Author Topic: 85 mph speed limit (Read 1229 times)

oldandslow · « **on:** April 09, 2011, 03:30:44 AM »

I just read where it looks like an 85 mph speed limit is coming to Texas. I guess they have decided to just make the speed limit what nearly every one in the part of Texas I travel drives at legal.

I tend to drive the posted speed because those DPS boys like to single us out-of-staters out for tickets. Nearly everyone passes me.

I don't really want to drive 85 but it will be scary driving 75 when almost everyone is going 90 and 95. Guess I'll just have to grit my teeth and do it.

Stopping the doctor visits isn't an option.

Conan The Librarian · « **Reply #1 on:** April 09, 2011, 04:06:41 AM »

That doesn't mean you shouldn't drive 60 or your favorite slower speed. That's the way the autobahn works. Speed limits are high in some spots but therenis plenty of slower traffic, even in the unrestricted speed limit sections.

The big question for Texas is did they also make it illegal to eat, drink, or use any distracting device as is on the autobahn. At 85 sipping a latte is being in a distracted state.

The unsafest time to be on the road for these law changes is shortly after they are enacted. People are still figuring it out.

My question is, if the limit will be 85, why have a speed limit at all?

One the hazards of driving at speeds like that is you get used to it and that can cause youngrief when you zoom around too fast in slower speed limit zones.

You also burn a lot more fuel, so it will cost a lot more to get there a little quicker. Definitely not for me.

Do they still have a lot of drunks driving rural texas highways at night? It used to be an amazing problem. Something like half ofnthe Saturday night drivers in one big area were intoxicated. Still like that in parts of new Mexico.

Sourdough · « **Reply #2 on:** April 09, 2011, 08:25:16 AM »

The last time I was in West Texas the speed limit was 80 or 85. I remember leaving Ft Worth and seeing that speed limit and was shocked. I did not know it was that high. I was driving a Red Mazda RX-8 and had been very cautious to stay at or just below the speed limit, all tyhe way from Virginia. Seemed the State Police in every state took special interest in that little car. I was stopped in Virginia, N Carolina, Tennessee, Arkansas, and Oklahoma. They did not stop me for doing anything, they just wanted to look the car over.

When I left Ft Worth I set the cruise at 80 and let it roll. Then around Odessa I got passed by a Big Car. Then here came a State Police car. I started bumping the cruise up to match the cop. At 110 mph he quite leaving me. For the next two to two and a half hours that little car just purred and we cruised right along at a steady 110. Very little traffic on that stretch of road. As we went along when we were coming up behind someone driving in the left lane the cop would turn on his lights and they would move over. The cop got off the interstate as we neared El Paso. I slowed it down to the posted speed limit. I turned North at El Paso heading to Alamagordo, NM. After I passed Oro Grande I cranked it up to 140 and held it there till I got to Alamogordo, only slowing down for the Border Patrol Checkpoint. Gosh, I fell in love with that little car. I miss driving in the dessert.

oldandslow · « **Reply #3 on:** April 09, 2011, 03:40:08 PM »

Having never been to Germany I've never driven on an autobahn but I think they are more than two lane roads. Nearly all my Texas travel is on two lane roads and I really don't want to be driving 60 when the speed limit is 85.

Sourdough, the last time I was in Fort Worth was 10 years ago. The speed limit was still 70. I don't have a clue what it is now and I don't intend to ever be there again to find out. TOO MANY people for this country boy. I get to Odessa once in awhile and the speed limit is 70 in Ector County although most are driving faster. Andrews county to the north is 75 mph. It drops back to 70 in Gaines County to the north. Like I said, I don't speed in Texas. The DPS boys like to pull over NM cars too much. My son-in law got a ticket for 80 just west of Wolforth going to Lubbock. $315 for those 10 mph. I'm retired and have a LOT more time than money.

Sourdough · « **Reply #4 on:** April 09, 2011, 08:07:55 PM »

I was traveling on the Interstate, I believe it was 10, four lane. West of Ft Worth is where the sped limit went up to 80 or 85. And it stayed that till just before El Paso.

