tires and speed

"Folks who are not proficient behind the wheel use speed as a blanket cause"

Not the most ridiculous post in a long time... but close. :R

People can rationalize excessive speed anyway they want but the number one cause of accidents and the accompanying injuries and deaths is excessive speed... for road conditions, equipment, and weather etc.

This is a fact that can NOT be disputed. :S Speed limits are the maximum allowable rate of travel and they are set for ideal conditions, factor in poor weather, visibility, heavy traffic etc., and they drop dramatically for everyone, not just those of us who are intelligent enough to obey them. :E

Desert Captain wrote:

Tachdriver wrote:
Food for thought, while there is a lot of discussion of what is legal or not, whether LT or ST tires, what about the reaction and stopping time of traveling at 80 vs 65?

This I believe is a much more important point to make. Yes you can be a safe driver at 80 but it is always someone else or another variable that will interfere with that. With no one else on the road in ideal conditions (assuming you are alert, rested, not medicated, no wind, no cars and no blow outs) it can be done. But.... with any of these variables you are setting yourself up for disaster.

Plainly said, speed kills.

X10 Thank You! :C

Bad driving kills. Folks who are not proficient behind the wheel use speed as a blanket cause. (Like the folks that figure going slower is the cure from their lack of skid control skills in winter...)
I never fart around behind the wheel, and consequently I am paying more attention than most. Blaming speed leaves out the biggest factors which are lack of attentiveness and incorrect reaction.

Oh dear, I speed and tow over 65mph, I must be morally bankrupt and the after-life will reflect that.

Francesca Knowles wrote:

Hybridhunter wrote:
....I'm closing in on 350000 accident free miles.
But I'm still a bad person.

You're not bad- you're miraculous...unless there's one too many zeros in that mileage number on that single set of tires! :W

I should have clarified, the tires only have around 12000 miles, I have been accident free for nearly 350K miles!

Plainly said, speed kills.

So do you drive 50 instead of 65 to be safer yet?

Or maybe a 25 MPH towing law to keep everybody on the road super safe?

Tachdriver wrote:
Food for thought, while there is a lot of discussion of what is legal or not, whether LT or ST tires, what about the reaction and stopping time of traveling at 80 vs 65?

This I believe is a much more important point to make. Yes you can be a safe driver at 80 but it is always someone else or another variable that will interfere with that. With no one else on the road in ideal conditions (assuming you are alert, rested, not medicated, no wind, no cars and no blow outs) it can be done. But.... with any of these variables you are setting yourself up for disaster.

Plainly said, speed kills.

X10 Thank You! :C

Food for thought, while there is a lot of discussion of what is legal or not, whether LT or ST tires, what about the reaction and stopping time of traveling at 80 vs 65?

This I believe is a much more important point to make. Yes you can be a safe driver at 80 but it is always someone else or another variable that will interfere with that. With no one else on the road in ideal conditions (assuming you are alert, rested, not medicated, no wind, no cars and no blow outs) it can be done. But.... with any of these variables you are setting yourself up for disaster.

Plainly said, speed kills.

Passin Thru wrote:
Blt2ski, It also says in the regs if you have a 4 WD with appropriate snow tires you do not need chains on pickup trucks only available in case you get in a bind.
I have an all-wheel or four-wheel drive vehicle. When "Chains Required" signs are posted, do I have to use chains?
No. All-wheel drive vehicles are exempt from chain requirements when all wheels are in gear and are equipped with approved traction devices, provided that tire chains for at least one set of drive tires are carried in the vehicle. See WAC 204-24-050.
As far as towing safely, it is the driver and not the gross weight. I worked in oilfield trucking and we hauled 140,000 lb loads on trucks designed for 100k. It's not necesesarily what you do , it's how you do it. I pulled a 32 ft Boles Aero from CA to VA years ago with a F150. Would I do it again? Probably not because it was a handful for me and I had driven 1 million miles then. I had to do it because I was pretty poor.

IF one is towing, or the gvwr of the total is over 10K lbs, THEN You WILL need chains on the rear drivers of a 4wd pickup! Ask me how I know! No I have not had my wallet lightened due to lack of chains. BUT, even if the tow vehicle is 4wd, you will need chains on the tow rig, and a drag chain on the trailer. A vehicle itself, yes, if under 10K gvwr you can go with out chains on the rig. BUT, if you find yourself in a ditch, wreck or otherwise. you may be cited if ALL vehicles need chains. I am assuming you note there are three different tire traction requirements in this state. Over 10K it is 2.

marty

nevadanick wrote:
Show me a law that says you cant exceed the speed rating on a tire. Also look into what it takes to make a tire dot legal, it isnt much.

What few times I've ben stopped, the cop never got down to see what my tire rating was.

Even if the tires are rated for higher speed, what about the ability to stop or maneuver in an emergency situation? What if a sudden gust of wind were to slam the side? I rarely exceed the posted limit and even then 110 km/h is plenty fast enough.

That and the fuel economy would be horrible. They probably are saying, "Stupid emissions crap! Should be getting 20mpg at 80 mph towing!" Lol

Hybridhunter wrote:
The sky is falling again. Oh dear.
I travel at 70 all the time, on my ST tires. I was in a big hurry a few years ago, towed at 75, all day in the middle of summer at 100% trailer GVW. Perhaps I am just a morally decrepit individual for doing so, but the that was 2 years ago, the tires are fine, and I'm closing in on 350000 accident free miles.
But I'm still a bad person.

You're not bad- you're miraculous...unless there's one too many zeros in that mileage number on that single set of tires! :W