It's possible on the old eddy current types, but pretty unlikely these days.
FWIW, I'd change the law and force makers to fit accurate speedos - say within 0.5% at all speeds. Since the majority are pulse counting types these days, this would be a realistic spec. Of course, as the tyres wear, the error would increase, but this would go in the 'safe' direction - ie it would over read slightly more.
No, sorry you are wrong, if you were correct tacoghaphs would not need re-calibrating at fixed periods by law.
They have done that on HGV etc. in effect, but as already pointed out they still need to be re calibrated
How thick do you think tyre tread depth is ?! :~)
Re-calibrating usually means just checking the accuracy - not necessarily having to adjust it. It also is a deterrent to fiddling.
And this requirement probably dates back to the days of mechanical ones.
While I know what you mean, and there is clearly some variation as some trucks can (just about) overtake others (as long as they've got ten miles of clear motorway!), my experience of sitting behind them was very consistent. I must point out here that I had to sit behind them as I was trailering a car home and therefore not allowed in the outside lane. Most frustrating.
Doh! I should have thought about that more.
I don't understand why it's so far out. The engine has been changed, but it's the original autobox, so it's not the wrong drive dog. At least I assume!
Most of that sort of problem is not the lorry actually trying to over take as such, but trying to keep momentum when you are coming up on a more heavenly loaded lorry (and thus slower on gradients etc.) and thus saving fuel through not having to slow IYSWIM.
Some can be de-activated AIUI, although I've no first hand knowledge of this.... I did have charge of a 7.5t lorry that although having been governed to the same speed as the artic' fleet could (due to a fault) reach the legal limit for a 7.5t lorry, the same would also have been true of a 12t or above lorry.
Well, IMO you should not have been going any faster than they were anyway with a trailer and load....
The legal limit for a trailer or caravan on a motorway is 60, which is more than the trucks' 56. I have a heavy towcar and over 11000 documented miles of towing experience. I think that makes 60 safe enough.
Not according to your list of vehicles, non of those IMO are suitable for towing (at speed) a car trailer with a car on it.
And how many documented miles do you think a 'TIR' artic' driver has ?... Political (pressure-group) pressure was the reason for the 56 limit, not what was safe.
It's funny how car drivers are often the first to complain when they come across two artic's in lane one and two of a motorway but many of the same car drivers are centre lane hoggers and thus block the passage of lorries...
:::Jerry:::: ( snipped-for-privacy@privacy.net) gurgled happily, sounding much like they :::were saying :
Umm. no, an EU-wide 90kph speed limiter requirement was the reason. The speed limit for them is still 60mph.
In a late 90s Scania, this could be done by removing fuse #2.
This is of course a completely daft regulation that just hasn't been thought out. If you know your speedo is going to over-read by up to 10% then you compensate for this. If on the other hand you knew that your speedo was never going to over-read then you'd know that if the instrument said you were doing over the limit then you certainly were. The Police tolerance limit of 10% + 2 would take care of the margin of error. Also you wouldn't get people dawling along at 27 thinking they were doing 30.
Of course you can see how the civil service mind works - "make the speedometer overread and people will go slower". Will they heck?
It needs updating. There was once a need for some tolerance due to the cost of an accurate instrument. Not so today.
'Up to 10%' Doesn't mean it has over read by 10% That's just the legal tolerance at 30mph. Not all cars have inaccurate speedos. Although I'm sure many makers make use of this tollerance to make their cars appear faster than they are.
If you are allowing a tollerance, it makes sense to have it the way it is. Make it the other way and people would say 'I can't have been speeding- my speedo said 30'.
Toyota Previa. My wife's.
Not arguing with that. I'm merely pointing out that I have a higher-than-average experience of towing heavy trailers, and that the speed I tow them at is safe with my vehicle.
I whole-heartedly agree. Since I adopted the simple policy of "if I'm not actually overtaking, move left if clear", motorway driving has become far less stressful. It's also noticeable that the left lane often moves quicker in queues, because there seem to be fewer vehicles in it! I did once wonder why BMW bothered to make a RHD version, you never see them in the left lane anyway ;-)
Have something to add? Share your thoughts — no account required.
Ask the community — no account required