Cruising Speed

[Mudfrog]

Originally Posted by Florida Rang

If you are worried about MPG on your motorhome you can’t afford to drive a motorhome.That was told to me by the Salesman who sold me my First motorhome in 1975 . And it is still true today....Enjoy the journey..Not the MPG...

We all know that traveling in an RV is not the fuel efficient way to go. But at the same time, why wouldn't some of us want to save, with little effort, when we could. Depending on fuel costs, an extra mile per gallon along a 250 mile trip probably nets enough savings to pay for lunch. Sounds like a deal to me!

[n2zon]

Originally Posted by twinboat

The speed limit, as the word limit implies, is the maximum limit, not the speed your obligated to go.

If your driving above the posted Minimum limit, your OK.
It is not unsafe to drive 50 MPH in a 70 MPH area, even if others are exceding that limit.
Bad behavior doesn't justifie more of the same.

What becomes unsafe, to the faster drivers, is them not judging your speed and waiting to pass properly.

How often have you crashed into vehicles traveling slower then you ?

In mountain driving it is unavoidable for all vehicles to maintain the speed you choose to drive. Drivers just need to be aware of others on the road.

Do you have any stats on this unbelievable hazard ?

I'm a "go with the flow" guy. Here's one link (there are lots more but I'm too lazy) about the 85% percentile speed being safer than going slow: https://www.motorists.org/issues/speed-limits/faq/

[Daveinet]

Originally Posted by twinboat

The speed limit, as the word limit implies, is the maximum limit, not the speed your obligated to go.

If your driving above the posted Minimum limit, your OK.
It is not unsafe to drive 50 MPH in a 70 MPH area, even if others are exceeding that limit.
Bad behavior doesn't justify more of the same.
....

How often have you crashed into vehicles traveling slower then you ?

In mountain driving it is unavoidable for all vehicles to maintain the speed you choose to drive. Drivers just need to be aware of others on the road.

Do you have any stats on this unbelievable hazard ?

Yes, I do, and it is posted above. It is quite well established fact. Speed deviation is what is unsafe. If you look search on the Solomon curve, you will find a lot of information.



I would like to highlight your statement:

"What becomes unsafe, to the faster drivers, is them not judging your speed and waiting to pass properly."


Yes, this is true, and one of several causes. But I hope you see the problem. We do not want to create a situation where someone is injured as a result of an accident, regardless of whose "legal" fault it is.



You also state that as long as you are above the minimum, you are OK. The Solomon curve shows the minimum speed limit is often too low and unsafe. Regardless of the speed, 15% either side of the "85% percentile speed" results in significant more likelihood of being involved in an accident.



Some antidotal evidence. I used to drive every day back and forth to work in Chicago traffic. You would not believe the number of rearend collisions that resulted from a single car going significantly slower than the rest of the traffic. Most of the time the culprit was never involved. Its the accordion effect, where the first car gets slowed down, the second car is able to get slowed down, but skids, and the 3rd car slams into the rear of the second car. I've come close to being rearended several times on my bike. Fortunately I have been able to squeeze between the lanes to avoid getting hit. I also rarely travel in the center lane, as you have very few options when everyone slams on their brakes.

[Mnoel]

"How often have you crashed into vehicles traveling slower then you ?" Sorry, I can't help myself, but in every single rear end crash ever, the lead car was going slower than the rear-ending car. It would absolutely never happen if the lead car was going faster.

[Cloud Dancer]

Whenever I cruise in my Dutch Star, towing my 4x4 GMC Envoy, I do it at 65 mph, for the reasons I have stated several times, I fully understand that it's my responsibility, and my right, to drive safely. IMO, On average, if I hit a vehicle with the front of my MH, it's my fault. But, if a vehicle hits the back of my GMC, it's THEIR fault. In all my years of driving on public roads, I have never made contact with another vehicle. I'm 80 years old, with whiskers. It's not all luck.

[lonfu]

Hmmmm..... a moho that weights 30k lbs to a car that weights 3k lbs. fuel economy... 11mpg vs 30mpg... moho's get great mileage when you consider the fuel efficiency per lb, depending on how fast you drive it.

Yes, I depend on folks following the law and paying attention to their driving, so get off your cell phone, get the dog off the front dashboard, quit dinking around with your electronics and pay attention....

My car is speed rated for 160 mph, my scooter for 140 mph, my moho for 75 mph.... if I drive each of my vehicles at 2/3 of their speed rating how long do you think they will last???? What will the cost of repairs per mile be?? do the math...

Braking a vehicle from 160 mph takes a long long long time.... braking a 30,000 lb vehicle from 75 mph takes a long long long time.... I know, I've had to do it....

3 million documented, 1 million undocumented miles experience. Drove tow truck for 1.5 years. Had to keep track of my miles for my tax returns. I can say, from experience, if you drive vehicles big vehicles at 2/3 there speed rating they will cost you less per mile than if you drive them at the max speed they are rated for. In smaller vehicles if you load them to max weight and drive them at 1/3 max speed rating they will cost you less.... a lot less...

After full timing for a 6 years, 1.5 years as a tow truck driver, the major cause of accidents that I have seen here in north america, is speed. Folks driving too fast for the road, weather, vehicle and traffic conditions. I can't do anything about these conditions, but I can do something about how fast I drive my vehicle, it is the only choice you have... It is sad that folks "over drive" their vehicle for these conditions, I call it "poor driving". Rear enders are caused by poor drivers not paying attention to their driving situation as it presents it self.

Had one last night, a perfect example. Driving the speed limit on a city road in a small compact 4 door car. 3/4 ton truck tail gating less than 8 feet off rear bumper at 35 mph. There is absolutely no chance that that truck could be stopped if I had to brake suddenly for traffic due to trucks weight.... When he crosses the double yellow line in the freeway entrance area to pass me I slow down to let him pass.... It is called poor judgement, not knowing his vehicle, nothing I can do about that, but the slower I'm going the better chance of my surviving the accident. I've seen this many times from my tow truck days.... speed kills...

