Driving at 88.5 KMPH for maximum fuel efficiency.

R

RichInSpirit

Registered User
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In the face of rising fuel prices and energy prices driving at 88.51 kilometres per hour can save you money.
It can take a bit longer to get from A to B but you have a more relaxed journey.
As well as saving you money it is better for the environment than driving like a blaggard.
 
I was wondering what the magic number was. Although I don't think we got an exemption to drive at that speed around Dublin
 
odyssey06 said:
I was wondering what the magic number was. Although I don't think we got an exemption to drive at that speed around Dublin
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During the petrol crisis in the early 1980's drivers were advised that 55 mph was the optimal speed to drive at. That's about 88 kph. (didn't really affect me as I had a Honda 90 at the time, so 45 mph was the best I could manage: down hill and with a following wind!)

Edit: if memory serves me right (which is debatable!) the national speed limit was actually reduced to 55 mph. Can anyone else confirm?
 
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Re fuel economy and mpg,Just thought of something.I remember googling "Honest John"and his advice was if you are buying a car and the official mpg quoted by the manufacturer is say 60 mpg,well the first thing you should do is reduce that figure by 20 to 25%.After driving different cars for 54 years i have to agree with him 100%.[just a thought that i thought i should mention].
 
Shirazman said:
Only if they want to drive faster that you are. And that applies no matter what speed you're driving at!
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If you are causing other vehicles to brake or manoeuvre or are generally slowing the flow of traffic it is dangerous.

In the UK you can be prosecuted for dangerous driving for doing that. I don't know what the rules are here. Driving too slowly will also cause you to fail your driving test (failure to progress). Whether it is against the law or not it's still dangerous driving.
PGF2016 said:
Nobody is being forced to change lanes. There's no law saying that everyone has to drive at the same speed otherwise it's dangerous.
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True, but it's rude and it is dangerous. If you are causing other drivers to manoeuvre (change lanes) then your driving in increasing the chances of an accident. You should drive with the flow of traffic, up to the speed limit.
 
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Fair enough but I totally disagree. We're talking ~90kmph. Not 30kmph.
 
The ironic thing here is that if your speedometer is telling you that you're travelling at 88kph, you're probably actually moving at 4-5kph slower than that.
 
PGF2016 said:
Fair enough but I totally disagree. We're talking ~90kmph. Not 30kmph.
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If all or most of the cars in the lane behind you are changing lanes to pass you, while still staying within the speed limit, then you are driving dangerously.
 
T McGibney said:
The ironic thing here is that if your speedometer is telling you that you're travelling at 88kph, you're probably actually moving at 4-5kph slower than that.
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I always set the cruise control at 125Kmph on clear motorways (in daylight when it's no raining).
 
When driving home from Spain this year I was in no rush so I decided to slow down a little and stick to 120 on the clock
Normally on these trips I'd drive at 130 on the clock which is in and around the 120Kmh mark and I would average about 500k per tank or 10kpl
I was a little surprised to find slowing down just a little added between 70 to 100k per tank depending on the terrain
And the added bonus was that at the end of each day's driving I was a little bit more relaxed
 
It was indeed reduced to 55 mph. Think it was the mid to late seventies. There was fuel rationing as well. I recall there being a limit of 3 gallons per car at one stage, and queues back down the road from garages.
 
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