Truck Camper Speed

Everyone:

....If you are driving on LR (load range) E tires, do yourself a huge favor and check the sidewalls for maximum speed rating!

Silver-

wintersun wrote:
This last concept seems to escape most American motorists where there is a sense they have special rights and priviledges and would sooner die than let someone safely merge into traffic if that means they are going to be in front of them. And it is peculiar to drivers in this country.

Only someone who has never driven in another country or is a complete imbecile would make this statement.

Happy Independence Day,
Brad

My speed depends upon the road conditions and traffic. In California and Nevada the truckers are usually driving at 65-75 MPH and the people pulling 5th-wheel trailers are doing the same. The folks in cars and pickups are driving at 70-85 MPH. It would be stupid to drive at 55 MPH or even at 60 MPH in those conditions and it would also be irresponsible and cause others to do a lot more lane changing and this is dangerous.

I also do a simple calculation of my speed, the distance of the day's driving, and the time I might save by driving 10 MPH faster. Going 200 miles at 75 MPH versus 65 MPH is going to result in arriving at the destination only 24 minutes sooner. What is common and crazy are all the motorists making trips of 30 miles or less where their speeding gets them to their destination at most 5 minutes sooner - how dumb is that?

With the camper fully loaded and no head or cross wind my diesel powered truck gets the best fuel economy at between 62 and 65 MPH. The fuel economy is noticeably poorer at 55 MPH and it is no doubt that the engine is outside of its peak power area when the transmission is in 6th gear. Fuel economy is even worse at 45 MPH with the truck with or without the camper for the same reason.

With a 15 MPH headwind the fuel economy drops by 15% same as if I was driving at 80 MPH down the highway. That would also translate into paying 15% more for fuel. Not sure how other people do the math but on a 1100 mile trip last month through the sierras with the camper the truck got 11 MPG and fuel cost a little under $400. Had I driven faster and lost 15% in fuel economy that would have added an extra $60 to the cost of the trip and in the overall scheme of things that is trivial.

Bottom line I drive at the speed that is appropriate for the conditions to maximize my safety and that of my passengers and to avoid conflicts with others on the highway. This last concept seems to escape most American motorists where there is a sense they have special rights and priviledges and would sooner die than let someone safely merge into traffic if that means they are going to be in front of them. And it is peculiar to drivers in this country.

I usually peg the speedometer at 120 on the straightaways and when going up a grade the pedal is to the floor to see how fast I can go before I reach the summit! ;) Seriously though, 65-70 in 80mph traffic is still my comfort zone and I stay to the right. I will pass slower traffic though and will reach speeds of up to 75 to get by (I like to pass quickly, especially if in the oncoming traffic lane.) When it's just little ol' me?... 55-60mph. I like to enjoy the ride when I have time! :)

Dak

~DJ~ wrote:
Anyone who drives faster than me is an idiot. Anyone who drives slower than me is a moron!!! :B

^^^ What he said !!! :B

BradW wrote:
Threads like this is when I mis jponder. :(

A lot of evangelists have missed their calling for sure.

I stick to about 58 or 5 under the limit, whichever is slower...better fuel economy. :)

If the speed limit on a 2-lane is more than 65 (I rarely see 2-lane roads at that speed or above), I will keep an eye out behind me with the side views and if there are more than a couple cars back there, I'll look for a spot to pull off and let them by (signalling, of course).

I live in Michigan and the max speed for trucks or and vehicle pulling any trailer regardless of size other than "oversized vehicle/units" is 60 mph on 70 mph max on all Interstates. 70 is the max for any vehicle other than emergency vehicles in route in the state. The min on Interstates is 45 mph in our state. Max of 55 mph for trucks and/or vehicles with trailers if the posted speed limit is less than 70 on any Interstate in the state. You WILL be ticketed for over 60 mph while pulling a trailer and there are lots of radar equipped MDOT vehicles in hard to see places until it's too late on the Interstates and other main highways. Some of our friends are retired Michigan State Police and my younger brother was a Sheriff for years and they know the facts.

Most other states also have similar type truck/trailer speed restrictions.

Our 58-60 mph RV travel and 55 mph on non-Interstates (limited access) is right where it belongs as it's 13-15 mph over the min and at and only 10-12 below the max allowed on the state's Interstates.

If you don't like being behind us as we are in the right lane always, just move over and pass and shut up! You aren"t allowed to go any faster than us on the other streets so lump it!

nycsteve wrote:
I will not allow myself to be pushed into driving at speeds I feel unsafe at. I will also not be pushed into pissing my cash out the window to gain a half an hour. Disiplined driving habits can save me 200-300 dollars easily on a long trip.That said, I am more likly to drive my speed regardless of surroundings on interstates and roads with 2-3 lanes each way. If I end up on a 2 lane (one in each direction) ,more often than not, if I see a backlog of vehicles behind me I will figure some safe way to let them by. Theres plenty of local roads like this for me, and thats exactly what I do, its driving curtisy. But on the same token, many of the 1 lane in each direction roads Im on are speed limited to 35-55 mph. Usually for a reason, many tight turns, residential homes etc. If this is the case, sometimes I will do the limit regardless of impatient drivers stacking up behind me. I have yet to see an accident I have caused directly but wonder how many accidents have been avoided by forcing the flow of traffic slower. How many kids dogs wernt hit, bycyclists side swiped, etc. Seems the new crop of drivers learned how to drive playing no real world penalty video games, and think nothing of staring at thier laps for minutes at a time while composing some useless text to a friend on thier phones. Im not adusting myself to thier impatient fast driving style just so they can save a few minutes and pump up thier endlessly needy egos.

two words on this subject: safety and courtesy. no one should impose their personal speed limit on the highway,be it fast or slow. it is not the job of the motoring public to set the speed limit,that is the job of elected officials. common sense/courtesy would go a long ways in preventing road rage etc. example: it is just inconsiderate to drive 45 mph on a posted 55 mph road backing up cars, a recipe for disaster. it is also inconsiderate and dangerous to tailgate someone driving 55 on a posted 55mph road. its not rocket science but it does take something that is in short supply,common sense.

NYCSTEVE I am glad to hear there are actually people out there that know what mirrors are and are willing to pull over to let traffic by instead of letting them stack up until someone 10 cars back decides he needs by. We drive a lot of 2 lane roads (one each way) and encounter many drivers traveling way below the speed limit that will never pull over to let traffic clear. There is a law in MT that says if you have more than 4 cars behind you, you are to pull over, but I have never seen it enforced. I think it is just as much a size thing as it is speed because our wide RV's are just as hard or harder to see around than most semi's. A little courtesy on both sides will go a long ways.