So, when I read that some one believes that driving a vehicle at the vehicles max speed rating will prevent an accident, all I can do is laugh to myself....

[Daveinet]

I should really point out. Its about the time a driver has to react. If the vehicle is going 10 mph slower than you, you have some time to either match his speed or move over. So, lets say I'm in a car following a semi. I'm following the two second rule. There are cars in the left lane passing me. The semi is timing a gap in the cars and moves to the left lane. At that moment, I see the motorhome directly in front of me doing 20 mph slower than I am. There are cars in the left lane, so I can't change lanes. I slam on the brakes, but the car behind me can only see me and now has even less time to react. That is how accidents happen. If the motorhome had only been doing 10 mph slower, everyone would have made it. But at a 20 mph speed differential, its just too much. The second or third car just can't get stopped that quick.

[Gordon Dewald]

I managed several thousand miles of highway roads. We had to investigate every fatal accident scene to determine if there were roadway factors that contributed to or caused the accident. Having access to the police report I noted that many times the speed was listed as exceeding the speed limit. This was especially true when it was a single vehicle accident.

Saddest part was finding small toys at the accident scene that the cleanup crew had missed during cleanup.

[BikesAndGuns]

Originally Posted by lonfu

I've been living on the cheap for 20 years. When it comes to fuel, the only way to save $$$ is to slow down. Most moho's have a certain speed that they get the best mileage. Most of them it is at 50 mph or slightly above or below. My friends get the same as you, I get 11 mpg towing. I drive at 50 mph in 5th gear on a 6 speed tranny, my coach is 29k lbs. That is the best speed for this coach. Driving slower in traffic is tough, but after 10k miles or so you get use to it.

Safety???? blow outs at 50 are controllable, at 75 they are not. Turn on your headlights for safety. Tires, brakes, wheel bearings and many other chassis parts last longer when you slow down and the moho is easier to control.... The top speed rating for most moho tires is??? 75 mph at 80 degrees ambient.

Sure, I let it drift when I'm going down a hill but set the cruise at 50 when on anything else. My cars I drive at or above the speed limit. Think of it this way, the slower you drive the further you will be able to go per dollar. On 2 lane highways, it is easier for big rigs to pass you when you drive 50 than when you drive 60. When they pass I slow down for them to help them pass.... Oh sure, every once in a couple of years you get one that is stupid and hasn't figured out what is going on but such is the nature of newbies.... No matter how fast your drive, there will always be some fool who will pull out to pass, why not make it easier for them?

Speed costs money....

I think it's great that you are doing what make sense to you. Over the years, I have heard people complain that they can't drive the speed limit because "I'll get run over". What does that even mean, lol?! The fact is, as long as you are driving over the minimum speed limit, you are not a hazard, regardless of what others may say. I typically drive at the speed limit or slightly above and I have no problem with slower or faster drivers. I continually look ahead, to the left, to the right and in my mirrors to see who is around me. If someone is going slower, I can easily see that long before I am anywhere near them. People need to be more tolerant of other drivers. As long as each of us is paying attention, it shouldn't really matter how fast or slow everyone else is going. So enjoy!

[Cloud Dancer]

The secret is knowing how to stay alive for all those years that it takes to become a safe driver. I speeded up the process by starting racing at a very young age. Then I learned to fly jets. Then, you die of old age,.....unless you screw up. I will betcha that the next fatal crash will be caused by pilot error. I'm not very good at saying nothing.

[Daveinet]

Originally Posted by Gordon Dewald

I managed several thousand miles of highway roads. We had to investigate every fatal accident scene to determine if there were roadway factors that contributed to or caused the accident. Having access to the police report I noted that many times the speed was listed as exceeding the speed limit. This was especially true when it was a single vehicle accident.

You know I always find these things as a little confusing. Up until about 15 years ago, the primary cause for accidents was driver inattentiveness. Then all of a sudden it changed to speed. So what changed? Did our driving habits change? Probably not. So that change sounds suspicious. I read your comment carefully, and you state that many times the speed was listed as exceeding the speed limit. I think that statement gets to the crux of the change. A very high percentage of the traffic exceeds the speed limit. So since nearly all cars are speeding, then virtually every accident that occurs will have a car exceeding the speed limit. This makes it very difficult to show any association with speed as to a cause or even contributing factor as a statistic.

The underlying belief is that the insurance companies are behind this statistical change. They are known for supplying sophisticated monitoring tools for catching speeders. Why would they do this? Well because they have an excuse to raise the rates without incurring any corresponding liability. Its been going on for long enough that everyone just excepts it for gospel without challenging the methodology for collecting data.

[steve52]

Speed differential is a major cause of accidents on the highway. Anyone who thinks they are NOT a traffic hazard when driving 20-25 mph slower than the prevailing flow is ignorant.

[TheWoodBoss]

I like to stay in the left lane as much as possible, go with the flow, if the highway is wide open and I have room out front, so 65 to 75 mph and I get 6.25 mpg. Dealing with all the merging, trucks braking and pulling off in the right lane is pretty dangerous. Sitting there at 55 or 60 with cars and trucks whipping in front and around you is not safe either. Obviously I didn't buy a motorhome to save money or get great fuel mileage. As for the fuel mileage estimate the OP got from the seller, he lied, people do it all the time to make something sound better than it really is. Always take a sellers comments with a grain of salt, do your own research.

[98winnie]

my old winnebago with a 460 ford gets around 6 to 6.5. my sweet spot is 62 for the best ride. mpg doesn't seem to change no matter what i do.