Speed limit went up, but not for my TT

[5swigerts]

Welcome to Wisconsin, where the speed limit on rural Interstates is now 70mph.

Great for when I'm driving into work, but when towing a TT?? Wow.. was it a rude and wild weekend!

This forum (not my dealer) made me smart enough to know the limit of my ST tires is 65. My sweet spot seems to be 60-62. But the people diving around me, honking, and telling me (and my kids) I was #1 with a finger this weekend was just stunning.

It was a beautiful weekend at the campground, but all I can remember are the crazies who did not appreciate me on the road. This was our first trip with the TT on the major highways. If this is what it's like, I'm sorely disappointed.

I'm starting to look online for a "Speed Limit 65mph" sticker like some of the semi trailers have. Has anyone done something brilliant to deflect or prevent aggression from those who do not understand? Or am I being too light on the gas pedal?

[TWP723]

I'd drive whatever it takes to get my family and me to our destination safely. The other drivers that don't like it can go around. I'm not going to jeopardize the safety of my family for other drivers that don't understand the reasons due to inexperience or ignorance. I stay in the far right lane to give other drivers plenty of room to manuever around me. If they don't like it, oh well. That's THEIR problem, not mine.

[Robbbyr]

I have been travelling in our various motorhomes for years now and rarely have I been subjected to the treatment you describe, despite my preference to keep it at 65 or under like you.

I try to always stick to the right lane(s) to not impede faster traffic, doing my best to judge whether "if I pull out to pass the slow semi truck ahead, will I will hold up faster traffic approaching from the rear?" Does that mean sometimes I sit behind a slower vehicle until traffic passes? Yes! I voluntarily forfeit my "right" to pass when I know I might be an impediment to faster drivers. For me it as much about the drive as it is about the destination.

My recent experiences since getting my current motorhome have been just the opposite of yours, people drive by gawking at my rig and then giving me a "thumbs-up"!

[5swigerts]

My hybrid must not be as cool as a motorhome. You get thumbs up.. I get a different part of the hand.

I stayed in the right lane the entire 3 hour ride. 7-8 people who aggressive dove in front of me, 2 that aggressively dove out from close behind & then immediately dove in front, one that found the passing lane too slow and decided to 70+mph pass me on the rumble strip shoulder to the right! WAY more stress than there needed to be, particularly for my 60-65mph driving.

"Minimum Speed Limit: No person shall drive a motor vehicle at a speed so slow as to impede the normal and reasonable movement of traffic." At the most, I was 10 under... maybe 15 under if I was being kind to my transmission on a big hill.

[DocBrown]

Must have folks from south of the border!

No you are not being too light on the pedal. July and August are the prime vacation months in WI. More people, more traffic, more being in a hurry. Our daughter is gown up and married and long out of school so we're past the need to camp in the heat of summer. I don't miss camping in the hot months. I don't miss crowded places.

However, I have rarely encountered what you are describing, even when we towed on cross country trips where the speed limit was already 70. Just stay in the right and relax.

We recently spent a weekend in Madison. On the way home the right lane was barely moving at 60, the left varied from 65-75.

[North of 49°]

Around here on most highways, the speed limit is 100 kph (~62 mph). On divided highways, I stay in the right hand lane and usually do 95 kph (~59 mph). I figure, it's my vacation, my gas, my equipment and my life I'm responsible for, so I play it safe. And yeah, people have gotten a bit snarky because they've had to pull out and pass, but generally they just keep going. On non-divided highways, I keep to the speed limit or the flow of traffic, whichever is slower, and there's always one yahoo who wants to go faster and decides to pass when there's oncoming traffic.

One some stretches of divided highway, they've increased the speed limit to 110 kph (~68 mph). I will still stay in the right-hand lane and do 95 kph. That's the sweet spot that I've found.

Even with my reduced speed, I still occasionally have to pull out and pass someone going even slower. It may take ten miles of driving behind the slower driver to wait for a gap big enough to do it safely, but I'm not in a hurry.

[5swigerts]

Thanks, all. Doc.. we just can't stop camping in this thing! Loving the TT life.

(Can I name drop here?) We ran to Door County this weekend so my wife could attend a plein air painting course. We stayed at Wagon Trail, near Rowleys Bay. The cleanest, quietest campground I have ever been to! So quiet, I almost didn't play taps at 2200. (I like to mark quiet hours with the most important 24 notes I'll ever play)

Maybe that's why the drivers seemed nuts on 41.. the camp was SO quiet and beautiful!

Now that we have A/C, we kinda sought out some warm weather camping. Gotta shake out everything in the first year of the trailer, don't you?

