Why 1980s Cars Emphasize 55 Mph On Their Speedometers

[@ShootingCars]

CARS WERE BETTER IN THE 80’s STICKER NOW AVAILABLE! www.zackpradel.com/product-page/cars-were-better-in-the-80-s-sticker

[@reallyrandomrides1296]

Yes, and it was also around this time that right turns on a red light also became legal in most of the US and Canada, in an effort to reduce fuel consumption. Theory being that if the roadway was clear, there was no need to sit at a red light burning gas waiting for light to turn green, as long as there was no traffic, pedestrians, cyclists, etc.

[@Al-thecarhistorian]

While you are correct, I lived in Greeley, Colorado in 1970-1971. Right turn on red was already in effect there at that time.

[@fuckyomamafuckyosisterfuck6136]

Thats always been legal in California.

[@christopherstory2136]

Its always been that way in NJ and many other munipalites long before the gas crisis. ⛽️

[@krabgrass]

I’ve been to some small towns where all of the traffic lights are programmed to flash red at night.

[@anthonygorham5299]

Then they added cameras and said f u

[@erictaylor5462]

In 1990 or so I was driving home at 2am from San Francisco doing 90 MPH because it was fun and there were no other cars on the road. I did spot one car coming up fast behind me but thinking he might be a drunk driver I just kept an eye on him. I saw the "drunk" driver start to pass me and when he didn't come out of my blind spot I looked over to see where he want and he was not a drunk driver, he was a CHP officer. I slowed to the speed limit (55) and as he fell in behind me I started moving to the right lane ready to pull over. He had me dead to rights and I was thinking I would be lucky to just get a ticket. 25 MPH over the limit was enough to get arrested for. But as I drove along the cop did not signal for me to pull over. Then after about 5 miles the cop pulled off the freeway and let me go. I asked another cop about this years later and this other cop stated that because I had noticed the cop in my blind spot right away, sand that I was clearly not impaired in any way the cop probably felt that pulling me over would be a waste of time, and while he was dealing with me he might miss a drunk driver. After all, a driver who is speeding, but aware of what is around him is much less dangerous than a driver who is oblivious and driving the limit. Lesson learned. Pay attention to what is going on all around you. Noticing a cop in your blind spot might get you out of a ticket.

[@ronschlorff7089]

yup, lucky escape. The CHP used to have fun cars like Mustangs and Cameros for a while, years ago, and now don't know, not there. But they had, last time there, the "ghosts", usually all white, hard to spot, until it's too late!! :D

[@erictaylor5462]

@@ronschlorff7089 I didn't escape, I was let go. This was in 1989. That was *BEFORE* they got the sports cars.

[@ronschlorff7089]

@@erictaylor5462 it's just a saying for luckily let go. Saw the Stang's CHP; but not in my mirror! :D

[@ralphire77]

Around where I live cops flash their lights and if you don't slow down then they pull you over lol

[@AaronSmith-kr5yf]

@@ronschlorff7089 Its cause the big 4 door cruisers were heavy and completely gutless in the late 70's to mid 80's. Especially the Dodge Diplomat patrol cars. Imagine trying to catch somebody doing 90mph from a dead stop in a 4200lb cruiser that had 150hp and ZERO top end above 50mph or so. GM and Ford were putting hotter engines in the Camaro and Mustang vs the big cars, plus they were a thousand pounds lighter, so 0 to 90 took like 15-16 seconds vs 35+ seconds in the big cars.

[@OldDood]

"I Can't Drive 55..." Sammy Hagar While I was growing up my Dad (and Lead Foot Mom ) would drive 70, 80, and even 90 miles per hour. ALL the time. When I finally got my Drivers License in 1973 the speed law changed in a few months. It was Torture to be forced to drive 55mph. Until the mid-80's our state would raise the limit to 65mph and FINALLY back to 70mph in the mid-90's.

[@glennso47]

If you lived in some prairie states such as Montana, the Dakotas, Texas for example. On their interstate highways I understand that in some areas they don’t have speed limits.

[@abraxaseyes87]

@@glennso47 my mom drove to Big Bend and told me about those roads. The Texas Autobahn

[@bryanmartinez6600]

@@abraxaseyes87 have gone to Mexico through those bare Texas roads so long the end fades and you cants see it.

[@bobt5778]

Awesome! Years ago my sister who had a leadfoot also, got pulled over by a State trooper here in Rhode Island for doing close to 90 in her brand new 84 Vette. The trooper walked up and asked her if (nearby) Green airport had given her clearance for takeoff? One of the best cop lines I ever heard!

[@vomit234]

That song makes so much more sense to me now.

[@haweater1555]

A cheap loophole that could have been used by the sportscar makers, particularly European, was to cover up the MPH numbers above 85, but keep the markings and numbers for km/h as high as they want.

[@gabrielv.4358]

That's interesting

[@the_kombinator]

IIRC the Mustang did this.

[@yungcumstain4609]

Corvette just said fine and used a digital cluster instead 😂

[@darylkik777]

Mustang cobra did that on a few cars

[@darylkik777]

@@the_kombinator ha. I just said that too.

[@isaac24]

I knew about the national speed limit for fuel saving, but I didn't know about the speeding law. Awesome!