Land_Owner · « **Reply #5 on:** April 10, 2011, 12:21:24 AM »

Quote from: oldandslow on April 09, 2011, 03:40:08 PM

$315 for those 10 mph. I'm retired and have a LOT more time than money.

To which I wholeheartedly agree. If you can't pay the fine, don't do the crime. I can purchase a whole lot of powder, bullets, and primers for that kind of money and it seems silly to "support" the local sheriff, county prosecutor, and the insurance company in that manner.

Perhaps I am getting older, wiser, and more mature........naw, not really. I still drive too aggressively most of the time, but have learned a "steady-state" upper limit that is just below their radar.

williamlayton · « **Reply #6 on:** April 10, 2011, 04:02:09 AM »

It is a proposed law--in retailiation to some other things.
Heck, I don't care what the speed limit is-- I just try and keep up with the flow.
Now in West Texas, on all state and US highways the limit is 80---for beginners.
In Houston, the closer you get to town, the faster you must drive. they are proposing a 55mph limit on FW's in Houston----think that is a money making scheme.
I was coming into Houston from katy the other day and at 80 I was slow.
The Pony car loves to drive and 75 or 80 doesn't bother me if the traffic is moving---I don't try and get reckless with it in traffic.
Blessings

BBF · « **Reply #7 on:** April 10, 2011, 06:17:56 AM »

I tried driving thru Atlanta just once at the posted 55mph.

BTW 70mph is about as fast as it gets for this OF anywhere, especially here after we hit $ 1.342/liter recently.

ed k · « **Reply #8 on:** April 11, 2011, 08:42:52 AM »

Just went thru Texas to NM about a month ago. 4 lane and 80 mph posted. Made good time and was very surprised my 403 hosepower pickup got 16 mpg. Had some fun in the mountains when we got into them also. Only 2 deer and 1 elk tried to intercept me. ED K

SHOOTALL · « **Reply #9 on:** April 11, 2011, 09:07:25 AM »

When you get much past 80-85 the wear and tear on your vehicle is much greater . Going to Canada to hunt we would run around 85 often going up to 100 . The tires on the boat trl always were worn out by the time we got there. It was 1850 miles . Last trip one blew about 2 miles from the ramp. We also experinced broken springs . Truck tires also paid the price with alot of wear . Paint and glas also looked sand blasted .

You Pay To Play !

Blackhawker · « **Reply #10 on:** April 11, 2011, 09:10:12 AM »

That's great for gas mileage....especially when the price of gas is up to and over $4.00 per gallon.
That'll help keep us relying on the middle east for more trouble!

SHOOTALL · « **Reply #11 on:** April 11, 2011, 09:37:41 AM »

Time is money !

45-70.gov · « **Reply #12 on:** April 11, 2011, 10:15:22 AM »

just keep those moron drivers out of the left/passing lane...except to pass

Blackhawker · « **Reply #13 on:** April 11, 2011, 12:06:35 PM »

Don't know if anyone mentioned this yet but has anyone really looked into the speed rating of tires? My 4X4 tires have the speed rating of snow tires: 86mph. What that means is any continuous driving at speeds over 86 can cause a blowout.

All of a sudden I'm having recollections of the Firestone tires on the SUV's about 8 or 9 years ago.

ed k · « **Reply #14 on:** April 11, 2011, 12:41:00 PM »

The speed rating on tires is what sets the limit on the new vehicles. My 2007 had cheap tires and only go 85mph before the computer shut it down.My 2011 has better tires and my speed is set at over 100 somewhere. My 99 vette shuts down at 172. By the way i thought my mileage was great for a full size 4 door pickup running 74-84 on a 4900 mile trip. ED

Land_Owner · « **Reply #15 on:** April 11, 2011, 01:11:49 PM »

Quote from: 45-70.gov on April 11, 2011, 10:15:22 AM

just keep those moron drivers out of the left/passing lane...except to pass

I think we should display similar signs in our rear windows (as taken from the Golf Course) until the message is received:

PLEASE ALLOW FASTER PLAYERS THROUGH

...and that's the PG version.

