Driving motorhomes and towing trailers doesn’t exactly scream “speed demon,” but it certainly could for a select few! When you’re in your RV, do you usually drive the speed limit, or go above (faster) or below (slower)?
Of course, driving the speed limit is where you’ll get the best gas mileage, and it’s what’s best for your tires, but sometimes it seems that getting to the destination faster is more important. As long as you get to your destination safely…
Please vote in our poll and leave a comment too, if you wish. We’re always happy to hear from you.
Usually 5 under
Depends on the flow of traffic. Near DC (where I live) the speed limit can be 55, but if you’re not doing 80, you have a good chance of being hit from behind! (Usually by someone on their cell phone!). I drive at a speed where I feel safe.
I tow a fifth wheel and drive the speed limit except on interstates where I seldom if ever exceed 60 MPH. Why would you need to go faster? I find that this speed allows you to stay in your safety bubble in the right hand lane with most traffic passing you.
58 mph is my max. Pulling 30 ftr with f250 and Hensley. 15k per year 6 mo per year. Be safe, not stupid.
55 is generally my max, maybe from the ‘old days’ when that was always the limit. SO easy to enjoy the beautiful landscapes at a slower speed.
Me too. On the freeway I set the cruise control to about 57-58 mph. I let everyone pass me and I’m safely enjoying the drive. What IS the rush?
I go the speed limit unless it’s over 65 mph which is the speed rating of the tires on the trailer.
If it’s sixty, I’ll go sixty. If it 70 (or 80), I’ll go 65 to 68.
Let’s face it most people go faster than posted speed limits. 60 would be my max speed regardless.
I have set my TT towing max at 60 mph for safety and economy.
In the 36’ Class A pusher, I usually drive +5 on dual divided highways when it’s safe to do so. Most other highways at the speed limit or -5.
Like many other responses, I’ll go 60 in a 60, up to 65 in a 65, but we like to stay in the 60-65 range as a max with our class C.
If we’ve got our Toad then we generally don’t exceed 55-60. That’s the limit recommended.
I’ll drive the speed limit up to 65 mph. If more is allowed, like 70 – 90 (select Texas roads), I’ll stay at 65. Two reasons; 1) Tire speed rating, and 2) fuel economy. Be safe.
My fifth wheel tires are rated for 65 mph. Even on a 70 mph roadway I won’t break the 65 mph mark. I just stay in the right lane and wave to everyone flying by pulling or driving their RV’s. I’m retired…. I have time to drive safely.
65 is my maximum as well. Of course road conditions dictate whether I drive the speed limit or not. Our fifth wheel is about 16,000 lbs so it is no sports car!
About 62 mph puts me into the sweet spot for best fuel economy and torque in my 38′ DP when towing my Jeep. Any higher speed burns too much dinosaur juice!
The difference in fuel economy makes it worthwhile to try to stay around 55mph. I lose about 1 mpg going 60 and more going faster than that.
The maximum speed limit I’ll tow a trailer is 60.
The “sweet” spot for my Cummins ISC-350 is 62 mph. I always keep it at that speed unless the limit is lower. The only time it goes faster is on a downhill grade, then it could be 65 but no more than 70 for a very short time otherwise I will be tromping on the brakes. My PacBrake PRXB does OK on 5%-6% grades but anything higher I always have to tromp on the brakes every so often to keep the speed under 54 mph and in 4th gear. If the coach hits 5th gear it’s off to the races.
I have a class A and tow a car, so in CA I am limited to 55mph but usually go 60. In other States I limit speed to 65mph, which is the top towing speed recommended by the car manufacturer.
I usually go 5 over to a max of 65.
My speed is regulated by tire speed rating, mpg, and common sense. Most trailer tires are speed rated for no more than 65 mph for a short time. It’s proven many times over that as your speed increases beyond 55 mph your mpg goes down as the wind resistance goes up. My speed is normally 62 mph, that’s where the rpm is at the most efficient level, I’m still traveling a mile per minute which is plenty fast for 24,000 lbs of steel and fiberglass to travel, and we enjoy the journey.
We do the same. 55 in California and then 62 mph the rest of the time.
