I may be wrong but I thought it was Nixon's administration that started the
55 MPH limit.....
On Feb 4, 2012 4:31 PM, "Joy Hecht" <jhecht@alum.mit.edu> wrote:

> I thought pretty much all motor vehicles got maximum fuel efficiency at
> 50-55 mph.  Wasn't that the point of Jimmy Carter reducing speed limits to
> 55 in the 70s, to reduce fuel use?
>
>
>
> Joy
>
>
> On Sat, Feb 4, 2012 at 2:48 PM, Loren Busch <starwagen@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > I returned earlier this week from a long trip, odometer says 3,800+
> miles.
> > Driving a '90 Westy with stock engine, automatic tranny, 167,000 on the
> > original engine, only major work ever done was reseal heads at 88,000.
> And
> > a new (yeah, NEW) AFM installed just before the start of the trip. For
> the
> > first 2/3 of those miles I was either pushing it to meet a schedule,
> > freeway and highway speeds 60-70.  And getting as low as 15.5 mpg on one
> > tank, most segments 16-17 mpg.  Then on the way home no rush and no
> > schedule, I set the cruise control to 55 mph and cruised in the right
> lane
> > no matter what the speed limit was.  I did the last 450 or so miles that
> > way.  And the mileage for that part of the trip was just a little over 20
> > mpg!!
> > This confirms, at least for me, the statement that comes up from time to
> > time that our Vanagons were engineered during the time that the highway
> > speed limits were 55.  And that is where the WBX engines like to run.
> > And seriously YMMV.
> >
>