and then a 100. The physics involved in a car crash at that speed would almost guarantee that no one gets out alive... i KNow, its only ten more miles an hour.
I would like to see it, but I would also like to see a driver profiency rating be taken. The car is able to go safely at that speed, the driver as well, you know a test.
I wonder how many vans hauling 30 people with bald tires, no seatbelts (not saying from where they came from...) would then be streaming across?
I love Texas- I've come across too many young kids and drunks that shouldnt be driving fast, especially THAT fast. Last kid I saw was only 19 years old.

I love driving, and I love driving 80. I have mixed feelings about this proposal. Now I KNOW i'm old....

Higher speed = A quicker way to thin the herd.

Calm down,fellas. The roads that the limits are being upped to 80mph are already at 75mph and they are remote sections of I-10 & I-20 only.

In a perfect world, speed limits would be flexible... if I'm in a new Z06, I'm safer at 120 than in a Geo at 75.

I say bring it on... get rid of speed limits completely in remote areas (got a stretch of I-90 a mile from my house that would make a good test-area for high-speed blasts)

Clint- I want the higher speed limit- i really do- i can drive the speed safely- its the other nuts that DOn't know how to drive once that bald tire goes out- because they arent sure what to do when driving on three wheels...

Im sure FORD would like to have a speed limiter on their Exploder SUVs.. and we know that good numberl of them crashed because the tires were not up to proper pressure.

Yeh and there isnt much to do in west Texas except speed...

Heck Im gonna reconsider *thinning the herd" bit... It does have a ring to it...

Interesting read. I remember taking a basic automotive class when I was 18. The instructor said cars get their best mileage between 35 and 45 mph. Slower than that and the engine is fighting a lot of friction. Any faster and the car starts requiring more power to move it. He also said you will meet a lot of people in your life who will try to tell you how their car gets better mileage at 75 than at 55, and every single one of them will be full of crap.

Interesting how that's still true even after 20 years.

Andy

Andy,

So you are now a mileage expert? Come on man, what gives? have you driven my cars? And you believe that high school teacher quoted an absolute?

Both my Saturn's get better than the rated mileage at speed. The SL-1 gets 39-42 and the L200 gets 29-35 depending on wind and other factors.

A quote from the article posted earlier:

In general, smaller, lighter, more aerodynamic cars will get their best mileage at higher speeds. Bigger, heavier, less aerodynamic vehicles will get their best mileage at lower speeds.

If you drive your car in the "sweet spot" you will get the best possible mileage for that car. If you go faster or slower, the mileage will get worse, but the closer you drive to the sweet spot the better mileage you will get.

Saturns are very light weight and very aerodynamic.

Oh and here is another one you probably won't believe either. I can't explain it but, my Chevelle gets its best mileage, 14-15 MPG (65-68 MPH), while buzzing at around 2900-3000 RPM during highway cruising. This occurred many days in a row during the 2004 Hot Rod Power Tour.

Its rediculious if you ask me. I say the same thing that has already been said. Raise it to 80, they go 90. Raise to 90, they go 100. Thats not even the speeders.

Again, as said, the quality of drivers on the road is vastly in the "poor" to "never should drive a car" scale. Its scary to think that perhaps 65-75% shouldnt drive those speeds as they have NO CLUE what to do if something out of the ordinary happens (like say a bird poopin on the wind screen), these types of unpredictable situations can be disasterous for a 16 yr old girl talking on the phone about what make up she is putting on. God forbid something worse happens like a tire blow out.

Then, its the quality of cars on the road. Far too many are severly unsafe vehicles to travel at those speeds. Things like no brake lights, no brakes, crappy alignment/steering, unbalanced wheels, bald tires, 4 lug wheels with missing lugnuts, leaking fluids, etc. Yeah thats always a safe thing at 90 mph.

Then theres plenty of vehicles that can hardly do 80-90 mph, nearly keeping ur foot to the floor to get your 8000 lb brick of an SUV to hit 90, whats the logic in doing that? Also trying to slow a packed up suburban from 90 mph is like trying to stop a train, its never going to happen in time.

Also ppl like to compare it to the Autoban in Germany, and think if they get to do it, so should we (USA or Canada). Well the drivers in Germany are FAR better than in North America. They have disipline in their driving, as well as their skill level is considerably better. They stay in the center of the lanes there, ppl drive on the shoulder, or in 2 lanes at once here.

75 mph is a good speed limit for an open highway IMO.

What Clint said.

I will admit that I'm jealous :D

MD is only 65 at best, and that's 3 lanes of I-95 where it's smooth and straight. Just too crowded for higher speeds :(

I'm sure I won't be driving the Chevelle at 80 or higher, 70 is plenty fine for that car. But my Olds--WHEEEEEE! Let'er run!

In general, smaller, lighter, more aerodynamic cars will get their best mileage at higher speeds. Bigger, heavier, less aerodynamic vehicles will get their best mileage at lower speeds.