We drive a 35-ft Class A with a “toad.” We live in California, where the speed limit is 55 for anything towing anything. (Even motorcycles with small motorcycle trailers are limited to 55 in CA.) We generally drive about 55 – 57 MPH, where we get our best fuel mileage and where the stability of the motorhome is best. When we leave CA, we may bump that up to 58 or 60 MPH, but not much more, and again, stability and mileage are the reasons.
If it’s a two-lane road with a 60 mph limit and I have traffic behind me, I’ll go 60 until I can let them go by me. Then I’ll do 55 or less and enjoy the scenery until I again see traffic in my mirror. On multi-lane highways it’s 65 or less depending on wind & road conditions.
I usually go the speed limit up to 65mph, I never go faster due to towing restrictions while towing my Ford Flex (which has a 65mph limit). If road condition warrants a slow down I adjust as needed. I was going east in I-40 and did some damage to my front end hitting a pothole in Tennessee. This year is the worst I remember for TN roads so be careful.
If the speed limit is 60? I’m usually running about 65. I don’t travel over 65 in my motorhome. If the speed limit is 70? I’m traveling at 65. 55? Usually traveling at about 60.
Construction 🚧 zone? I’m dead on the speed limit. Too bad if you’re behind me and want to blast through the construction zone.
I generally run 2-5 mph over the posted speed limit. However when the speed limit is over 70 MPH I stay around 72 MPH. As always, this is weather dependent. If raining/snowing, very windy, or possibly ice covered I will run slower.
That’s entirely too fast for ANY non-commercial towing setup. Please slow down. Go watch the many YouTube videos of accidents with trailers. At 70+mph you will not have any margin for error if your trailer starts swaying.
Drove 70 on interstate, in WY, until a car passed us, got her left tire into median, did four or five 360s in front of us, rolled 3 times and went off to the right of the road. Fortunately, I had noticed the car coming up very fast so had slowed down and kept my eye on it. Also, the woman was extremely fortunate to have only minor injures. Didn’t drive over 65 again. I am 80 years old now and don’t pull an rv any more. We see so many rvs, especially diesel motor homes going the speed limit on I-80 (80 MPH) in WY, and also on their side in the ditch and can only say “hold on and good luck.” A lot of people think Interstates are the Daytona speedway!
I answered i’d go the speed limit….but that would only be if the speed limit was 60mph or less. If more than 60 (say 65 or 70 or 75), I’d still only go 60 and NOT the speed limit.
I will go up to 65 but no higher and ALWAYS pay attention to the suggested speed for corners, etc.
Speed limit if it is 65 or lower. If higher – no more than 65.
It is funny . . .
I never exceed the speed limit of 60mph, the same as 60% of the respondents.
Funny, that 60% must travel roads since I usually am the slowest on all roads I have been in, both in Canada and the USA.
I pull a 30 ft fifth wheel, so I usually keep it around 65 unless the speed limit is lower. I find it handles the best at that speed. But the type of roads makes the biggest difference.
On two lane roads, curvy roads, no shoulders etc I’m concerned with my control and not the speed limit . When 4 lanes are broken up and patched, then I go slower. I’m also one of those that will run in the smoother left lane when that happens …at 65 ( even in a 70 zone 😱), but I think the contents of my RV are worth it!
speed limit
on most roads i will stay with in 5 miles of the speed limit if over 65 i stay about 65 most of the time easy ride and best mileage
I’d go 60 but if I tow, it would be 55- that is the max in Calif. For me it’s not relaxing at all to go faster and makes the travel day more stressful.
I usually go 5 below the limit unless the curves will make it for a quick end to a nice vacation.
68 or the speed limit, whichever is less.
I run 62-65 as that’s my trucks sweet spot for power and mileage. At 55 mph it is gutless.
We set the cruise control on our Thor Vegas to 55 on Interstate roads or similar. The result is an average of 11.5 MPG and a quieter ride. If we’re on a two-lane road, we regularly use pull-out spots to let the faster traffic pass.
I’ve pulled at TT all over the western states. I have found that in order to not impede traffic I usually need to go 3 – 4 MPH over the speed limit. In Oregon, it is safe to go the speed limit, in California you are actually a danger to other motorists if you obey the speed laws on hi-ways. On our first TT trip years ago I stayed in the right lane on Interstate 5 and kept my speed at 5 8, 3 MPH over the 55 MPH towing speed limit. People trying to pass me on the two lane freeway (in one direction) almost caused 3 accidents. I’ve learned that in all states to stay with the flow of traffic; though I will never tow faster than 65.
