mkirsch wrote:
One thing about Interstate highway travel is you rarely if ever find someone driving at the exact speed you want to drive. You inevitably come across someone who is poking along just slightly slower than you are, and need to pass. As soon as you pull out to pass, that person matches speed with you so you've either got to punch it to bet past, or fall back in behind. If you pass, they zoom on by, slip in in front of you, and slow down. If you fall in behind, they slow down.
In short, your speed is often dictated by the jerk in the right lane who is either being a jerk on purpose or is such a sheep that they set their speed by what they see in their peripheral vision.
Exactly! Happens all the time when I'm towing on the interstates. Gets very tiring on long trips and is so annoying. Some drivers think just because you're an RV you can't drive and they've gotta get around you no matter how dangerous a maneuver they try to do or what you're speed is.
I just don't like being in the right lane on multi-lane freeways so I often run in the next one over unless there's little traffic. On-ramp merging traffic can be a real problem sometimes and it can be difficult to move left so you won't have to slow down and then speed up again. Semis often run at around the same speed but not always and some pass slow right lane vehicles and some will chug along at slow speeds. It can be a zoo out there. For anyone who's driven through or around Seattle, you'll know what I mean.
I'm always amazed at how many drivers are out there that are oblivious to other traffic around them and can drive for miles at the same speed as someone in the next lane and you just can't get around no matter what your speed is. Also hate the small cars that cut in front of you because you leave some space from a vehicle ahead of you for safety.
First thing IMO, is never tow above the speed rating of your ST tires (if so equipped). Have had 65 mph rated tires on our current TT for 5+ seasons so that's what I've maxed out at unless I've absolutely needed to get around someone. Heat is a killer on ST tires and doing over 65 in hotter weather isn't a good idea either. I always use our GPS as a speedo. DW likes to glance at it and tell me when I'm speeding tho. :( Going slower doesn't seem to help gas mileage a whole lot, esp. if we do a lot of towing in the mountains. MPG and the cost of fuel is what it is...
65 mph is what I've gotten accustomed to because of our tire's rating. But we just installed a set of Endurance tires a couple of weeks ago which are rated for 87 mph. Got to do a little towing in the 70-75 range on the way home on the I-5 from near Portland back to BC. It was actually pretty nice to be able to tow a bit faster to get around slow traffic and not worry about popping a tire.
Max speed when towing in CA is 55 mph. OMG, it feels like a crawl! It's sooo hard to do that. I've done 65 much of the time and have never seen a single cop. On interstates there, I stay at or near the same speeds as semis which often stay at 65-ish. Towed through Utah once and their 80 mph limit is insane! If you're doing 65, most vehicles fly past you at light speed!
When we're not on an interstate and battling all the crazy traffic and drivers, 60- 65 is a nice max speed, depending on road type, condition and posted limit.
