Clinton Suggests Returning To 55mph Limit
Senior Member
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 9,041
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From: SOUTH Jersey
I hate to say it... but she is right on the gas usage issue. My BEST miliage ever was on a trip down to Hatteras. A steady 50 to 55 mph down route 13. I forget the exact numbers, but it was very close to 40 mpg in my tib.
It was a trip of about 350 miles.. and I still had close to a third of a tank left once I got down there.
If anything else, dropping the speed limit would put a dent into the worst offenders of the speeding world. SUVs. These people, who constantly complain about how much it costs to fill their elephants on wheels, then proceed to tear arse down the highway at least 80mph. That alone annoys me to no end. It is one thing to speed, but then to complain about how little miliage your truck gets when doing it borders on idiocy.
ok, that is my rant for the day... but just think about it.. speed limit is 55.. so in an hour you should have driven 55 miles. The difference between that and 65.. about a ten minute longer trip.
As for the autobahn comment. It would never happen here. People in the US do NOT know how to drive. I know people who lived in germany and grew up there. What it takes to get a license over there is MUCH different than what it takes here. Not only do you have to know fine car control (something lacking over here) but common courtesy as well. One of the reasons the autobahn works is due to courtesy. Faster cars stay on the left, slower on the right. If a faster car comes up behind you, you move right. How often do you see somebody idling along in the "fast" lane here in the US, making everyone who is going faster go AROUND them?
I also once was on the receiving end of some roadrage due to that. I came up behind somebody going slow in the fast lane (I only do 5 or so over the limit) and flashed my highbeams real quick to ask them to move over. They did, I drove through... they immediatly swung in behind me, turned their highbeams on, and proceeded to stay on my arse until I got off of the road ten miles later.
That is why we will never have the autobahn or it's low traffic deaths here in the US
It was a trip of about 350 miles.. and I still had close to a third of a tank left once I got down there.
If anything else, dropping the speed limit would put a dent into the worst offenders of the speeding world. SUVs. These people, who constantly complain about how much it costs to fill their elephants on wheels, then proceed to tear arse down the highway at least 80mph. That alone annoys me to no end. It is one thing to speed, but then to complain about how little miliage your truck gets when doing it borders on idiocy.
ok, that is my rant for the day... but just think about it.. speed limit is 55.. so in an hour you should have driven 55 miles. The difference between that and 65.. about a ten minute longer trip.
As for the autobahn comment. It would never happen here. People in the US do NOT know how to drive. I know people who lived in germany and grew up there. What it takes to get a license over there is MUCH different than what it takes here. Not only do you have to know fine car control (something lacking over here) but common courtesy as well. One of the reasons the autobahn works is due to courtesy. Faster cars stay on the left, slower on the right. If a faster car comes up behind you, you move right. How often do you see somebody idling along in the "fast" lane here in the US, making everyone who is going faster go AROUND them?
I also once was on the receiving end of some roadrage due to that. I came up behind somebody going slow in the fast lane (I only do 5 or so over the limit) and flashed my highbeams real quick to ask them to move over. They did, I drove through... they immediatly swung in behind me, turned their highbeams on, and proceeded to stay on my arse until I got off of the road ten miles later.
That is why we will never have the autobahn or it's low traffic deaths here in the US
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Vehicle: 1998 Tiburon
RE : Autobahn
Well in Germany the speed limits are not set at the speed that is safe for a car to go they are set at whatever the road being driven on is safe to drive at on there.
I don't mean the sweepiness or elevation I mean the thickness of the surface that is being driven on.
The autobahn is over 1ft thick solid concrete placed in sections and even if a hairline crack in the surface appears the whole section is replaced.
Speed limits are set in relevance to the safety of the road.. you usually find that high speed interstate roads and expressways are well maintained.
If you have a blow out at 55-65 it's no biggie, you gain control and stop the car.
If you have a blow out at 150 youre feckin dead.. no 2 ways about it you will snake rattle and roll.
My father in law works for Jerseys biggest asphalt company and explained to me that at best a road will be paved with 3-7 inches of asphalt (soft and easily damaged) that's a far cry from 12-17 inches of solid concrete.
Well in Germany the speed limits are not set at the speed that is safe for a car to go they are set at whatever the road being driven on is safe to drive at on there.
I don't mean the sweepiness or elevation I mean the thickness of the surface that is being driven on.
The autobahn is over 1ft thick solid concrete placed in sections and even if a hairline crack in the surface appears the whole section is replaced.
Speed limits are set in relevance to the safety of the road.. you usually find that high speed interstate roads and expressways are well maintained.
If you have a blow out at 55-65 it's no biggie, you gain control and stop the car.
If you have a blow out at 150 youre feckin dead.. no 2 ways about it you will snake rattle and roll.
My father in law works for Jerseys biggest asphalt company and explained to me that at best a road will be paved with 3-7 inches of asphalt (soft and easily damaged) that's a far cry from 12-17 inches of solid concrete.