Just an observation....I live in So. Utah and yesterday on the way home on the I-15 I saw a 5th wheel way up the road from me, thought I'd catch up and take a gander at the truck/trailer. This is where it got kinda scary, we have an 80 mph speed limit and most cars do that and more.

I had to go 85 in places and finally caught up to this guy who had to slow down due to traffic. As soon as the traffic cleared a little ..... bam! lane change and off he went. He was driving a Dodge CCSRW with a 34/35' tandem toy hauler type trailer. I watched this guy till my offramp came up but he was at a steady 84/85 mph. I was just waiting for his tires to come unglued. I tow about 68 mph with Sailun S637's but never saw anyone tow that fast before.......accident waiting to happen.

 

possible he had some LT tires on it.


I agree, give that one a wide berth.

 

I have LT tires on my open car trailer and never think twice on doing 80+ mph other then the fuel gauge dropping much too fast!
Dave ----

 

Probably a hauler making a delivery of an empty unit. Visual clues are: temporary Indiana tag zip tied on; signage on side of truck; new camper and beat up truck; and travelling at high speeds.

 

That sounds possible!

 

I always to around 70-75 on the highway. But if the limit is 80, I'm not hesitating to go that fast. Just be smart, keep my distance, and I monitor tire temps/pressure.

 

80 is normal for me as well, never had an issue with LT's. Obviously weather will slow me down if wet or windy.

 

I doubt any trailer manufacturer will not suggest going faster than the posted speed limit - but, does anyone know of a trailer manufacturer that recommends a particular speed to pull at?

I would think that towing speed would be determined by tire condition and if not old, cracked, etc. what they are are rated for, what the weather conditions dictate, amount of traffic, size/weight of cargo, etc.

BarnieTrk

 

Don't forget State law. (example is CA..55 max).

 

From what I've read, many Special Trailer (ST) rated tire manufacturer's, such as Carlisle, recommend max towing speed of 65mph.

BarnieTrk

 

I do not see much need to going over the 65mph speed rating on most trailer tires. You have less chance of heat build up in the tires during the summer travels. Also emergency stopping is difficult enough at 65mph.

If you stop and think about it, you are not going to arrive that much faster and possibly even take more time when you need to make an extra fuel stop. 65mph vs 75mph only saves you like 6 to 7 minutes per hour of travel if you have no traffic to impede your travels.

So why risk it if your tires aren't rated for speeds over 65mph.

JMHO and 2 cents.

 

I agree 100%, Just Strokin.

I have to remind myself of this fact now and then...especially when my trip (with or without a trailer in tow) is under 30 miles (one way). The fact that going faster down the road won't really get me there any quicker. When doing the math, consider 65mph = 1.08 miles per minute. 75 mph = 1.25 miles per minute. So a trip of only 30 miles @ 75 mph is (30/1.25) = 24 minutes. Whereas the same 30 mile trip @ 65 mph is (30/1.08) = 28 minutes. Will the additional four minutes really be noticed? Probably not. Of course, a shorter trip, there is even less time difference. A 5 mile trip @ 65 mph = 4.6 minutes or the same 5 mile trip @ 75 mph = 4.0 minutes. It may SEEM like the trip was faster, but the math tells you the truth.......

Better yet - simply plan to leave 4 minutes sooner and put less wear and tear on the truck & trailer, better fuel mileage will save you $$ and it'll give you a chance to enjoy the scenery along the way....a win/win/win in every way! JMHO as well.....

BarnieTrk

 

6-7 minutes per hour over a 10 hour trip adds up to lots of minutes. Minutes you'll never get back when they're wasted on the interstate. Run and gun!

 

Assuming my above math to be relatively close to actual results - it figures out that if you travel at 75 mph for 10 hours (600 minutes), you will have gone (1.25miles/minute x 600 minutes =) 750 miles. To travel that same 750 mile distance at 65 mph (1.08 miles/minute) it will take an additional 110 minutes. Yep, nearly two (2) hours more....giving you NOT wasted time, but time to smell the flowers along the road and take in the sites as you pass by! I would also venture to say it would be an easier 750 miles on your rig too! Life is too short to be in such a hurry, my friend!

But back to the point of MPH vs. MPG with resulting TIME and COST, here is an interesting page with a calculator: Mpg For Speed - Fuel Efficiency Vs. Speed

Plug in your estimated MPG at 55, your cost of fuel per gallon and the target distance (why not use our 750 miles figure) and push 'CALCULATE'. The calculated data is interesting.....

Now I'lll be the first to point out that their calculator used gasoline-powered cars for data points. I suspect the data would be different (how much different - I don't know) for a diesel-powered truck pulling a load. But the calculator is still interesting.......

If nothing else, take a look at the projected stats posted by the airlines at the bottom of the page. Also an interesting factoid.

BarnieTrk

 

Unfortunately this "factoid" is not correct. There is much more to it than that.

Number if gears in transmission, axle gearing, power band of the engine, compression ratio, etc.

My V6 Accord gets much better MPG at 85 than 55 for example.