Do You Avoid Highways With Your Car?

[larryconnors]

Do you avoid highways? Tell us about some experiences you've had with other drivers while out in your classic car. Do you use a GPS? I've Selected "most direct route" and been sent down roads that were just barely a road or were no longer open to traffic or that weren't plowed in winter.

[Young Ed]

I do not avoid highways or freeways. I do occasionally use a GPS. Sometimes for a more accurate MPH reading and sometimes to navigate if I'm away from home and don't know where I'm going.

 

The funniest experience I had was one time on a weeknight after rushhour on the freeway. I was driving the p15 in the middle lane and the only other car around was tailgating me. After a minute a suburban comes up on my left that says SHERIFF in large letters across the entire rear doors. In smaller letters it said crime scene investigation or coroners office. So the tailgater gets tired of me and moves to the left lane and begins tailgating the sheriff. Keep in mind this entire time the right lane is open and he could have easy gone around both of us that way. So the sheriff pulls on to the left shoulder slams on the brakes and then pulls right behind the tailgater and flips his lights on.  

[Plymouthy Adams]

only while on my motorcycle....playing field is stacked against me ..

[TodFitch]

If just going somewhere, I get on the freeway. But if I have the time for a longer drive and to study maps in advance I prefer the older two lane highways. For example, in April we drove from the SF Bay area to Tucson, about 900 miles without a single foot of freeway driving. Took three days. On the way back took the freeway.

 

I find that people on the freeway are reasonably accommodating. Only issue is some will drive along in my blind spot while they look over the vehicle. That basically means two lanes are slowed down to my speed (typically 60 MPH).

[Oldguy48]

  I prefer to avoid freeways, turnpikes, etc.  My P15 has no problem running with the "Big Dogs" on the highway, thanks to the V8, but I like to cruise a lower speeds and enjoy the ride and the scenery.

  We used a "Smartphone" as a GPS on our recent trip to Ocean City, MD.  I'm not good with directions, and my wife is even worse.(Don't tell her I said that!)  Even with the GPS we took a wrong turn.

  The worst experience we've had driving the P15, was last year on another trip to Ocean City, MD, some pea-brained individual decided to pass us on the right (on the shoulder, not a driving lane).  Startled the bejesus out of me because I never saw him coming.  Seems stupidity is rampant out on the highways, and not likely to get much better.

 

Wayne

[John Reddie]

The only two cars that I own now are 1967 Plymouth Furys, a convertible and a 4 door hardtop. The hardtop is my everyday car and the convertible gets used year round in good weather. I actually don't mide the big highways because I can stay to the right and let the kamikazies go by at 90 or more in the fast lane. On the regular roads, many people tailgate even doing the posted speed limit. I have been a licensed MA driver for 55 years and I have seen drivers do things that boggle my mind, dangerous life threatening chances that scare me. GPS sounds like a great item but I don't have one yet.

John R

[55 Fargo]

Freeway/majorHighway conditions might prevail in making a decision when and if to drive on them Heavy trafic, bad weather,certain jurisdictions might influence a decision.

If your car can't cruise at 55-60mph, use the smaller, slower speeds roadways, 55 mph, should be the slowest speed consideration I would think,

I know up here, there are tons of 2 lane highways, but on weekends, or morning, these higways get loaded with bumper to bumper traffic going 65 mph +, so drivers get annoyed when having to wait to pass some car driving 55 mph.

I really also think another important consideration for highway speed is 1) handling, suspension and steering need to be in good shape, 2) brakes. There is no no point trying to drive highway speeds, when you can't steer,handle or stop your vehicle.

Having said all this, I still prefer driving quiet roads, but on occasion like mult-lane roadways, if the traffic is not too heavy or crazy...

[55 Fargo]

Tod, with that 4.375:1 diff, your old Plym, must be screamin for mercy at 60-65 mph ( you have tall tires right?), ever verify your speedo with a GPS, or see what RPM your at. I think it's great, but you are a brave soul... 

If just going somewhere, I get on the freeway. But if I have the time for a longer drive and to study maps in advance I prefer the older two lane highways. For example, in April we drove from the SF Bay area to Tucson, about 900 miles without a single foot of freeway driving. Took three days. On the way back took the freeway.

 

I find that people on the freeway are reasonably accommodating. Only issue is some will drive along in my blind spot while they look over the vehicle. That basically means two lanes are slowed down to my speed (typically 60 MPH).

[pflaming]

For daily use, I use the roads with the fewest stop lights/signs, so I use the local freeways. They are busy but usually not 'crowed'. I usually find a truck to follow at a safe distance, even though I have disc brakes up front. 65 is an easy speed with my 3.73 rear axle but  for daily trips i stay around 60.  I really enjoy the old truck. 

[TodFitch]

Tod, with that 4.375:1 diff, your old Plym, must be screamin for mercy at 60-65 mph ( you have tall tires right?), ever verify your speedo with a GPS, or see what RPM your at. I think it's great, but you are a brave soul... 

