Well, they have done studies on this i believe 55 is the most efficient use of gas. I like the idea of higher speeds but it seems like the wrong time. Maybe if they actually cut the speeds BACK to 55 then we could put enough pressure on the politicians to get tough on the Saudis :D
Anyone who rides motorcycles knows how wind resistance starts increasing significantly as soon as you get above 50mph or so. I prefer "increased fuel use" which is a fact as opposed to "waste gas" which is an opinion. :)
And you may want to call Jimmah, put on a sweater, and sign up for the habbitat, wait for the governemnt to tell you where to buy gasoline. The 70's were tee-rific for gasoline rationing weren't they? Now where is Ted, Barbara, and Nancy on this issue?
I have a 90 Linclon Town Car, with a 5.0 lt V8. At 55-60, I get 22-23 mpg on the highway. At 70-75, I get 25-28mpg. I have an '04 Volvo xc90, and the mileage is not quite as good, though the car is 350# lighter. I use cruise control. I drive more than 50,000 miles per year.
Your studies were done by the same people that want you to abide by the Kyoto treaty, but would love to see you walking past their Benzes, and Beamers...
Very outdated information from the 70's compiled from biased testing. In the 70's a car doing 60 mph was turning around 3500 rpm's or higher. Today my SUV will do 75 mph without going over 2100 rpm's.
During the summer I drive to work from the lake quite often. Traffic in the fast lane moves consistently at 75 to 80 mph and see almost no unsafe driving incidents. About once a week someone will hang in the fast lane doing 68 mph and all hell breaks loose. You see more unsafe driving incidents in 10 minutes than you see in a week at the higher speeds.
Recent studies show that the safest traffic pattern on non-urban highways is when the lanes move at the speed which 80% or more of the drivers want to travel at. Traveling at other rates of speed increase tension, increase reaction time and promote compulsive actions.
Please cite your so-called studies and the tiime-frame in which the studies were made if you can. Otherwise, I believe the previous posted is correct. At least, that is what my mechanics tell me about our vehicles and we have quite a few in the company.