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55mph Towing limit

The 55mph speedlimit is BS. Now I have a HF trailer with the 8 inch tires and the reason you shouldn't drive too fast with them is because the tires spin very fast at freeway speeds and can overheat your bearing so I try to keep it at 60mph. If your trailer has some beefy tires/wheels and brakes of course, I see no reason to you couldn't go 100mph with a trailer. But that may be one more reason is you won't have the stopping power at higher speeds, but if you have electronic brakes or know what your doing I don't see any problem.

I towed my dirtbike and quad to Moab last year and I could not believe there is like NO trailer speedlimit in Utah or at least other states. Its like 70mph or something. CA is stupid and wants to do their own thing. Semi trucks were just ZOOMING down the freeway.

I'm an uber driver and I talked to one of my riders about trailer speedlimits and he said his brother is a semi truck driver and he said his brother HATES driving in CA because of this dumb 55mph speed limit. It's an antiquated law vehicles have much better performance than they did a decade ago.
 
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Laws always lag behind technology.

Laws are written for the lowest common denominator.
 
The 55 law in Ca. gives me fits. 55 is below the torque peak on both diesels I've owned that were geared for 65/70 mph. I can pull most grades @ 70, if I dork around @ 55, I end up cresting in 2 gear. I run LT tires that will handle 80 without throwing tread. No problems in other states.
 
I had completely lost track of the lane requirements while towing. We were recently warned by a chp moto officer to get out of the carpool lane while driving through LA on the way to Baja. I was thankful he just gave us a warning. :thumbup
 
Lowest common denominator, I've been to numerous flipped over trailers. I will cite anyone over 68-70
 
This could be urban myth, but I swear I remember reading or hearing decades ago that there was a study on roadway deterioration based on speed/weight. It was found that big rigs are really hard on roadways as speed increases. At least thats what I remember.

I'm neither a physicist nor an engineer and have never played one on TV. My memory has been known to be wrong.... and this could be the case. If right, perhaps it has something to do with the CA law. :dunno
 
I tow pretty often, and I usually try to keep it at about 60-62MPH and make sure to stay in the proper lanes, just because I don't need any tickets. With a commercial license, it's pretty hard for me to use the "I didn't know" excuse.

I agree, though, it's a stupid law. The speed differential and constant passing causes way more problems, IMO, than letting trailers go faster would, especially since virtually all vehicles on the road nowadays (including tractor-trailers) have safety features like ABS that they didn't have years ago.
 
OaklandF4i said:
This could be urban myth, but I swear I remember reading or hearing decades ago that there was a study on roadway deterioration based on speed/weight. It was found that big rigs are really hard on roadways as speed increases. At least thats what I remember.

I'm neither a physicist nor an engineer and have never played one on TV. My memory has been known to be wrong.... and this could be the case. If right, perhaps it has something to do with the CA law. :dunno
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Is your father an engineer? That should count for something!
 
OaklandF4i said:
How did you know? He said triples are inherently unstable and will blow up! :rofl
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But with the right sprockets you should be able to go 200 MPH.
 
the 55 for towing predates the fed 55 so called fuel savings flake out.

55 is not a magic number it is a farce place on us by our better knowing demigod overlords.

duel speed limits cause accidents. (differentiation speed thing) but yes if you are towing anything or your truck has three or more axles it is 55 max in ca, and a number of other states?

sad bus speeds are not enforced under this law. and nobody has a seat belt on. :wow


as a truck driver with over 35 years pulling trailers (ten more fixed trucks) in most all conditions, i understand the hazards far better than the weekend fool towing a boat at 80 mph.

and please understand a rig (loaded or not) will not stop in time to keep from running you over, so please keep a large living zone in front of the rig.
your cage will stop (going 70 mph) within a football field in length. my truck will take two of them and i am doing only 55.
you in front of me. (80 feet in front) we are both doing the exact same speed (for math reasons) we both slam on the brakes at the exact time. i will run you over before i can stop. :wow

and this is under the best of conditions.

.
 
Stopping distance is an issue regardless, and that's always good advice. The right lane restriction means I always fall victim to the piss poor merging abilities of CA drivers. It never fails that people merge at 35, and have no ability to look far enough ahead to shoot for an actual opening. Makes me insane.
 
Yep, I'll move out of the slow lane when rolling on three lanes or better thru metro areas. It's all about stopping for those 35 mph mergers. It messes with my heart rate and fuel milage.
 
CDONA said:
Yep, I'll move out of the slow lane when rolling on three lanes or better thru metro areas. It's all about stopping for those 35 mph mergers. It messes with my heart rate and fuel milage.
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My vote is for big bull bars...just help them accelerate to speed...or get them off the road before they cause an accident:thumbup

Moose-Bumper-Bull-Bar-Truck-Accessories-Fuel-Tank-Locks-Furnace-Boiler-Evaporator-72642_image.jpg
 
yep, like everything else in CA it's designed for the lowest common denominator.

I've seen some scary focking trailers out there.

pet peeve of mine is trailers in the #2 lane when there are 4 or 5 lanes of travel.
 
Nick said:
The origin probably has more to do with big rigs than autos with trailers. My truck spins out around 70-75 with the 3.73 gear package, so when I tow I usually keep it pretty slow.

Preferences for writing certain violations vary by officer. I know a hardcore dope/SWAT cop that blows a gasket over tinted windows, so your guess is as good as mine.
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:laughing Human beings. What are you going to do?
I got a ticket for 52 in a 50 (highway 17, downhill part). Officer said I needed to be going the tractor-trailer truck speed of 35. He obviously didn't think much of towing.
bojangle said:
Laws always lag behind technology.

Laws are written for the lowest common denominator.
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There are vehicles towing that I don't think should be on the road, let alone going over 50 mph.

My setup is ridiculously safe. 3/4 ton 'burb, towing a little 12' 2K lb trailer WITH dual axles and dual axle electric brakes. The 'burb may actually ride nicer while towing, since it is set up to tow 12K with it's gearing, brakes, and suspension.
 
When I was a jet ski racer I would tow at 70-80 mph. I never took into account my trailer had 12" rims and the rpm's it was spinning at. I also never checked my wheels bearings until I had a wheel seize on me on the freeway. I believe this is why there is a speed limit on small trailers.
 
westie said:
When I was a jet ski racer I would tow at 70-80 mph. I never took into account my trailer had 12" rims and the rpm's it was spinning at. I also never checked my wheels bearings until I had a wheel seize on me on the freeway. I believe this is why there is a speed limit on small trailers.
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It's because of people like you that there is a lower :thumbdownspeed limit on ALL trailers.
 
The speed delta between your average driver (70-75) and your average trucker (most comply it seems, and do 55) is approaching 20-25 mph. When getting on the highway, and trying to merge, with a truck in the way, it creates problems more often than not.

Just another archaic law that has nos business with today's technology.
 
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