What's your interstate speed

[Michigander]

We find 63 on cruise control most comfortable.

[DaveFL]

Originally Posted by padillab

We find 63 on cruise control most co mfortable.

On checking our GPS with speedometer our 65 is actually 63.
Does the 05 have a tachometer?

[Aage]

We do 105 kph (65.2 mph) fairly constantly.

Of course, when we get out of the city and onto the highway, we will speed up...

[Michigander]

Originally Posted by DaveFL

On checking our GPS with speedometer our 65 is actually 63.
Does the 05 have a tachometer?

Sure does, but we really don't pay as much attention to it as the speedometer. Why do you ask?

[eleighj]

We keep at it 65 mph; seems the best from a stress perspective. As to the GPS; the speedometer is at 65; the GPS shows 63; go figure!

Ed

[thecatsandi]

65-70 depending on the speed limit. Usually the posted truck speed. That way I can go with the flow.

[thecatsandi]

Originally Posted by eleighj

We keep at it 65 mph; seems the best from a stress perspective. As to the GPS; the speedometer is at 65; the GPS shows 63; go figure!

Ed

Most vehicle speedometers are designed to indicate fast. If you change tire size from factory be careful. All bets on the speedometer reading correctly are off.

[masseyfarm]

Half the joy of travelling is what you see on route. The faster you drive, the less you see. At the price of the show today, I want the best bang for my buck.
The Clipper likes to go, but I have my GPS set to tattle when I go over 62MPH. (The volume is very low )
The trip is more enjoyable and you are more able to enjoy the destination when you get there.
Relax, take your time, enjoy the moment.
PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR DRIVING, make the effort and do it right.
Some drivers seem to have to be challenged be speed to remain alert.
Driving, like all other little chores in life , is an art that you can master over time.
As Dale would say "Happy Trails"
Dave

[withidl]

With my 2001 X5, Henslely and 2002 ASCL 31 foot assembly I tow anywhere above a speedo indicated 60 mph (speedo is 4 mph above gps @ 70 mph) as this allows the transmission torque converter to be “locked-up”, i.e. in direct drive like a standard transmission. This minimizes fluid heating and shift “hunting” since above 60 mph indicated the engine can be max throttled without shifting or unlocking while in “Manual” mode.

In practice with a good tail wind I’ll be around 70 mph; with a good head wind I try to at least stay just above 60 mph. If a grade is up coming I will “zoom” down hill up to 80 mph so as to stay above 60 mph while climbing the grade. In 5th gear the tach stays between 2,000 and 2,700 rpm.

Fuel mileage averages about 10.5 mpg with a neutral wind; as low as 8 mpg with a good head wind and above 13 mpg with a good tail wind.

Also, I use cruise control 95% of the time.

[mi silver]

My wife usually drives.She keeps speed around 65 most of the time.Except when passing when she can get as high as 80 mph.She is a wonderful driver .She sees things on road that I often miss.She gets nervous when I drive LOL

[waltero]

62 works well for me, and give 15.5 mpg, at 65+ it drops to 12.....Time permitting, I take it at 62, Virginia has increased Interstate Speed Limits to 70 in some areas, and lots of folks seem to be annoyed when they get behind me and I'm doing 8mph under the limit, but then they don't have to fill my tank...

[gsmithii]

If road and traffic conditions permit 55-60 is great. No hurries. No worries. Great mileage. Listen to the tunes or chat with my DW. Enjoy the ride. If I wanted to go fast I would fly.

For interstates with higher speed limits first speed is ten mph less than posted, eg., for 70 mph I'll try 60. That is generally too slow for most of the traffic on I-95, for example, but might work for I-85. Dunno why but folks and trucks on I-95 seem to be in a bigger hurry. Is it that darned important to in Florida right now?

If I'm getting my doors blown off I'll ease my speed up. The goal is to be passed but to avoid becoming a hazard.

How do I know? When the semi's are passing me but they really need to bear down, or when the Mustang's and Camino's aren't quite a blur.

[Gene]

We generally don't go over 65. With the Tundra, the speedometer reads about 66.5 when we are really going 65. The reason—first it was because Airstream seemed to recommend it and we were novices, but 65 just feels right. Also, at first we thought the Marathons were speed rated at 65, but they are not speed rated at all. The Michelins we have now have a speed rating that is somewhere around 100, but we don't believe that speed to be mandatory.

I know our Tundra has very good brakes and I adjust and inspect the trailer brakes periodically. But, have you ever had to stop truck and trailer very, very quickly? It takes a lot longer than the truck alone because, in our case, at least double the mass despite good brakes. I had to do a panic stop once and it was scary. I was only going about 30 when the large truck in front of us stopped fast—maybe he was empty and I was trying to see around him and thus didn't notice for a few seconds he was stopping. His rear bumper kept getting closer as I stood on the brakes (standing on the brakes doesn't help, but is emotionally necessary). We stopped in time, but time moved very slowly for several very long seconds.

