Is 45 the new 70? November 08, 2023, 11:07:29 pm 10:30 AM in Sierra Vista, Arizona, arriving at the Angry German bakery in my 1991 Lazy Daze 24' MP. Easy to park in a normal angled space, after a leisurely drive under a clear blue 80° sky with just a few clouds. On a secondary road at 45 mph or less, very relaxing. After all, my LD's speedometer has the needle pointing straight up to the 45 mph marking, so who am I to ignore this subtle message? Because it's true that, just like Chuck Yeager years ago breaking the sound barrier, going over 45 puts you (well, me) into a whole new world. Speed = stress. And going 70 on our I-10 freeway up to Tucson is not enjoyable, nothing to look at, having to concentrate while being overtaken by everybody else doing 80.Not that it can't go faster, with the large 454 ci Chevy V-8. But why? At 45mph , everything is relaxed, calm, tranquil. And if I have to slam on the brakes, it might actually stop in time. Today, driving at 45 to my coffee and croissant with butter and jam, i felt truly at peace, with the motor probably doing no more than 1,500 rpm under the warm sun.Does anyone else like to just drive slowly, and purposely seek out secondary roads instead of freeways? An unseen 45 mph club? Or maybe 43, which adds up to 7, which was a magical number in the ancient world, and remains a prime number today. Speed -- is less more? 3 Likes
Re: Is 45 the new 70? Reply #1 – November 09, 2023, 01:05:15 am My comfort speed is 55-60, which is why I avoid multi lane highways and interstates. That speed is enjoyable to drive. With 23,000 miles now under my belt, I can mange faster for stretches, but I rarely do. I miss too much going that fast.90% of my trips in my two years have been on 2 lane highways or even less, roads that are barely two lanes in the middle of nowhere. Those are the peaceful roads. 7 Likes
Re: Is 45 the new 70? Reply #2 – November 09, 2023, 09:01:37 am We seek out back roads where we can comfortably drive 55 mph when possible. We took an RV driving course years ago that informed us to stay within 15 mph of the speed limit for our and others safety. This means 60-65 on many highways in Texas. We have found 62 mph is a sweet spot that our LD on these roads. 4 Likes
Re: Is 45 the new 70? Reply #3 – November 09, 2023, 11:34:38 am Hi Ross; I too have settled on 62 mph as a good speed in 65 mph zones. While sometimes in long stretches I'll do 55-60 to fit in with truck traffic. Sometimes when conditions are good I can do '70' steadily. These situations in southern Cal, I'm still in the slow lanes but traffic is moving in the 80's and '90's. One time I was forced into 85 mph. Coming back from Las Vegas on a Tuesday. From the Nevada border to Baker, was being paved, and traffic was confined to only one lane. All of the Semi's were doing 85 mph and stacked end to end as far as the eye could see. I wasn't going to be the 'guy' holding up 500+ commercial drivers, and there wasn't a place to pull over anyway. The rig did fine, but safety margins were thin. The 'Big Rigs' of course were pushing it, but I guess they all knew that the CHP weren't going to interfere with traffic flow. I prefer to not be in too much of a hurry. (I know Parussky thinks I drive too fast, but it wasn't me!) RonB 2 Likes
Re: Is 45 the new 70? Reply #4 – November 09, 2023, 11:57:47 am Since we usually pull the Jeep, 62 MPHi is our cruising speed, the CHP does not write up trucks towing as long as they stay at or remain under 62 MPH. It is not written law, it's something I have observed for years in California, watching the big rigs. Like Ron, we have been caught up in the Las Vegas traffic before and endured the 75 MPH traffic jam on I-15, while towing, it is a white-knuckle drive. I hope eventually a train route to Vegas from SoCal is builtOnce off the freeway, our speeds drop to a more comfortable speed.Larry 4 Likes
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Topic: Is 45 the new 70? (Read 171 times)
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