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Speed limits across the country !
- Thread starter mmcmdl
- Start date
- Joined
- Apr 30, 2015
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- 11,817
At this point in life, I look at the threadwear rating over the speed rating
I like to know if the tire will outlive me or not LOL
I like to know if the tire will outlive me or not LOL
- Joined
- Feb 1, 2015
- Messages
- 9,801
Sounds like the Madison beltline!
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When I was young and foolish I entered a radar trap at > 140MPH.
Some highways in Europe have either very high limits or no limits. Driving in the slow lane at 140km/hr (a bit over 80MPH), we were passed by cars easily doing double our speed. Driving slowly (100-140) in any lane but the slow lane is just not done. The fast cars warn from far back with blinking high beams. It actually feels safer than here when the stubborn guy decides he is going to sit in the left lane doing the posted limit causing chaos.
Some highways in Europe have either very high limits or no limits. Driving in the slow lane at 140km/hr (a bit over 80MPH), we were passed by cars easily doing double our speed. Driving slowly (100-140) in any lane but the slow lane is just not done. The fast cars warn from far back with blinking high beams. It actually feels safer than here when the stubborn guy decides he is going to sit in the left lane doing the posted limit causing chaos.
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- Joined
- Oct 13, 2014
- Messages
- 8,602
My formula is never go 20% over the posted speed limit. E.g, 36 in a 30 zone, 78 in a 65 zone, etc. I never got a speeding ticket while following that rule. However, I have sometimes broken it...
Tires do vary a Lot on speed rating, bought a set of summer tires for the car and they were Y rated-186 MPH
and also trailer tires L rated, good to 75 MPH.
The car tires were about $70 bucks more each though. i would hate to pay the speeding ticket on anything close to the car tire rating, assuming ever getting out of jail. Probably never drive faster than the trailer tire rating anymore or anywhere unless holding up regular traffic.
and also trailer tires L rated, good to 75 MPH.
The car tires were about $70 bucks more each though. i would hate to pay the speeding ticket on anything close to the car tire rating, assuming ever getting out of jail. Probably never drive faster than the trailer tire rating anymore or anywhere unless holding up regular traffic.
- Joined
- Feb 15, 2020
- Messages
- 391
I just like to ride in a gap, slightly faster than the big trucks and slower than the other cars. Less stressful that way. I think most speed limits are notional anymore.
On the east coast, there might be exceptions, but I'm pretty sure we're still at 65 across the board. The fact is though, that if you're driving south, you're gonna do 80 and on occasion (especially at night, when traffic is low, 90 plus in the right hand lane.
I'm not going to fault higher speeds entirely, however, with my towing/recovery background I'm seeing a big problem with this. Speed limits are set so that most all Americans can safely operate a vehicle, to get where they need to go. As speed keeps creeping up, it's getting where a larger and larger portion of our population to keep safe out there. Folks are not equipped with the mechanical skills or reaction time (things beyond their ability to fix), and most of all, the attention span (which I put on each operator individually), and it's getting dangerous. The goal of a speed limit isn't to accommodate the best mentally and physically equipped among us, it's to accommodate all of the Americans who choose to take advantage of the highway system that they pay for.
The worst part is, if you are not taking a good long road trip, you can't save any tangible amount of time. And if you are taking a good long trip, you can certainly burn up half again as much fuel...
At some point, we've got to find a limit that we can live with, post it, and hold people to it. The lack of enforcement is getting out of control too. I live on a state road, a two lane highway, and the main truck route into Vermont from anywhere west of Vermont. It's posted at 50. The New York commuter rush comes by so fast that I have to tear out of the driveway to leave my house. I can and will get right up to speed, but they're coming so fast, when I pull out, they are NOT THERE... Sight distance. And I'm banking on them to make a firm "slow down". Not skidding or sliding or anything, but pretty firm. That's a lot of faith to put into a bunch of folks I don't know, who are an hour or an hour and a half into a two or two and a half hour commute to find paying work.
That's a long drive, with a LOT of "one light towns" along the way. The funny thing is that at 90mph, you get reset so many times by the lights and the towns... You save exactly ZERO minutes on that stretch of road by doing 90 or more, when compared to 55mph. (Yes, 50, as it's posted, it'll screw you up on some and cost you two or five minutes... I don't need to be a scientist or a traffic engineer... I live on this road. All it takes is a stopwatch..... You can't drive far enough between "interruptions" to save any time at all.
