Highway cruising speeds of 50's cars.

We used have a "theory" which went like this: Run it out in top gear and see how fast it will go. Back off from that speed about 15 m.p.h. and there is your safe cruising speed. That was before tachometers and rpm calculators. Its still a matter of rearend gear and not how big the engine is. Most of the engines back in the day would run all day long at 3000 rpm. (think "truck" where the engine was run against the governor). If you had a '40s stick shift Chevy with a 4.11 gear in it, you'd better stick with 60; if you had an early 50s Chevy with a Power Glide it probably had a 3.54 gear. You could cruise at 70.
Later bigger cars with lots of motor and auto transmission typically had even higher rearend gears: 3.31,3.23. Cruising speed went up again. Today, with overdrive 5 & 6 speed automatics and fuel mileage being #1 priority, cruising rpms are usually in the neighborhood of 2000 at 70 m.p.h.

 

A lot of the big cars had decent gear in high and cruised well at 60 to 80mph.
My early experience was mostly chevy and fords......
they seemed to be a tad lower geared and liked 55 60 better[[3:5--3:93-4:11 ratios mostly ]
I think if you ran these 70 it was because you either had a hearing problem[elderly drivers commonly did that] OR your muffler was extremely quiet and you didn't realize the un godly screaming of the old 235 chevy at 75mph....

 

A late friend of mine, whom in my opinion was THE Hudson expert, regularly took his 1953 Hudson Hornet coupe on 80-mph runs. He drove that car until he died in his mid-'80s. His was built to 7X specs and more, and had the three-speed manual with overdrive.

A Hudson Wasp that I owned several years ago, would drive all day long at 70 mph and not breathe hard at all.

Remember, after the car makers went to their post-war styling (1949 for most of them), the cars were built for higher speeds than their pre-war predecessors. Plus, as the highway designs improved and the speeds increased, cars themselves were able and ready for sustained 80-mph speeds. The Turner and H. E. Bailey Turnpikes in Oklahoma were built with an 80-mph speed limit in mind - in 1954! And plenty of cars then were capable of that back then.

 

RE: the Hudson thing....My dad and grand-dad were Hudson dealers, so I got to hear all about how those Hudsons would run. Dad's '46 Super Six would top out about 90 [postwar speed limits hadn't been legislated yet in Indiana]. The '48 Commodore 8 with overdrive would run with the speedo at the 6 o'clock position, or about 120...and do it for hours, he mentioned, when he was driving across Texas in '50 [and being outrun by the ATSF train running parallel to the highway]. His Hornets, he told me, had bucketfuls of brute torque, but would top out around 110...and the '52 Wasp Hollywood we had as a family car when I was a kid would cruise 80 comfortably, and cornered like it was on rails.

The dealership's parts/service truck, a '52 International L-110, was capable of 80 MPH, but was better suited for cruising at 65 or so.

I was a witness to the Wasp and the International; the other is what I was told.

 

My 1950 plymouth wasn't very happy past 60, I took it to 80 once. Hell at 55-60 it was well over 20 MPG so I figured i why the hell not

 

I'm sure that was a long ***ed trip! I read the first page down and agree to an extent on most points made. But the thing everybody from the eastern states missed in this deal is the sections of I-10 this guy was cruising are marked in AZ at 75, and at best that is "wink, wink". You really aren't going to meet too much in the way of law enforcement types until you're deep into 90mph territory. New Mexico is about the same. Texas has 80mph postings after El Paso, but seems to enforce that quite a bit closer than the other two.
Yep, go ahead and sit in the right lane and run 55 - 60... Good chance you'll end up a giant hood ornament for some ****head in a Corrolla that is too busy ****ing with his play-toy "navvi" system to look for you! I can't imagine anything more terrifying than a long trip in a slow car!

 

Well, didja go?? I've done a road trip and all this advise is spot on.
29 posts and a serious question with no outcome,,,,,YO KILLIN ME HERE!!
So true Louvers.
I was doin the speed limit on I-10 east bound and put the 4 ways on because I got p***ed by everything. Some dummy inna little red econo generic POS even went into into the center divider for my entertainment while texting.

 

Back when we were racing 57 Chevy stock cars it was almost impossible to find gears deeper than 3.25. 3.00 seemed to be a more common gear. You had to buy a new set to run 4.11. Most automatics had 3.00 and most sticks were 3.25.