[Jagiven]

Sounds like there must have been a convention ahead for the Me First Society and the Presidents and CEO of their local chapters were getting together.

Man, the amount of ignorant people out there. Probably not the top of their class either. I have to admit, I have been passed on the shoulder before many times. Usually they are coming off of a ramp or wanting on the next one. But I have been just plain old passed on the shoulder.

Come on over west of the boarder, we have 70 mph speed limits and we are a bit more relaxed and rarely give the solute.

[mike837go]

Another comment of "Do what you feel is safest!"


I do a daily commute of 120miles with the cruise set to 59. Even on the Interstate that is clearly posted for 65. Lots of people pass my little Jetta.


When we tow the TT. I go with the same 59 cruise. To keep the engine from over-revving, I have to drop the cruise near the top of the bigger hills.

[Edd505]

Speed limits 75 here and most run 80+ but you'll find the experienced TT & motor homes putting along in the right lane running 60-65.

[dmward]

We drove through WI this summer and I didn't have the same experience (being told #1). I kept to 60-65.

#1 is being safe. Do what it takes without jeopardizing safety of others as well.

I still drive the same speed up I29 where the limit is 75mph.

[sirrealone]

Here in Michigan there are campers being towed all the time throughout the summer. I go around 60 when towing mine and have never had any aggressiveness even with the lunatics that go 90. Maybe they're just not as common over the lake?

[us71na]

I tow our TT at 60-62. I stay in the right lane or next to right lane if there are 3 or more lanes. I let the people that want to zoom go around.

On two lane roads, I keep an eye on the traffic behind me. When I accumulate 5 or more vehicles when there are no passing lanes, I find a place where I can safely pull off and let them go by. Yes sometimes they only get to go a half mile up the road before they are behind someone else, but I just get friendly waves.

[troutslayer]

Heck, I get passed by everyone on the road even when traveling the speed limit.

[Jagiven]

I think the big thing is the increase in the speed limit in Wisconsin. I do not recall the old maximum speed limit, but I think it was 60 mph on the interstates. You felt as if you are going really slow after coming out of Minnesota where our speed limit on the same road is 70. I think people feel as they can open up the throttle and go, and that is what they are trying to do, and us responsible ones are slowing them down. I have a feeling after a year or so, the thrill of going fast will be gone, and most of them will calm down.

[DocBrown]

Good point JA. It explains why I never felt like people were doing that in other states. In fact I was surprised on a trip to Kentucky a couple of years ago, most people weren't doing more than 70.

The former limit in WI was 65. Many drivers were already doing 75 so now 85 is the new 75.

[Camper_bob]

Here in TX, speed limits range anywhere from 55 on some of the rural roads to 85 on our infamous toll road TX-130. Most speeds are around 70, Interstates are mostly 75. People towing (travel trailers, big rigs, horse trailers ...) still drive 60-65 in the right lane. Once in a long while (usually in a metro area) you'll get one or two yahoos who get all aggressive around trailers, but it's rare in my experience.

I got behind a chicken truck the other day that had a sign on the rear that said "Speed governed at 65 mph", I thought that was a good thing.

Personally, I just do what I do, other drivers will just have to get over it. I DO go out of my way to stay out of other peoples' way though.

What OP describes is just ridiculous. I have no doubt it happens all over the country here or there, but I like to think it's not the norm. Down here, A LOT of people are towing or hauling various items, so it's common, and I think most other drivers stay relatively safe most of the time.

[djtho1]

I have not seen that behavior at all unless it was my fault. I have traveled OH to WA, down to CA, back to OH and then back to CA in the last 2 1/2 years following jobs and have had no anger issues. Sounds like you might have been in a "knot" of people that were being insane before they got to you and you obstructed them getting back at someone.

[Wrascal]

Recently I observed the #1 sign being flashed thru the moon roof at another driver; the truck ahead of them was turning and so slowed down, I guess too much for them. At the next light I pulled along side of the offender to observe the driver, it was a 35-45 years old female!

Otherwise it's been years since I've seen this, and I'm always in the slow lane doing only the posted limit with a max of 65 when pulling.

[Lady Fitzgerald]

As long as you are staying in the right lane and there is a passing lane, no has any right to be upset with you. Sadly, our world has become full of impatient north ends of south bound horses that only care for themselves.


One thing to consider is many RVers do hog the roads (I'm not saying you were). I wish I had a dollar for every time I got stuck behind some inconsiderate jerk in a motorhome driving well below the speed limit on a winding two lane road with few to no passing zones that refused to use the pullouts provided for slow drivers. Selfish idiots like that foment hostility for all RVers.