We have had speed discussions before! But....

[kylec2]

I find as I get older I drive slower and prefer to cruise around 60 - 62 mph. Once upon a time I would push the speed limit up to 5 mph over, but I find I am more relaxed when I arrive if I take my time. I am not judging how others drive, just stating my preference.

[richfaa]

Blow outs, stopping distance, etc is at the back of my mind but we are just in no hurry to get anywhere thus 62/65MPH and maybe 8 or 10 hours on the road with leisurely fuel lunch and stretch stops. We leave in the AM rested and alert and we arrive rested and alert.I mean we are retired having a good time what is the rush.

[brooksider]

bbnkansas X2. It is the journey not the destination and the fuel mileage is worth it.
joe

[McIver]

I am comfortable driving at the speed of the big rigs on the road with me if only to avoid them passing me. I am usually around 1500 RPM and 11-12 gal/hr.
By the way, CA car drivers find 80 mph too slow a way to go through life.

[dfb]

[quote]Originally posted by McIver

I am comfortable driving at the speed of the big rigs on the road with me if only to avoid them passing me. I am usually around 1500 RPM and 11-12 gal/hr.
By the way, CA car drivers find 80 mph too slow a way to go through life.
[/quote
Maybe you need a dually, big rigs have no effect!

[DQDick]

Don't have any problem being passed by the big rigs. Flash them back in my lane, get their thank you and go on. From Flagstaff to Arkansas on I-40 it will happen hundreds of times with me going 60mph and I'm not stressing my tires. Many pulling rigs at truckers speed when the limits are 75mph haven't read the sidewalls of their tires.

[Virginia Young]

On our trip to AR from FL this past week, I noticed a man checking out our rig at a rest area. As we approached, he said, "I bet you get worse fuel milage than I do." and pointed at his 1-ton dually which had a 29' TT hooked to it. My reply? "Probably." He admitted to getting about 9 mpg. I was shocked, as we get about 11-13 pulling the Big Sky. We visited with him awhile and during the conversation, he mentioned that he set the cruise control at 75 and even on the hills, the truck never got off it. My immediate thought was, "75?!" I know it was a TT and not a fiver, and he certainly had plenty of truck for it, but I just kept thinking about the tires on that trailer.

[MIMF]

60 to 65 mph is my limit, too. On this trip from Goshen to Navarre, I kept it at 65 or less. If the interstate is smooth, I'll do 65. At that speed, with the Allison in 6th gear and the Duramax running 16 to 1700 rpm's, she still averages right at 12 mpg. And, we still got to our daily destinations when we wanted. Also, up there in Tennessee, I had the opportunity to safely signal over to the passing lane and pass numerous 18 wheelers that were obviously loaded. And, at the end of the day, I was not all tensed up and nothing broken!

[kiltedpig]

Scared for a toy hauler! I was coming over the Tehachapis the day after the highway was closed due to blowing wind and snow and the road was still slick and in a driving rain when this toy hauler blew past me going downhill. I was nervous at 55 but this idiot must have been hitting 80. We kept a lookout for it over a cliff but I guess it made it down the mountain.

[waynemoore]

63 to 65 for me. Things happen far to fast at 75 and above. Back in the 60s when I first moved to CA and when I had to work for a living I drove truck for about 10 years. First a bob tale then a set of doubles covered the west coast . It's one thing to blow a tire on a rig that has two axels with 8 tires on than one that has only 2 tires. IMHO

[steelpony5555]

As they say, Texans are slow in general...but there has always been one thing Texans do fast and that is drive.....but with the dually and the way my Montana is set up, if the road is straight and smooth and little traffic we set the tranny in 5th and cruise at 70 and purr along.... If it gets crowded or curvy then we drop back to 60-65 and stay in the right lane....... We have Interstates here that have 85 mph speed limits, but I would not think of doing 85 in a truck and traileer....but I have been passed doing 85 mph on that road by trucks with construction trailers???????

[richfaa]

We did a check on MPG on a fairly level stretch of interstate. We started set at 55 then increased it 5 mph at a time. With each 5MPH increase our MPG dropped. Now this 6.4 being a older truck does 10/11 mpg at 62/65 under normal conditions. It is rare that at the end of any given day we do not see between 10 and 11 MPG. We are not interested in MPG but we are interested in stress on the truck. We will do 50/55 up fancy gap keeping our Pre Turbo EGT under 1200 degrees while other trucks all brands fly by us.

[mlh]

I've said this before. Be very careful on FANCY GAP. It is very dangerous. I live about an hour from there and here about bad wrecks on fancy cap all the time. When the sign says high winds believe it! Tractor trailers get blown off the road. Your camper is NO match for fancy gap.
Lynwood

[DQDick]

We're the same as Rich. 62 is the best forward speed while putting the least stress on the truck and the tires.

[billdunlavey]

One of the real problems is the speed rating of the trailer tires. Having a tire blowout is a very real expense and danger.

[FordMan1966]

60 to 68 MPH is the Max for me. When I get on the road I am not in a hurry to get to where I am going so Relax and enjoy your Tow.

[steelpony5555]

That's why a lot of us don't have trailer tires any more....if you got E rated trailer tires do yourself a favor and even if you only drive 55 get rid of them, your Monte will thank you.....

[Rob Walters]

60-63 MAX when towing the 5er. As far as California is concerned...if I ever show up there again, someone dragged my dead body across the state line.

[DonandBonnie]

Here is a tale of potential horror from yesterday. A fellow that I met this past weekend at the Civil War reenactment in Appomattox, Virginia was traveling from that event along with his family back to Michigan. He had a Ford F350 with a horse trailer loaded with three horses. About 50 miles from the West Virginia/Ohio line he passed us at I would guess 80+ mph. For us, we were about 6 hours into the trip from Virginia at that point. I know he left after our departure, but not sure when. About 20 miles from the state line we passed him pulled off of the road. We pulled over to see if we could assist. He had the entire side wall blow out of his left rear truck tire. The tires were Goodyear and relatively new. I did not get the model. I don't think it would take much of an imagination to visualize what could have happened here. Excess speed and these tires don't mix.