mcwoodduck · « **Reply #16 on:** April 11, 2011, 01:12:08 PM »

The last couple of cars I have had, 80 was not a problem, the cars and more importantly the tires are made to go that fast.
I have found my cars don't really burn a gallon a fuel in so many miles but in so many minutes.
to use less fuel in the Japaneese Hum V If I went 75 to 80 I did better on fuel than when going the speed limits.
Southern Ca.
The new 300 seems to be the same way and on a recient trip averaging about 80 My fuel economy went up my 3 MPG for the same trip that I had a month or two earlier that averaged at 70 MPH.

Ron/Pa. · « **Reply #17 on:** April 11, 2011, 04:01:38 PM »

Well, it should cut the injury rate? Cause you probably ain`t going to survive a high speed crash if/when it happens!
As to Tires, stands to reason that a lot of the Good Ole` Boys are not going to have premium Tires on their high speed Buggys....Happy I live in Pa.

Blackhawker · « **Reply #18 on:** April 12, 2011, 03:50:19 AM »

The best mileage my pick up gets is about 18.5 mpg at an average speed of 60 to 65. If I go over 65 my mileage goes down to about 16 to 16.5 mpg. When I run across the states that have 75 mph limits, I do 75 only because my mileage is about 15.5 mpg. Any faster and I've actually gone below that!
My mileage sucks, to put it bluntly!

Sourdough · « **Reply #19 on:** April 12, 2011, 06:55:41 AM »

During the summer I drive a Mazda RX-8, rear wheel drive. During the winter I drive a Mitsubishi Eclipse GT, front wheel drive (snow and ice). Both cars are capable of and have tires rated for over 150 MPH. Milage does suffer when traveling over 100 MPH, but not as much as with other less streamlined cars, with differant gearing. The Eclipse has a limiter and it is set at 157 mph, the RX-8 has no limiter. I will say the tires on both cars are fat, soft, and sticky. They don't last long either.

As for the tire debacle a few years ago. That was FORDs fault. There was nothing wrong with the Firestone tires. Ford trying to get a softer ride without changing the suspension on their vehicles, decided to lower the pressure in the tires. Running the tires on low pressure caused them to heat up. Heat causes tires to fail. My Dad worked for Firestone at the time, and he explained the problem to me. There is a limit to how low you can run tires and Ford had exceeded that limit.

Love driving in West Texas and Southern New Mexico. Just sit back and ler her roll.

Blackhawker · « **Reply #20 on:** April 12, 2011, 07:13:30 AM »

Quote from: Sourdough on April 12, 2011, 06:55:41 AM

As for the tire debacle a few years ago. That was FORDs fault. There was nothing wrong with the Firestone tires. Ford trying to get a softer ride without changing the suspension on their vehicles, decided to lower the pressure in the tires. Running the tires on low pressure caused them to heat up. Heat causes tires to fail. My Dad worked for Firestone at the time, and he explained the problem to me. There is a limit to how low you can run tires and Ford had exceeded that limit.

I agree with the Firestones. I had those same tires on my Nissan 4X4 and never had a problem, but I kept them inflated correctly too.
You are correct, overheating is what causes tire failure. I'm assuming that there are a lot of pick ups down there in Texas and most average pick ups probably come stock with low speed rated tires, especially 4X4's. I'm not an expert on this but I think the speed rating is a guideline for what speed (at proper inflation) will overheat a tire. So, my thought was that there might be a lot of Texas pick ups with low speed rated tires traveling at 85 or 90 for extended periods of times and eventually leading to some sort of blow-out incidents at higher than normal rates.

SHOOTALL · « **Reply #21 on:** April 12, 2011, 11:17:57 AM »

Quote from: Blackhawker on April 11, 2011, 12:06:35 PM

Don't know if anyone mentioned this yet but has anyone really looked into the speed rating of tires? My 4X4 tires have the speed rating of snow tires: 86mph. What that means is any continuous driving at speeds over 86 can cause a blowout.