[@ronschlorff7089]

'cept it did not save fuel, and no one drove 55, unless they were drunk, and didn't want to "needlessly call attention to themselves"!! ;D LOL

[@gaim44]

@@ronschlorff7089 Wrong it did save fuel get your facts straight.

[@ronschlorff7089]

@@gaim44 Nope, no one drove 55, especially not the truckers, in the wide-open west, they had deliveries to make, timely. Troopers did not "bother" them!

[@henrystowe6217]

@@gaim44 nope. Fleet fuel mileage did not start rising until after 1978. The speed limit was enacted in 1974. Fleet fuel mileage didn't break 13 mpg until 1980. The speed limit had no effect on overall gas consumption although individual mileage may vary.

[@bwofficial1776]

My 84 Jeep has white pip marks up to 55 and then yellow to 85. With a stock 4cyl engine, stock gearing, 4-speed non-overdrive transmission, and one inch larger tires, redline in top gear is at 60MPH.

[@morpheus_9]

Oops, so you can cruise around 45-50mph?? Wow

[@davidduncan1362]

With a Jeep as slow as yours, I would no longer have any rarely used high gears. I can probably get your Jeep fast enough for its high gear even in the city. The rule of thumb is to keep driving a minimum speed limit of 1.5K RPM and a maximum speed limit of 3K RPM, but with a Jeep as slow as yours, I would likely bend that rule, exceeding 3K RPM in the highest gear that it has, but for the most part, if I am driving above 3K RPM or below 1.5K RPM, I am in the wrong gear for the speed that I am going. With my six speed Ford, fifth gear is used in both city and highway driving above 40 MPH and sixth gear is used only on the highway. If 40 MPH is the fastest that my six speed will go for the day, I just leave it in fourth gear, instead of shifting to fifth gear. Going 40 MPH in only fourth gear will still put me at sub 2.5K RPM and I will not have to think about downshifting as soon as I slow down. Instead, I leave the car in fourth gear until I get below 30 MPH, then I start downshifting, slowly but surely. That way, if I am slowing down for a red light and it turns green, I am already in the appropriate for the speed I am still going.

[@TheBabyDerp]

There were plenty of VIN numbers before 1981, it just wasn't standardized 17 digit. Every car manufacturer would have a different style and vin system. My 1978 Ford has the Ford 10 digit vin.

[@ronschlorff7089]

yup, got several cars from 60's in my "collection", lots of good info on the vin, like where it was made.

[@TheBabyDerp]

@@ronschlorff7089 Yessir. I actually received the wrong title on my 1978. The vin is how I found out it was a 1978 and not a 1979. Thankfully my state does not require title to register old cars.

[@ronschlorff7089]

@@TheBabyDerp interesting, they do in AZ, maybe cuz so many car collectors here. Barrett Jackson classics auction and all.

[@TheBabyDerp]

@@ronschlorff7089 Alabama is nice. 35 years old and older, no title required only bill of sale and insurance plus a basic vin inspection to verify it's not stolen or what have you. It actually gets MUCH better. You can register ANY vehicle without a title in alabama under 35 too. Alabama is one of the few states that allow bonded titles. Long story short. You have a vehicle without a title. You get an insurance bond on it. You take the bond paperwork plus bill of sale and insurance to county tax office and boom its registered. they send a "bonded title" to you in the mail and it works just like a regular title. After 3 years, the bond expires, and you get sent a regular title. Bonded titles act just like clean titles in Alabama. I had to do it with a 2000 Yamaha Roadstar 1600. It cost less than $250 including registration fees and insurance BOND fees.

[@Pheatan]

@@TheBabyDerp hmm, 35 years seems too short nowadays seeing as the first year of miatas are only 2 years away.

[@reallyrandomrides1296]

My 1991 Ford Econoline had a speedometer highlighting 55 MPH and went up to 85 MPH (you could actually attain 85 MPH on a long, straight stretch of freeway going downhill with a tailwind, though the worn out 1970s-designed suspension made handling it at that speed a bit sketchy).

[@serfcityherewecome8069]

It MUST be able to go WAY faster than that! Hell, one of the cars in my collection is a family heirloom 1972 VW freakin Beetle and even IT can reach the low 90s and all I did to it when I rebuilt the original engine is swap out the points for electronic ignition, put on slightly bigger jugs (87mm vs stock 85.5 for a new displacement of 1641cc, about a third of the size of the next smallest engine I own) and a mildly upgraded cam, carburetion and exhaust headers with very mild porting to the original heads. 🤔

[@ronschlorff7089]

@@serfcityherewecome8069 Nice! Funny thing: I saw a VW bus (yeah, a hippie wagon) once, with a bumper sticker on it that read "zero to 60 in 11 minutes"! LOL :D

[@serfcityherewecome8069]

@@ronschlorff7089 Must be the fastest VW Bus on the planet if it can hit 60 in 11 minutes if at all...🤮...most senior citizens can outrun them on foot.

[@ronschlorff7089]

@@serfcityherewecome8069 No joke, and it was on a road (hwy 50, in CA) up to Lake Tahoe at the time I saw it. "Oh, the Humanity"!! :D LOL

[@tylervoit9447]

If your van had an overdrive trans that was when to go from drive to overdrive at least that was the impression I was under

[@markwilliams2620]

55 was referred to as double-nickle in CB parlance. When they raised it to 65 mph it was like heaven. That shaved 20 minutes off my 4 hour trip from Lapeer to Kalamazoo.

