Imposed speed limit control. Back in the late 70's, Jimmy Carter implemented the 50 MPH national speed limit. A few months into this law, speed limits were increased 5 MPH to 55 MPH.

Think it'll ever be reconsidered, revisited? There's talk about it!

Most of the highways around here are still at 55 mph.

The law enforcement begins at 70 mph.

No change of law is required.

For the roads in NJ and CT with 65 mph limits, the law enforcement begins at 75 mph.

Again, no change of law is required.

Fuel consumption reductions of 10% are easily achieved by rigorously enforcing existing laws.

Starting yesterday (Sept. 1) parts of the interstate system in far west Texas were raised to 80MPH. Highest speed limit in the nation. So no, I don't think so...

- JimY

That was because we were short on oil. The problem now is the price. As long as the gas is there and people want to pay to go fast, they will let them

Raise speed limits.

Let's have fun as we drive off the cliff!

Bot

I thought the 55mph limit was a Nixonian thang.

I'm 175 miles into the tank on my first self imposed 50 mph speed limit with the B-250 van. The needle reads just under 3/4 tank, so things are looking good.

However, the "mileage to middle finger ratio" is, unfortunately, hovering about 20. Got another one today from some ******* in a $hitbox, as usual. I was coming up to an exit cloverleaf and needed to merge right. The van was down below 40 mph at that point. The $hitbox was coming onto the road from the entering cloverleaf and, naturally, was moving at least 40 mph at the top of the ramp. So, he was extremely upset that he could not mash the pedal and roar up to 70 mph because there was this large, red Dodge merging directly in front of him at 40 mph. Naturally, he can go ____ himself.

Trying to squeeze a record 18 mpg on this tank. We'll see.

I'd like to investigate permanently shutting down four cylinders. Take the pushrods out and see how she does. Bet I can get another 3 mpg with that.
The way I drive it, I sure don't need 'em.

Umm, once again the price is high because we are short on oil. OK, this time it's a shorter-term delivery problem, but anyway you look at it, not as much oil/gasoline that can be delivered to the pumps today as compared to earlier.

Constant demand + smaller supply = Higher prices commanded

Increase supply, or lower demand, and prices will fall.

Back when I drove a '74 240D I used to get the middle finger salute almost every day. I still get it in the 300D today. My dad told me a story once about how he was riding with a friend in the fifties who wouldn't pull over to let faster cars go by. This was in Europe, they were in a little micro-car. As the people went by screaming and giving him the finger my dads friend turned to him and said "you see all those people? they are all my friends" and laughed and kept on going.I think J C Whitney sold a kit to disable cylinders back when Cadillac came out with the v8 6 4 engine. I'm sure someone still makes a similar kit. In 1981 it was tempting to buy one for the Buick Electra 225 with the 455 engine.

No, no, no, no.... And once again: No!

For years, I've been advocating the opposite: RAISING speed limits on stretches of interstate highways where it is reasonable to do so.

Of course this would have to coincide with a policy of actually teaching people how to DRIVE before handing them a driver's license! So I'm not holding my breath.

I know it goes without saying, especially around this crowd, but Germany's Autobahn is a textbook example of how this can, and should, work.

"Speed" itself does not cause accidents. Far, FAR more accidents are caused by inattentive driving (duh!), and more important to this discussion, the DIFFERENCE in speed between people who are driving at or slightly above the speed limit (like me, and most people), and those who are driving far below it (as Brian says he is doing now, apparently much to his fellow drivers' dismay).

Mike

__________________
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1979 300 SD
350,000 miles
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1982 300D-gone---sold to a buddy
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1985 300TD
270,000 miles
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1994 E320
not my favorite, but the wife wanted it

www.myspace.com/mikemover
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There is complete agreement, Mike.

The sole reason to drive slower is to save fuel. I'd be driving the van at 60 mph if it didn't suck down so much fuel in the process.

I might even keep the M/B at 65 mph. It shows about 2 mpg improvement over running it at 70 mph.

I will say that driving the van at 50 mph is definitely less safe than driving it at 60 mph. It is basically a moving obstacle at this speed. I don't know how long the obstacle will be avoided. If someone collides with it, all of the benefits of fuel savings will have been lost...........and then some.

Yip, I remember dad *****in about it and ford holding the 55 sign.

Taking Katrina out of the picture, the issue is not a smaller supply. The issue is that we have MAXIMIZED the output of the refinery. IOW, there is more oil advailable than the refinery can produce. Another problem is there is little incentive for the companies to build bigger refineries. Someone show me a reason why they would. I wouldn't. If the supply is limited and the demand goes up, I make more money. Why would I want to cut my own throat by building a bigger refinery just to lower the price?

__________________
01 Ford Excursion Powerstroke
99 E300 Turbodiesel
91 Vette with 383 motor
05 Polaris Sportsman 800 EFI
06 Polaris Sportsman 500 EFI
03 SeaDoo GTX SC Red
03 SeaDoo GTX SC Yellow
04 Tailgator 21 ft Toy Hauler
11 Harley Davidson 883 SuperLow

While I am not an economist, my guess is that if they could add 25% to their refining capacity, and the price only went down 15%, they would make money. I don't have the numbers, but I'm sure the oil companies do.

I understand a big problem is it takes so long to get a refinery permitted and built... because nobody want 'em in their backyard...

At the current capacity, they could sit back, not make any expenditures and make even more money. Why not? You may not be an economist or have the numbers but they do. If it profits them the way you see it, I'll bet they will jump on it.

Yes, that is also part of the expenditure of getting a permit to build a new refinery. Just like building a Wal*Mart. Everyone wants them. Just NIMBY. Not In My Back Yard. Look at what John Kerry promised the people of Nevada should he be elected. He promised them that he wouldn't make Yucca Mountains a permanent nuclear storage facility. Did he say where he would put the nuclear waste? I think not. Unless he plans to do a "Space 1999" solution and put it on the moon, I don't think it is going to work. However, that would please the people of NV because it will be somewhere else.

__________________
01 Ford Excursion Powerstroke
99 E300 Turbodiesel
91 Vette with 383 motor
05 Polaris Sportsman 800 EFI
06 Polaris Sportsman 500 EFI
03 SeaDoo GTX SC Red
03 SeaDoo GTX SC Yellow
04 Tailgator 21 ft Toy Hauler
11 Harley Davidson 883 SuperLow