Fuel prices and speed limits

[MovingTarget]

With ever increasing costs at the pump, the average American is left with an ever-decreasing amount of disposable income each month. It isn't just gasoline prices that are putting the breaks on us economically as the cost of diesel that our trucks use to transport goods to market drives up the costs of those goods. Either way, the rise of fuel prices is becoming a larger and larger political issue.

So far, a number of things have been implemented such as the raising of CAFE standards by 2015 or the various ethanol mandates. Some politicians have proposed things such as having a temporary "gas tax holiday" to help out the average person. However, the demand for oil has thus far proved pretty inelastic as people are tied to their vehicles for work, etc. There doesn't seem to be any end in sight in the near future.

Recently, I was reading this article about fuel economy and thought to myself about that not-so-fond memory of the national speed limit over a decade ago - 55mph. It is true that most vehicles today get their maximum gas mileage around or slightly above this speed, usually up to 65mph max. However, as any of you who have frequented the interstates within the past decade can probably recall, driving at these speeds just might get you run off the road. Many people nowadays with faster, more powerful vehicles drive at 80+mph on a consistent basis.

So, what do you guys think? Barring some drastic drop in the price at the pump, will we see such a move back to a national speed limit? or maybe on a state by state level? Should we even bother? How would you react to such a proposal?

 

[SAWYER]

I have actually slowed down in hopes of saving gas.

 

[potato28]

Doesn't matter around here, the cops don't even enforce the 100 km limit. Earlier this week I was doing 140 in the left lane, cop passed me in the middle going faster. Edit: and the fuel prices up here are $1.26 a liter, which is more than $4.50 a gallon.

 

[Fenixgoon]

i try and keep my engine in its most efficient RPM range.. but good luck getting anyone to slow down on the interstates.

I :heart: I95

 

[Dman877]

Going 75 - 90 mph is just too damn easy in modern cars. There's no noticeable noise increase, the vehicle still tracks well, the steering wheel doesn't shake. I wasn't driving back in the 70's when they last imposed the 55 mph limit but judging from my experiences in cars from the eighties, going fast in old cars was more intimidating.

Good luck getting people to slow down...

 

[marvdmartian]

Well, my truck gets it's best mpg around 65mph, so that's usually where I drive it. The last time they dropped the national speed limit, it was after the 73 oil embargo, when car companies were (for the most part) just detuning their gas hog engines in order to get a couple more miles per gallon out of them. Dropping the speed limit was another effort to do the same thing, but given the excuse of saving more lives, to make it more palatable to the public.

Nowadays, I think the car companies could get more mileage from their engines just by making engineering changes. Now that the SUV has pretty much died off in popularity, and everyone's looking for more and more gas mileage from their cars, I think it's more likely we'll see smaller vehicles and more economical engines.

 

[996GT2]

My car is 12 years old (96 Accord) and even IT doesn't have a hard time going 80+...no noticeable shakes in the steering or anything like that...with modern cars, it's even easier to go speeds like that and not even notice.

Btw, where I live, NOBODY goes less than 70 on the interstate. Even semi trucks are doing around 70-75. I live in the Midwest, so California and other similar places probably see much more exuberant speeding.

 

[nakedfrog]

No, I don't think it should be mandated. If people want better MPG, they can choose to go slower. I'd rather do 75-80 on a 500 mile trip and pay more for gas in exchange for less time on the road.

 

[shabby]

Thats the dumbest idea i've ever heard.

 

[LTC8K6]

http://www.caranddriver.com/fe...or_fuel_economy_column

Look at the whopping increase in FE when you slow down, though. If you think you get better FE at 65 than 55, you are fooling yourself, imo. The difference in drag alone is huge.

It can be a huge difference when you slow down.

"Tip No. 2: Drive slower.

This tip is unlikely to gain any traction around here, but the fact is that going faster burns more fuel. In the above example at 75 mph and in sixth gear, the BMW achieved 29.7 mpg. I dropped to 65 mph, and the fuel consumption also fell, to 33.6. If you're really into rubbing pennies, going even slower will pay more dividends. At 55 mph, the BMW behaved like an economy car and achieved 37.9 mpg. Aerodynamic drag increases with the square of vehicle speed, and the engine power required to overcome aerodynamic drag increases with the cube of vehicle speed, so going 18 percent faster?from 55 mph to 65?increases drag by nearly 40 percent and requires 65 percent more engine power. If you choose to heed this advice, however, stay in the right lane?please."