[@jadelajouz2996]

Kalamazoo!

[@ronschlorff7089]

@@jadelajouz2996 Nice name, songs written about it. Lots of cool names for towns in the country, including a town in CA called Cool. One in Idaho was Athole though, ....not so great. :D

[@Evan_Horvath]

I have gotten in so many arguments with people regarding the movie, "Speed." They say the bus was rigged to explode if it dropped under 55, and it was actually 60. They point out that the speedometer had a mark at 55, so that's the speed the bomb was set to. I explain that speedometers from that time were all marked similarly at 55. I've been having the same argument with people for ages.

[@badbirdkc]

The buss had to stay above 50, not 60. Also, the bus in Speed was pretty antiquated. Those buses had long been phased out of the transit system for more modern buses. The director just liked the look of it.

[@OntarioTrafficMan]

The bus was a GM New Look. Can't speak for other cities, but here in Toronto, that model remained in service until 2010, 15 years after the movie came out.

[@BoleDaPole]

Maybe a crap hole like Toronto needed to keep thier old busses running but in California they get new busses every few years. Usually upgrade once a more fuel efficient model is made and sell the old ones to 3rd tier cities like toronto

[@Evildandalo]

Here in Maryland we have an i95 bypass beltway that goes around Baltimore city called 695 and 895. The speed limit on these 8 lane highways is still 55mph even when i95 has a 70mph limit. I have a feeling it hasn't ever been changed so they can keep writing people steeper tickets, if you go out on a normal day of traffic every car is cruising 70, left lane 80 or so.

[@indigovegas2637]

i’ve been stopped on 695 so many times for going 70-80 :/ truly should be a 70mph limit at minimum, at least near the interchanges. people come off the i95 and i70 exits doing 80 all the time. this is exactly how i keep getting caught lol

[@BigTreeLander]

md has stupid low speed limits and i swear it's just so the police can write more tickets

[@sk8erkbadass]

@@BigTreeLander it is 100%

[@gaim44]

@@BigTreeLander Whats stupid is when a person keeps going over the speed limit and keeps getting tickets..lol

[@terrestrialTerror]

@@gaim44 there's actually some interesting psychology there. Most people don't pay attention to speed limits, rather they drive at speeds that they feel comfortable with. Road designers know this and have a desired speed in mind when building the road. Changing the posted speed limit does little to actually slow people down and would require a re-design of the road or addition of traffic control measures to ensure people are traveling at the desired speed.

[@ShootingCars]

Would you like to see more videos about 80's car design trends?

[@celsovera91]

Remember when cars had actual cigarette lighters

[@williamfurlan9176]

This edit style would lend itself to any trends of different vehicles in general very well. Odd clusters, gear shifters, engine types..so yeah 80's haha

[@suedekhang3645]

Yes, sir! May I have another!

[@victorbaird8220]

Yes please

[@aidenbracken]

Mixing this type of content with your regular car reviews would be great!

[@TommyViper]

I always wondered this! We only had one car that I remember having this emphasis. A 1986 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera with the sweeping gauge had a small, blue 55 in between 50 and 60 and only went up to 85mph. When we sold it and bought a 1994 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera, there was no longer an emphasis on 55 and the speedometer went up to 110mph and the cluster was the non-sport version. I'm not really sure if they still had the special sport version at that time or not. Now not only does my 2014 Chevy Impala Limited only have numbers every 20mph, but the speedometer goes up to 140mph. Literally double what was allowed back in the day. Amazing how things change!

[@Wheagg]

I think buses to this day still have 85 as the highest speed shown.

[@0xsergy]

the suspension nowadays is also waaaay better than what we had back then.

[@jerrycai3317]

@@Wheagg i think thats more due to a physical limit, the bus is one of the least aerodynamic vehicles

[@Wheagg]

@@jerrycai3317 yes but I think they kept it from back then

[@yyeezyy630]

You say that like cars back then couldn’t do over 85. The corvette, trans am, mustang and many others could do 140 mph. However what you should be impressed about is how your impala can most likely keep up with the 305 v8 trans am of the old days :)

[@16Haverson]

I always wondered why the 55 in my parents '89 Buick was different from the rest. I also believe my Dad's early 90s Chevy pickup had the special 55 and could also make the speedometer go past the 85mph. I thought as a kid we were going so fast that the truck couldn't handle the speed and fall apart around us.

[@Just1American1966]

My mother had a Ford Gran Torino (1971-ish?) that actually had a buzzer in the dash that sounded briefly as the needle passed the 55mph mark.

[@a.a.lobato2004]

Yes, my aunt had a Buick wildcat with a speed buzzer but you could set it to any speed you wanted to.

[@fermitupoupon1754]

My 2011 Honda has the same thing, you can choose 2 speeds and it'll make a 'ding' sound when you get to that speed. Got em set to 50kph and 80kph. So convenient in the city to just pull away at the lights, hear the "ding" and that's the cue to hit the Set CC button. Same on provicial roads, just wait for the second 'bing' and set the CC.

