85 mph speed limit in Texas!

[Artem]

Originally Posted By: apwillard1986


Anyways, on all the times I made this drive I failed to once see an SUV or Truck blowing around like a tin can.


If there is not 25mph wind blowing, any auto can safely do 85mph. Now braking from 85 to a halt in the even a sudden stop is needed is a whole other question and that's the one thing that i'd be worried about but on a stretch of road where there isn't much action going on, i guess it's ok.

I'm all up for getting where i need to go faster. Gives me more time to live my lift instead of spending it on the road.

 

[Chris142]

not in my jeep! anything over 70 is spooky plus it drops my mpg into The single digits

 

[Jeff_in_VABch]

BXD20:

The good old days of bias ply tires and drum brakes.

I think cars are much better now, but a portion of kids are much dumber.

I remember seeing an interview with a state trooper back in the late 80s where he told some stories where every day he would give out several tickets every day for speeds over 100MPH when the speed limit was 75. I guess we are heading back to that.



The National Maximum Speed Law (NMSL) in the United States was a provision of the 1974 Emergency Highway Energy Conservation Act that prohibited speed limits higher than 55 miles per hour (89 km/h). It was drafted in response to oil price spikes and supply disruptions during the 1973 oil crisis.

While officials hoped gasoline consumption would fall by 2.2%, actual savings are estimated at between 0.5% and 1%.

The law was widely disregarded by motorists, and most states subversively opposed the law. Actions ranged from proposing deals for exemption to de-emphasizing speed limit enforcement. The NMSL was modified in 1987 and 1988 to allow up to 65 mph (105 km/h) limits on certain limited access, rural roads. Congress repealed the NMSL in 1995, fully returning speed limit setting authority to the states.

 

[A_Harman]

I don't know what fuel economy my Camaro would get at 90 mph, but I'd sure like to find out. I know that it gets 26 mpg at 77 mph, which is my normal speed on Interstates. This is one advantage given by the big, slow-turning pushrod V8 that runs 1700 rpm in 6th gear. Even at 90, the engine would only be turning 2000.

 

[clutchpain]

[censored] come to Frederick Maryland! No one worries about speed limits because there are no cops on the roads, state cops are non existent, county cops are busy with people not wearing seat belts and care little about anything!
You can cancel your trash company and just come down a back road and dump it all out! If the citizens have pictures of the vehicles, there no GOOD! Cops must see it to be a crime.

Average speed on back roads or interconnecting roads ranges from 50 to 100 (25-30 speed limit, not to worry).

So, come on down to Frederick Maryland and it's towns like Monrovia, Mt Airy, etc.

As a special benefit you can ride on someone's bumper within a few feet to show them what a complete idiot you are.

 

[SS1970chrysler]

While my daily use cars wouldn't even be capable of those new higher limits, my antiques are still up to it. MPG would be about 9 though.

 

[Shannow]

They are talking about changinng the speeds in my state to 70...km/hr

 

[TooManyWheels]

Originally Posted By: Artem

Now braking from 85 to a halt in the even a sudden stop is needed is a whole other question and that's the one thing that i'd be worried about but on a stretch of road where there isn't much action going on, i guess it's ok.



In actuality, the stretch of road he quoted is very heavily traveled, and there is a significant number of people who routinely complicate the situation by ignoring both the minimum and maximum limits. So now, in addition to the number of people at the margins, you have the majority going 75-80. When the extremes interact with the middle, I do believe there will be disaster.

 

[Spazdog]

US 287. There is nothing there. Except cows and wind farms.

 

[Astro14]

Originally Posted By: FirstNissan
2 BIG issues with that for me:

1) A crash at 70MPH or even 85MPH is a death sentence. Dosent matter if you are in a Hummer, you will die at that speed. (I work in the ER, I see crash victims/casualty's all the time)

2) Fuel economy is going to go down to near nothing at that speed.


This is a recipe for disaster. A few high profile crashes and fatalities and the speed limits will be lowered.


Big issues for you...but, clearly, not for Germans, for whom driving that speed on the Autobahn is an inherent right...

 

[Vikas]

If I drive under the limit, would I get a ticket? If not, why should I care if the limit increased to 85 or to even 100? You guys are complaining as if you are forced to drive at the speed limit.

 

[TooManyWheels]

Originally Posted By: Vikas
If I drive under the limit, would I get a ticket? If not, why should I care if the limit increased to 85 or to even 100? You guys are complaining as if you are forced to drive at the speed limit.


You completely do not understand the situation. In many cases these are overly congested highways, with vast disparity in speed. Just the proximity alone means a very high chance of collateral damage.

 

[Sonataman]

Speed limits are just that, limits.

It does not mean you HAVE to drive that fast!

 

[abycat]

Originally Posted By: bxd20
Originally Posted By: FirstNissan
2 BIG issues with that for me:

1) A crash at 70MPH or even 85MPH is a death sentence. Dosent matter if you are in a Hummer, you will die at that speed. (I work in the ER, I see crash victims/casualty's all the time)

2) Fuel economy is going to go down to near nothing at that speed.


