Does speeding save time?

[zzcarp]

Speeding or not, I find I get better mileage on long distance trips. Knowing I can get to 450ish miles on a trip with cruise control and no stops (versus sometimes less than 400 per tank in town), I don't see the major drop. So on long drives, I plan between 300 and 400 miles between gas stops (with GasBuddy research for the cheapest gas).

That said, going around 8 over the limit tends to get me to beat Waze's estimates by 15 or 20 minutes. That gives me time for a gas stop, a bio break, and a dog walk without losing too much time on the total trip. That small time savings seems much better than worrying if I'm buying slightly more gas.

[noelbotevera]

Well since this thread was unexpectedly revived...

The original post was meant to be a bit more scientific (well, without me having to actually drive 4 hours and back). But now I've done a trip where I drove 4 hours and back!

The anecdotal answer is no. Traffic lights and gas stations erase any time savings from speeding. Even if I were to somehow average 80 MPH and get there 73 minutes quicker on a 200 mile trip, I'd probably be tearing my gas mileage to shreds.

For what it's worth, here's some back of the napkin math:

Velocity = distance / time. Don't care about direction, so in this case velocity = speed. Rearrange this to get time = distance / velocity.

Distance = 5280 feet. Say velocity = 60 mph, then time = 88 seconds. If velocity = 65 mph, time = 81 seconds. If velocity = 80 mph, time = 66 seconds.

For anyone who's not doing the Cannonball Run, you save 22 seconds per mile if you somehow average 80 MPH over an entire trip. You likely don't, and even your average speed is constantly fluctuating, so this is a best case scenario.

Personally I just set my cruise to 70 and adapted the motto of "I'll get there at some point". Good gas mileage, good pace, don't need to worry about people in the left lane going 90.

[Rothman]

Heh.  Saw a post on FB that mentioned the term "bio break."  Think I've heard it before, but now, given the post critical of the term, have to agree that it does sound a bit silly.

[Rothman]

Well since this thread was unexpectedly revived...

The original post was meant to be a bit more scientific (well, without me having to actually drive 4 hours and back). But now I've done a trip where I drove 4 hours and back!

The anecdotal answer is no. Traffic lights and gas stations erase any time savings from speeding. Even if I were to somehow average 80 MPH and get there 73 minutes quicker on a 200 mile trip, I'd probably be tearing my gas mileage to shreds.

For what it's worth, here's some back of the napkin math:

Velocity = distance / time. Don't care about direction, so in this case velocity = speed. Rearrange this to get time = distance / velocity.

Distance = 5280 feet. Say velocity = 60 mph, then time = 88 seconds. If velocity = 65 mph, time = 81 seconds. If velocity = 80 mph, time = 66 seconds.

For anyone who's not doing the Cannonball Run, you save 22 seconds per mile if you somehow average 80 MPH over an entire trip. You likely don't, and even your average speed is constantly fluctuating, so this is a best case scenario.

Personally I just set my cruise to 70 and adapted the motto of "I'll get there at some point". Good gas mileage, good pace, don't need to worry about people in the left lane going 90.

Pfft.  On a mere four hour drive on the Thruway, for example, I have a definite time savings when I set the cruise control to 78 mph over 73 mph.  Time for refueling doesn't come into play on a such a short trip.

Don't see how it can be argued the time savings aren't there.

[noelbotevera]

Pfft.  On a mere four hour drive on the Thruway, for example, I have a definite time savings when I set the cruise control to 78 mph over 73 mph.  Time for refueling doesn't come into play on a such a short trip.

Don't see how it can be argued the time savings aren't there.

Well it was a 4 hour drive deep into the mountains of West Virginia, so I was really doing 60 -- 35 because of a curve -- 60 -- 30 because of another curve...

I probably saved like ten minutes? There's time savings, don't get me wrong, but I'm not going to drive like a maniac and swerve between lanes to maintain 78 mph cruise then agonize over how my average speed dropped to 75.

[Scott5114]

For anyone who's not doing the Cannonball Run, you save 22 seconds per mile if you somehow average 80 MPH over an entire trip. You likely don't...

[laughs in Nevadan]

[oscar]

For anyone who's not doing the Cannonball Run, you save 22 seconds per mile if you somehow average 80 MPH over an entire trip. You likely don't...

[laughs in Nevadan]

80mph is a common freeway speed limit out west.

[Scott5114]

For anyone who's not doing the Cannonball Run, you save 22 seconds per mile if you somehow average 80 MPH over an entire trip. You likely don't...

[laughs in Nevadan]

80mph is a common freeway speed limit out west.

Fairly common speed on two-lane roads in my state too—when you're the only human around for miles, who cares how fast you go?

[Rothman]

Pfft.  On a mere four hour drive on the Thruway, for example, I have a definite time savings when I set the cruise control to 78 mph over 73 mph.  Time for refueling doesn't come into play on a such a short trip.

Don't see how it can be argued the time savings aren't there.

