Driving an A on the highways.

Fred K-OR

Fred K-OR

Well-known member
This comment is from an old chicken driver when it comes to getting the old A out on the roads-in fact any road. The question(s) I have is how do most of you all drive on various types of roads.

First of all, I will go along at about 40 or 45 MPH. What do you do when you are on a two lane road? Pull off when a line forms in back? Keep on going and let those in back stay there until they can pass, or just ignore them and keep on trucken.

Second on freeways. To me these are a little easer to drive because people can pass. But do you turn on your blinker lights (if you have them) or just keep in the right lane and ignore all other traffic without blinking lights.

I have turn signals and seat belts. So guess I should not be so much of a chicken about driving the A. But I have only about 600 miles driving so far since I got the rig put together so maybe it just takes time to get use to it.

Would appreciate comments if you like.
 
Fred I will share with you our model A Driving Practice, We drive a 30 A roadster and have crossed the USA from the Atlantic to the Pacific twice and crossed Canada once with a total of 50,000 miles plus and traveled safely on the interstates and I agree with your thinking the four laners are the safest and speed I travel is 50 mph +- Models A's are dependable and made to be driven
Have a Great Day Gord. B by the Bay
 
i drive on the highways all the time. And in texas, where the speed limit is 70 MPH everywhere, as long as i'm going around 50 i feel safe. And i live in a very congested part of Texas. My personal car can go 60-65 on the highway no problem. I have seen 3 model a wrecks in the past 2 years, and non of which have been on the interstates. 1 was on a back country road, and the other 2 were in the city.
 
If the driver behind me seems anxious, I pull over when its safe to do so if there are no opportunities for him to pass. If the line gets to 5 cars, I pull over (that's the law here). There's no point making someone want to ban antique cars by ticking them off, and I can relax better when they're off my tail too.

I guess its the amount of traffic that I would consider when choosing a road. I-5 in the North of Oregon is very heavily traveled which makes it uncomfortable. I prefer the road less traveled, that is, country roads to freeways, especially 4 lane country roads. In Oregon, I like the coast highway 101. It is fine for an A as so many tourists are driving slow anyway and there are lots of passing lanes. Oregon has great A roads, except I-5 from Cottage Grove to Portland ...people on that one all want to go 70 or faster, so I use 99E and a few backroads between Albany and Salem. 99E is simply wonderful for an A as it has light traffic, 4 lanes and pretty country towns. I usually enter Portland via 99 on to 205 as its not as hectic as the downtown freeway. The road up the Columbia gorge is good for A's too because its wide with 4 lanes and not too heavily traveled I would avoid freeways from Portland to Tacoma any way I could. Those drivers up there are nuts.
 
My experience driving a Model A for the past 24 years on daily drives and numerous cross country tours is that most folks on the road will show far more courtesy to you in your Model A than they will when you are in a modern. On an interstate I generally travel between 58-62 mph ( I have an overdrive), unless there is a head wind or a hill. On any other road I can easily do the speed limit.

I try to stay in the right hand lane when on an interstate, and on any other road for that matter. I move to the left only to pass, or to anticipate a left turn.

if traffic piles up behind me on a two lane road, I pull over when practical, to allow all to pass. This is a procedure that most clubs adhere to when touring. The tail end Charlie will radio the leader that traffic is building up behind and the leader will look for a turn out.

On any tour a group of Model A's should allow an adequate distance between cars and not bunch up. This allows traffic to safely pass individual cars and return to the lane.

There is one phenomenon that a fellow club member came up with that is a must. At most Disney stores you can purchase a pair of Mickey Mouse "hands". They are large and white, with black stripes, they are like gloves. When you want to move to the left lane, or make a left turn, you put on the left "hand" and signal for a left. Everyone of the road cracks up and immediately yealds. If you are trying to move to the right, you have your passenger put on the right "hand" and stick it out the right window. Same response!

