Good news M3 drivers! Why 70 Miles Per Hour Is the New 55?

[Stunnerable]

"Actually driving the speed limit reminds me of those 4 college students that held the entire flow of the I-285 traffic in Atlanta to the posted speed limit 55mph and the mess it created"

I am changing my responce:

I think these College kids make a great point. The 55mph speed limit is a stupid thing not changed because it easily allows cops to write tickets. If slowing traffic down to the posted speed limit makes headlines.. Then maybe the speed limit is TOO LOW!

Goes back to my 86th% argument. If anyone's ever seen the tubes that lie across the roads.. they are for traffic studies. It gathers time stamped information on each car that goes by. The city or police department can dump that info into programs that spit out charts, graphs or whatever information they need. Like flow rates for certain times of day. Another major use is to determine speed limits. The rule is, if 86% of the cars in a given study are going (??) speed.. That’s what the posted speed limit should be unless of course it's in a area where kids play or whatever. There are variables. For the most part though.. This is the rule of thumb. Here is where things get silly and most people are blind to it. Police departments know this information but purposefully keep a speed limit low or post a new lower speed limit sign just so they can collect fines for speeding. Not making this up guys. I used to live in this business.

These kids who held back traffic to the "posted" 55MPH are doing us all a justice.. They are proving how completely pointless these speed limits really are.

[Kyoshi71]

Originally Posted by ///Metak

Yeah, and I am choosing to discuss what I read with other members on this forum. Got a problem with that? And could you hit return a few more times in your worhtless post?

Actually driving the speed limit reminds me of those 4 college students that held the entire flow of the I-285 traffic in Atlanta to the posted speed limit 55mph and the mess it created..

http://74.125.155.132/search?q=cache...&ct=clnk&gl=us

I have no problem with the report
Just think though, last year at one point, that Clam Hillary Clinton wanted to change the national speed limit to 45! (psssst...if you can afford an M3, you better be a republican)

[mkoesel]

The char says "Average Highway Speed".

But a highway is not the same as an expressway/freeway (higways is a superset of freeways). I don't really have a problem with current highway speed limits in most states, even though we in Michigan don't have any non-expressways above 55 mph (which sucks - should be 65). Frankly though, 65 MPH is fast enough for most non-expressways. On expressways though, it should be at least 80 MPH IMHO.

[Locksmythe]

They would have to change the standards for brake power as non-enthusiast cars don't have stock brakes reliable enough for high speeds. How many times have you seen a civic or minivan doing 90 with no way to stop?

[e46e92love]

Originally Posted by Finnegan

Absolutely! And of course right up there in the "causing problems" zone are the total _____s that that drive at 55-60 MPH on a 65-70 MPH road in the fast lane while pacing the car to their right while blocking traffic behind them. You know, the "I'm going fast enough crowd" who refuse to move out of the way of faster vehicles. They cause major problems.

Yes!!!! I hate those drivers!!!!

Cheers,
e46e92

[mkoesel]

Originally Posted by ///Metak

Actually driving the speed limit reminds me of those 4 college students that held the entire flow of the I-285 traffic in Atlanta to the posted speed limit 55mph and the mess it created..

http://74.125.155.132/search?q=cache...&ct=clnk&gl=us

That is f*cking awesome.

[MaxL]

Originally Posted by Locksmythe

They would have to change the standards for brake power as non-enthusiast cars don't have stock brakes reliable enough for high speeds. How many times have you seen a civic or minivan doing 90 with no way to stop?

Not true. In europe same cars routinely drive over 100MPH. I used to drive my old Mazda Protege as fast as it could go (legally) - which was about 105MPH - almost every day, and it could reliably do an emergency stop from that speed to zero. And that thing had drum brakes on the rear... Performance cars have brakes beefed up to handle multiple repeated stops, but one emergency slowdown from 100MPH is something practically any mechanically fit car can do. In fact, the only car I know of that managed to boil brake fluid with just one stop from its top speed is Dacia - the one Top Gear crew use as a joke on every other show.

[skim]

I heard the last time when CA was changing signs from 55->65, it costed the state around 25 million or some ridiculous amount. I say just take down all speed limit signs and free that expense from the state budget and freaking lower our DMV registration!!

[iveman89]

Originally Posted by skim

I heard the last time when CA was changing signs from 55->65, it costed the state around 25 million or some ridiculous amount. I say just take down all speed limit signs and free that expense from the state budget and freaking lower our DMV registration!!

