First think about this: One third of our electricity is made by burning oil. Turning off your lights and your computer monitor can actually lower gas prices. Put solar panels and wind mills on your house and spin the meter backwards. There is even a new generator that hooks up to your house plumbing and every time you take a shower or flush the toilet you make electricity.
I remember 55 mph and I remember before that there where places in the west which had no speed limit at all. Old cars had giant 4 barrel carbs and were big, heavy pieces of steal.
Gear ratio actually dictates the speed where your vehicle gets the best freeway gas mileage. Today's cars are geared to cruise at 65 mph. Going 55 instead of 65 just means it takes you an additional 10 minutes which is more valuable than the fraction of a gallon you might save. Driving technique is more important for saving gas. The slower you accelerate the less you consume. The further away from the red light you take your foot off the gas and coast the more you save. The more you drive at a steady speed the more you save. The more you start and stop the more you waste. The more you change speed the more you waste. If you use air conditioner you consume more. If you lighten your load you save. Choice of vehicles is important too. Get rid of you big truck, your mini van and SUV. Take the bus or the train to work. Get a real electric car. Ride your bike, moped or motorcycle. Save energy where ever you can so we have it to use for important things like camping and RVing.
If everyone makes personal choices to save or create energy then the government won't have to dictate to us.
Just don't lower the speed limit because
I CAN'T DRIVE 55!
(except in my RV because it was built in the late 70's and is geared to drive at 55.)
Our fascist government is more interested in legislating morals by regulating clothing styles or the never ending quest to outlaw education in favor of some fantasy story book. No, not Harry Potter, the other one. Government is supposed oversee national security and infrastructure. Our fantastic national socialist interstate highway system is part of infrastructure. It is within the government's role of national security and infrastructure to regulate how the interstate system is used. When President Nixon (R) dropped the speed limit to 55mph on interstate highways, it resulted in lower demand for fuel. If the current fascist regime decides to show some responsibility and do the same, it will again result in lower demand. And likewise, if you want to go faster, leave the vehicle at home and fly. That'll save even more fuel and lighten up congestion on the highway. For the isolationists out in the middle of nowhere, simply don't enforce it. I'm sure that's not a new concept. Do I want the 55mph speed limit back? Heck no. I like to run about 72mph or 68~mph towing. But I'm not going to tell lies and stories about how my truck or any vehicle I've ever owned gets better mileage the faster I drive or that driving 85mph is safer than driving 55mph. I believe in verifiable facts, not fantasy.
'05 2500HD Dodge 5.7L Hemi 5spd auto/3.73 SLT. 92k miles
ex '95 Cummins,'98 12v Cummins,'01.5 Cummins,'03 Cummins
'07 KZ Jag 28JFSS.
Many more years ago than I care to admit to, I took a class at the local university on highway design. It seemed to be an easy class and I was just looking to qualify for GI benefits. However, it changed my total outlook on driving!!!! I have never forgotten some of the topics discussed in that class and while traveling I see so many accidents caused by pushy drivers in a hurry. We are all in this together and cooperation is the ticket to getting to your destination. Furthermore, during the oil embargo of 73 I witnessed first hand the fuel savings on driving slower. Our company had a fleet of Chevy station wagons and the fuel savings was so great company wide that even after the 55 mandate was lifted by the government, our company told us to keep it up.
My experience with West Virgina is that one could not get up to 55 mph even with a Ferrari. Very narrow twisty roads with no shoulders and ladened coal trucks coming at you in your lane. A beautiful state but not fun to drive through especially in the SW counties. Friends in Williamson and Beckley.
Briteskys wrote: Regulating the market by dictating social behavior is a mistake.
I think the american people need to have their social behavior altered. We are so unbelievably frivelous............. and irresponsible about our social values and morals.
I agree. You need to IMMEDIATELY destroy your recreational vehicle, dispose of your motor vehicles, sell your house, and move your family into a 500 sq. ft. studio apartment. The heat will be limited to 62 degrees. Showers will be limited to 90 seconds of hot water. Air conditioning is, of course, unnecessary. Anything more is a frivolous waste of energy.
