Remember the “Double Nickel” September 25, 2007
Posted by Major in : Driving, Gasoline , add a commentFrom 1974 to 1995 there was a national maximum speed limit of 55 miles per hour that all states had to abide by if they wanted to continue to get federal money. This law was passed to conserve gasoline during the oil crisis. Well a couple of weeks ago I decided to try it out again. Since I have to drive about 110 miles round trip to work every third day I put a lot of highway miles on my truck. I drive a 2005 Chevy Silverado Crew Cab 4×4 truck, and when I set my cruise control on 75 mph I get around 17.0 to 17.6 miles per gallon. When I set my cruise control on 55 mph and go over the same highway under the same conditions my truck gets 22 to 23 miles per gallon. That is a 5 miles per gallon increase. My tank hold 24 gallons, so on a tank of gas I can get about an extra hundred miles just by slowing down to 55 miles per hour. It lengthens my commute by about 15 minutes which is really nothing when your on the road for an hour, and it is more relaxing to drive at the slower pace. I never realized it but driving 75 miles per hour down the interstate for an hour causes a lot of tension and tightness in my shoulders and back. So with the price of gasoline as high as it is I believe I will be driving 55 from now on.