[@Weissenschenkel]

In Brazil the speed limit dropped from 100 kph to 80 kph for fuel economy and "safety" as well. At that time a big chunk of Brazilian cars were VW air cooled models like Beetles and T1 buses, among others. In the European Union the speedometers have an emphasis on 50 kph which is the maximum speed allowed in urban areas. I didn't know about the 55 mph in USA although I know very well the reasons behind the oil crisis - as you pointed out in this video. Thank you!

[@Darknamja]

Here in the ROK, the speed limit is 100-110 kph. I imagine it is also for fuel-saving and safety. I find I get my best mileage maintaining 100 kph. 😉

[@waterheaterservices]

@@Darknamja ROK rocks. #1

[@automation7295]

Speedometers on cars sold in Europe also emphasis on 30KM/H as well. Some urban roads max speed in 30, usually smaller roads.

[@gabrielv.4358]

We had the Pathetic Ford KA with it's dash displaying 220kph but it could barely go to 170 lol And no tachometer or temperature gauge (the tachometer later on was standard with no temp gauge, so you can lose your engine when the temperature light comes on as it's too late to do anything about it)

[@Test-zb3gq]

@@automation7295 That is not a law though, just a thing some automakers (e.g. VAG) like to do. My Audis and VW always had a marking at 30, 50 and 130 (German recommended Autobahn speed, as if). My BMW E46 for example does not have any distinguished markings at all.

[@estebanvasquez2307]

THIS is a great video! I believe you summarized just about everything that was related to the law. Maybe next time you could talk about the rise of flush headlights and small grilles in the 1980s. Although i feel like it's a subject that's been done to death, it'd be interesting to see your take on it.

[@1981AdamGs]

When I started driving, the speed limit was 55. We didn't think much of it in those days. But when it went to 60 in my state and then eventually 65, we realized how slow 55 really was for highway travel. The worst thing I remember is towards the end of the 55 mph speed limit in my state the interstate was 75. Going from the interstate to a state highway was absolute torture. It felt like you were barely moving.

[@genghiscalm4879]

Speedo-meters. Such funny things. My 1978 Chevy Impala's went up to 140 km/h (about 87 mph). Canadian spec since we do that up here in Canadia. Anyways. I had it well past that one day. Past the 140, past the high beam indicator at the 6 o'clock position and right back around to 0. Don't ask how fast I was going. I don't know and fortunately there was no one around with a radar gun to record it. All I know is that 260 Z was still pulling away and I conceded defeat. I did wonder why they built cars capable of such speeds with no way to accurately indicate it. Thank you. Now I know. (BTW I never actually wrote this and have no memory of the incident.)

[@HIDHIFDB]

Did canadian speedo meters had the 110 km/h marked? in mexico the cars from that era had a mark in 110 km/h also they where marked to 150 km/h

[@genghiscalm4879]

@@HIDHIFDB Honestly, I don't recall. If it was there, I never paid it any mind.

[@Mozdoc]

This is a pretty neat thing to learn. I remember as a kid my grandmothers Areostar van had this notation on fifty-five miles per hour but I just thought that was because at the time fifty-five was the standard speed limit on the freeways everywhere so making that number more bold than the others just made it easier to center your eyes on it and match that speed when driving.

[@ShadyDragon199]

Very excellent video! I never knew about the speed limit laws let alone i always wondered why some older cars highlighted 55 i thought it was due to so many places using 55 mph speed limits but didn’t realize that it was once required on cars. Also this gives i can’t drive 55 by Sammy Hagar a new light to me since all states would have been 55 when the song was made.

[@1joshjosh1]

I just found this channel on accident and first 3 minutes in I'm already enjoying the history and definitely will be watching a few more and keep up the good work!! 👍

[@VitoVeccia]

1973 was such a bad year for fuel economy, that heavy trucks got sent to the scrap yard just for having a gas engine. But then again, if I had a 534-v8, 1.5 mpg would probably be an issue for me in that time period.

[@christopherstory2136]

Agreed! What a terrible year it was. A 1974 Chevelle 4 door was considered a midsize (weighing about 4100 lbs and usually equipped with a 350!). When the crisis hit it was quick, without a time for us to catch up.....

[@ronschlorff7089]

gas was still cheap (1.50 or less), if you could find it. A v8 then would still give more range/buck than a "modern car" today in say Cali at 8 bucks per gal. In a year or so you'll need an ox cart! :D

[@baileyharrison1030]

@@ronschlorff7089 To think gas was $2 a year ago in some places. Adjusting for inflation, that has to have been the cheapest that gas ever was

[@ronschlorff7089]

@@baileyharrison1030 Yes, and when I first drove in 60's, in L.A. people there complained about the "outrageous" cost of gas at 35 cents, since most of rest of nation was paying only 25 cents!! :D LOL

[@deus_ex_machina_]

@@ronschlorff7089 To be fair, that's a 40% difference! It would be worth it to cross state lines to take advantage of cheaper fuel if you lived close enough to the border.

[@errolvanzie4765]

I remember a conversation I had with my father about this topic. He swore that anything above 55 was reckless and dangerous. He also believes seatbelts don’t help

[@JoshuaMorgan]

This was a very interesting video, thanks! My '94 Ford Ranger still has a mark at 55 and only goes up to 85.

[@Pie9999]

Quite informative. My first car was a 1994 owned by my grandparent's, I always wondered why all the speedometer markings were white except 55 which was orange.

