Vehicle speed while passing

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Spin-off of the engine rpm's while passing thread. What speed are you comfortable hitting when passing? If the speed limit is 55 what is the minimum speed you will stay behind someone before passing?
 
Highly situational for me.

Speed limit : Cruise control limit. Of course, traffic and safe passing space allowing.

55 : 65:
60 : 65
65 : 70
70 : 70-75
75 : 75
80 : 75-80
 
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Originally Posted by joegreen
Spin-off of the engine rpm's while passing thread. What speed are you comfortable hitting when passing? If the speed limit is 55 what is the minimum speed you will stay behind someone before passing?

Here in La. they give you 6 mph on highways. On our rural highways set at 55 mph I like to stay the speed limit or just below it because of the narrow shoulders. On 55 mph roads with a wide shoulder I drive 60 mph. I pass someone if they are only traveling at 55 mph on wide shoulder roads. I won't pass on narrow shoulder roads, unless they're traveling at the speed of a turtle.
 
Not based on speed as much as a ton of other factors:

- Is the vehicle being driven in a way that appears ATTENTIVE and FOCUSED?
- Is the vehicle maintained and appears to be held together? Or are there loose body parts, wobbly tires, unsecured payloads that could fly off?
- Is it billowing exhaust like a coal rolling truck or 70s pickup?


But when passing, I go as fast as conditions allow because in my state it's illegal to block the passing lane. The goal is to pass quickly and then get over to the right lane.
 
55. People who do the exact speed limit make me nervous.
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I usually set my cruise to 10 over.

Anyone not going that speed or faster gets passed.

I don't put a limit on my speed when I pass. I make the pass as quickly as possible and get back over.
 
I don't like going over 100, seems risky on a number of fronts, even on a straight section of highway with little traffic and no cops around and good visibility, good light, good roads, etc.

Change the variables and the speed comes way down. Most 2 lane roads, I may "hate it" but I'll just follow if they are doing the limit, even if I find a passing zone. If they are doing 5 under, eh, sometimes I'll pass and sometimes I won't. If I do pass, then I'll take it up to 60+ if needed, and coast back down to the limit, I really don't pay attention, it's just floor it and not let up until I am passing in a fast manner. It goes without saying that if I don't think I can pass in a safe manner then I don't pass (can't get up to speed fast enough to do it, not enough road with clear visibility, etc).

And of course, exceeding the posted limit, even while passing, is still breaking the speed limit. Yadda yadda yadda.
 
Situational here as well. If you're going 50 in a 55 on a straight rural highway in good conditions I'm passing you. But when passing, pedal to the floor and go.
 
Originally Posted by rooflessVW
I usually set my cruise to 10 over.

Anyone not going that speed or faster gets passed.

I don't put a limit on my speed when I pass. I make the pass as quickly as possible and get back over.



Yes me too. And I still get passed a lot.
 
I heard a long time ago from a Highway Cop that: " +8 is great, but 9 you're mine" So when I travel in USA, for posted 65MPH, I go no faster than 73MPH for passing

In Canada, for 400 series highways with 100Km/h posted signs means I go 120Km/h with traffic and not more than 135Km/h passing.
 
In Minnesota we have a law which increases the speed limit by 10 mph when passing on a 2-lane. Many of our roads are posted 60 mph while some are still 55, so 70 or 65, respectively, are legal passing speeds. It seems pretty fair, as it'd be nearly impossible to pass without exceeding the legal limit unless the passee was driving well under the limit.
There's also a state law that prevents tickets from going on your record or to your insurance company within similar parameters - 10 over in a 55 and 5 over in a 60, if I remember correctly.
 
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Originally Posted by TmanP
In Minnesota we have a law which increases the speed limit to 65 when passing on a 2-lane. Many of our roads are posted 60 mph while some are still 55.
There's also a state law that prevents tickets from going on your record or to your insurance company within the same parameters - 10 over in a 55 and 5 over in a 60.


That makes sense. Too many people in Ontario drive super slow when passing semi trucks on the hwy. There are huge bottle necks because of this, combined with too many left lane bandits.
 
I live in a very rural area. In my county, there is a 10-mile strip of road that has a speed limit of 55. There is a "55 mph speed limit" sign on the very beginning of this strip and another one on the other end of this 10-mile road and none in between.
This is the county speed trap and you may see two or three law enforcement vehicles while traveling down this 55 mph zone.
If you go 60 on this 55 mph zone, odds are, you will get stopped and written up. If you are out-of-county or out-of-state, the odds are MUCH higher.
 
I set my cruise control 3mph over the speed limit. State Trooper told my buddy one time -- " 3mph your fine -- 5mph your mine!!!" I will never forget that.
 
I've been ticketed for speeding, when I wasn't. Small town corrupt cop and judge. Eventually they made the News for their crooked ways.


So... don't ever assume that you're safe from a ticket.
 
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I cruise at 6 mph (10 kph) over except for Kootenay National park which is partly deer fenced and the two lane highway has a 55 mph limit. There I go 12 mph (20 kph) over, but use a radar detector. ( legal in BC and Alberta). When I pass I generally go 9 mph (15 kph) faster than the car i'm passing.

24 mph ( 40 kph) over calls for vehicle impoundment.
 
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I drive the speed limit with cruise set. I hate it, but here in Arizona there are counties that have fines for one mph over! Real strict here, not like Houston where if you're 15 over but running with traffic you're ok. So, my pass criterion is the same as Reddy45. Full throttle starting the pass, when I'm well past I level off, get back in my lane and get back to the speed limit.
 
On a rural two-lane, your foot should be planted,
Get out of the way of any oncoming traffic as quickly as you can.
 
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