So keep up the good work, it helps me to keep guzzling the gas you guys think you are saving.

To suggest that 55 is the best speed limit for all cars is simplistic at best.

Isn’t this only a savings of approximately 3 or 6 cents per driver per day?

However, the same above-mentioned report appears to state on page 123 that these same drivers spent an additional one billion hours of time driving per year, at the lower speed limit. This would appear to require about a minute per day per driver, on average, for a savings of only 3 to 6 cents worth of fuel. This is only a savings of about $2 worth of fuel saved per hour of additional time spent driving, or a savings of less than 0.016 gallons of oil per driver per day!

I don’t support that idea. Isn’t this dumb? And, won’t the damage to our economy from this wasted time be worse than the harm to the environment or our national security from such a tiny use of fuel?

Isn’t this just another idiotic proposal from the same politicians who cannot seem to do anything but make the economy worse with every new law passed? Isn’t this just another idiotic way to make it more expensive to hire employees in the US relative to our competition in the rest of the world?

Who cares about jobs.

1. A friend was lugging the engine at 55 mph in 5th. I got 31mpg.
2. I took a road trip (San Jose to Oakland then south to a road that took me over to 101 and back to San Jose). I filled up before I left. When I arrived back in San Jose I needed gas. Highway speed around 80 mph (and no cops in sight). Again I got 31 mpg.

Normal driving in San Jose resulted in much lower gas mileage, especially the hour it took me to go 15 miles for my daily commute (except on Monday Mornings and Friday Evenings when it took an hour and a half).

My new Sienna with an automatic transmission has a 6th gear. I have no idea what speed I have to be going to get to it, but for a V6 it gets great gas mileage even with city driving and infrequent long trips (I telecommute). I even got 26 mpg in it which is factory stated highway mpg. Normally I get closer to 25 mpg.

Oil Cartel Lovers of the world, Unite against people like us who don’t mind saving a little gasoline. Fight 55 mph with all your strength. It is a real ego booster to brag about how much petroleum you burn!

I can recall years ago driving in NV. It was a straight road no traffic for miles, cruising at 90, seeing one car in the distance. It was a police car who eventually did a U-turn and eventually gave me a ticket for exceeding 55mph. What utter nonsense. Another national limit will ad more nonsense.

p.s. dot but a truck get a car!!!!!!!!!

I hate 55! Did not like it before, will not like it again, if it comes to it. On the other hand, I also hate $4/gal gas. I just would rather make that decision for myself instead of it being forced down my throat. Where’s my old fuzz-buster???

It is all a factor of at what RPM range the engine reaches it’s optimum power to fuel consumtion effieciency, and then gearing the vehicle for it’s weight vs that optimum engine power-RPM performance range.

I have a few quick questions for those of you familiar with Physics:

1. How heavy is your vehicle?

2. What is the average number of miles you drive a day?

3. How does it take to drive that many miles on a good day?

4. Given that you accelerate in an efficient manner, how many horsepower-hours does physics tell us that you need to move a vehicle of that weight, that many miles, in that much time?

5. How much would that cost in electricity? (Hint: conversion from horsepower-hours to what hours at 100% efficiency is 746 watt-hours equates to a horsepower-hour. But after factoring battery charge and discharge efficiency, we will be doing good at 1 KwH = 1 HpH. Electricity cost vary, but a good average is 10 cents a KwH. Don’t forget that currently, electricity does not include the same excise taxes that are included in the cost of motor vehicle fuel, so watch out for states, that requre that your vehicle only be charged at properly taxed outlets. Also don’t forget that since relatively few electricity generation plants have been built over the last few decades, and that many areas are already struggling under the heavy demand from air-conditioning loads, what would, this kind of additional load do to the the overloaded electrical grid?)

6. How does your computations compare to the current cost of gasoline?

Despite the numbers you used above, take them with a grain of salt as what to expect under ideal conditions. Like the inflated gas milage figures of last decade, the actual numbers achieved will be less forgiving.

Exo

How can they take into consideration of lowering the speed limit when not everyones car gets the same gas mileage or the best gas mileage at the same MPH.