[@jovanweismiller7114]

Some of us remember it. It was a major irritation when the speed limit was reduced to 55. I also remember the oil embargo. The first time I ever got $5.00 worth of gas in a car, I coasted to a stop, out of gas, at the pump in my 1973 Vega, I got $5.05 worth of gas in filling it up.

[@rammym23]

yeah Jo prices sure are high these days! it isn't like during the time you're describing, you could also get a big mac for 85 cents and a house for the same price as a used car today, right? things weren't cheaper dude your money is just worth less now

[@jovanweismiller7114]

@@rammym23 Oh, no argument there. When that happened, I was working for the Santa Fe RR. I was making $5.00/hr, which at the time was BIG money! The minimum wage was $1.60/hr.

[@terryjaster4771]

My dad had a Buick La Sabre station wagon. One of the BIGGEST lead sleds ever. But it had an original version of cruise control. It had a knob that you could change a needle on the speedometer and when you reached the set speed a buzzer behind the dash would go until you dropped below the set point. We as children had a GREAT time with that. lol FYI you could set it for 30 mph.

[@rashdecision]

There is also a point to be made that due to transmission and driveline gearing, most cars naturally achieve their best fuel consumption around 55. Like a bell curve, the consumption tapers off nearly equally going up and down (generally). Due to this bell curve effect, I always assumed this was to highlight a target speed for fuel economy. I still keep and maintain a 1985 F150, but I'm considering doing a drivetrain swap. When I went looking for replacement instrument panels, I actually found that even some aftermarket clusters that aren't designed to maintain the original look will still highlight 55.

[@jmearig]

We had a Buick with a horizontal speedometer that went up to 85 (similar to the one at 0:38 in the video). My dad's favorite truck was to "make the speedometer disappear." If you reached about 90-100 the speedometer would be completely horizontal and hidden below the instrument panel trim.

[@BigTimeTrucker432]

My 84 Z28 Camaro has everything above 55 in red all the way to 85. My dad told me all about this 21 years ago when he bought the car. Now the car belongs to me and the story is still interesting to this day.

[@AenusGaper]

I already knew the answer, but you got me hooked and I just had to finish it. Awesome work!

[@ThePolarBearProductions]

My 93 Lincoln Mark VIII has two lines for 55 and I always wondered why that was. Thanks for pointing it out

[@austinknowlton1783]

I never thought I would live long enough to have to see this explained to people.

[@whyjnot420]

I love those 70s Continentals too. Awesome cars. Closest I ever got to owning one was a 91 Mercury Cougar though (which was still a nice car).

[@mromatic17]

I daily drive a 1994 Ford F-150 4x4 5.0 5 speed and the dash goes up to 85mph only but on my gps app i hurried the gauge and hit 125 mph. The manual transmission trucks were so much faster then the automatics cuz they are slow shifting and only try to smoothly slowly as possible! My truck with a warmed up 302 and manual tranny can hit 60 in about 6.8-7.0 seconds about 7.3 stock but the lightnings only had autos and they had bad ass svt 351’s and were getting mid 7 second 0-60 times. Had they used a manual it would be in the low 6’s. These trucks are really light compared to today. my 94 weighs about 4100lbs new half tons are all at least 5000lbs!

[@80fordmustang6]

I love all my 80’s cars that I’ve owned and still own currently own a 1980 Chrysler cordoba a 1986 Oldsmobile custom cruiser and a 1989 Dodge Ram d100

[@AkanoWire]

In German cars (i guess also European) i often see emphasis on 30kmh(~18mph) and 50kmh(~32mph), since there are many places with 30kmh limit signs and generally the limit in cities is 50kmh

[@jonasrugebregt343]

Interesting video. I have a 1993 Ford Ranger with 55 highlighted red and the speedometer only going to 85 so I always wondered the reasoning behind that. I can go up to 95 in it though so the needle just keeps going to the bottom of the gauge 🤣

[@ronschlorff7089]

I have a '04, 4x4, 5 sp., glad none of that stuff on it. Just a few manual knobs and dials; all written in American!! LOL :D

[@James68W]

My 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee had an orange tick at 55. One little detail you'd easily miss but it was there, decades later

[@LoneWolfMcQuadeUSA]

Dang, I grew up always wanted to know why that was so important. Thank you!

[@bill_clinton697]

I honestly think 85 mph speedometers should come back on the majority of vehicles. So many vehicles have speedometers that go up to 140 but would never get up there and it overall makes the speedometer more difficult to read at a quick glance. A speedometer that goes to 85 in the same car would be far easier to read .