If you drive your car in the "sweet spot" you will get the best possible mileage for that car. If you go faster or slower, the mileage will get worse, but the closer you drive to the sweet spot the better mileage you will get.


The article also defined the sweet spot as almost always between 40-60 mph.

Here's what I say. I say that you believe your Saturns get better mileage at 75 than 65. I don't doubt that.

Still, I believe that an accurate measurement would reveal that the mileage is actually higher at 65 than 75, and most likely continues to increase down to near 50, where it then starts to decrease.

The reason I think this is true is related to physics and the way things work.

As I said before, if your Saturns get better mileage at 75 than 65, keep them forever because it's extremely unlikely you'll find a replacement that does the same thing.

The article also defined the sweet spot as almost always between 40-60 mph.

Here's what I say. I say that you believe your Saturns get better mileage at 75 than 65. I don't doubt that.

Still, I believe that an accurate measurement would reveal that the mileage is actually higher at 65 than 75, and most likely continues to increase down to near 50, where it then starts to decrease.

The reason I think this is true is related to physics and the way things work.

As I said before, if your Saturns get better mileage at 75 than 65, keep them forever because it's extremely unlikely you'll find a replacement that does the same thing.


I would bet that another reason for the better mileage in this type of driving environment is where these higher speed limits are posted, the roads are flat, straignt and long. That tends to make for better fuel economy, more so with the cruise control set.

I have driven from San Antonio to Dallas where it is hard to get above 70 do to the traffic and mileage is down by a couple of points.

The long stretches of highway make a huge differance. Hence the higher speed limits.

I will test my 75 MPH theory this weekend with my El Camino's first long distance road trip to the Team Chevelle Drags at Denton. I will let you guys know how that fairs. My best MPG yet is 20.6 at about 60 MPH. I know I can top that! :D

God Bless Texas!

P.S. This is the greatest place I know (for now) for intelligent (sometimes) debate!

MPH isn't where you'll find MPG, RPM is.

I'm in favor of the increased speed limit. At 60 people are bored - take a look at some of the other drivers at that speed. Anyone playing with their cell phone at 80 deserves a swift kick to the head! Here in BC there are restrictions that can be placed on your Driver's License (such as night driving), I clearly remember one of them being 'not allowed to drive on the TransCanada highway'.

You Texans got nothing on some dumb oregonians :

http://www.katu.com/stories/86029.html

:clonk:

An educated comment is warranted here, but only if you've actually been to and driven on the stretches of west Texas roads we're talking about about.

There's n o t h i n g for miles and m i l e s of W I D E open and straight higways. 90 mph would actually help keep you awake!

I-10 east of San Antonio, too much traffic and too many small towns along the way. I-10 west of SA, put 'er to the metal, there's nothing but 500 miles of straightaway between you and El Paso!

I've driven that stretch of highway several times, and although I feel 90 is an easy pace on that road (I-10), I wouldn't want to hit a deer at that speed. The last time I made that drive, i couldn't count all the dead deer on the side of the road.

Andy,

So you are now a mileage expert? Come on man, what gives? have you driven my cars? And you believe that high school teacher quoted an absolute?

Both my Saturn's get better than the rated mileage at speed. The SL-1 gets 39-42 and the L200 gets 29-35 depending on wind and other factors.

A quote from the article posted earlier:

In general, smaller, lighter, more aerodynamic cars will get their best mileage at higher speeds. Bigger, heavier, less aerodynamic vehicles will get their best mileage at lower speeds.

If you drive your car in the "sweet spot" you will get the best possible mileage for that car. If you go faster or slower, the mileage will get worse, but the closer you drive to the sweet spot the better mileage you will get.

Saturns are very light weight and very aerodynamic.

Oh and here is another one you probably won't believe either. I can't explain it but, my Chevelle gets its best mileage, 14-15 MPG (65-68 MPH), while buzzing at around 2900-3000 RPM during highway cruising. This occurred many days in a row during the 2004 Hot Rod Power Tour.

He wasn't a HS teacher. It was a college class. And he was an engineer (doing his pennance I guess...).

Well, every experience I've had has demonstrated that vehicles get better mileage at 55 than 75 or 80. Whether the mileage is better at 40 than 55 I don't know, because I'm not patient enough to drive 40 on the freeway. This includes many many miles, and many different vehicles from small econoboxes to rear wheel drive V-8 sedans to full size trucks pulling huge trailers. And yes, I have kept track. We are required to keep a mileage log in the company trucks and I made a habit at fillups of writing the mileage and gallons in my person cars (although I have gotten away from that in the last 4 years or so). The decline in mileage is more pronounced the larger and heavier the vehicle. With the small cars I;ve owned the difference is very slight - maybe a couple mpg. With newer small cars, that are light in weight and very slippery, I've noticed that other factors tend to have a greater effect on mileage than speed - factors like headwinds, low tires, even gas quality ( That makes sense since the faster speed of air rushing past a car going a higher speed will have less of an effect on a more aerodynamic car). For instance, by drafting a large truck for most of the way between St. Paul and Madison in my Cavalier I was able to get 41 mpg at 70, where I normally got 36 or so. I noticed with my Escort I got noticeably better mileage (10% or so) with a few specific brands of gasoline. In general with the cars I have owned I have tended to meet or exceed the EPA estimated hwy mileage. (My Cavalier got 37 (rated at 35), my Sunturd got 33 (rated at 29), and my Escort got 40-44 (rated at 44). Why this is I don't know - perhaps my driving habits or the fact I tend to keep my cars in better tune than the average person. One thing is for sure though, you can be easily mistaken on your car's mileage of you don't keep track (ie keep a log)