 

geeze people bought cars in the 30's 40's and 50's and drove them cross country all the time. To the extent that they put the national p***enger train system out of business by the end of the 50's.

It's called an automobile because it is self powered and mobile. Get in and drive it 100 miles. If it goes that far chances are pretty good that it will go the next hundred, and the hundred after than and the, well you get the picture.

and if you can't believe the General who can you believe???

Cadillac Shows the World ...how truly magnificent a motor car can be!" (1937)

"It's a "Who's Who" of the Highway!" (1952)

"More Eloquent Than Words!" (1952)

"Those who want the finest want - the Standard of the World!" (1953)

"Cadillac car is one of the soundest investments in the automotive world!" (1953)

"They'll Take The Cadillac Tonight!" (1955)

"It Gives a Man a New Outlook... Cadillac" (1957)

"Finest Expression of Motordom's Highest Ideal!" (1957)

"Magnificent Beyond All Expectations! - Cadillac" (1957)

"It Outsteps It's Own Great Traditions!" (1958)

"In a realm all its own ... Cadillac" (1959)

"A New Realm of Motoring Majesty! - The 1959 Cadillac"

"Cadillac - a new measure of automotive supremacy." (1959)

"Cadillac ... the new measurement of greatness" (1959)

"Cadillac ... universal symbol of excellence" (1959)

"Cadillac ...World's Best Synonym for Quality!" (1959)

"Unique acclaim - even for a Cadillac" (1960)

"The new Cadillac is so practical to own and so economical to operate that it is acknowledged motordom's wisest investment." (1961)

"Go West Young Man ... in a 1966 Cadillac!"

 

Plym 46,

No offense intended, but I have driven extensively in your neck of the woods. Until that time I had no idea that there were still 55mph speed limits in existence. Our stoplight to stoplight surface street speeds are right at about 45-50mph around town. I agree that people drove their cars coast to coast back in the day, every day. But out here in this end of the country where we are putting down great distances between cities, speeds have grown way past the point where an antique car is even remotely safe to just put around in. I do love restored stockers of all ages, but their place and time around here is surface streets on Sunday morning. Period. I proved that about ten years ago by reluctantly selling one of the nicest original '48 Chevy 2dr. sedans left on the planet. It just couldn't keep up with traffic, and when it did catch up, it couldn't stop nearly quickly enough to safely dodge the teenage girl who screached to stop to read an address (one of those 45 mph streets I wrote about, and yes, I missed her). I by no means am an untalented or timid driver, having spent many years racing in several different types of cars. NOTHING in my opinion is worse than being severely underpowered with the teaming throngs of brainless commuter car types rolling up on me at speed eating, texting, surfing the web, reading, playing video games or watching a movie.

Some one else suggested using side roads... Great idea, and the best way to do an old car tour in my opinion, but, out here where roads were minimal to start with, most "side roads" or high ways were paved over and evolved into the freeways we now run 75+ on leaving no other alternative. Not saying it can't be done, but it is far from a "just man up and do it" type undertaking out here. And, we haven't even talked about the other desert driving things such as lack of water, distance between gas stops and repair sources that plauge a new to someone old car that may or may not have done any serious distances in it's lifetime. Not thinking ahead will get you killed out here quickly...

By the way, once I got used to the slower pace, it always a joy to run around in your end of the world. Lots of pretty places back there.

 

I've had a lot of 50's cars and non of them have ever been comfortable going more than 60 mph. Most of them just arent geared to go any faster are are screaming even at that speed. If your car is stock, don't push it or you'll **** it up for sure.

 

Well I have driven my basically stock 46 Plymouth from Syracuse to Charlotte, NC, using a mix of interstate and state and US highways, it has also gone from Syracuse to Detroit, Syracuse to Washington DC, Syracuse to St Johnsbury VT. The only discomfort I feel is that driving at 63 to 65 MPH on modern interstates is just to slow. Not that I am holding people up but they are inattentive and run up my A$$ before they realize the speed difference. But long distance trips in vintage cars are possible using come common sense. Would I drive my car across Arizona on the intersatate, probably not, but theres gotta be some surface roads where toddling along at 50 to 60 MPH is fine and dandy.