 

GPS shows the speedo is pretty accurate, within one or two MPH. Screeming? Not really, I liken it to a sewing machine running fast. When I was a young child and we took trips in the family car, that was the sound of the highway and it brings back fond memories.

 

I figure 60 MPH is about 3200 RPM with my 525-17 tires, the mounted diameter is about the same as for a 600-16.

[greg g]

When we travel in the P15, I usually take major state highways, avoiding interstates. On the interatate, I drive at an indicated 65 which is 62 on the GPS.  With most folks driving 70 + here in the northeast, that overtaking speed is greater than a lot of peoples reaction times, and worse south of the Mason Dixon line where most folks add another 5 mph to their cruising speed.  I will, depending on the time of day jump on the limited access roads to avoid stop and go through city surface streets.  For example when we traveled to North Carolina a few years back for the POC meet there we took US 11 to just N of Harrisburg, PA area, jumped on 81 to get through the urban area, then went through southern PA and VA on US 15 to around Charlottesville VA where we did the Skyline Drive for a bit then picked up I 81, then 52 and 601 in NC. Saw a lot of nice country.  Map quest said the driving time on the interstates was 11 hours.  Or indirect route took us about 3.5 hours longer in actual driving time and was about 25 miles longer. Here at home its around 30 minutes from nearly anywhere to almost everywhere else regardless of choice of road.  I guess I think the wear and tear on the car is greater in stop and go situations than short spurt on the freeway.

[Plymouthy Adams]

Interstate 81 is not really a super highway..just talking with my bud today who had traveled to Carlisle  he said there were more cops, low speed limits that varied from 55 to 60 more than the top speed of 65 which is I-81   I traveled it one time...I avoid that road like the plague...I kept waiting for the interstate speed to be posted...and seriously been my experience was more cops per square mile than the local Krispy Crème here in town...driving in Ohio was more fun and so you know it has to be real bad...

Edited May 31, 2013 by Plymouthy Adams

[BobT-47P15]

I prefer the two lane type roads, or "rural" four lanes with a lower speed limit.  I keep watch in the rear view mirror on two lanes

to see how many cars are stacked up behind me.  When there are several, i look for a good place on the shoulder to pull off

and stop to allow them all to pass.  I figure they appreciate it as they are all driving newer model cars that go faster than me.

[Don Coatney]

I think the majority of the miles I have driven my P-15 was on the freeway. I did this only because it is the most direct route for long trips. My P-15 is geared for freeway driving. At 70 MPG I am only spinning my engine at around 2200 RPM's. I do use a GPS for directions and speed as my speedometer is not accurate.

 

However, a few minutes ago I just returned home from a trip where I drove a tad under 800 miles in my daily driver truck  (Buffalo, NY to Murfreesboro, TN) on the freeways. On this trip I had to slam on the brakes too many times for jerks cutting me off to switch lanes with  no signal. Several times, even though I was driving 5-6 miles per hour over the posted speed limit, I had tail gaiters chompin my butt because I was allowing the recommended 1 car lengh for every 10MPH gap between me and the car in front of me. They would blink there lights, pass on the right only to go tailgait the vehicle 7-8 car lengths in front of me. What was funny was I was staying with the flow of traffic. These lane switching jerks had one foot on the brake and one foot on the gas. As I stayed with the flow I passed them when ever there was a traffic slow down.

 

My next trip I will plan on alternate routes no matter what I am driving.

[austinsailor]

Rural roads in west Texas are now posted at 85. (There was a bill to make it 90, but it didn't pass) They typically push it another 5 to 10 MPH. I doubt we'll ever keep up out there! Many of the toll roads all over Texas are now 85 as well.

Along the Texas coast, where I sometimes am, most are posted at 75, so it's still a bit dicey. But most have wide shoulders that are both suitable and legal to drive on, and it's common courtesy to pull over on the shoulder to let others pass. So, a rear view mirror is heavily used here.

My 40 Dodge sedan is a 50 mph highway car, 55 is ok, but feel like it's being pushed. My 48 pilot house is a 45 mph truck, 50 is about tops comfortably. In Missouri, where I do much of my driving, they consider 40 MPH the minimum safe speed on the interstates. I've talked to the highway department about it, and I can tell you anything under 50 is living pretty much on the edge. In a 30 mile trip on the interstate at 50 mph, I'll typically have to hit the shoulder (where it's NOT legal or suitable to drive) twice to avoid being rear ended by some idiot doing 80 and dreaming. Needless to say, I stay off of them for the most part.