[@waterheaterservices]

Hillary wants to know your location

[@ronschlorff7089]

@@waterheaterservices that island that ol' Epstein had, is my guess!! :D

[@FAB1150]

Yeah, limiting the speedometers to go up to the actual max speed of the car would be nice. My small, fuel efficiency minded car car gets to 165kph, why does the speedometer go up to 240? It just makes the digits crammed together

[@FAB1150]

@@svaj1000 It's not a problem per se, it's just annoying

[@gabrielv.4358]

@@FAB1150 I know right. Ford had the Ford Ka as the cheapest car here in Brazil, and the Ka of first and second gen had a speedometer that goes up to 220kph but the maximum speed it can go is around 170kph, with it's 1.0l engine (69hp). It has a 1.6l (104hp) sport version which can do around 200 at best, of which it has the same speedometer of 220kph. And then there is the Fiesta, which is in a upper class, with the same 1.0 or 1.6l engines as the Ka, the speedometer only marked 200kph, which is really weird. The Fiesta is more capable of going into higher speeds and it's a better car overall, so why did ford do that with the smaller Ka? I bet it was to attract more younger guys into it thinking "oh it has more kph so it's faster", although the Ka is more aimed for girls.... Weird Ford. And there was one time where VW made the "Gol 1000" With a pathetic 1.0l engine with 49hp, of which it showed on the dash 180kph at top speed, but it could barely go to 140kph. Later on Vw made the Second Gen of the Gol, with the same engine with 49hp, and it showed 160kph in the dash, 20kph less, why? I dont know. Later on VW put a new 1.0l engine with around 59-60hp or so on it, made the car better but it still had the same 160kph dashboard, and there was even a rare basic version with a 1.6l engine (around 94hp) with the same 160kph speedo, of which you could bury it without any problem. I bet you could do 200kph on it and the speedo would do a full 360 lol. The 62hp 1.0l engine could bury it too, lol, at 170 or so kph. On Gen 3 Gol VW brought back the 180kph speedo in 1.0l versions and 220kph on 1.6l or 1.8l engine versions. Weird. Sorry for the long comment too. Thanks for reading it and have a nice day, evening or night!

[@MattMcIrvin]

Just reading the title of this makes me feel so, so old. ("Gather 'round, my children, and hear a tale of the Olden Times...")

[@wolfietigerstripes3248]

My 85 f150 has the limit of 85mph and 55 circled and I always wondered why till this video, thanks for explaining.

[@skellious]

UK cars often have a red line at 30 but that makes a lot of sense as our default speedlimit in "built-up areas" (areas with streetlights less than a set distance apart. usually also with pavements(sidewalks) and houses.)

[@automation7295]

Cars sold in Europe and UK often have different requirements than cars sold in North America. Speedometer often have two red markings for 30km/h and 50km/h, which makes sense as they common speed limited for cities.

[@steveschmidt5574]

This was great! More of these history lessons!

[@srarcade]

Very interesting! I had this on my 88 honda accord. I remember seeing 'state speed limit 55 mph' signs in new york as a kid too.

[@okaro6595]

When in the 80s I heard of the 55 mph could not believe it. In Finland the limit on motor ways was 120 km/h (75 mph) and on normal roads 100 km/h or 80 m/h (~60 or 50 mph)

[@zharkingbrowner5968]

That BMW Series 7(50)HAS NOT the 55miles/hour remarked on the Speedometer¡. Even so this is a very concise and easy to understand video¡.Thanks 4 the curious data¡.🤗

[@brentboswell1294]

The late 1980's was not a fun time to be a newly minted driver and a gearhead...there was way more emphasis on speed and traffic enforcement than there is today. Insurance rates on anything that was remotely fun to drive were outrageous for young male drivers 😢

[@RichM3000]

Definitely. Going 70 mph in a 55 mph would get you pulled over way faster than 85 mph in a 70 mph zone would today,

[@retrosteven]

This keept me hooked hope it dose not take more work than the revews keep doing the revews though it's your bread and butter.

[@francis2811]

In continental Europe where 55mph is a popular speed limit, automatic transmission lock-up was tuned to that speed, improving the efficiency of the gearbox and fuel consumption.

[@k.b.tidwell]

Exactly the same here in the States. Everything I've ever owned with lockup does it around 55mph. As I sell auto parts, I can't tell you how many customers I've had who purchase a product called "Shudder Fix" for (primarily Ford) vehicles that have a lockup flutter once the fluid gets some age and wear on it. They always say, "It happens around 55mph...", and I start a-walkin' toward the Shudder Fix.

[@Sparky-ww5re]

My first vehicle was a 1993 Ford Ranger, 4 cylinder and 5 speed manual, had the truck for a couple years then the oil pump went out and the engine seized up. Ended up scraping it out. What was like 8 years ago. Always wondered why my truck had the 85 mph speedo with a red line at 55, when many vehicles at that time were anywhere from 120 to 160 mph speedo. But hey, it was a funny conversation piece.

[@thirdpedalnirvana]

Funny that the e32 has it, my E28 does not, built in October of 1983

[@hen-rey]

Sticker in this era “55 it’s a law we can live with”. I miss the highway hypnosis. And 1978 my mother drove a Dodge Diplomat (metallic green). And she bulleted the car in night with 90 miles/h in the Adirondack Mountains. She loved speeding. We had a lot of fun afterwards. PS. We are Germans and she used to drive a BMW on the Autobahn. Yes I miss

[@izzmus]

Hey, I recognize that speedometer. My '81 RX-7! I specifically like the 85mph speedometer on these cars. I also had an '80 which was the only other year of RX-7 to have an 85mph unit

[@mzak5204]

I have seen the same orange marking as in 6:09 in Germany where we use km/h not mph, so both speedometer numbering systems were swapped, if the mph one wasn’t removed entirely. And I always wondered what that orange marking was for. It was at a random position somewhere around 90 km/h

[@christopherstory2136]

It was because of the gas crisis issues in the 1970s, with regulations to lower speed limits for cobservation, period. And as far as big cars, American roads and driving tastes were different, we didn't have the limits of narrow roads and high gas prices like some of the other countries - that doesn't make Americans "wrong" or Europe "better". What it does mean is that it took us a l9ng time to catch up to what other countries were accustomed to. And as far as the cars themselves, that's what tastes were then; just like now with the proliferation of CUVs, SUVs and Pickups which are just as excessive and inefficient - glad I don't have to feed one of those now. I lived thru the crisis on 1973 and 1979 and it was UGLY.