All of a sudden I'm having recollections of the Firestone tires on the SUV's about 8 or 9 years ago.

Yes and I run higher rated tires than my truck comes with . Got in the habit years ago . Also consider the safety margins built in , if it states 86 mph it also would state a weight and temp. The stated speed would be worst case and I would bet it has a 50% or more safety factor built in. I have never had a 10 ply rated tire blow out on my 3/4 ton trucks ...............

Shu · « **Reply #22 on:** April 12, 2011, 01:31:49 PM »

I was travelling with the flow of traffic on my way to Vegas. We were travelling about 105 mph not passing anyone.

Lon371 · « **Reply #23 on:** April 12, 2011, 01:57:14 PM »

Quote from: Land_Owner on April 11, 2011, 01:11:49 PM

Quote from: 45-70.gov on April 11, 2011, 10:15:22 AM
just keep those moron drivers out of the left/passing lane...except to pass

I think we should display similar signs in our rear windows (as taken from the Golf Course) until the message is received:

PLEASE ALLOW FASTER PLAYERS THROUGH

...and that's the PG version.

Amen brother. Bout got one yesterday morning 4 am, they were running 50mph in a 70 zoneon the Interstate. Funny thing is, there is a county highway running parrell to the interstate!!!

Lonny

wareagleguy · « **Reply #24 on:** April 12, 2011, 02:21:44 PM »

$5.00 per gallon gas will be the real speed limit.

oldandslow · « **Reply #25 on:** April 12, 2011, 04:06:49 PM »

I don't drive Fords so I never had any experience with the Firestone tires Ford used. I did buy an'03 Chevy Duramax that was equipped with Firestone tires. I made a comment to the dealer that I was surprised that they would use Firestone tires after all the trouble Ford had. He told me right quick that those weren't the same Firestones Ford used. Whatever. Those were the sorriest tires I have ever run, PERIOD. 24,000 miles and they had to be replaced. No blowouts but slipped belts and big knots on the tires. They weren't run under inflated either and they weren't run fast. I'll never have another Firestone tire. If I were to consider buying a new vehicle and it had Firestones on it the dealer would either replace them with another brand or I would walk away.

Hooker · « **Reply #26 on:** April 12, 2011, 06:41:21 PM »

Unless you request a premium tire on a new vehicle your going to get the cheapest tire in whatever brand they offer.
We run Firestone Transforce ATs and LTs on all of our Tool Pusher pickups and Service trucks with no problems. These trucks are always loaded heavy and see lots of interstate and lease road driving we get about 40,000 miles from the ATs and about 50 from the LTs.
I have stacks of Goodyear brand new factory take offs that we put back on old trucks that are going to auction you wont get 20,000 miles out of them.
It's not so much the Brand of tire as it is the cheap skate

Pat

45-70.gov · « **Reply #27 on:** April 13, 2011, 07:45:31 AM »

i drive in the slow lane
i hope that 85 doesn't apply to the slow lane

no need for speed rated tires here

70 is smoking for me....i don't work any more and in no hurry

BBF · « **Reply #28 on:** April 13, 2011, 08:03:20 AM »

Up here you can expect about 30K(kilometers) from the OE tires on a new vehicle, sometimes a bit more with pick-ups

SHOOTALL · « **Reply #29 on:** April 13, 2011, 08:51:01 AM »

Quote from: Hooker on April 12, 2011, 06:41:21 PM

Unless you request a premium tire on a new vehicle your going to get the cheapest tire in whatever brand they offer.
We run Firestone Transforce ATs and LTs on all of our Tool Pusher pickups and Service trucks with no problems. These trucks are always loaded heavy and see lots of interstate and lease road driving we get about 40,000 miles from the ATs and about 50 from the LTs.
I have stacks of Goodyear brand new factory take offs that we put back on old trucks that are going to auction you wont get 20,000 miles out of them.
It's not so much the Brand of tire as it is the cheap skate

Pat

One we like is the Dunlop Rover in 10 ply . The michlin in 10 ply also holds up well. What we are experincing with 17,18 and 20 inch rims and some others is there are few tires aval.