Is going 55 mph really the best speed?

[enviri]

hell i did 50 mph on the highway, with a slow moving crew of scions for 70 miles and i peaked out at 53.7mpg according to scangauge. I almost wanted to shoot myself, but it was great mileage. this coming from a guy that avgs about 80-90mph :)

[Bizlibati]

fifty five had been in no way the very best pace with regard to something. It really is in accordance with a lot of things, as well as discovering what's greatest for you personally requires period and a lot of experimentation.

[docB]

Even the government stats showed 55 didn't save lives or gas.

[TLyttle]

Where did THAT info come from?? Anything that I saw during that time (including actual stats) showed otherwise. I realise that 75 was slow and boring in Nevada and other states, but most of the fatalities there were caused by frustration, not excessive speed. What that says to me is that high-speed rail would be of more benefit than 75mph speed limits. Germany has it's Autoroutes, and the skidmarks on those highways tell of the hazards of driving at high speeds.

[viggen]

Germany has autobahns and there are no skid marks!

Lowest fatality and accident rate in the world. Anyone who lives North America should try it. Getting passed while doing 200 km/h feels priceless because you can hardly recognize the car that has passed you at 275 km/h.

My echo hb gets 5.5 l per 100km without much fuss

[TLyttle]

Sounds good, Viggen, but on my only trip on the Autobahn showed a few places where there were skidmarks, with a good sized hole in the shrubbery, ending with a divot in the farmland beyond. Nothing to do with crop circles, I assure you...

[detroiter]

Autobahn drivers have less fatalities while driving compared to Americans because they don't drive acting like the bigger and faster their car is, the bigger their weiner is...

[TLyttle]

Not true, detroiter. The licensing system there doesn't allow a high school nitwit to drive a Corvette equivalent. Better yet, they have to start out on scooters, in the city: only then do they learn to pay attention to something more than their own egos. Nothing like finding yourself in the middle of an intersection on your butt wondering what you did wrong. Much better. Much smarter.

It is not the road. It is not the vehicle. It is the driver, and his education. But apparently, everyone, regardless of age, has the right to drive, and drive anything they choose, and that is where the fatalities come from. Dear oh dear, just read the papers, or watch TV news to justify this!

[Ilovemyyaris]

Originally Posted by UltimateMonky

I too live in Georgia and the thing I hate most here, and really most places I've driven, is passage ettiquite! When I have to take the 3 or so hour trek up to Atlanta on 16 it's like hell. People either just cruise at 65 in the left PASSING LANE without a care in the world or ride your ass when you're doing 76 or so in the right lane. As far as I'm concerned the left lane is just a passing lane and you shouldn't take your whole trip on it, it ruins the flow of traffic. Just my little rant!

Yep, before I started hypermiling I would go the speed limit and people would still ride my ass, sometimes I went about ~80mph when the speed limit was no more than 70 and people were still passing me.

It used to stress me out when people got mad at me going ~55 but now I find it funny. There was an incident with a really obnoxious driver from behind me coming from Atlanta a few nights back. I was doing my usual speed in the right lane. There wasn't much traffic and some lone orange car got behind me and turned his bright lights on as if he wanted me to speed up or move over or something so I let my foot off the gas and went a little slower "about ~50" just to show him I wasn't going to just speed up for him. Anyways so he got pissed and passed me honking his horn as he was passing. I really have no idea why people down here just don't get that there are other lanes to pass people if they want to waste their gas to speed off wherever they have to go.

Only time I'll speed up for impatient people is rush hour on the part of the highway where there is only two lanes just so be courteous because semi trucks get behind you and it takes longer for them to pass you and and it creates a long line of traffic.

[Uber_Otter]

Originally Posted by detroiter

Autobahn drivers have less fatalities while driving compared to Americans because they don't drive acting like the bigger and faster their car is, the bigger their weiner is...

The one key thing they do is "No tailgating" and "move your slow dumb ass over". The tailgating laws on the autobahn are very rigid and heavily enforced, so are the laws to yield to a driver going faster than you. The ticket fines vary because they are a Percentage of your annual income. That way it stings everyone equally.