Tom Endy
 
I have one with overdrive and one without,so I drive the one that is best suited for the situation,only thing better than having a Model A is having two :)
 
Fred,

My understanding is that folks out in the Pacific Northwest are more "laid-back and polite" than they are here in the East ( from my brother who moved-out to Portland O, from Wash. DC about 25 years ago).

I think that part of the answer to your question lies in how congested / agressive the highways are, and what sort of performance your Model A can produce.

In my part of the world (NE Penna), the Interstates are VERY crowded, drivers are distracted ( cel-phones - texting - GPS -etc.) and agressive, the average speed of traffic is 75 mph (55 is posted limit) plus there is VERY heavy Over-The-Road truck traffic... NOT the place to be with my stock, tired Model A, that might wheeze-out 50 MPH on flat road, in dead calm. Plus, there is the aspect of cross-winds & turbulence from big trucks that will toss your Ford around...

If your vehicle cannot achieve / maintain the average speed of traffic, suggest you find a slower route.

If I'm on secondary roads, and maintaining the speed limit, and there's a "parade" of modern vehicles behind me, that's too bad. I'm making the posted limit, so they just have to wait. It wouldn't be any different for them if I were driving a modern vehicle.
On long hills, if the Ford is really "doggy", I will pull over and let the modern cars pass, if there's a safe opportunity to do so.

If you are going to be out on any road, and are not able to maintain the posted speed, you should have four-ways on (if equipped), or display the orange and red "truncated triangle" as found on farm equipment on the back of the vehicle.

A few years ago, in my native Howard County, MD, a Model A owner and his daughter were KILLED in their Model A pick-up (?) when they were on Interstate 70 for a brief sprint of a couple of exits. They were in the right-hand lane, and probably doing 50-55 MPH. Posted Limit is 65 on that stretch, if I remember correctly.
Their Ford was rear-ended by someone in a modern car, going quite a bit faster than they were, "who didn't see the old car"....

Tragic, "not fair", etc. The point is, there's a frightening number of distracted drivers going really fast out there... do you really want to be in the midst of them with your Model A ?

And, finally, in a crash situation, you will be at a SERIOUS disadvantage with your Ford: as wonderful as the Model A is, it offers nothing in the way of occupant protection in a crash.

Think about it, consider the prevailing traffic conditions in your area.

I would not dream of taking a stock Model A out on the Interstates around here. It would be suicide. I will occasionally take mine out on the Northeast Extension PA Turnpike, which is practically deserted, and will drive on most any local "expressway" with a posted limit of 50 MPH or less, but even that can get hairy... modern folks still want to go 65-70, even on those roads...

Take Robert Frost's advice: try the Road less taken - it will make all the difference !
(Seriously- take the "slow roads" and enjoy the ride ! Why get mixed-up in the rat-race? )
 
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There is no shame in pulling over and letting traffic pass if you are holding up someone while driving your Model A. In fact, from my experience while driving on the Blue Ridge Parkway and other roads, many times some of the drivers behind you will pull off with you and want to see your Model A! All of them appreciate you not being a moving roadblock. Use your Model A for fun rather than a tool to make people mad at you in particular and all old car owners in general.
 
East coast vs. west coast vs. the south, here where i am, tailgating must not be a moving violation, even though reaction time is nill. I was broadsided in my '55 Chevy as i made a left turn, on a hairpin curve, into my driveway. 55 mph highway with a double yellow line and the creep told the cop every story he could think of to beat the blame. Of course he seen that i had a Maine tag and yankee trashed me as we waited the 3 hours for a trooper to arrive. Now my '55 has a sign that says "my last tailgater bought me this car". I hold up a 8x11 sign that says please dont tailgate when i have one 3 or 4 feet from the rear of my A. I've had 3 cars do the same pass on the left as i was making a left in my A since i've had it, one being a school bus loaded with kids. So i take a gamble every time i drive here in the bible belt.
 
I have a magnetic, bright orange reflective triangle that you see on Ahmish buggies and tractors that I use if I will be in traffic.. It's surprising how easy it is to see in all conditions
 
I avoid highways at all cost.