[@Xhistt]

I always wondered this after looking at my fc cluster, great video

[@MrHubb1]

Great video. More 80s cars please .

[@rumblebars]

I did research on CAFE back when I was in college in the early 90s, and I remember coming across a study from, If I Remember Correctly, was from 1969, charting fuel economy versus road speed for an average sampling of American cars at the time. The two graphs converged at 48MPH, that was the ideal speed for the technology of the time (I'm guessing they didn't include VWs in this) I remember that, but I don't remember if this was cited in the leadup to imposing the double nickel limit. I personally do think it was though, and the fact they set it slightly higher than this may have been a nod towards not totally pissing off the populance (well they were , but not as much maybe)

[@ronschlorff7089]

I remember the 55 mph days, not many drove that slow and highway patrol's did not enforce it much unless you were a drunk. It was a joke, as was our president (Jimmy) at the time it was first introduced (70's).

[@rumblebars]

Actually, it was already in well place when Carter came along.

[@ronschlorff7089]

@@rumblebars a peanut farmer fan, ok! ;D

[@TheYouTubeTeam]

@@ronschlorff7089 55mph national speed limit was signed into law on January 2, 1974 by President Richard Nixon. And then we had President Ford. Then we had President Carter.

[@ronschlorff7089]

@@TheKZbinTeam It was a joke to CHP, in CA, a known "driving state". I was there, in college, at the time.

[@AviaZou7A]

Even in EU they have a red thing at 50km/h and in Japan when you reach over 120km/h it creates a chime noise. :D

[@foxy126pl6]

I thought it was 100kmh in japan

[@NickBDesigns]

My local stretch of the interstate has construction going on and all traffic is now 55. I’ve seen a 15% boost in my fuel economy since they changed the speed. 2013 accord

[@k.b.tidwell]

I'll tell ya', if you can ever get used to the slower speed it's an efficiency game changer. I have a particular four mile run on a 55 mph highway that's a part of my commute to my work, and I went from 18 mpg to 23 mpg in a Tacoma by dropping from 55 to 50 through there. There's a lot of straightaways, so people can pass me easily, and it takes me like one more minute to get to work. I listen to podcasts on the trip, so it's never bothered me.

[@k.b.tidwell]

Nice to see a young person actually driving a manual transmission car.

[@cj_oooh_my_dog]

Imagine taking 6,5 minutes to say “55 mph was the national speed limit back then”

[@javianjohnson8746]

Wow, now that is actually really fascinating. Thanks

[@carringtoncurry2159]

Great video. Keep these coming

[@iceee420]

I enjoy the 55 emphasis tbh. Doesn't have to break away from the speedometer, just an extra notch or different color at 55.

[@snowpawzvideos]

I don’t know if it’s because I’m Australian, but why aren’t door chimes a thing anymore? I remember watching a video of a Subaru BRAT & being completely infatuated with the door chime. The Australian version, the Brumby, (& every car I’ve been in) doesn’t have a door chime. Only a few have seatbelt chimes & other safety chimes for when you’re actually driving. 🤔

[@JustcallmeGnarly22]

My 90 CRX had a spot marked for 55. Makes sense that car manufacturers didn't want to spend them money to redesign that small piece.

[@kuuzz.]

this was a great video!!! love ur content

[@radarnoz19]

So thats why my 1988 Crown Vic and my two 78-79 Lincoln's top out at 85mph on the speedo's.

[@matthewrammig]

Oh I LOVE this channel!!

[@Hampstead343]

The 55 MPH speed limit mark and 85 MPH speedo were absolutely stupid, if I were in power at the time, I would've mandated tachometers, overdrive gears and 5 speed manuals instead.

[@tenfourproductionsllc]

well, there was a time when it was needed due to gas crisis. maryland kept their 55mph until 1995.

[@Hampstead343]

@@tenfourproductionsllc the 85 mph speedo?!! No!!!

[@MrSamPhoenix]

I can attest to the fact that driving fast (70-85mph) will cause your vehicle to burn more fuel ⛽️. When I drive at those speeds I could barely crack 26mpg. But if I drive at a steady speed of 55-60mph I’m getting 32mpg.

[@midori9566]

I always wondered why NY expressways set the speed limit at 55mph, now I know! Needless to say though I’ve gone much faster than that ;D

[@rwdmae]

Thanks for actually stating a conclusion at the end. I was nodding off on H and I woke up at the end now I don’t have to rewatch Let’s gooo

[@garyb5796]

In California, over 55 it was a $5.00 Energy Waste Ticket and didn't count on your driving record either. It was big business for the CHP back then, you would see one about every 2 miles apart with someone pulled over for speeding. Today the only time you see the CHP is when it's an accident, the rest of the time you never see them and we're all doing 80 Plus MPH.