I know, I don't like enforcement either. But if folks drive faster and faster and faster, trying to save time, and can't be bothered to look at the danged clock when they get to work to figure out that it's not helping... Or when they get home. Same thing, opposite lane Morning or evening commute, just point your eyeballs into the sun, that's the way they're driving at 70, 80, 90 on a less than straight, less than flat, and generally "sproadically maintained" two lane road)... Accidents ARE happening from it. Cars are safer than ever (statistically. NY doesn't inspect them too close) so deaths are not up, no alarm bells are triggered, but I guess having your life interrupted, minor to severe injuries, that'll be OK? Somebody's got to step in or it doesn't end.
Now that I'm done (for now) ranting about Vermont, let me be clear. The big roads out west- If it's stretched out enough that traffic isn't "thick", there's room for somebody to safely do a safe speed FOR THEM, without causing accidents from all the swerving and weaving to get around them, sure, I'm not opposed to a higher speed limit. Just so long is it's set to include ALL americans, not just those who grew up racing cars, those who grew up on video games, and those who aren't old enough to have come to terms with the fact that they are not infallable.
There, rant over. Jake has spoken.
I'm not going to fault higher speeds entirely, however, with my towing/recovery background I'm seeing a big problem with this. Speed limits are set so that most all Americans can safely operate a vehicle, to get where they need to go. As speed keeps creeping up, it's getting where a larger and larger portion of our population to keep safe out there. Folks are not equipped with the mechanical skills or reaction time (things beyond their ability to fix), and most of all, the attention span (which I put on each operator individually), and it's getting dangerous. The goal of a speed limit isn't to accommodate the best mentally and physically equipped among us, it's to accommodate all of the Americans who choose to take advantage of the highway system that they pay for.
The worst part is, if you are not taking a good long road trip, you can't save any tangible amount of time. And if you are taking a good long trip, you can certainly burn up half again as much fuel...
At some point, we've got to find a limit that we can live with, post it, and hold people to it. The lack of enforcement is getting out of control too. I live on a state road, a two lane highway, and the main truck route into Vermont from anywhere west of Vermont. It's posted at 50. The New York commuter rush comes by so fast that I have to tear out of the driveway to leave my house. I can and will get right up to speed, but they're coming so fast, when I pull out, they are NOT THERE... Sight distance. And I'm banking on them to make a firm "slow down". Not skidding or sliding or anything, but pretty firm. That's a lot of faith to put into a bunch of folks I don't know, who are an hour or an hour and a half into a two or two and a half hour commute to find paying work.
That's a long drive, with a LOT of "one light towns" along the way. The funny thing is that at 90mph, you get reset so many times by the lights and the towns... You save exactly ZERO minutes on that stretch of road by doing 90 or more, when compared to 55mph. (Yes, 50, as it's posted, it'll screw you up on some and cost you two or five minutes... I don't need to be a scientist or a traffic engineer... I live on this road. All it takes is a stopwatch..... You can't drive far enough between "interruptions" to save any time at all.
I know, I don't like enforcement either. But if folks drive faster and faster and faster, trying to save time, and can't be bothered to look at the danged clock when they get to work to figure out that it's not helping... Or when they get home. Same thing, opposite lane Morning or evening commute, just point your eyeballs into the sun, that's the way they're driving at 70, 80, 90 on a less than straight, less than flat, and generally "sproadically maintained" two lane road)... Accidents ARE happening from it. Cars are safer than ever (statistically. NY doesn't inspect them too close) so deaths are not up, no alarm bells are triggered, but I guess having your life interrupted, minor to severe injuries, that'll be OK? Somebody's got to step in or it doesn't end.
Now that I'm done (for now) ranting about Vermont, let me be clear. The big roads out west- If it's stretched out enough that traffic isn't "thick", there's room for somebody to safely do a safe speed FOR THEM, without causing accidents from all the swerving and weaving to get around them, sure, I'm not opposed to a higher speed limit. Just so long is it's set to include ALL americans, not just those who grew up racing cars, those who grew up on video games, and those who aren't old enough to have come to terms with the fact that they are not infallable.
There, rant over. Jake has spoken.
- Joined
- Jan 4, 2021
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- 2,456
IIRC (it was 10+ years ago), it was 75 between ABQ & Roswell, but as it was dusk/dark, the roads are dead straight and you could see forever I did some stretches significantly above that (oh, yes: rental car).