 

[overst33r]

Originally posted by: LTC8K6
http://www.caranddriver.com/fe...or_fuel_economy_column

Look at the whopping increase in FE when you slow down, though. If you think you get better FE at 65 than 55, you are fooling yourself, imo. The difference in drag alone is huge.

It can be a huge difference when you slow down.

"Tip No. 2: Drive slower.

This tip is unlikely to gain any traction around here, but the fact is that going faster burns more fuel. In the above example at 75 mph and in sixth gear, the BMW achieved 29.7 mpg. I dropped to 65 mph, and the fuel consumption also fell, to 33.6. If you're really into rubbing pennies, going even slower will pay more dividends. At 55 mph, the BMW behaved like an economy car and achieved 37.9 mpg. Aerodynamic drag increases with the square of vehicle speed, and the engine power required to overcome aerodynamic drag increases with the cube of vehicle speed, so going 18 percent faster?from 55 mph to 65?increases drag by nearly 40 percent and requires 65 percent more engine power. If you choose to heed this advice, however, stay in the right lane?please."

It depends on the cars gearing as well. For example, cars with tall overdrive gears might like 65mph moreso than 55-60mph. You will hear people claiming they get the best mileage at 80mph, which honestly I think is far fetched if you do simple math, but people swear by it.

As for the OP, personally I wouldn't mind a 55mph speed limit. It's more relaxing in my car and commute. I would just leave the house a bit earlier. Like others have said though, good luck slowing people down.

 

[jagec]

Originally posted by: nakedfrog
No, I don't think it should be mandated. If people want better MPG, they can choose to go slower. I'd rather do 75-80 on a 500 mile trip and pay more for gas in exchange for less time on the road.

That's not the full story. Going slow when everyone else is going fast is a huge safety risk, not just for you, but for everyone else on the road.

The safest speed is the speed which everyone else is going. Period.

 

[GoatMonkey]

I don't think it would help anything. Even if it did save gas, there is no shortage of oil causing gas prices to be high.

Speed limits wouldn't help that much anyway. What you really need is acceleration limits, or even better change everyone's driving style. High cruising speeds don't affect fuel consumption anywhere near as much as city driving style. If people want to save gas, using similar driving techniques to those described in the article would cause a big change. Avoid braking as much a possible by coasting in to red lights, don't follow too closely, and just generally think ahead to what you can do to save gas while driving.

You guys don't need a detailed description here, I'm sure you know what I'm talking about, it's the people who think of their cars as appliances that should work at perfect efficiency no matter how stupid the operator is. So, pretty much the people who will never read this.

Simply allowing gas prices to be higher will have more of an affect on fuel consumption than lowering speed limits would. I've seen fewer SUVs on the road recently. It's not like we had to ban them, just make them expensive to operate.

 

[LTC8K6]

It's only a matter of time before the limits are lowered, imo.

Someone is going to suggest it to congress and that will be that. Once they hear the testimony on the difference in fuel consumption between 75 and 55, that'll be all she wrote.

It's good for us... :roll:

 

[PingSpike]

If they really want to save fuel, they should redesign the light timing and install more trigger driven lights. I shouldn't be able to look at intersections and see horrible mistakes in the light design. Some one far smarter than I should have already made the fixes!

A better designed light system would reduce idling, reduce time on the road and reduce acceleration. It'd also make people happier.

 

[Uhtrinity]

I've already dropped my speed and typically take backroads instead of the interstate to get where I am going. Why drive at 75 mph and get an average of 65 mpg when I can do 55 - 60 mph and get 80+ mpg? This is assuming I have an extra ten minutes for a 60 mile drive.

 

[MovingTarget]

Originally posted by: GoatMonkey
I don't think it would help anything. Even if it did save gas, there is no shortage of oil causing gas prices to be high.

Speed limits wouldn't help that much anyway. What you really need is acceleration limits, or even better change everyone's driving style. High cruising speeds don't affect fuel consumption anywhere near as much as city driving style. If people want to save gas, using similar driving techniques to those described in the article would cause a big change. Avoid braking as much a possible by coasting in to red lights, don't follow too closely, and just generally think ahead to what you can do to save gas while driving.

You guys don't need a detailed description here, I'm sure you know what I'm talking about, it's the people who think of their cars as appliances that should work at perfect efficiency no matter how stupid the operator is. So, pretty much the people who will never read this.

Simply allowing gas prices to be higher will have more of an affect on fuel consumption than lowering speed limits would. I've seen fewer SUVs on the road recently. It's not like we had to ban them, just make them expensive to operate.

