Best Cruising Speed

[flbchbm]

weird... watching mpg / revs, my car really likes just under 70mph. anything over that and it's too close to being in boost and efficiency drops a lot. Also makes sense to me that the engineers selected 6th gear ratio for around there.

Funny, I found myself setting the cruise to 69 mph to and from work. Not 70 or 71. I'm not the fastest or slowest. It does appear to have a lower resonance to the engine, but hey, I'm deaf in my left ear, so I don't hear things the same anymore as you all.

 

[Dpro]

My car seems to like going 80 it just so happens CHP in SoCal will not usually pull someone over if they are doing 80 or under. Now go over 80 and they will pull and cite you lol. So ya 80 is the speed and I can turn in pretty decent mileage at that speed as well.

 

[HardBoiledEgg]

NOT TRUE

GOT A TICKET A COUPLE MONTHS BACK AND I WAS CURSING WITH EVERYONE ELSE GOING 80MPH ON CC

 

[Dpro]

NOT TRUE

GOT A TICKET A COUPLE MONTHS BACK AND I WAS CURSING WITH EVERYONE ELSE GOING 80MPH ON CC

CC? What is CC? closed circuit camera? oncoming radar?

I have been driving all over SoCal at just around 80 mph for years and never had a problem except some 25 years ago before I moved here when I got a ticket on the 405 when I was down here from the bay area for a AES convention. I should add that was unusual as yes everyone around me was going 80 but I was passing someone. Where you passing someone. Its possible you got singled out because if everyone is going 80 and you pass then they figure you have to go faster than 80 to pass them. lol

Though I have never had a speed ticket on a freeway in SoCal in the whole 20 years I have lived here and I do quite a bit of driving and my nominal speed outside of traffic jams lol is 80.

 

[Zormecteon]

On a trip from here to the mid west a few years back we drove across states with 80 mph speed limits. Since I didn't want a ticket for going MORE than 10+ mph over I held it near 90 for hours at a time. That is still the speed that I feel most comfortable with the car, most especially since that was about the speed I was able to do the track at the Octane Academy. If I wanted a car for fuel economy, I wouldn't be owning this one, BUT I recently drove at 60 -> 63 down the freeway and got a reported 39+ mpg. (I say reportedly because the car reports are NOT accurate. the only way to KNOW is to check miles driven vs gallons used [in a fill up]. It's nice to know they CAN be economy cars.

The best cruising speed is one that keeps up with traffic and exposes one the to the least chance of accident (or ticket) while getting to the destination within the shortest amount of time. This varies depending upon speed limit, road and traffic conditions and drivers abilities/comfort with the car (at speed). i.e. there is NO one single best cruising speed..

YMMV
My 2¢

 

[PhoenixM3]

NOT TRUE

GOT A TICKET A COUPLE MONTHS BACK AND I WAS CURSING WITH EVERYONE ELSE GOING 80MPH ON CC

You got an “all caps” ticket, dude.

 

[HardBoiledEgg]

134k in three years. I do some driving

CHP gives tickets. Every chippy is an individual, some get lucky some don't

 

[Alkoran]

NOT TRUE

GOT A TICKET A COUPLE MONTHS BACK AND I WAS CURSING WITH EVERYONE ELSE GOING 80MPH ON CC

You got an “all caps” ticket, dude.

Man you shoul really add a signature that says about your situation for the CAPS! You get at least one or two poke about that each week

PhoenixM3, when he's at work, the computer he uses is locked on CAPS so that's why. When you see a message from him in lowercase, you know he's not at work. It's a running gag around here.

 

[Capri to ST]

PhoenixM3, when he's at work, the computer he uses is locked on CAPS so that's why. When you see a message from him in lowercase, you know he's not at work. It's a running gag around here.

I've lost a good deal of sight in one eye, and used to type in all caps so I could see it more clearly until I learned it sometimes bugged people. If you see someone typing in all caps, before you jump on them consider they might have a visual problem. Not trying to give anybody a hard time, just offering another perspective.
Oh, and the ideal cruising speed? 139

 

[HardBoiledEgg]

Yeah I thought you guys caught on by now lol

And my phone capitalizes for me so believe me I'm not typing this proper

 

[MKR_DmD]

The best cruising speed for me without the family is 120-140mph. With the family, I keep it around 100mph. I don't drive for fuel-efficiency.

