Towing speed

SUMRX4 wrote:
Yuou folks have stated exactly what I was thinking. I'm comfy at 60 or just a touch over but just wanted to know where others stood on the issue.

Just remember to stay in the right lane.. The folks that tie up the center lane while going under the limit have no idea how bad they are screwing up traffic behind them.

Just took a trip from Orlando to Sarasota the other day without the camper, traffic was horrible. Once we passed the guy pulling his camper in the center lane at 60, we were fine..

Sometimes slow causes just as many issues as fast, but those happen behind you.

I used to be the guy who towed at 75-80 everywhere..... Now I am aged and have a new look on stuff... I will run 65-70 unless I NEED to get out and pass a slower vehicle...
Towing my fifth wheel, my first trip towing was fast, needed to be somewhere so I ran it hard... I averaged 7.5-8.0 mpg..

on my recent trip, I had plenty of time and ran from PA to FL... I averaged 9.0-9.5 and was as high as 11.0 running at 57- 60... I cant run that speed for long....

Yuou folks have stated exactly what I was thinking. I'm comfy at 60 or just a touch over but just wanted to know where others stood on the issue.

On any interstate no matter how high the speed limit I avg 63 MPH unless the speed limit is less than that then I will stick to that. Let the others pass you ...no they will not rear end you. If they do they are at fault and stupid for doing so.

Quite a few states have non commercial towing speed limits also that aren't posted on the interstates.

Also watch tire speed rating also. Many are rated for 65 max

When towing my max is 65. That's only when I have to. Generally I do 62/63. I've done that all over the country on major Interstates and have never had an issue. In fact there are a lot of vehicles that are going much slower than that even.

That said, make sure to check your trailer tires. Many ST tires are rated for a max of 65 mph. Some are higher.

First! Drive the speed you are comfortable with and able to maintain safe and complete control of your rig. DO NOT OVERDRIVE you own skills, ability, or comfort zone because you feel pressured by other drivers around you. TO HE!! with them. It's about YOUR safety here.

Second! Just stay in the slow lane and let everyone pass you. Except for occasional on-coming merging traffic, everyone will zoom around you. Let them go and keep smiling. Be safe!

Third! Fuel mileage. The faster you go, the more fuel you consume.

Case in point: Towing my 41 foot fifth wheel at 50 MPH I get 12 mpg. (yea, really). At 55 I get 11 mpg. At 60 I get 9.5 - 10 mpg. At 65 I get 8.5-9.5. At 70, I get 8. I'm pulling with a 3500 diesel dualy one ton.

My sweet spot is 55 mph. But on interstates I travel at 60. It's comfortable, non threatening, safe for the tires (remember your tires are rated for speed also), and comfortable. I have good control of the vehicle, and if anything unexpected occurs (like the day we had a tire blow out on the fifth wheel), I have 100% control of the rig.

Drive your comfortable speed, stay in the slow lane, and ALWAYS put your safety first above those idiots who think the speed limit is just a suggestion. Remember, you are traveling in an RV ... not a sports car!

55-65 mph is my tow speed. Never had problems with someone wanting to go faster to pass me.

A balance between not getting run over and passing everybody else while speeding is always necessary. When towing, I generally try to stay 5 mph under the speed limit so I don’t have to pass anybody, but am close enough to traffic speed nobody rearends me. But 65 is about as fast as I’ll go.

We generally travel no faster than 65-67. Have had no issues no matter what state we've been in.

I generally travel at 65 when towing. I have not had an issue with other traffic that is running faster then me. They do their thing and I do mine (You're going to be doing 65 in the far right lane right!).