lgt_nube Posted January 29, 2010 Share Posted January 29, 2010 I'll be making my first ever road trip down I-5 from the SF area to LA (then on to Palm Springs to visit friends) in a couple of weeks and I'm wondering what a CHP-safe speed is on that road. I don't want to have to even think about looking for the CHP, but also want to cruise as fast as possible within that constraint. I figured there must be lots of I-5 experience here. A few photos of the LGT My current ride Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wpmarky Posted January 29, 2010 Share Posted January 29, 2010 Speed limit is 75 on most of I5, so it's ok to go 80'ish. I usually wait until someone passes me until I drive faster, cuz then I use that person as a shield for any cops ahead of us. About an hour south of the I5/152 intersection is a huge cow farm. I forget exactly how far down, but be ready to turn off the vented air and switch to Recirculated AC, or else you'll get a big fresh wiff of cow. I usually make a pit stop at kettleman city. It's about halfway down between SF & LA, it's cheap gas, & they have In n Out there too. 152 & the Grapevine are fun drives. Have a good trip! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbssubaru Posted January 29, 2010 Share Posted January 29, 2010 I used to make this drive a lot. Buying a Valentine One made it a lot more fun. The cow farm is Harris Ranch and it smells like sh!t for miles . Buttonwillow area is a good stopping point too and you can check out the racetrack - http://www.buttonwillowraceway.com/ . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urfsin Posted January 29, 2010 Share Posted January 29, 2010 Last time I drove the I-5 from LA to SF I saw 12 cops, no joke. I was planning on setting the cruise control @85, but after I saw the 3rd cop I mellowed it down to 78 - 80 mph. I was good to go at that point. Slide It Sideways Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irrational Exuberance Posted January 29, 2010 Share Posted January 29, 2010 Speed limit is 75 on most of I5, so it's ok to go 80'ish. I usually wait until someone passes me until I drive faster, cuz then I use that person as a shield for any cops ahead of us. bingo... ive never been pulled over on numerous trip down 5 using this. you dont have to go slow you just cant be the fastest guy out there. or buy a V1 "i like my women the way i like terrorists... ...screaming gods name and ready to explode." http://img255.imageshack.us/img255/5479/troy3nu5.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
93turbo2 Posted January 30, 2010 Share Posted January 30, 2010 i just did a trip down last thursday, saw only 3 chp from here to Grapevine. if your crusing down use the crusie control it'll save you gas and you won't have to worry about chp (made it back on a full tank with 1/4 to spare.) I had the V1 in the car and when it goes off i just adjust my speed accordingly and you can do 75-80 with a pack of cars and be ok. Driving back home on Sunday was a different story, much more chp enforcement especially since it's closer to the end of the month. Just drive at whatever speed your comfortable with and if you have a radar detector you have an extra set of eyes. Make sure you close your vents before you get to Colinga or it will smell like shit for miles. You'll see the sign for Harris ranch and you'll know what we're taking about. lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wang Lung Posted January 30, 2010 Share Posted January 30, 2010 Don't worry about it. There will probably be so much traffic, you won't be able to speed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scotty Posted January 30, 2010 Share Posted January 30, 2010 Speed limit is 75 on most of I5, so it's ok to go 80'ish. That's if you want to get a ticket. The posted speed limit on certain stretches of I-5 is 70 mph, not 75. The maximum posted speed limit allowed by law in California is 70 mph. With the budget cutbacks these days, the chippies are out in force and will collect on the speed tax if you are over the posted speed limit. I make the trip from Sacramento to LA several times a year. I stop driving on I-5 a long time ago. I usually take Hwy 99 and just cruise at 70 mph. Going 80 will only save half an hour on the trip. Not worth a ticket over half hour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbssubaru Posted January 31, 2010 Share Posted January 31, 2010 SF - LA according to google maps 382 miles on i5 420 miles on 101 403 miles on 99 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lgt_nube Posted February 28, 2010 Author Share Posted February 28, 2010 I did my SF Bay - LA - Idyllwild - Palm Springs - SF Bay trip a week ago and yes, the CHP was out in force. I probably saw between 15 an 20 of them for the round trip, mostly on I-5, and several were in the process of giving tickets. I kept the cruise control at 73-74 and just didn't think about it. Most cars were going about the same or a bit faster or slower. Trucks seemed to be doing their 55 limit plus a few or several, but I thought instead of that being a problem as some here have suggested, it kept the cars and trucks pretty well separated and the time to pass a truck down to a few seconds. It certainly was a more relaxing drive than several years ago when almost all vehicles including trucks were going a lot faster, with lots of speeding large trucks right alongside you. A few photos of the LGT My current ride Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irrational Exuberance Posted March 1, 2010 Share Posted March 1, 2010 you should have gone for max mileage... draft behind trucks the whole way. if you are reeeeeally brave you can get right up behind them and throw it in neutral and the vacuum behind the trailer will actually suck you along. "i like my women the way i like terrorists... ...screaming gods name and ready to explode." http://img255.imageshack.us/img255/5479/troy3nu5.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nm Posted March 1, 2010 Share Posted March 1, 2010 CHP needs the moniez. Doing more than 5 over pretty much anywhere has gotten fairly dangerous (price wise). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.