Towing Speeds

[Bob Penn]

I notice that many vehicles towing a RV trailer (and other trailers as well), seem to be using excessive speeds while towing. Some I have observed doing almost 80 mph.

My Casita is a single axle RV. Does having two or more axles change the speed limitations when towing?

The 15 inch factory tires provided with my Casita are rated at a maximum of 65 mph. Granted the rating probably has a built in safety margin for error, but that does not, in my opinion, mean that I should be going 70 mph plus with my Casita. I have temporarily exceeded the rated speed, but rarely as I have no desire to put my large investment at risk.

When the tires are even smaller, I would think they would be at further risk of failure at speeds well beyond their rating.

It is my understanding that it is possible to purchase tires with much higher ratings that allow you to use higher speeds.

I am new at this, so I present this topic out of concern and also an interest in views of others regarding "towing speed". Am I being to paranoid about it all?

I did a search on this forum and did not find any discussion on this topic. Maybe I used the wrong search terms.

[thrifty bill]

There are plenty of tires available with 81 MPH rating. Thats what I buy.

Do I tow at 81 MPH? Not a chance.

But in some areas, 60 MPH is too slow to keep up with traffic in the slow lane. I typically tow at 65 MPH, 70 MPH max. I keep up with the slower traffic in most areas. (some areas even the slow traffic is going 80MPH, not me).

Why run 65 MPH tires at or near their rated limit when you can readily buy 81 MPH tires.

[AC0GV]

Originally Posted by Bob Penn

I notice that many vehicles towing a RV trailer (and other trailers as well), seem to be using excessive speeds while towing. Some I have observed doing almost 80 mph.

Check the side walls. Many RVs come with 60 MPH max tires. I now have 81 MPH tires but still drive 60 to get the better fuel economy.

[AlanKilian]

I tow my 13' Scamp at 65 MPH top.

Occasional we go 70 or 75 to pass crazy-slow traffic, but that's rare and quick.

I have gotten called out here (I think) and on Facebook when I said I towed at 65MPH from people who said that going that slowly was dangerous to other traffic going faster. That's baffling to me, but it's happened more than once, so I guess it's a thing people actually believe.

Basically, I sit in the right-lane of traffic with my cruise (Yes, I tow on cruise) set to about 1 or 2 MPH slower than the person in front of me. My towing is actually pleasant since there's no one in front of me most of the time. I adjust speed up and down as the right-lane speeds up and slows down, but always stay slightly slower than traffic to allow me some peaceful and enjoyable travel.

We always arrive in a good mood ready to camp and THAT is the important thing to me.

(Yes, I have 81 MPH tires and they are load range D although I don't think I need load range D)

[Jon in AZ]

In some places, 55-60 mph on a 2-lane is much, much worse than on the interstate because traffic can’t easily get around you. Many rural 2-lanes in the West are quite fast, and passing lanes and pull-outs are few and far between. Locals aren’t out to enjoy the scenery. Even doing my best to be a considerate driver, people will attempt dangerous and illegal passing actions.

On high speed interstates, I have seen towed RVs pushing 75-80 mph too, but plenty of others (like me) are running more sensibly around 65 mph. You will be fine at that speed on interstates, and faster traffic has a safe way to get around you.

[Carol and Mike]

I’ve been doing 70mph for quite a while on the interstate. In west Texas where the speed limit goes up to 80 I’ll do 75. My trailer has 16” truck tires mounted with TST TPMS and Olivers are very well behaving trailers while in tow. Never exceed the speed limit!

[Kenny Strong]

I travel at 65. in 2 lane areas if I am blocking traffic, I pull over at a wider part of road or intersection; yes it takes time, I think it is a "Pay it forward "type of thing, I feel more relaxed.
Sometimes I see a group of trailers, that seem to be traveling together, moving along bumper to bumper, no space for other drivers to pass and move back into moving traffic.

[jerrybob]

I tow at 65mph max......usually 62 unless I am holding up traffic. I prefer small roads....50 to 55 most of the time.....I let cars past when safe. I prefer to see the scenery.....enjoy the drive. I have seen people drive way to fast....towing and not towing.....I have seen people pass on double yellows.....I have seen people pass on hills.....I have seen many acccidents from drivers doing dumb things.....some have died. Be safe out there.....enjoy the ride.

[Daniel A.]