Well it was a 4 hour drive deep into the mountains of West Virginia, so I was really doing 60 -- 35 because of a curve -- 60 -- 30 because of another curve...

I probably saved like ten minutes? There's time savings, don't get me wrong, but I'm not going to drive like a maniac and swerve between lanes to maintain 78 mph cruise then agonize over how my average speed dropped to 75.

But you were essentially arguing that there wasn't any significant time savings from speeding, when there definitely is.

Heck, I just took a drive two weekends ago out in western NY on back roads. Have had too many surprise meet-ups with deputy county sheriffs over the past couple of years, so I only go 8 over at most when off the Interstate.  Again, whether or not I hit the occasional traffic light (which I consider a constant on this length of a trip) or get stuck behind a slow driver, on a four-hour-ish drive, I'll have time savings from driving 8 over when I can rather than at the speed limit.

[kalvado]

OK, some hard math.
My commute includes 20 mile stretch of interstate. speed limit goes from 55 to 65 half way, so lets say an average of 60. Lets say my fast mode is +15 for an average of 75 mph

Over 20 miles I gain 4 minutes of time one way, or $1.07 at a local minimum wage of $16/hour (I am not paid by the hour, though)
If my gas consumption drops from 30 to 25 MPG (it is certainly not that drastic), I would burn 0.13 gallon extra one way, or $0.4 if gas is $3/gallon

I would need one extra gas stop every 120 one-ways drives for 16 gal fill (my tank is 17.5), for say 10 min of wasted time. Cumulative time saving over same frame is 480 minutes, or 8 hours.
My total savings over same time frame are $80 if I value my time at a minimum wage rate.

If I make 400 one way commutes a year, and get an $200 ticket every 2 years, spending 2 hours on it, my net savings over 2 years are still 55 hours and $733.

[kphoger]

Traffic lights ... erase any time savings from speeding.

Bullshit.  Traffic lights make time savings more variable, true.  But you're no more likely to get stuck at a red light just because you've been driving faster up to that point than if you had been going the speed limit.  On average, you should still save time.

Put it this way.  If you speed, then there are two possibilities at stoplights:

a.  You get stopped at the same red light you would have otherwise.
b.  You make it through before the light turns red, but you wouldn't have otherwise.

In (a), you don't gain any time, but you don't lose any time either.  In (b), you gain time.

On a mere four hour drive on the Thruway, for example, I have a definite time savings when I set the cruise control to 78 mph over 73 mph.

15 minutes and 23 seconds in time savings, just for going 5 mph faster.

292 miles @ 73 mph = 04 hours 00 minutes 00 seconds
292 miles @ 78 mph = 03 hours 44 minutes 37 seconds

[kphoger]

The anecdotal answer is no. Traffic lights and gas stations erase any time savings from speeding.

I probably saved like ten minutes? There's time savings,

The anecdotal answer, then, is yes.  Traffic lights and gas stations did not erase your time savings from speeding.

[Life in Paradise]

From what I'm reading, in essence, speeding does and does not save you time. I mean, if I could get away with doing 85 on I-90 from Seattle to Chicago, I would. My wife is not the same way, though, as she always goes the speed limit no matter where we are, so that kind of balances it out.

Read back at my consternation of the complexity of calculating the effect of incurring more fuel stops the faster you go, though.  In my current vehicle, driving that fast would make refueling a concern.

I've got a hybrid SUV. where mileage up to about 60 mph is excellent, but then drops like a rock to more normal SUV mileage.  Of course, putting around at 60 mph isn't going to do me any time favors, either.

Most hybrid vehicles have smaller gas takes compared to their full ICE equivalents.  My 2024 Corolla Hybrid for example has a 11.3 gallon tank and the non-hybrid version has a 13.2 gallon tank.  I'm getting way better mileage but there isn't much of a difference in the range. 

I've found my range increases considerably the slower I go, with that 60 mph threshold being a cliff.  Back roads that keep my speed down?  400 miles to a tank or more.  Speeding on an east coast Interstate at around 78 mph?  As low as 300 to a tank, depending on terrain.

In the city it isn't uncommon for me to get averages exceeding 60 MPG.  With constant high speed movement on a freeway generally I'll get 47-49 MPG. 

In my travels between Evansville and Indianapolis, IN my hybrid really starts dropping at 75mph, which is close to where I set my cruise control on the interstate.  In the winter season, I notice a droppage of about 20% when the temperature gets below 35-40 degrees outside due I guess to the inefficiency of the batteries due to the cold.  I used to drive faster, but I do feel that I can save some time by doing a bit of speeding on rural interstates.  I temper that with not driving so fast that I feel the need to look out for marked and unmarked patrol cars; without being on edge, I can drive more at ease and not get fatigued due to the patrol car alertness mode.

[CtrlAltDel]

In the winter season, I notice a droppage of about 20% when the temperature gets below 35-40 degrees outside due I guess to the inefficiency of the batteries due to the cold.