[@nolanmythbuster]

There are certainly still speed traps in socal, they stay in specific areas so there will often be traffic on days they are there in that specific mile stretch, they say they ticket the person in the front of the line of cars going 80+, but in reality everyone in the fast lane is going 80+ with small breaks in the groups of cars. They may be looking for people going 90+ as that is a felony.

[@joshuaewalker]

My beautiful, classic 1990 Honda Accord EX highlights 55 but I've taken it to 125mph at which point the limiter kicks in. Kinda scary when you're going that fast and remember there's no airbags.

[@ldmtag]

5:47 - that's a beautiful Corvette! My second favorite generation after C8! (I wonder which next one would be similarly good: C12 or C16?)

[@alexesparza5384]

This was super interesting, thank you! One of my buddies recently got a mid 80's accord with pop up headlights and we were wondering this exact thing, what part of Illinois are you from??

[@SebastianWoodard]

i was wondering. my 86 F150 has 55 circled. i just figured it was because 55 is more or less the atandard common highway (not interatate) speed, qt least in my experience.

[@Coinz8]

1:10 that GTO is just super clean

[@ydl6832]

3:13 I laughed so hard when he was strenuously trying to pronounce a word with only consonants 😂 😂

[@shagirani5518]

Excellent video 🔥

[@therevx5225]

My 92 Taurus's speedometer didn't go past 85mph. I would be passing people on the interstate, watching the speedometer needle go past 85mph, down into the bottom of my dashboard. God I miss that car.

[@jeffreydavidconner]

This was in the mid to late 70's. My Mom had a car that would set off a alarm if she went over 55mph. It did have as I remember a red tipped rod pointing to 55.

[@alansteyrbach6926]

Many european imports we have in Central Asia are marked with 50 kmh emphasis. It seemed strange to me as we had 49 kmh and 69 kmh speed limits in cities.

[@chriswebb6153]

Some real decent videos. Don't let KZbin know that won't show him to anybody.

[@Sb129]

I'd be interested in compliance figures from large open states like AZ and TX when that 55mph law was in effect.

[@ronschlorff7089]

I live in AZ, I'd say zip, but I was not here then. Even in CA it was little to none in the late 70's!

[@SlikLizrd]

Compliance figures !?? Now, THAT'S a real leg-slapper, my friend !! At that time, I was driving all over the U.S.A., and it was WEIRD -- AZ, UT, MT, TX -- never paid no mind to the double-nickle, while the people in MA, VT, NH, and CT never drove faster than 55, anyways !! Speed limit on I-15 was 80 mph -- I was cruising at a steady 85 -- was passed by a semi towing TWO loaded gravel TRAILERS. Traveling America's highways USED TO be an adventure -- climate change and 330 million people have changed it all.

[@ronschlorff7089]

@@SlikLizrd Not surprising the states differences, NE slow, cautious; but in big open western country, like here in AZ, you "go like hell, ..you'll get there"! :D

[@SlikLizrd]

@@ronschlorff7089 Yes, Ron, but our beloved state of Arizona is getting CROWDED now, what with 7 MILLION people and all -- I'm 83, living in West Phoenix for 50 years -- I'll die here.

[@ronschlorff7089]

@@SlikLizrd Yup, me too; I got my mountain picked out, where my wife will "sprinkle" me, the Pusch Ridge of the Catalinas, which we view from our home in Oro Valley!! ;D

[@stevedeleon8775]

I have a old Az. State Trooper front Black & White Plate..55 MPH it's the Law!

[@2majortwinz]

I remember driving from Mobile,Alabama to Huntsville,Alabama in 1985. 55 MPH all the way up INTERSTATE 65 😫

[@k.b.tidwell]

I waved at you from Jasper! You beeped your horn. Life was good, and I thought, "There goes a law-abiding but late American."

[@driftcat7076]

I think the algorithm is gonna bless you

[@Kabluey2011]

55 saves lives. Was the big marketing push. It was on theory you could survive a strike from a vehicle going 55 but not faster. It ended up being false, but it was a catchy slogan for the era

[@mista414]

I read about a study a little while ago that showed it is kind of true, at least, crashes at even incrementally higher speeds are much much worse, especially with our relatively heavy vehicles these days.

[@Kabluey2011]

@@mista414 very true. It's one of the reasons that the force equation has velocity squared. Because even a slight incremental increase in speed is detrimental to the odds of survivability

[@jackson5116]

5:06 none in Illinois! I can attest to this personally in the 80's!!

[@aparanoidbw]

are those planes at 1:58 ? and why do they look like they're on fire. I know engines smoke a little on start up, but they appear to be taxiing. I'd imagine the engines would be warm by then. I tried to look it up, but "smoking prop plane" isn't the most specific google search, and I don't know what other keywords to use.

[@grandetaco4416]

55 didn't work for fuel consumption because no one wanted to drive it.

[@mariadelpilarescalante9433]

3:14 thanks a lot! I was wondering how to properly pronounce FMVSS

[@papapapa6689]

Interesting. In retrospective, Germany handeled the oil-crisis different. We had 4(!) car-free-sundays in late 1973, but we never implemented a general speedlimit.