I recently moved here from Lake Havasu City, Arizona. The driving there, as well as parts of Southern California, Nevada, Texas and others, is relatively fast (80-85mph) and for extended durations in very hot temperatures. I used to have a commute of over 100 miles round trip per day, and we also would tow our boat in that kind of heat. Without a doubt, some very tough conditions.
What I have noticed in Germany over the past 4 months is that the driving is a bit different. There are many two-lane roads going here and there with the speed limit generally being 100kmh when out of town and 50kmh while passing through the many small villages. What happens though, is that you will get tractors and transport trucks going along the road at slower speeds which most people will pass. That passing tends to mean, at least for me, a downshift and a charge to the redline. Not a huge deal, but it happens several times usually on a commute.
On the Autobahn, it’s a different type of animal. The ‘recommended’ speed is 130kmh. There are some places where an actual speed limit will be posted and enforced, but the rest of it is at one’s discretion. There are those that cruse along in Skodas, Fiats, and sometimes faster cars at 75 or 80. I mean, gas is about $9 gallon here. However, there are always people blowing by at speeds much higher. As in speeds that literally make you feel as if you are parked on the side of the road. I generally cruise along at around 150-160kmh or 95-100mph, and I always get blown away by Audis, Mercedes, and others when the traffic permits. Another thing that I notice with Autobahn driving, is that when one does want to really get going fast, it is common to have to hit the brakes to scrub off a lot of speed when someone in front decides to get in the left lane for the pass. It is a speed swing, up and down rather than just cruising like we frequently do in the States. Other than that, it seems that frequently, and this is just an observation or opinion, that the slower cars are also close to their respective limits.
In Germany, the government taxes based upon the engine’s output. It was mentioned about the differences in the way people tow, and nothing could be truer. It is kind of funny at first to see someone towing horses or a camper with an Opel or an Audi, but you get used to it as it is just how things are done over here. There are a lot of cars with smaller engines than you see in the US driving these roads. Many are below 2 liters in displacement. I guess there are a lot of differences that I’ve noticed, so it does not seem unreasonable to see that they spec different weight oils.