I tend to hold a touch above the posted limit, we do have roads posted at 75 I've pushed it a bit passing and I have also pulled over to allow those behind me that want to go faster the opportunity. Most of my driving is mountains I'm confident with my tires as they are changed every 5 years and are D rated and air pressure is checked before every trip.



Dan

[floyd]

The tires on my Mustang are rated for 154MPH,but I very seldom drive that fast on public roads.
When towing, I look for optimum safe speeds, for fuel economy as well as wear and safety.

Traffic commonly runs in excess of 75MPH on the interstate and I run with traffic when not towing.
Driving habits should be modified for towing,... slow down and increase following distances when towing, for obvious reasons.

I don't tow above 65mph, but I find optimum MPG at about 63MPH with my Ranger and optimum MPG with my TC at about 60MPH. I have never had a problem at 60MPH as traffic "sees" the trailer and prepares to pass without surprise as I sit in the right lane and pass maybe 1 or 2 vehicles in a 10hour day.
When driving 65MPH or higher you will find that you overtake much more often and must use the passing lane. That's when you start to interfere with traffic flow.

[IMEd]

For me 55 to 60 mph is a speed at which I’m comfortable handling an emergency like a blowout, debris in the road, a crazy driver, etc. and gives Me decent gas mileage. I just plan my driving day around this speed. On multi-lane highways other drivers can run as fast as they see fit.

On a two lane road with limited passing lanes I’ll pull over often so I don’t frustrate other drivers.

A few years ago, a semi in front of me shredded a tire. I was really, really glad I was driving slow.

[Radar1]

Although ST tires are required to meet the 65 MPH standard, our Carlisle tires (and many more) are rated for 81 MPH (I suspect if you have Carlisle tires on your 2019 camper they are the same speed rating), we never go that fast. 62 MPH MAX seems to be a good comfortable speed for us. Sometimes we go 65 under ideal conditions.
It's interesting to note that some in the USA seem to think high speeds towing a trailer are just as safe as when not towing, but when we lived overseas they treated trailers differently. In Germany for example, the maximum allowable speed pulling a camper is 50 MPH (unless you have shocks and the trailer is certified for a higher 62 MPH Max rating), and that is a country famous for high speeds on the Autobahn.
Bad things can happen when pulling a camper at high speeds, and the faster you go, the more violent the bad things are, the quicker they sneak up on you, and the less time you have to correct them.
I suspect most of those videos on YouTube showing camper sway and overturned trailers happen at higher speeds than 65, although an improperly loaded trailer can cause the sway at lower speeds.
This video mentions something I never heard of before, an electronic sway control for campers.

[Bob Penn]

Originally Posted by Kenny Strong

I travel at 65. in 2 lane areas if I am blocking traffic, I pull over at a wider part of road or intersection; yes it takes time, I think it is a "Pay it forward "type of thing, I feel more relaxed.

If the speed limit allows and the road is in good condition, then I travel at the 65 mph limit of my tires. I stay in the right lane and use cruise control when not climbing hills. Cruise control on a hill climb can really suck up the gas I discovered the hard way.

I am happy at 65. When it is safe, I too, make a point of pulling over so that faster traffic can pass me. I am not in a hurry. The far right lane on roads that have more than one lane in a given direction works for me.

I am careful to always check tire pressure before moving. On the next set of tires, I will definitely go with the high rated tires mentioned by others on the forum and in response to my post. But I will still be quite happy staying at 65 mph when towing.

I think that one irritation I have is with drivers who feel they own the fast lane regardless of speed. They block traffic and keep things from moving smoothly. I stick to the rule of keep right except to pass even when it is not posted. I consider that a common courtesy.

There are a lot of considerations when towing or even not towing. The speed limit, road conditions, weather, the number of lanes, time of day, how fast is traffic moving, and the number and type of vehicles on the road. ALL have to be factored in to how fast, how far to follow behind the vehicle in front of you and which lane to use.

[Samwise]

I almost always limit my speed to 60 mph. The tires have no problem traveling much faster, but fuel economy drops quickly.

[Jon in AZ]

You miss a lot when traveling interstates. But if your goal is to get someplace you want to be in the shortest time and with the least stress, you just can’t beat them.