75-80 unless its raining or snowing.
I drive the speed limit up to a maximum of 60, even if the limit is higher. It’s safer, more economical, and there is less wear and tear on the unit. Just pull over to let faster traffic by when I need to.
I drive 5 over up to 70mph, however, I keep my 5th in top mechanical condition. With the disc on the trailer stopping the rig is easier than with the former drum brakes. Best tires available are my requirement. Haven’t had any problems or tickets. I’ve seen too many rv’ers towing way too fast with 13-15″ tires trying to do 65….80% of the one’s I seen usually have to stop and change a bad tire and shake their head at the damage to the trailer. Best available tires for the trailer are cheap insurance.
Was on the interstate doing 65 in the right lane when a 5er passed me in my motor home hit a small dip in the road and all of a sudden, I am dodging bicycles coming off the back of that trailer. I know when I had my 5er I would tow it about 65 and it had 15 in wheels and I got tired of replacing tires. Happy camping.
Mixed answer here… And it should be for most of us…
I drive 2-5 mph above speed limit up to 65mph and as long I’m not hammering the truck (inclines) and as long as it is safe to do so, no sharp turns, good visibility, and dry weather and roadway.
In California the speed limit is 55mph if you are towing and I try to keep that way as long as it safe, on freeways where cars and trucks drive 75+ mph I will go faster than 55 mph so I’m not a hazard on the road forcing everyone to reduce speed and change lanes because of me.
On the northwest where some speed limits are 80 mph I will not go faster than 70 mph, it’s not fun during the summer going uphill at 80mph pulling a 21000 lbs (truck 7000 + trailer 14000)…
65 mph is my max speed in our motorhome irregardless of higher speed limits
55-65 is where I like driving my truck camper (Lance825 on a Tundra 4×4). I can get faster or slower but like to keep 65 as the “ top end”.
Husband does the driving and usually under the speed limit. We take our time, life is a journey, not a destination!
I usually travel about 62/65 on freeways. It all depends on the condition of the road. If is in bad shape I will slow considerably. I refuse to tear up me rig!
I have recently purchased a Jeep Wrangler to pull behind my RV , specifications say to only flat tow a Jeep Wrangler, anyone used a tow dolly instead?
Why would you want a tow dolly, since you state the the Jeep can be flat towed? Don’t want to rack up mileage on the Jeep?
Mileage will NOT be added while flat towing any modern vehicle.
Max I will go is 65, usually run at 60 on highway and a bit lower going down long grades.
The speed is 55mph that is Law and I give tickets 5 daily..and must Follow the rules.
5 daily tickets, that sounds a lot like filling a quota to me….
Well Barry are you a Chp in ******fornia? Sounds like it, and you just busted the myth about quotas didn’t you?
If you have seen all the fatal Accidents as I have seen speeding and lose control. I have heard every excuse in the book. The speed law is out there to protect us all. You are on my highways and you speed I will give you a ticket 🎟
Re the 60 mph speed limit. I’ll normally allow myself to go 65 mph, for two reasons. First, ST (trailer) tires are limited to 65 mph – read anything from the Tire Guy, Roger Marble. Of course, if you don’t use ST tires, that doesn’t apply. Second, I am told that there is a federal requirement on all vehicles sold in the US that the speedometer may not indicate a speed that is lower than the actual speed. To avoid a violation of this rule, and the lawsuits that would result, car manufacturers intentionally build the speedometer to indicate 2-3 mph faster than the real speed.
Bill
One Bill to another, I don’t think that is correct. I use my GPS to determine my speed, and it is right on the speedometer reading.
I answered I go the speed limit, but that’s not always accurate, when pulling a toad, my limit is 65, without a Toad my limit is 65. I very seldom drive faster, when I do it is never any faster than 70. I have witnessed many times over, older and new rigs flying low, looks to be about 85. I can say for sure all I know is they passed me like I’m standing still. I usually say a prayer for them, that they get to their destination safely…
In ideal conditions I travel at 68mph. That is my perfect speed in a perfect world… . But I always adjust for weather, traffic or road condition.