John
1984 Ford B-700 school bus conversion, Thomas body
A bunch of other vehicles
3 nutty cats (Maya, Vierna, Briza)
One lazy dog (Marmaduke)
One wife (Liz)
"A wasted youth is better by far than a wise and productive old age"
-Jim Steinman
wing_zealot wrote: I don't know about where you live, but in my neck of the woods, the stoplights are timed. If you take off from the light moderately and drive conservatively to the next light, generally the speed limit or a little less, you will hit the next stoplight when it changes to green. 95% of the people don't know this cause they are racing from stoplight to stoplight only to get there and have to stop and wait for the light to change. Same scene everyday on my drive to work. I maintain a constant, moderate speed, they blow my doors off, I pass them again at the next light cause I am already at speed when they are accelarating out of the box. A lot of times they are actually holding me up cause I have to slow down for them to get moving again from the stoplight as I am there, going 35 mph, as it changes to green.
They time them here, too: when one is green, the next is red. I wish I was joking here.
The OP is in the east where nothing is very far apart. Drive 6 hours and you have crossed 6 or 8 state lines. Six hours and I am not 1/2 way out of the state headed out west.
The first time we had the 55 MPH speed limit, it was a miserable FLOP in the western states. Everyone was driving 70 mph and using the CB and scanners to keep the bears out of their hair.
You have to be reasonable with the distances traveled between destinations before you can try to enforce a lower speed limit.
Ken
KE5DFR
Vintage 1979 Silver Streak Supreme Rocket toted by a 2002 F350, crewcab dually, 7.3L,4.10 axle,SCMT. Travel with two miniature Schnauzers and one African Gray parrot. Practicing for retirement!
Unless you have PROOF that vehicles are getting better mileage at 55 than at 65-70 which are the most popular speed limits then don't advocate it. I've seen the trend towards 70 mph lately and that's fine. Vehicle safety and economy is better there currently. I
Spoken like a true 20 something...
I think they drive more then you, I'm thinking I'll believe them before anyone else telling me they get better mileage the faster they go... Scheider Int.
Please don't compare my Tahoe/Dakota/VW Beetle to a 15,000# truck towing a 50,000+ # trailer. I'm speaking from experience. I'm not a hot rodder, when towing my camper to the shop I was content as could be doing 55 mph on I-70 which is a 70 mph zone.
You want to call me a "true 20 something" then get to know me. I don't know what more than about 1/2 throttle is on my Tahoe because I don't want to pay for the gas to see. But I can tell you that I get better mileage cruising at 70 mph than at 60 mph.
My Tahoe doesn't break 2,000 RPM till about 75 mph. It's a 2005, as compared with my 1992 Dakota that hits 2K at 63 mph. And the Tahoe's rear gears are shorter than the Dakota? I bet if I looked at an 82 Similar powered vehicle you would find a further trend. Am I making this up? Or maybe it's my immature Twenty-something brain.
I think that the US auto industry should build V12 14 litres PU trucks so that you can pull 75' FW and the gov't raise the speed limits to at least 95 mph and get the oil industry to pump all what's left of "YOUR" oil reserves. With those improvments, you will also make absolutely sure that there will be nothing left for the future generations. After all, they are only YOUR kids and grand kids. Who the f... cares about them ????
Claude & Lise
Nissan Pathfinder 4WD 2003, V-6 3.5L, auto tran, 4.36 diff., Palomino 2003 ultra lite TT (T-25FB) 25' (loaded: TT 4,200#, all together: 9300#) Reese WD hitch 750# bars, Dual-Cam, Prodigy
AutoEngMike wrote: Imagine how much fuel would be saved if all RVers were forced to tow pop-ups instead of their "homes on wheels".
Excellent point!
Let's take it even farther. How about outlawing pickup trucks rated to tow over 5000 lbs and all RV's? That would, without a doubt, save more oil than a 55 mph speed limit. I can drive my honda civic at 75 mph all day on less fuel than your motorhome will use in two hours. I'm betting that that wouldn't sit too well with this crowd but more than a few are quite willing to tell everyone else how to drive as long as it drops their fuel bills.
Government regulation of others lifestyles is great!!! (just so long as it isn't YOUR ox getting gored).
Claude B wrote: I think that the US auto industry should build V12 14 litres PU trucks so that you can pull 75' FW and the gov't raise the speed limits to at least 95 mph and get the oil industry to pump all what's left of "YOUR" oil reserves. With those improvments, you will also make absolutely sure that there will be nothing left for the future generations. After all, they are only YOUR kids and grand kids. Who the f... cares about them ????
Spoken like a true liberal from a socialist country. Canada is by no means an example of how the rest of the world should live. You have been brained washed by the greenie wackos that you probably believe that ethanol is the answer for the energy crises.
Offline