 

[Alkoran]

The best cruising speed for me without the family is 120-140mph. With the family, I keep it around 100mph. I don't drive for fuel-efficiency.

First I thought you meant KPH since you're in Germany. Then, I remembered that Germany = Autobahn. lol

 

[M-Sport fan]

The best cruising speed for me without the family is 120-140mph. With the family, I keep it around 100mph. I don't drive for fuel-efficiency.

These cars will handle a sustained 140 on the 'bahn for long periods of time?

 

[scooter123]

Tips for Fuel Economy from a cheapskate.

1) Turn the Air Conditioning OFF. Believe me, you really don't need it, my Dad didn't get a family car with Air Conditioning until he got the 1969 Olds 98. Grew up riding in cars with the windows open and still prefer open windows. Only run the Air once a week to keep the seals from drying out.

2) This one still has be scratching my head but it seems our engine is most fuel efficient at 190 degrees. Because since installing a Mountune radiator I've gained 3 mpg in city driving. Obviously my tip is get a Mountune radiator.

3) Use the Cruise Control for city driving. Human Beings have a tendency to "flutter" the gas pedal. So if you have a 1/2 mile stretch without any stop lights or stop signs with a 30 mph speed limit set the cruise control at 30 mph.

4) If you are approaching a point where you know very well you will have to stop then coast to that point for the last 3/4 mile. Not on will you save a bit of gas you'll also burn up less brake pad, because it takes a lot less braking to stop from 20 mph than 30 mph.

5) Freeway driving. First, don't use the Cruise Control, use a A Constant Throttle method. Note this will only gain you about 1/2 mpg over using Cruise Control but if you are sqeezing for every tiny bit of gas a 1/2 mpg gain can matter. At about 65 mph on level roads it's possible to see 42-43 mpg on the tattletail. So apply enough throttle to hit that economy mark and hold it there. Yeah, your speed will vary with the grade but we are Fuel Squeezing here so speed doesn't factor in. BTW, here in the rather flat Detroit area speeds will range between 62 to 69 mph. I'll also note that with my 2019 the fuel tattletail is about 2 mpg optimistic.

6) Remember that Friction costs Energy. Huh, what's that all about? It's about how fast we drive around a curve. Going around a curve at 75 mph will scrub off more rubber than going around that same curve at 65 mph. That extra friction at the higher speed WILL impact the fuel economy. It's why when you are driving on a highway with lots of curves you see a drop in your fuel economy even if you are driving like an old lady. If you missed that last gas stop and might not make it to the next stop then SLOW DOWN.

PS; there are times when I say the heck with Economy and toss all of the above out the window and have some FUN. Good news for us is that even when we are having lots of fun these cars are still pretty economical.

 

[HardBoiledEgg]

DRIVING WITH THE WINDOWS DOWN ANYTHING ABOVE 65 MPH LOWERS MPG FROM THE DRAG

 

[M-Sport fan]

DRIVING WITH THE WINDOWS DOWN ANYTHING ABOVE 65 MPH LOWERS MPG FROM THE DRAG

Possibly at an even lower speed than that, but I HATE AC, unless the ambient conditions are absolutely atrocious (like 95*F+ and 80%+ humidity!).

 

[gtx3076]

I spend all day sweating, I ain't turning the AC off.

Plus road noise at highway speeds can be rough on ears that aren't already shot.

Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk

 

[MKR_DmD]

First I thought you meant KPH since you're in Germany. Then, I remembered that Germany = Autobahn. lol

My highest speed is 231kph which is about 142mph.

These cars will handle a sustained 140 on the 'bahn for long periods of time?

Yes and No. After 120mph you can tell the difference in handling. I did run at 130+pmph for a 10-mile section and it did ok. On a windy day, I would not advise it because you can tell the difference.