My Honda says not to tow my Pilot faster than 65, so it’s that or the speed limit if lower. When not towing I’ll go 70, which I think is the speed rating for my tires.
I typically drive 60 mph, even if the posted speed is 75 mph
That’s what I drive is 60. Also most trailer tires are rated 60 or 65mph.
I generally tow at 55MPH or the speed limit, whichever is lower, but it really depends on the wind direction and speed. With a following wind I may drive around 60MPH.
Generally on two lane roads I try and maintain the speed limit that is posted. On the interstate I generally I travel around 62 MPH.
If the speed limit was 60 I would go the speed limit but that would also depend on wind and road conditions. If it was posted higher I would generally go less and try to stick around 60 but again depending on conditions.
Yep, motorhome pulling a jeep zips passed as it was a 2 lane road and a little narrow so I was going 5 under speed limit. He flies by barely cuts in front, throwing up rocks at my truck. Jeep is smoking as rear tire is half gone. He continues another 10-20 miles until he pulls over. All that was left was the rotor. He probably would have got there 30 minutes ahead of me. It pays to go fast..,.
On a single lane road I will do the speed limit and if traffic builds up behind me, I’ll try and pull over to let them by. If I can’t pull over I will go up to 5 over. On a double lane, I’ll do the speed limit and if no traffic behind, may go slightly under. It saves fuel and let you actually enjoy the scenery.I don’t want to pee other drivers off by holding them up.
63- 67 depends on speed limit.
Rcm
We travel 58 to 60 and enjoy 14MPG. Pulling a 44 foot Mobile Suite with 4500 GMC.
We have a 17 foot Casita and I usually keep the speed at 68 give or take. I try to stay at the truckers speed (in the right lane) so I don’t have problems with cars on my tail. Although truckers tend to slow on upgrades, so many times I have to pass them (going much faster 70-75) to maintain my set speed (often I use my adaptive cruse control). with roads having slower speeds than 60 I will go about 5-8 miles an hour faster then posted. This depends on the road and conditions.
Sounds great. I drove the big rigs for 42 years. Now just pull the 30 ft 5th wheel.
We never run over 60-65. I don’t care if traffic is speeding or what the posted limit is over 60. I try to keep to inside lanes whenever possible. My equipment, our lives, my insurance.
Best to follow truck speeds anyway. Most states require you to.
I’ve pulled my 30 ft fifth wheel all through the Southwest for four Winters. Interstate as well as county roads. Doesn’t matter if it’s posted 70 or 80mph…I don’t go over 65 unless I’m picking up a little speed going downhill to help with an upcoming huge uphill grade. My speed varies with road conditions, hills, curves and traffic. Know your truck, know your RV and always overestimate stopping distance. Traffic will always go around you. If traffic is backing up behind me on a two-laner, I find a place where I can pull over and let them by and continue on my way. Don’t ever let traffic force you into unsafe driving.
It really really depends on the condition of the road, the wind conditions and the environment. Driving on a divided highway with little traffic on a country road … or downtown LA getting run over by speeders will definitely have an impact on my speed.
I’ve got a small (22′) travel trailer and could go fast if I wanted to. But just below the limit (max 60) is plenty fast enough, and if needed to feel in control of my rig, will slow down a bit more. Getting there slowly sure beats not getting there fast…
As an old truck driver, I try to stay within the speed limit, but I also feel you need to drive what feels safe. I have a Minni Winni towing a jeep and drive what feels safe usually under the speed limit to get fuel mileage and not getting so close to the next car that if I had to stop quickly, I would be halfway into that car. I also limit the time I am driving with a few breaks to settle my nerves.
Here in montana speed limits are 65 to 80 . As two lane are higher then single ,As most camper state 65 is the safe speed for tires. With the correct load is a factor in what is tire loads ,too go heavier then what the tire is designed for causes it to run hotter. This is why most want you to run 65 . There are some companys that sell higher speed 75 , but they still warn about over loading. I have used a equalizer hitch setup , this helps in windy conditions and if I speed up to much going down hill.I have a tire monitoring that lets me know what each tire is doing. I was surprised at the temperature of running at higher speeds.