25 million!! Didnt know that. This state is pissing me off man. School Tuition is going up and the prision system here jeez man.

R they going to change it in Ca to?

[M3 Piotr]

Originally Posted by MaxL

Not true. In europe same cars routinely drive over 100MPH. I used to drive my old Mazda Protege as fast as it could go (legally) - which was about 105MPH - almost every day, and it could reliably do an emergency stop from that speed to zero. And that thing had drum brakes on the rear... Performance cars have brakes beefed up to handle multiple repeated stops, but one emergency slowdown from 100MPH is something practically any mechanically fit car can do. In fact, the only car I know of that managed to boil brake fluid with just one stop from its top speed is Dacia - the one Top Gear crew use as a joke on every other show.

True that. My daily drive to work is 32miles and my average speed is 110mph. I get to open it up sometimes up to 140mph, if there isnt too much traffic. Most cars travel at around 100-120mph average in no speed limit zones. If the cars in front of you are breaking hard they turn on their emergency flashers when they see cars flying behind them, which lets the guys behind know that they better stomp on their brakes too. Germans are conditioned differently. 100mph here is like our 55mph.

I thank US Government for stationing me in Germany.

[dlchasen]

I've driven in Europe many times, and I've never felt endangered by cars going 120 mph+. What pisses me off is unsafe drivers, not necessarily fast drivers. People who are numbed out doing 55 in the fast lane create all kinds of traffic hazards. Similarly, teenage girls doing 100 mpg in the right hand lane are incredibly dangerous. I'd be in favor of extra points and fines for the dangerous violators.

[mkoesel]

Originally Posted by dlchasen

teenage girls doing 100 mpg in the right hand lane are incredibly dangerous.

I absolutely agree - mainly because they are pushing the car at least half of that time.

[Stunnerable]

Originally Posted by mkoesel

I absolutely agree - mainly because they are pushing the car at least half of that time.

Yeah I was gonna say... thats some seriously slow driving!

[BlackLight]

Originally Posted by dlchasen

... Similarly, teenage girls doing 100 mpg in the right hand lane are incredibly dangerous...

Pictures or it didn't happen...

[EJ_92606]

Originally Posted by pmeloche

There is no way that California is in the middle for the average highway speeds. With the exception of the 405 between LA and San Diego, the average highway speed has to be closer to 85mph.

The 405 doesn't go to San Diego, but the section of it that I drive in Orange County is routinely 80 mph average except during rush hour.

[mPlasticDesign]

Originally Posted by EJ_92606

The 405 doesn't go to San Diego, but the section of it that I drive in Orange County is routinely 80 mph average except during rush hour.

Yup 405 goes away south of Irvine I believe and it's all I-5 from there. I think some people asume it goes all the way because when you're in LA the signs say 405 San Diego, if I remember correctly. It's been 10 years since I've lived down there...

[Jack28]

Ya I saw an article about that on yahoo... Cant be bad?? lol!

[JCtx]

My take is 55 mph in 73 was probably equal to at least 80 now. And in every respect. That was the time of mostly bias-ply tires, recirculating-ball steering, no ABS, drum brakes, 3/4-sp transmissions, no airbags, carburetors, etc. Now with radial tires, rack-and-pinion steering, disc brakes, ABS, 5/8-sp transmissions, fuel injection, catalytic converters, stability control, 6+ airbags, crumple zones, etc. Heck, my M3 is probably safer at 100 mph than my dad's old '76 LTD at 55. Every highway should have an 80 mph speed limit outside city limits, like some TX portions of I-10 IMO, but that's never going to happen since speeding tickets are a major revenue source. It's all about the money, not safety folks.

[saeedg48]

The day they raise it to 110, then i'll start paying more attention to this stuff.

[Finnegan]

Originally Posted by elp_jc

My take is 55 mph in 73 was probably equal to at least 80 now. And in every respect. That was the time of mostly bias-ply tires, recirculating-ball steering, no ABS, drum brakes, 3/4-sp transmissions, no airbags, carburetors, etc. Now with radial tires, rack-and-pinion steering, disc brakes, ABS, 5/8-sp transmissions, fuel injection, catalytic converters, stability control, 6+ airbags, crumple zones, etc. Heck, my M3 is probably safer at 100 mph than my dad's old '76 LTD at 55. Every highway should have an 80 mph speed limit outside city limits, like some TX portions of I-10 IMO, but that's never going to happen since speeding tickets are a major revenue source. It's all about the money, not safety folks.

Yep.