Mileage decreases in cold weather in gas engines as well. On long distance drives in the winter, for instance, my mileage is about 10% lower than on the same route in the summer.

[CtrlAltDel]

If you speed, then there are two possibilities at stoplights:

a.  You get stopped at the same red light you would have otherwise.
b.  You make it through before the light turns red, but you wouldn't have otherwise.

It's also possible to get stopped at a red light that you wouldn't have otherwise.

[GaryV]

If you speed, then there are two possibilities at stoplights:

a.  You get stopped at the same red light you would have otherwise.
b.  You make it through before the light turns red, but you wouldn't have otherwise.

It's also possible to get stopped at a red light that you wouldn't have otherwise.

But if you did, it's because you got there faster. Meaning no net time savings, but not a loss.

[kkt]

For anyone who's not doing the Cannonball Run, you save 22 seconds per mile if you somehow average 80 MPH over an entire trip. You likely don't...

[laughs in Nevadan]

80mph is a common freeway speed limit out west.

Fairly common speed on two-lane roads in my state too—when you're the only human around for miles, who cares how fast you go?

Mackenzie Highway joke:  "Speed enforcement by bison"

They are a solid dark brown and pretty hard to see at 200 yards away, and they don't see any reason THEY should move.

[CtrlAltDel]

If you speed, then there are two possibilities at stoplights:

a.  You get stopped at the same red light you would have otherwise.
b.  You make it through before the light turns red, but you wouldn't have otherwise.

It's also possible to get stopped at a red light that you wouldn't have otherwise.

But if you did, it's because you got there faster. Meaning no net time savings, but not a loss.

Undoubtedly, but it is nonetheless a possibility.

Although, when you get to a light just after it turns green, you can often sail past a care that needs to accelerate. If you then catch a light that the other car misses, you might be able to pull ahead, at least for a while.

[amberjns]

A little thought experiment I've had in the back of my mind is whether speeding will get me places faster. I don't enjoy driving on familiar roads (thus I'm not a big fan of commuting, but that's a thread for another time), so unless I'm on vacation, I generally want to get from point A to point B as quickly as possible. How about I try to math it out?

Part 1: Making Some Assumptions
Honestly, I'm not putting much effort and using the best tools here. I'm using Google Maps and GSV to confirm speed limits, and my methods of calculation aren't very exact. Still, it's good practice to lay out some assumptions and develop a methodology.

I'm going to start by picking a route in Google Maps and try to provide some justification for each route. The base time is the time given on Google Maps, and does not obey the "Ironman" assumption (see below) nor traffic lights. Time saved by speeding is calculated by using the route's distance and dividing by the faster speed (MPH over the limit), which will give me units of time.

It's better to leave earlier or optimize your route than to keep pressing the gas. It's less nerve-wracking and safer.

[kphoger]

It's better to leave earlier or optimize your route than to keep pressing the gas. It's less nerve-wracking and safer.

If I'm already leaving early in the morning, which is true for most trips I take, then leaving earlier means I'll have gotten less sleep the night before.  That isn't better, and it isn't safer.

I find it more nerve-wracking to be driving roughly the same speed as everyone else, not less nerve-wracking.  Micro-passing annoys the heck out of me, and it seems like I'm always either on the giving or receiving side of it when I drive close to the speed limit or prevailing speed.  But, if I'm driving decently faster or slower than everyone else, then passing and being passed are less stressful.

[Scott5114]

Man, this thread is like moths to a flame for the "bump with a contentless reply and then go back and edit in spam links later" bots.

[LilianaUwU]

Man, this thread is like moths to a flame for the "bump with a contentless reply and then go back and edit in spam links later" bots.

DO YOU WANT TO BE A [[BIG SHOT]]? click this [HYPERLINK BLOCKED] to LEARN MORE!

[hotdogPi]

Man, this thread is like moths to a flame for the "bump with a contentless reply and then go back and edit in spam links later" bots.

DO YOU WANT TO BE A [[BIG SHOT]]? click this [HYPERLINK BLOCKED] to LEARN MORE!

I think the spambot was the Big Shot™.

You had to have the front page, bold type
You had to be a big shot last night

[1995hoo]

Last night, I was going the speed limit in a residential area. Some ****** with a Maryland plate first tailgated, coming up inches behind me, and then apparently became infuriated when I didn't speed up because he proceeded to pass over the double yellow line and then race off at 15 over the speed limit. Naturally, he wound up stopped directly in front of me at the next red light. Speeding in residential areas really doesn't save time.

[Rothman]

Last night, I was going the speed limit in a residential area. Some ****** with a Maryland plate first tailgated, coming up inches behind me, and then apparently became infuriated when I didn't speed up because he proceeded to pass over the double yellow line and then race off at 15 over the speed limit. Naturally, he wound up stopped directly in front of me at the next red light. Speeding in residential areas really doesn't save time.

Nestoring, were we?

Eh, he just hit the light at the wrong time.  Never can tell.