That is part of why a lot of people are baffled about the price of fuel. There isn't a real shortage. It is speculation in the commodities market and the falling dollar that contribute to it mostly.

The supply/demand of oil is inelastic. Reducing fuel consumption, either voluntarily or in this case by mandate, would help to decrease the demand, causing a surplus in refined stocks. It wouldn't really affect raw supply. When you have a glut/surplus of gasoline and the demand is relatively low, it should cause the price to drop as speculators see less risk in the perceived supply.

As it stands now, even though we have plenty of oil, every time somebody sneezes in the ME or Chavez emits some hot air, we have a rally on the price of oil as people think that the supply will be tight. This has got to stop sooner or later.

 

[sdifox]

I would rather see a auto drive slave system built into cars. So I get on highway, slave engages and the car is governed by highway traffic system. That would be nice as long as the system doesn't BSOD and refuses to let me override slave.

 

[exdeath]

Originally posted by: MovingTarget
With ever increasing costs at the pump, the average American is left with an ever-decreasing amount of disposable income each month. It isn't just gasoline prices that are putting the breaks on us economically as the cost of diesel that our trucks use to transport goods to market drives up the costs of those goods. Either way, the rise of fuel prices is becoming a larger and larger political issue.

So far, a number of things have been implemented such as the raising of CAFE standards by 2015 or the various ethanol mandates. Some politicians have proposed things such as having a temporary "gas tax holiday" to help out the average person. However, the demand for oil has thus far proved pretty inelastic as people are tied to their vehicles for work, etc. There doesn't seem to be any end in sight in the near future.

Recently, I was reading this article about fuel economy and thought to myself about that not-so-fond memory of the national speed limit over a decade ago - 55mph. It is true that most vehicles today get their maximum gas mileage around or slightly above this speed, usually up to 65mph max. However, as any of you who have frequented the interstates within the past decade can probably recall, driving at these speeds just might get you run off the road. Many people nowadays with faster, more powerful vehicles drive at 80+mph on a consistent basis.

So, what do you guys think? Barring some drastic drop in the price at the pump, will we see such a move back to a national speed limit? or maybe on a state by state level? Should we even bother? How would you react to such a proposal?

If you want to slow down because you're worried about gas prices, be my guest. Just stay in the right lane and let others waste their money if they want and don't try to force others to follow your lead by imposing laws that violate free will.

I have issue with people who think that just because something seems like a good idea that it should be an invasive law imposed against everyone else without their consent. We preach diversity and freedom, yet those people want to pass invasive laws that are anti-diverse and anti-freedom of choice, and require everyone to act the same way under threat of government force.

I do 55 on average anyway just because of dense traffic and I like getting on it from time to time when it clears up. Doesn't matter how much horsepower you have when you're stuck behind a school bus for 10 miles.

 

[JulesMaximus]

I ride a motorcycle.

50+ mpg FTW!!! :thumbsup:

 

[desy]

Actually, thats why its rising so high is speculators are assuming a coming shortage and think the price now is a bargain when demand outstrips supply.

 

[MovingTarget]

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus
I ride a motorcycle.

50+ mpg FTW!!! :thumbsup:

This is why I've been considering a scooter as of late. I don't know if I'll go that way or not, but I'll be taking the motorcycle test soon at the dmv to get that endorsement added to my license. At the very least, it would be kinda redundant to have the endorsements: "DMV" on my license (I'm already certified to operate a vessel in AL)

Motorcycles and scooters have been proliferating quite a bit around here lately.

 

[randomlinh]

no, i don't want yet another mindless regulation. it won't do any good. the bigger problem would still be rush hour. puttering along at 25mph stop and go... it's pretty far from your efficiency goal.

the automated highway system sounds good, but I can't think of a good way to implement it. that and it'd cost us.. oh.. more than we'd want to. and I wonder how effective it could actually be w/o causing accidents.

I would like to see more efforts put into GOOD public transportation. Unfortunately, I have no examples or solutions to dole out.

 

[rh71]

I don't think 80mph is even close to the majority. More like 65-70 as the flow of traffic... still.

BTW, I've repeatedly stated what the cost differences are with rising gas prices, but the savings from "driving more efficiently" are even more insignificant.

 

[mb]

Yesterday I tried to drive the speed limit on the interstate.. I couldn't do it. I still went 70-75.
This morning I figured I'd use cruise control.. set it to 65. Man it felt so slow.