This is a recipe for disaster. A few high profile crashes and fatalities and the speed limits will be lowered.


Speed limits were 75mph back in the 1960s.

When many cars on the road didn't even HAVE seat belts. Much less there being seat belt laws.

When many cars had 4 wheel drum brakes. Coupled with bias ply, skinny, high profile tires and those cars took 3 times the distance to stop compared to today's cars.

Those cars had suspensions that were designed for comfort at the expense of handling. Gas charged dampeners and sway bars were scarce.

Air bags? Cushioned dashboards? Plastic coated windshields? Halogen or HID lighting? ABS? Stability? Reflectors on the roadway (at least improved)? Not to mention highway lanes have gotten wider over the decades. The list goes on and on and on.

Back then, once a wreck happened, you were very fortunate if a trucker with a CB radio called for help and got in touch with police. Cell phones have helped safety tremendously.

I'm not advocating reckless behavior, however driving a car today at 85mph is pretty similar to driving a car back then much slower. I remember some of those floaty suspensions with terrible handling and anything over 80 felt like you might go careening off the road.

We should focus on the safety of our equipment. My state doesn't have an annual safety inspection, which is ludicrous.

And then focus on the safety and enforcement of driving laws. Too many people doing whatever they want on our roads.

Many cars today are designed and capable to be perfectly safe at very high speeds, IF they are maintained and operated properly.


I agree! Even my camaro with all new suspension and steering with brand new performance tires and aluminum rims still doesnt feel right at 80 mph but my versa feels perfectly stable at 90+. If my truck could get there it should be fairly stable compared to the camaro but all three of them are totally different. still Id trust a 2008 and up at 80. Most likely im picking a year that could be -8 years and still be just fine.

Id hate to see a pos at that speed. I saw some woman in a late 80's chevy sprint that was in the passing lane driving around 60mph and I noticed her front wheel was visually wobbling and when I passed her I noticed her hand was shaking about 2" left and right. pretty scary.

 

[CarbonSteel]

Originally Posted By: matrass
does not make a lot of sense to me. 70mph is fast enough to get where you are going. people in my neck of the woods stink at driving over 65 at 85 they would all be doing over that speed limit too, while texting reading the paper ( yes I have seen people doing that while driving ) etc ....

In the NE states where I could visit 5 or 6 in a single day and where there is massive congestion that may be true, but I look forward to it here in Texas.

We had a saying when driving from Orange (eastern border) to El Paso (western border) on I-10...the sun rose and the sun set and I still am not out of Texas yet (it is 880 miles state line to state line).

Many of the drivers here already drive 80-85 on the major freeways so this will not really change anything other than making it legal.

 

[CarbonSteel]

Originally Posted By: apwillard1986
At night it slows to 65 for safety. Last I looked it was 65 for semis as well.

They have already started removing the 65MPH limit at night. On I-10 from Orange to Houston, it is gone and the speed limit has been raised to 75MPH until you hit the outskirts of Houston on the east side. It changes back to 75MPH on the west side of Houston headed towards San Antonio.

Now to up the limit between Fort Worth and Amarillo on US287 to 75MPH. Maybe it already is--I will be finding out on our next trip to Colorado.

 

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted By: Astro14
Originally Posted By: FirstNissan
2 BIG issues with that for me:

1) A crash at 70MPH or even 85MPH is a death sentence. Dosent matter if you are in a Hummer, you will die at that speed. (I work in the ER, I see crash victims/casualty's all the time)

2) Fuel economy is going to go down to near nothing at that speed.


This is a recipe for disaster. A few high profile crashes and fatalities and the speed limits will be lowered.


Big issues for you...but, clearly, not for Germans, for whom driving that speed on the Autobahn is an inherent right...


Far different.

Look at the training. Here anybody that takes a simple test can drive any vehicle anyplace. Poor skills abound.

Of course what is worse is those who think they have good skills and thus are entitled to break the law.

Then look at maintenance. The low grades of overworn tires on junk cars.

And compare to Germany. I was there a month ago. Other than far east, there arent many long stretches where you can go unlimited. And at most onramps even in the unlimited zone it rapidly drops to 120, 100, 80 before going back up. There is so much congestion there are lots of places where it is irrelevant.

And, if my cars optimally operate at 55-60 MPH, but they raise a minimum limit that is not optimal for my pocket and my economy, I take offense at that. No cars I know of bend physics enough to optimize fuel economy in the high 70s/low 80s.

 

[JR]

didnt montana have a stretch of highway that was open speed zone.

 

[calvin1]

When following distance and lane discipline are observed you can wring a lot more speed out of a road. These are things Americans will never get without mucho reeducation.

 

[dave1251]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2

And, if my cars optimally operate at 55-60 MPH, but they raise a minimum limit that is not optimal for my pocket and my economy, I take offense at that. No cars I know of bend physics enough to optimize fuel economy in the high 70s/low 80s.


"Who cares how other people drive? Get over it! Oh, speeding helps me save gas....my truck stops running on all 8 cylinders and drops down to 4."

This is the mentally I have to deal with around here, I also know from experience that Chrysler's MDS system is not that forgiving on Ram Trucks.