I drive 35-40 mph on the back roads and to me that is all the fun-the less traffic the better. If a line forms behind me and I am able to drive and pull aside I do it. If the dirver behind me does not make his move I pull back in. Most folks who pass take their time and study the car as the smile and wave:)
 
Due to distance and time i have driven on the turnpike down here early in the morning and on a weekend.

The toll collectors seem surprised and people in the other cars seem nice. They honk and wave as they pass by, I think they're waving with all 5 fingers.
 
Thanks to you all for your comments. I just have a stock A so the 40 to 45 MPH is about tops for speed plus I guess I get concerned about the old car being able to take a faster speed (brakes, steering, etc.).

But it looks like the thing I need to do it get it out more (now that it sort of stopped raining in good old Oregon) and get more corage to take it on some trips.

Thanks again for the commments.
 
Fred K-OR said:
Thanks to you all for your comments. I just have a stock A so the 40 to 45 MPH is about tops for speed plus I guess I get concerned about the old car being able to take a faster speed (brakes, steering, etc.).

But it looks like the thing I need to do it get it out more (now that it sort of stopped raining in good old Oregon) and get more corage to take it on some trips.

Thanks again for the commments.
Click to expand...

Not true, a stock Model A should go faster than 40, 45. Your Model A may not due to, low compression, timing a little off, carb a little clogged, etc.

This is not a negative comment against you, I just don't want you to think all stock Model As have a top speed of 45. Mine has a "sweet spot" at about 43 mph but it will go faster.
 
I drove my worn out 30 roadster from my house to pomona roadster show (about 50 miles away) on the freeway and the fastest I could get the roadster to go was 42mph and everytime a semi went by I had to hang on to the steering wheel as not to get blown into the next lane. I now take surface streets when I take the same worn out roadster to pomona for the LA roadster show. I do drive my 31 coupe on the freeway if need be as it has an overdrive and I can keep it at 50/55. but I like surface streets as I like the drive and the view
 
Great thread - will be on a short tour from central Massachusetts into New York (Cooperstown) in June, and it's great to read the various views and point. Driving in New England is, sadly, a lot closer to NE Penn conditions than those in the northwest!
 
I had a stock 40 Ford in Dallas and sold it because I was chicken to take it out except early mornings. I could do the speed limit on the freeways but speed limit?
Thoughtful drivers? Dallas? You must be kidding.
 
Interesting thread! I avoid freeways as much as I possibly can, but that can be hard to do in northern California. I can get my '28 Fordor to 55 on a level stretch with no problem but I'm a nervous wreck because I'm riding on skinny tires with mechanical brakes -- I'd hate to think what would happen if I tried to stop at that speed. If I approach a hill, I'm sunk.

I've also found a lot of people on the highway will aggressively cut me off; I think they see an old car and decide they don't want me to slow them down so they make dangerous passing maneuvers to stay ahead of me. It can get really scary sometimes. On the back roads I get a lot of smiles and waves but on the freeway I mostly get one-finger salutes because I'm adding a few seconds to their trip. Or if they are pleased by the car, they'll often get so distracted watching me in their mirrors that they don't pay attention to the cars in front of them. That's a whole different bit of scary.

So aside from some very short stretches of freeway I stick to the back roads where I can cruise along at normal traffic speeds. It may take me a tad longer to accelerate from a stop but once I'm rolling I often find myself being held up by drivers in modern cars going a lot slower that I'd like to be doing in the A. It amuses me when I end up passing someone.

Bottom line, these cars weren't built for that kind of driving so I try hard to stay on roads that are appropriate for the car's engineering.
 
In the past I drove the interstates on a regular basis and have driven them thousands of miles. The increased traffic and especially the number of big trucks now has me avoiding interstates. The safest seem to be divided 4 lane non interstate roads so I try to travel on them if I can. I travel about 55 and if I get a line behind me I pull over and let them pass. The biggest problem I have on secondary roads even when I am over the speed limit people will pass in no passing zones when they cannot see. Because it's an old car they must assume I'm traveling farm tractor speeds.
 
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