Cal Club Autocross Forums

Is anybody who is skipping the Pro Finale going to be leaving here Friday or Saturday before the Nats? If so, I would like someone to caravan with. I'll be towing the Berry car (2.0), and probably be leaving Saturday morning sometime. Hit me up.
Mark D.

I'm thinking about scrubbing in my free Kumhos at Nats. If I do, I'll be leaving right around the same time, and I'd love to caravan too. I'll let you know.

Cool. Are you towing, or driving the Mini out? I don't want anyone to have to wait for me.
Mark D.

Driving the Mini.

Mark DeShon wrote:Cool. Are you towing, or driving the Mini out? I don't want anyone to have to wait for me.
Mark D.

Remember, once you leave good old Cali, you can tow at the same speed everyone else drives. No stupid 55 BS.

And watch your gas mileage plummet

This deserves a bump... Anybody willing to meet up and drive out together? Probably leaving early Saturday from Rancho.
Mark D.

Rick Brown wrote:

Mark DeShon wrote:Cool. Are you towing, or driving the Mini out? I don't want anyone to have to wait for me.
Mark D.

Remember, once you leave good old Cali, you can tow at the same speed everyone else drives. No stupid 55 BS.

Weren't there tickets issued to guys' driving through Utah last year?

On "The Car Show" ... the guy that took two years off to drive around the states in his Lambo ... got something like 56 speeding tickets!

Arthur Grant wrote:

Rick Brown wrote:

Mark DeShon wrote:Cool. Are you towing, or driving the Mini out? I don't want anyone to have to wait for me.
Mark D.

Remember, once you leave good old Cali, you can tow at the same speed everyone else drives. No stupid 55 BS.

Weren't there tickets issued to guys' driving through Utah last year?

I got one in California, just before making it into Nevada. California towing laws blow...just a revenue maker, not a safety issue.

Kurt Ra wrote: I got one in California, just before making it into Nevada. California towing laws blow...just a revenue maker, not a safety issue.

it's not safety the law is enforcing, it's environmental. cars with trailers/semi's get crappy gas mileage so they slow them down.

Marshall Grice wrote:

Kurt Ra wrote: I got one in California, just before making it into Nevada. California towing laws blow...just a revenue maker, not a safety issue.

it's not safety the law is enforcing, it's environmental. cars with trailers/semi's get crappy gas mileage so they slow them down.

I can think of about a billion and one legislative things that would have a more positive impact on the environment, especially when every other state surrounding California allows tow vehicles to drive the normal speed limit. I just don't see any legitimate justification.

Kurt Ra wrote: I can think of about a billion and one legislative things that would have a more positive impact on the environment, especially when every other state surrounding California allows tow vehicles to drive the normal speed limit. I just don't see any legitimate justification.

we get 10-15% less mileage towing the trailer at 70 than at 60. which uses roughly 2 gallons more per 100 miles. Semi's are much worse. Other states around california don't have as many vehicles driving around so the impact of slowing down the trucks and trailers is reduced. I'd consider it highly effective at reducing pollution in those cases. i do agree however that for small trailers with not much weight in them the 55mph thing is ridiculous but how do you write an enforceable law that separates them out?

Shauna and I are leaving from Corona Saturday AM hopefully early (if I don't have to put in a couple of hours at the office). I think the plan is I-80 through Wyo. on the way out, and I-70 through CO. on the way home.
PM your contact info, unfortunately I won't know until Friday the 26th if I'll have to do some time at the office.

Kurt Ra wrote:I just don't see any legitimate justification.

Since when does California need "legitimate justification"?

I'll be towing out probably leaving sometime Sunday afternoon though (running Thur/Fri), I'm more of a lone traveller anyways. I think I'm set on going the I-15 to I-80 route, pushing the limits of my tow vehicle out there.

Jay W

Marshall Grice wrote:i do agree however that for small trailers with not much weight in them the 55mph thing is ridiculous but how do you write an enforceable law that separates them out?

Like Odysseys towing Harbor Freight trailers with a child's go kart on it? ;^)

Since the fuel consumption and emissions issues stem from aerodynamics and there are well-established and enforceable rules for vehicle dimensions, how about "55 mph speed limit when towing a trailer wider and/or taller than the tow vehicle" I can't think of a way to game that off the top of my head.

I'd like to see them adopt aerodynamic improvements to semi trailers; some sort of removable/retractable/foldable boat-tail off the back of a rig can't be an industry-killing thing to adopt. I already see a lot of trailers with the skirts under the box these days.

Will Kalman wrote: how about "55 mph speed limit when towing a trailer wider and/or taller than the tow vehicle" I can't think of a way to game that off the top of my head.

I can. My truck would get appendages added to the sides/top to make it bigger than trailer!

I have noticed a slight drop in mpg's as we approach 90mph.

Eric Clements wrote:I can. My truck would get appendages added to the sides/top to make it bigger than trailer!

That's my point, aren't there well-defined height and width laws? You can only take it so far.

Will Kalman wrote:

Eric Clements wrote:I can. My truck would get appendages added to the sides/top to make it bigger than trailer!

That's my point, aren't there well-defined height and width laws? You can only take it so far.

Yes, and the trailer meets them. So, we just enlarge the truck to match the trailer and get to speed down the highway at normal speeds.

I'm primarily opposed to the law for safety reasons. I maintain that speed variance is the number one cause of accidents.

[quote=]I maintain that speed variance is the number one cause of accidents. [/quote]

Nothing like flying down the autobahn at 125 mph and having grandma pull out in front of you going 60, and locking them all up (before antilocks). When they DO have accidents on the autobahn, cars are often shredded!

KJ Christopher wrote: I'm primarily opposed to the law for safety reasons. I maintain that speed variance is the number one cause of accidents.

it's not the speed difference that causes accidents, it's the sudden matching of speed that does.

besides that's why they have lane restrictions

I'd like to hear any of Kurt's billion better ideas to help the environment.

Marshall Grice wrote:I'd like to hear any of Kurt's billion better ideas to help the environment.

#362,641,401: Time stoplights better so traffic doesn't stop at every intersection, leaving them to accelerate then idle and belching out crap with minimal progress being made.
#782,610,329: Have local transportation departments better utilize the sensors in the ground, so if someone pulls up to a red light and there's no traffic going through the cross intersection, the light turns green.


And BTW, it was a billion and one ideas.

Anyone have an open ride to Lincoln? Contact me with your terms and conditions!

It looks like Stanley and I will be leaving Riverside Saturday morning---in Stan's big rig... Palero you might send Stanley a PM or email if you are still looking for a ride.

Kurt are you still leaving Saturday, Mark my cell is nine-five-one---205--65 thirty-eight....

Don