Coming home from North Tahoe this July, we elected to take a 2-lane from Carson City to Las Vegas. I can honestly say it was the most stressful day of driving I have ever done: heavy traffic, with cars, trucks, and RVs all jockeying to get around each other against a steady flow of high speed oncoming traffic. There was no speed at which you could just settle in and cruise; I was constantly speeding up, slowing down, braking. I was forced onto the shoulder twice by drivers attempting to pass without enough room. Gas stations and restrooms were few and far between.

[ThomasC]

Originally Posted by Samwise

I almost always limit my speed to 60 mph. The tires have no problem traveling much faster, but fuel economy drops quickly.

Yes! I was playing around with the cruise control an the difference between 65 and 62 or 63 is more than a mile per gallon.

[floyd]

Originally Posted by Jon in AZ

You miss a lot when traveling interstates. But if your goal is to get someplace you want to be in the shortest time and with the least stress, you just can’t beat them.

Coming home from North Tahoe this July, we elected to take a 2-lane from Carson City to Las Vegas. I can honestly say it was the most stressful day of driving I have ever done: heavy traffic, with cars, trucks, and RVs all jockeying to get around each other against a steady flow of high speed oncoming traffic, and very few gas stations or other services. There was no speed at which you could just settle in and cruise, constant speeding up and slowing down. I was forced onto the shoulder twice by drivers attempting to pass without enough room.

LIKE!

[floyd]

Originally Posted by AlanKilian

I tow my 13' Scamp at 65 MPH top.

Occasional we go 70 or 75 to pass crazy-slow traffic, but that's rare and quick.

I have gotten called out here (I think) and on Facebook when I said I towed at 65MPH from people who said that going that slowly was dangerous to other traffic going faster. That's baffling to me, but it's happened more than once, so I guess it's a thing people actually believe.

Basically, I sit in the right-lane of traffic with my cruise (Yes, I tow on cruise) set to about 1 or 2 MPH slower than the person in front of me. My towing is actually pleasant since there's no one in front of me most of the time. I adjust speed up and down as the right-lane speeds up and slows down, but always stay slightly slower than traffic to allow me some peaceful and enjoyable travel.

We always arrive in a good mood ready to camp and THAT is the important thing to me.

(Yes, I have 81 MPH tires and they are load range D although I don't think I need load range D)

To your point...

On nearly every Interstate Highway in the US the minimum safe speed limit is 45MPH on the open stretches away from cities. The top speed limit is often 55MPH or less within city limits.
The legal speed limit is seldom above 70MPH on open stretches of highway and some places it drops at night.
My point is that it is far safer to tow a trailer 10 under and be consistently in the right lane, than it is to drive 10 over and weave in and out of traffic cutting off the faster traffic.
So those who told you it was dangerously slow to drive 15mph faster than the legal minimum are just plain wrong.


Another point ...even at 5MPH under the limit you will pass a good percentage of traffic which means many times more exposure to left lane traffic, resulting in being tailgated by impatient fast laners, and dealing with them attempting to pass you on the right, just as you are trying to yield the left lane and return to the right lane. This is where the real danger is.

The difference between 60 and 70mph in a thousand mile trip would save 2hrs. Actually a lot less than that since it is MUCH easier to maintain the former over the latter speed. So when pressed for time it would be better to shorten your "pit stops" a little and space them a little further apart.


Now I like to drive fast at least as much as the next guy but I reserve high speeds for open roads and good weather when NOT towing, and while controlling one vehicle rather than two at a time.

[jwcolby123]

I have a commercial drivers license. Any ticket, even in my own vehicle, goes against my record. So I take it easy. On the highway I will go 5 mph over, but only if traffic around me is going that fast or faster. Never stand out is my motto.

As for towing... it is just a fact that wind resistance determines fuel economy, and even an egg has a large cross section. At best my MPG is poor. At worst abysmal.

The other thing to know is that in a cross wind, going slow decreases the odds of bad things happening.

Be safe out there. Getting there is the single most important factor in enjoying our RVs.

[parmm]

My Scamp 19 Goodyear Endurance ST 205/75 tires are speed rated at 87 MPH, but I seldom go over 65 mph. I try to keep it down to 60 to keep my Chevy Colorado's mpg up to 17 mpg. If I'm going to slow, go around me at your own risk. I'll gladly pull over if there is room. I've seen far to many stick built travel trailers in hundreds pieces from high speed accidents!!!