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No-one gets a move on any more


patently
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This struck me on Sunday night, coming home from Croft. I drove the A1 from just north of Scotch Corner down to the M25, in the Discovery towing about a tonne of trailer + Caterham and with all my kit, tools and so on in the back of the Disco. So I was not exactly set up for a time trial. On top of that, with a trailer I was subject to a 60 limit and excluded from lane 3 (where there was one).

Nevertheless, I was overtaking half the other cars on the road, and most of the stuff overtaking me was only crawling past at a few mph above my speed. Pretty well the only thing that shot past me in the five hours was a Seven-type thing (who waved enthusiastically). On some of the more minor roads, I was winning traffic light Grands Prix (without trying to!).

Then, this morning I've nipped up the M40 to Oxford. A clear road; straight, smooth, safe, and everyone clustered in lanes 2 & 3 at 67mph.

Have we suddenly turned into a nation of docile sheep? Does no-one want to arrive quickly any more?

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This has been happening for afew years now. Combination of speed cameras, fuel costs and the general economy and a dumbing down of driver skills.

Driving a moderately quick motor car on the public road now feels like driving an LMP1 car through a field of GTE AMs.

Edited by jimdiesel
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I've noticed that a steady cruise seems to find me overtaking a lot more cars than in the past. 

 

Before I'd find people flying up behind to race past and I wouldn't be hanging about but that is far more rare now. A long ish trip might mean I only get overtake a few times on the motorway and I'm not one to cruise at a very high speed either. 

 

As already said I think its down to speed 'obession' and lower fuel use if you aren't going as fast. There is something that for every 10mph above 70 you do its a 20% drop in the economy if my memory serves be correctly. 

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I made good time on Saturday trying to catch up with NNMM on the A1.

I'd argue that his "taking it easy" was fairly brisk too ;)

 

I was doing a steady something-5 mph.  You approached at far, far, far higher speed than that. :roflmao:

 

As someone who does a fair few miles, I see what patently is referring to all too often.

 

The middle and outside lane hoggers are atrocious.  The amount of times I'll overtake traffic and pull into the middle lane, then inside lane, and look in my rear view to see the cars I've passed are still in the middle lane...I couldn't keep count to be honest.

Edited by NewNiceMrMe
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There is something that for every 10mph above 70 you do its a 20% drop in the economy if my memory serves be correctly.

I think it very much depends on the vehicle, for example, in the Galaxy, I would say that's probably correct, in my old Mondeo ST, it was far more economical at 90mph than it was at 70, some 10mpg better in fact.

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I've noticed this too. Setting the cruise at 70 means I'm one of the fastest things on the road.

 

Middle lane hoggers - I tend to overtake them then immediately pull into the inside lane (when possible). 8 times out of 10 they do the same. It is almost as if people switch off while pootling about - which is of course precisely what they do.

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That M40 section is notorious for accidents, so from Patently's word for it, it's not speed that's an issue......!

 

 

However, on my commute I usually sit at 70 - 75, going faster doesn't make much difference as most people who overtake me, I see later in the queue in the wrong lane! :roflmao: .

There are a good many people going faster than me though, and this is on the 2, 3 & 4 lane sections of the A1.

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My natural speed is more or less legal (if you take the 10% + 2mph guideline :P ) and that does tend to see me overtaking most other traffic. There are always a few who are faster, but they rarely make much more progress due to poor observation and lane discipline.

In the interests of balance, this morning's typical Audi driver was driving a Merc. ;)

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I think it very much depends on the vehicle, for example, in the Galaxy, I would say that's probably correct, in my old Mondeo ST, it was far more economical at 90mph than it was at 70, some 10mpg better in fact.

 

So you think to power and fight against the extra wind resistance, friction loses etc. that a car is more economical going faster than slower..... 

 

I think that it would be breaking a few laws of physics if I'm honest, regardless of the car. 

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Today's Audi driver was in a Passat.

 

I was in lane 2 (of 2, overtaking) but cruising along at 75 at Baldock.  He comes up behind me, very close.  I finish overtaking and pull in.  I never pull in quickly - after all I pay for my own tyres and see no point swerving about.  As soon as the gap is big enough, he's past and swoops in very close infront of me, but keeps going and then pulls out VERY close to the next punter infront.  :rolleyes: .

 

Oh look, 10 minutes later he is in the top lane sitting at Stevenage south going nowhere, as I sail past him on the inside lane which ALWAYS moves quicker.

I come off the next junction at W.G.C and he still hasn't come past me.

 

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We need a new thread called 'Today's Audi driver is'.......

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I agree this is an economy thing. Years ago I was never that interested in MPG as fuel was relatively cheap. Now it's always the option I have active on the DIS. The X5 gets 19mpg doing 75-80mph. 26mpg doing 60. In fact, I did a journey yesterday from north of Durham to Rockliffe Hall in Darlington to Hexham and then back home and averaged 27mpg. That was 60mph on motorway nearly the whole journey.

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I drove Portsmouth to Colchester and back yesterday and saw so much of this on the roads it was driving me up the wall. People pulling out in to lane 3 doing 70 when the car they've moved out to overtake is miles down the road and doing 69mph, then not moving back in once they'd passed the car.

 

I did pretty much what Andrew mentioned, the difference being to try and get the car in front to move back across so I didn't have to undertake, once we'd both gone past the slower car i'd pull across to lane 1 and they seemed to notice and moved in the the middle lane (It would be too much to ask to go all the way back to lane 1) then i''d pull out and go around them. Slightly irritating and they probably thought I was being a tit with all the lane changing but if they got in the right lane in the first place I wouldn't have to do it!

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47.3 mpg.  My average over 19,000 miles.

 

I don't need to drive at 55 mph everywhere to get that and it is improving all the time.  On most trips over 30 miles now I'll get 50-52 mpg.

 

Just don't labour the engine and don't over apply the throttle.  I'm lucky in that the MFD in the 5 series has two economy meters.  One is the usually swing dial (albeit digital), and the other is a curved bar.  The latter is very visible and superb for monitoring excessive pedal pressure.  I have no doubt whatsoever that is why I achieve the figures I do when most owners report 42-43 mpg. 

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47.3 mpg. My average over 19,000 miles.

I don't need to drive at 55 mph everywhere to get that and it is improving all the time. On most trips over 30 miles now I'll get 50-52 mpg.

Just don't labour the engine and don't over apply the throttle. I'm lucky in that the MFD in the 5 series has two economy meters. One is the usually swing dial (albeit digital), and the other is a curved bar. The latter is very visible and superb for monitoring excessive pedal pressure. I have no doubt whatsoever that is why I achieve the figures I do when most owners report 42-43 mpg.

Sometimes I feel like sticking tape over the current mpg dial on the X5. It may as well go from 1mpg to 15mpg. Ha.

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