Edited June 2, 2013 by austinsailor

[JBNeal]

ED:  your story reminds me of the "hyper-miler" idiots that don't understand the concept of 'drafting'.  Drafting an older, less aerodynamic vehicle is pointless; drafting a larger vehicle (18-wheelers hauling long boxes come to mind) can be felt immediately, as trailing a semi cruising at 75 won't mean much until ya get past the vortex shedding that buffets a vehicle and get within the low pressure wake.  Once inside the wake, the big box will drag the vehicle along with it, meaning the motor needs less throttle input, hence the improved mpg.  I've done this on occasion with semis that are flying over the posted speed limit, and there are some aggressive truck drivers who see this & stomp on the brakes to shake off the hemorrhoidal drivers.  Since semis cannot stop on a dime, drafting an 18-wheeler can be done much safer than drafting a Suburban.  The hyper-miler idiots are the ones who try this concept with any vehicle cuz they think that any vehicle can produce enough of a wake to improve their fuel economy.  If a prius was to draft a Suburban, then it might see a slight improvement in mpg if traveling over 50, but the collision risk is too high to make it worth it.

[greg g]

I used to travel from the NYC area to central NY via the NY Thruway. This was back when our car was a 6 cylinder 64 Ford Fairlane. I would jump behind a Greyhound, they always went 10 over the limit, and hug their bumper till I got dizzy from diesel fumes. Probably gained 2 or three mpg. Seems silly looking back at it, as it cost about 6 bucks to fill the tank.

[Scruffy49]

Drove the V8 69 all the way across from Seattle to Memphis. The PH came here via trailer behind a Uhaul truck. Neither will see the freeway again, 4 wheel manual drums, manual steeering, 4 corner leaf springs and Memphis area roads/traffic do not make a good combination. I don't even get my 4 cylinder Ranger out on the freeway if I can possibly avoid it. Tops out at 70, way too slow for the traffic flow. The 69 tops out at 55 or so, the PH is ready to explode at 50. Both trucks are being reworked to pull dual duty as self propelled farm stands or produce haulers for the farmers markets in the smaller towns around us.

 

If i need to get out on the freeway, hauling pecans to the wholesaler or such, I'll take the 85 short wide C10. It's only a 4.3L V6 with a 3 speed slush-o-matic, but it has 2.?? rear gears. Slow to take off, phenomenal top end, and has knocked down mid to upper 20s mpg on long freeway runs.

[steveplym]

I travel whatever road makes the most sense for the trip.  Yesterday I drove the car down to Paducah, KY for a rod run, came back last night as the weather looked bad last night and all day today.  I took interstate all the way down as it was an hour and a half trip vs over two hours on a two lane road.  I enjoy driving the 2 lane or 4 lane highways, with about a 60 mph speed limit. 

 

With dual carbs, OD, 3.55 rear, it drives pretty comfortable at 65-70mph.  Gets real good gas mileage too without the stop and go traffic.  I like to leave earlier in the day if I'm traveling and avoid the freeways in the evening when they are the most crowded. 

[TodFitch]

ED:  your story reminds me of the "hyper-miler" idiots that don't understand the concept of 'drafting'.  Drafting an older, less aerodynamic vehicle is pointless; drafting a larger vehicle (18-wheelers hauling long boxes come to mind) can be felt immediately, . . .

 

It has never dawned on me that tailgaters might be "hyper-milers". I just figured they are idiots. Seems like the vehicles I notice tailgating are ones that don't get all that great mileage (SUVs and pickup trucks), I would have thought that if they were worried about getting better mileage they'd have purchased a different vehicle.

[larryconnors]

I did 100 miles today on a three lane highway and had very pleasant driving even though I was going 55 on the far right lane and most cars and trucks were going about 70. I had a few people toot or give me a thumbs up to say they like my car. The highway was a lot easier on the car than the alternative routes would have been. Traffic was light because it was a Sunday and I traveled early in the day and late in the afternoon. 

[54Illinois]

Both my cars will not go above 45mph.  So I take the side roads.

[Plymouthy Adams]

won't run or you don't run above 45 MPH..my 54 is screaming give me more at 70 starts sounding busy at 80MPH

[pflaming]

54: If those were my cars, I would put a good fuel treatment in the tank and take it for a 300 mile round trip. Every 75 miles I would increase the speed by 5 mph. You would be surprised how that engine would respond. In high school a friend had a 54 plymouth and it would flat FLY, but it was broke in FAST. JMHO.

 

Dad used a product called 4 POWER by Conklin Products.  He put a piece of tape on his tack to prove the salesman wrong. The tractor did  a bit of spitting in the morning, by the middle of the afternoon, the tack was rising, and by the third tank, it was a different tractor: higher rpm's, better power, and less fuel consumption. 

Edited June 3, 2013 by pflaming

[greg g]

If all you are getting is 45, you got some problems.  No designed in reason they won't travel comfortably at 60.  Most eastern State highways had 55 or 60 mph speed limits, and limited access highways and the interstate system were beginning to see usage.  No way was a car company going to designe and sell cars that would not meet or exceed those speeds.  Now a 3/4 or 1 ton pick up with a 5 something to one rear end yea maybe but not cars.

Edited June 3, 2013 by greg g