"NOTHING in my opinion is worse than being severely underpowered with the teaming throngs of brainless commuter car types rolling up on me at speed eating, texting, surfing the web, reading, playing video games or watching a movie."

Therein lies the problem, its not a car problem, its a people problem. If people still approached driving a car as a primary activity, not something they do while carrying on with all the other **** in their lives, we'd all be able to drive any where.

But the question was can a Cadillac make a road trip at 60 to 65 mph, without catostrophic mechaical failure. If its in reasonable maintained mechanical conditon, I would think it would. Factor in all the other noise, about other drivers, road conditions, sustained high speeds, longer stopping distances, again choice of route and time of travel, becomes more importand than jumping in the Toyota minivan and heading for the opposite coast.

And yes sadly out state, county, and town highways that are not divided limited access are still at 55 MPH. (which most folks at 10 to) and our interstates and other limited acces are posted at 65 again most folks add ten.

This opposed to the LA area where the freeway and interstate speed limits are 65 or 70, and average speed is 22.9 except for between 4 and 6 am.

 

I give! Yes theoretically an early fifties Cadillac will go from point A in the West to point B. I have already stated that. But it won't happen safely, period. The section of I-10 he would have had to do this on was originally mostly ****erfield stage lines about 150 years ago, it has no secondary road next it unless it's the old highway though a town. You aren't goin to skirt it by taking a different route. I have personally driven most of the routes you speak of and would consider doing so in a mostly stock vintage vehicle, 'cause there is always several ways to go around things. I drove the Tucson to Austin route last month towing a '32 Ford on a trailer behind a late model Chevy truck and maintaned a speed of about 70 and clenched the seat with my **** the whole way as cars ran up on me in the night...

 

Just drive it at the speed you feel comfortable at .

 

In 1966 I drove a stock 48 caddy Ambulance from NY to Cali it would cruise at 70/75 for hours on end. It didn't stop like a new car . That was my first cross country trip and I did it in a cadillac!

 

We moved from Chicago to Calif. in 1944, and I don,t know the speeds Dad was driving but he usually p***ed most of the cars on the hwys. was a straight 8 '39 Pontiac cpe. Only problem was a water pump in S. Dakota.

Around 1955 my Dad used let me drive on my learners permit in his 47 Dodge and I would sneak it up to around 70 while he dozed.

In 1977' I drove my 39 Buick Century from Springville Utah, to Riverside Ca. Average hwy speed was 60 to 70 mph.

Had a little top end cruise agajnst a 64 Caddy. my 59 Ranchero [with 332 FE] desert drive to Las Vegas from Idaho. I finally p***ed him at over 114 on the speedo.
old cars were pretty good

 

Back in 1978 when I visited the US I had a ride in a 1958 Cadillac Coupe de Ville which was in as new condition with only 20,000 miles on it. We drove from SF down to Los Gatos and the Caddy seemed to settle comfortably around 80mph - at that speed it was certainly smooth and very quiet. The only other older car we saw was a 1950ish Olds which seemed reluctant to stay with us.
I agree with the suggestions from those commenting earlier in this thread that the Cadillac ambulance would most likely have shorter gears and might not cruise as fast as the regular sedan.

 

Just stumbled across this thread and read the whole thing and loved it!
I drive a 59 Olds with a 371 Rocket, I have the speedo unhooked because of squeeling gears in the speedo. On a 200 mile trip this summer with my son I kept having to lift off the gas because of p***ing cars, I was trying to stay with the flow of traffic to try to avoid a ticket by a hiding hiway patrol. I was barely pressing down on the gas pedal in the first place, the car was definately in the sweet spot. I gave my phone to my son and told him to look for a speed app, he quickly downloaded one that works with the mile markers......sweet spot 80mph

 

I cruise at 55 in my 56 f-600 and it has crazy low gears. It's a 292. It goes faster but likes 55 the best. Never drove more than 60 miles one way though. Check that car out real good. It will have a speed it likes ( if its in good mechanical condition)

 

I had a 53 Olds with a 59 drivetrain that would cruise all day at 80 plus and the stock 53 I had before it would do the same but the one with the 59 motor would have plenty more above 80 then the stock one did.

 

For the most part the bigger V8 cars at the time would run about the same cruising speed as todays cars, around 70-80mph with top speed around 110-120. The 1957 Chrysler C 300 would hit about 130mph and 0-60 about 7.5sec.