KOCO did a special on this the other night testing gas mileage from OKC to Tulsa at both 55 and 75...The results were interesting.

Video (search for "mileage" in the last 7 days)



There is no way I'm going to keeps my 350 v8 @ 55.

Editorial: Cap U.S. Speed Limit At 55 Mph To Save Gas, - CBS News

Drive55.org - Home

Thoughts?

I am old enough to remember the first time this was tried by (Jimmy Carter I believe)
Might as well re-fire the blue laws and remove all beer....
What is your time worth? factor that into the savings.
the length of time you are sitting in that car driving on the Never finished turnpike.
there are something Americans won't take.

President Carter did it for a good reason - we were facing an energy shortage with gas lines. I respected him for having the guts to ask for a sacrifice at that time. Of course, he was crucified for it. Presidents don't ask for sacrifices anymore.

At any rate, a new 55mph would make no sense as for holding down costs. An energy shortage is one thing - lowering the limit for cost concerns is quite another.

I agree the 55 makes no sense.
We differ on Carter.
I wish I could find something ...anything to respect him for.
This is not the political forum so I will stop.

Factor in the wear and tear on your car as a result of running longer.
Better yet have the airlines slow all of the jet down to 300 mph.
Or how about just above stall speed.
that might save.
This is dumb.

I'll say again what I said back in the Seventies: there are substitutes for gasoline, but there are no substitutes for time.

mmmmm....how I love me some 80s cheese rock videos.

I think we should lower the speed limit to 55 or perhaps 50, I drive on the interstate on my way to work and home between 45 and 50 mph without the air conditioning running and i do save quite a lot of gas by doing this, I also drive between 30 and 35 mph on city streets. People need to slow down and enjoy life more I think.

As long as you stay in the right lane.

....while people behind you are going insane? Cause you're an a$$hody oh.
Sorry, I heart Dennis Leary.

Why should the speed limit be lowered because you choose to drive slow? FYI - If you are driving 45 on the interstate, you can get a ticket.

Also, how do you know you are saving gas? Have you compared it over a period of time going the same amount of miles on the same road under the same conditions? I could argue that I drive twice as fast as you, therefore getting there in half the amount of time and saving half as much gas.

Have you ever considered the extra wear and tear on your car (truck) because it is running longer as a result of your slow driving?

I usually drive in the center sometimes the left lane, i drive in the left lane on city streets if where i am going requires me to turn left at some point. Um last time i checked the MINUMUM speed for the interstate was 45 mph. And yes i have been doing this for a very long time now so yes i do know it saves gas, i drive back and forth to Edmond from Moore 5 days a week i can fill up on monday and be a little under 3/4 of a tank friday when i pull in my garage. and as far as wear and tear you do more damage and harm to your engine and parts when you run them at higher speeds..... Also if you want to waste your gas by driving over 60 and you are behind me then you can either slow down and save your gas like me or go around me while i laugh at you as you burn all that fuel.

Your picture should be next to the explanation of road rage in the wikipedia.
Also the prime example of my biggest pet peeve in the world - existentialistic pricks. I swear my blood pressure just went up.

What do you mean by that? I drive the way i feel like driving I have never had an accident or a ticket. Sorry if you don't like that

If he's caught doing 45 in the left lane on the Interstate he'll be ticketed (and rightly so). The courteous (and safer) thing to do is to stay to the right if you are going slow. If you are going slower than the flow in the middle/left lanes you are a hazard (as well as a menace).

__________________
My religion consists of a humble admiration of the illimitable superior spirit who reveals himself in the slight details we are able to perceive with our frail and feeble mind
Albert Einstein

Well you have a lane on either side of me you can pass me and burn your gas with to pass me if you do not want to slow down to my speed and follow behind me then !!

OK, where are my hackers....

Is this Bobby guy real or just trying to make us all insane?

Man, if you are over the age of 70 - then I understand, you just don't know any better and we'll help you out by letting you know that you indeed need to be driving in the right lane, it's much safer for even you. Just because you don't have any tickets or wrecks does not excuse your inconsiderate, illegal, and dangerous behavior anymore than it does for the guy who goes 80mph whipping in and out of traffic. You should go with the flow of traffic and move to the right if you are going slower than the person behind you, and move to the left if you wish to pass the person in front of you if they are going slower. That is why they call it the passing lane...and also why they have signs posted up all over the place that say slower traffic stay to the right.

If I'm not mistaken, one of the best measures of how much wear and tear there is on your engine is how much fuel it has burned. That's one of the big reasons why city driving is so much worse for your engine. You burn a lot of fuel. While your argument that time is money is a good one, I think you'd be hard-pressed to find a mechanic that thinks driving 75 is better for your engine than 55.

Also, for what its worth, Carter's a hero. The man acted in a way he knew would make him unpopular for what he knew would be the common good. Inflation did go away, didnt it. [and don't draw the obvious parallel, because raising interest rates didn't kill anyone]

Lastly, make sure that if you are turning off the AC to drive, don't open the windows (on the highway). Otherwise you're better off just turning on the A/C.

It sounds like you are the one ragin

I don't want to take the Carter bait.
I believe he did what he thought was best for the nation at the time as any president would.
Since then he is a disgrace. and a bigoted anti-semite.
sorry I took the bait.
its not about Carter.
The news story that started this conversation mentioned they saved gas going the speed limit of 75. Also the safety factor was a key point. the trip took an extra 20 minutes? can't remember the exact number. If my auto is running an extra 20 minutes on the trip over a period of time my auto is running longer than the guy going faster. more wear on parts not just fuel related.
Just a thought and maybe not a good one.

Yes, i am for real and I am 39 yrs old. There is lots of room for people to go around me if they dont like it..

How about the increase in shipping costs to the consumer when trucks have to slow down.

Can you tell us what you drive so others here can look for you and avoid.

Prsident Carter was a good man and president, he still is today and is involved with a number of good orginizations like Habitat for Humanity etc. Don't knock him!!