Tailgate once, license suspended for 3 months + fines. Overtake on the right is forbidden. Drive slow in left lane and they shoot your car with a Old panzer tank.


Most accidents in the US could be avoided if the driver had more than 5 feet between them and the car in front of them. People who do the speed limit in the left lane cause most of the problems and accidents I see. You eliminate those and you have Autobahn safety stats.

[JumpmanYaris]

85 sound good right?

[docB]

The the speed one travels is inversely proportional to the attention one gives to the driving task. At 55 you have a lot of time to look around and eat and talk on the phone. Try anything but driving at 140 mph!
doc

[charles nelson]

When your Yaris is going at 70 mph it has about 60% more energy than when going at 55mph. The vehicle has to absorb 60% more energy if you crash the car. I don't think that Toyota puts 60% more absorption technology into the Yaris to protect you at 70 mph versus 55mph. Maybe Mercedes does, but you certainly pay for it.

[charles nelson]

My '08 Yaris with AT, has a sweet spot at about 55-57 mph if there is no wind. On the flats, it gets 45-51 mpg. If there is a gentle tailwind I get about +5mpg. A gentle head wind: 5-10 mpg decrease. At 70 mph, my mileage drops into the high 30's. I have drafted behind semi's on the Interstate and gotten 57-67 mpg, but I don't like driving just a few feet behind a truck weighing more than 20 times my Yaris.

[alpha1]

Originally Posted by fatlard

55 mph if you want to keep up with traffic while at the same time getting decent fuel economy

Originally Posted by frownonfun

i know it's not the optimal speed if your goal is to ALSO keep up with traffic. not in a 70mph zone anyway. it's downright terrifying.

[QUOTE=STC;576646]Maybe President Jimmy Carter knew what he was talking about? Eh? Of course he did... and it saves lives too!

Originally Posted by charles nelson

When your Yaris is going at 70 mph it has about 60% more energy than when going at 55mph. The vehicle has to absorb 60% more energy if you crash the car. I don't think that Toyota puts 60% more absorption technology into the Yaris to protect you at 70 mph versus 55mph. Maybe Mercedes does, but you certainly pay for it.

The airbag activation is usually essential for the high speed crash survival patient. I would not want to be in either the Yaris or Mercedes without airbags.

If working or traveling while at work, it is not economical to drive 55 in a 70 mile zone as it would cost you too much in lost productivity/wages vs. the price of the small amount of gas you would save.
Regardless of what you may have been told, you do not really have unlimited free time in life.

Speed does not kill. People kill.
Also all will die and none will be saved from this; regardless of how we drive.

[nookandcrannycar]

Originally Posted by viggen

Germany has autobahns and there are no skid marks!

Lowest fatality and accident rate in the world. Anyone who lives North America should try it. Getting passed while doing 200 km/h feels priceless because you can hardly recognize the car that has passed you at 275 km/h.

My echo hb gets 5.5 l per 100km without much fuss

I've tried it, and I agree with your description. I think one reason that accident and fatality rates in Germany are much lower than many other countries is that it is harder to get your DL in Germany than it is in many other countries.

[Hershey]

50s' seem to be to the liking of the 1.5 ltr. with the 4 speed auto . Some interstate of 65 m.p.h. . I'd say average speed of 48 . After the picture , it lost the 1st bar at 92 miles . ECO is at 42 . Changed oil to SHELL synthetic 5w-20 last Saturday . Tires at 35 .

[nookandcrannycar]

Originally Posted by charles nelson

When your Yaris is going at 70 mph it has about 60% more energy than when going at 55mph. The vehicle has to absorb 60% more energy if you crash the car. I don't think that Toyota puts 60% more absorption technology into the Yaris to protect you at 70 mph versus 55mph. Maybe Mercedes does, but you certainly pay for it.

Yet another reason (besides being cheap , and others) to drive 55.