PS I am expecting better mileage at 75 in my Chevelle, newly equipped with a OD trans and 4 bbl carb (and the original 2.73 rear end), than I was getting at 55 with the old 350 2bbl and PG :)

There's n o t h i n g for miles and m i l e s of W I D E open and straight higways. 90 mph would actually help keep you awake!

Imagine how attentive people would be at 130. :eek:

The next time you're in a Wal-Mart parking lot, take a look at the tires on some of the beaters sitting in the lot. Unsafe at 70? Yep, you bet, and quite akin to suicide at 90 plus.

I'm talking about Arkansas now, but there is no auto inspection here of any kind. Maybe the inspections in Texas make things a lot different, but I doubt it. I see cars everyday with all kinds of obvious problems. The most common one is badly under inflated tires, probably the main reason for blowouts. Also, on Interstate 40, where the speed limit for many often seems to be whatever you they want it to be, there are blow out semi-truck tire carcasses everywhere. One of those babies slapping you at 90 could be a thrill, to put it mildly. Someone in another post also mentioned the increasing number of deer and all the dead ones they see alongside the highway. I'm convinced from my observations that a large percentage of vehicles/drivers aren't even safe to drive at 40, let alone 90.

I don't see the relatively minor timesavings as a trade off for encouraging people to drive faster than they already do.

And, like it or not, you're going to be sharing the road with an increasing number of old codgers whose eyesight, hearing and reflexes aren't what they used to be. Even if you think they shouldn't be on the highway, they will be. Someday you may be one of them.

I think the biggest problem is people want to drive 80 mph legally (reality gonna be at 90 mph) for themselves, because im sure everyone thinks they are some great driver that can handle any speed. But nobody is alone out there. There is thousands of drivers and cars that shouldnt be going 90+, but they will be because they can.

I'd love to be doing 90 mph legally, but I sure wouldnt want some guy in a Suzuki Sidekick trying to swerve through the lanes at 100 mph near me. Or having a semi trying to stop from 95 mph when I slow for deer on the road.

He wasn't a HS teacher. It was a college class. And he was an engineer (doing his pennance I guess...).

Well, every experience I've had has demonstrated that vehicles get better mileage at 55 than 75 or 80. Whether the mileage is better at 40 than 55 I don't know, because I'm not patient enough to drive 40 on the freeway. This includes many many miles, and many different vehicles from small econoboxes to rear wheel drive V-8 sedans to full size trucks pulling huge trailers. And yes, I have kept track. We are required to keep a mileage log in the company trucks and I made a habit at fillups of writing the mileage and gallons in my person cars (although I have gotten away from that in the last 4 years or so). The decline in mileage is more pronounced the larger and heavier the vehicle. With the small cars I;ve owned the difference is very slight - maybe a couple mpg. With newer small cars, that are light in weight and very slippery, I've noticed that other factors tend to have a greater effect on mileage than speed - factors like headwinds, low tires, even gas quality ( That makes sense since the faster speed of air rushing past a car going a higher speed will have less of an effect on a more aerodynamic car). For instance, by drafting a large truck for most of the way between St. Paul and Madison in my Cavalier I was able to get 41 mpg at 70, where I normally got 36 or so. I noticed with my Escort I got noticeably better mileage (10% or so) with a few specific brands of gasoline. In general with the cars I have owned I have tended to meet or exceed the EPA estimated hwy mileage. (My Cavalier got 37 (rated at 35), my Sunturd got 33 (rated at 29), and my Escort got 40-44 (rated at 44). Why this is I don't know - perhaps my driving habits or the fact I tend to keep my cars in better tune than the average person. One thing is for sure though, you can be easily mistaken on your car's mileage of you don't keep track (ie keep a log)

PS I am expecting better mileage at 75 in my Chevelle, newly equipped with a OD trans and 4 bbl carb (and the original 2.73 rear end), than I was getting at 55 with the old 350 2bbl and PG :)

Great discussion! :thumbsup:

Rolling resistance, aerodynamic drag, and mechanical losses ALL INCREASE with increased speed and rpms. All other things being equal, the only way a vehicle MAY be able to get better mpg at a higher speed vs. a lower one (in top gear) is if the engine has BMFE (brake mean fuel efficiency) characteristics that favor higher rpms and higher loading.