If the traffic is moving very fast and the spaces between vehicles are small, I try to balance between keeping up with the flow and leaving a lot of space in front of me. This can be impossible because someone, perhaps with a Freudian death wish, fills the space. If I go slower than traffic, interruption of the flow can increase the chance of accidents. Following other large vehicles means poor visibility ahead, but they can't stop any faster than me (unless they are empty, adding to the unknowns) so that's a benefit. Staying in the slower right lanes is dangerous because of traffic entering and exiting. Changing lanes is also dangerous especially when there are people weaving in and out trying to get to Point B 20 seconds faster.

Or, when there is moderate traffic, we might get in synch with a large truck that passes us going downhill, probably because of more mass, and we pass it going uphill because we have less mass. This can go on for miles and miles and keeps us awake when traffic is light, but becomes a pain in heavier traffic. I try to get fairly far ahead of the truck when that happens (the truck driver is probably thinking the same thing), but as traffic increases I may just follow.

Driving requires thinking. There no set speed in many situations and making constant decisions over the best approach, especially in city and urban interstate traffic, means towing is a lot more tiring than just cruising in a car or smaller truck. Sometimes I want to buy a sports car and drive really fast on curvy roads and blow off steam. Maybe the solution is to have a MoHo and a sporty toad (sporty toad sounds weird).

One of the things that has happened, is that I drive a little slower than I used to because I've gotten used to 65 while towing. My credo—more scenery per minute—has been compromised. But 65 is a nominal speed, maybe an upper limit, and not a constant.

Gene

[DaveFL]

Originally Posted by padillab

Sure does, but we really don't pay as much attention to it as the speedometer. Why do you ask?

When all is quiet, and you are cruising, it would be hard to tell if you are in the right gear and running efficiently without it. Have used it to change to a lower gear while towing.
Also when downshifted on mountain runs to make sure it doesn't over rev, and when it is time to punch the brakes. Maybe my driving an older unit makes me more concerned with where the rpm's are at.

[au_ee]

MPH seems to drop each mph you go above 55. We normally drive at 58-60 to save on fuel. I stay in the right hand lane and let others pass. It beats staying in the flow and having to pass others.

[withidl]

Originally Posted by CrawfordGene

Sometimes I want to buy a sports car and drive really fast on curvy roads and blow off steam. Maybe the solution is to have a MoHo and a sporty toad (sporty toad sounds weird).
Gene

That is precisely 1/3 of the reason I purchased my BMW X5 with "Sport Package".

[withidl]

Originally Posted by DaveFL

When all is quiet, and you are cruising, it would be hard to tell if you are in the right gear and running efficiently without it. Have used it to change to a lower gear while towing.
Also when downshifted on mountain runs to make sure it doesn't over rev, and when it is time to punch the brakes. Maybe my driving an older unit makes me more concerned with where the rpm's are at.

I use the tach religeously, BUT the guage on the X5 I use most is the "Energy Control" guage (aka mpg, fuel consumption) which tell me how heavily loaded the engine is. I alway manually shift the transmission ONLY when the guage shows max mpg as this indicates the drive train is unloaded ......... less shock, wear and tear.

[MrUKToad]

An interesting thread. Maybe it's because I'm older than I used to be but driving at 60mph on any freeway/highway with a trailer in tow is quite fast enough for me and for the law (except California, apparently). If it's not fast enough for the other road users then that's their problem.

[Zigidachs]

The speed limit in Oregon and California with trailers in tow is 55. We just returned from one of many trips to see our kids in Calif, and tow at 59-60mph. The "tach" rests at 1500 on our Ram 3500 Dually with a 12 mpg rating. ( truck with only 10K miles so far)

The higher the speed, the more accentuated is the kinetic energy in play. ( last Airstream Life issue) Thus speed compromises safety and reaction times.

When we entered Yosemite NP two weeks ago, I asked the Ranger which road was the best exit from the park, given the twisting, and at times narrow roads. He asked me where I was going...and for the first time in my life I was able to state: "I don't care!!!" He just smiled and shook his head........

My point: we are blessed not to be in a hurry, and hope you are as well.

To quote Robert Frost: " And I have miles to go before I sleep". I hope to enjoy every one of them.......Please be careful, it's dangerous out there!

[THEPILL]

I wish I could just slow down. I just went to Colorado from Texas 1500 miles round trip. I would go 75-80mph...consistantly. I tried for about 30 miles to go 60mph and my fuel mileage was wonderful,..but just couldn't do it.

Shane