Towing speed?

rbpru wrote:
If you think you can stop fast, wait till you really need too. A lot of highway passes under your vehicle in a very short period of time.

Fortunately, few of us will ever need to find out.

X2. In the real world it takes us humans some time to process what's happening in front of us on the highway and actually start the process of slowing down. Typically about 1.5 seconds for unexpected situations and it slowly gets worse with age. Doing simple math, at 60 mph you'll travel 132 ft before you even start slowing down. At 70 mph it's 154 ft. Your typical car needs a football field to come to a complete stop from 70 mph. Something to think about.

My panic stop was on a MN road at 40 mph. when I threaded my rig between a doe and two fawns. We all came out okay.

It is true you can practice the hard stops but you cannot practice the surprise.

Where were you able to do panic stop testing at 60mph?

rbpru wrote:
If you think you can stop fast, wait till you really need too. A lot of highway passes under your vehicle in a very short period of time.

Fortunately, few of us will ever need to find out.

But you should know. We all should know.

I test panic stops at least once before long trips to make sure everything reacts as I expect. Mostly from 55-60mph, but I've done a couple from 70.

With one trailer I learned that my brake controller, as I had it set for my TT with a Hensley, would lock the trailer wheels in a panic stop. That's a jack-knife and roll over waiting to happen. Gain was not the issue. Boost was. I lowered it to B1 and the issue was instantly solved.

Know your rig!

I stay at 65 on the highway. Lock out 6th gear and go. I know that while I am at 65 there are trailers and fifth wheels blowing past me.

I generally set the cruise control at 62/63 and all is good and I am under 65... What gets me is at that speed in a 70 MPH zone you still have to pass people and if it is a 2 lane highway, sometimes it take a while to get in the left lane if there is traffic going 70-80 mph.

If it bothers you to be passed by everything on the road, you probably should be driving a Class A.

Being passed by others is better than a crash or near miss any day.

My mpg's go in the toilet above 65 mph compared to 60 mph so why would I go much faster than 60 towing?? The most I go is 200 or so miles one way and I don't do cross country trips towing my TT so the difference in time is not a factor to me..

Driving the truck empty, I start losing mpg's above 70 mph.. 65 is the sweet spot for me not towing.. 60 when I am towing... $$ in the tank means more to me than time.

I just ride in the far right lane, so pass me and enjoy.. :)

Mitch

I am from CA, max is 55. I might push to 60. first time in AZ, was cruising 58, and got passed and horn blowing. they were at 75. scared the pants off me.

westend wrote:
Isn't the speed limit in CA 55 or 60 for towing trailers?

Oh yes the speed limit here is CA is 55. I normally drive 60-65 as the tractor trailer blow by me at 70. Soon as I hit the CA border and I'm in another state I can flow right on up to the 70-75 mark and feel completely safe. My truck and trailer does stop amazingly well. I believe the most important thing is keeping a 20 second distance between me and the vehicle in front of me. At 65mph you will cover 300 feet of road before your foot hits the brake when you see thing going to heck in front of you. That's why I believe 15-20 second distance is super important.