Mars Posted June 30, 2017 Share Posted June 30, 2017 1930 Desoto 8cyl.Given the rear gear ratio,how fast is a good cruising speed?The engine is turning pretty fast and I don't want to abuse it.Wish it had overdrive! I've gone 45-50 mph a few times,feels like 65.Seems like 35-40 mph is about right.What do you suppose it built to do?Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidMc Posted June 30, 2017 Share Posted June 30, 2017 If 35-40 feels about right, it is. The engine will you when its working too hard . 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edinmass Posted June 30, 2017 Share Posted June 30, 2017 (edited) Every car talks to you, giving feedback. Find the sweet spot and keep the decipline to not over rev it. Switching out rear end ratios or adding an over drive doesn't compensate for the steering and brakes that were designed with 45 mph in mind. Edited June 30, 2017 by edinmass (see edit history) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobg1951chevy Posted June 30, 2017 Share Posted June 30, 2017 Keep in mind, back in 1930, the roads were one laners, with no Interstates. Cars were geared, with those roads in mind. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mars Posted June 30, 2017 Author Share Posted June 30, 2017 I wouldn't even consider a freeway.Its enough to handle the 45 mpher's 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keiser31 Posted July 1, 2017 Share Posted July 1, 2017 My '31 DB DH6 will do 45-50 comfortably and I don't push it. You're stopping ability is only as good as those narrow tires where they meet the road. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mars Posted July 1, 2017 Author Share Posted July 1, 2017 Could just be the loud nature of the beast Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cahartley Posted July 1, 2017 Share Posted July 1, 2017 When the engines are speaking there are too many who aren't listening or, flat out, don't know what they are hearing. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty_OToole Posted July 1, 2017 Share Posted July 1, 2017 35 - 40 sounds about right. You have to put your mind back to 1930 conditions and get comfortable with the idea that 35 is a good speed, which it certainly was for someone who was raised in the horse and buggy era. There was a book called "Flaming Youth" about flappers and their beaux, and their wild parties fueled by bathtub gin. At a party one boy invites a girl to go for a ride in his roadster "Let's go for a 50 MPH dip in the landscape" was the way he put it. 50 mph was FAST. 60 mph was 'going a mile a minute' or 'going like sixty'. That was RACE CAR speed. That book was from 1925. By 1930 speeds had climbed a bit. If you were a real speed demon in a fast car you might brag of averaging 50MPH. 10 years later hiway speeds of 50 were commonplace, that was the speed limit in most states. During the war this was reduced to 35 to conserve tires and gasoline. In the fifties this was raised to 60, and even 70 on the new interstates. Such craziness couldn't last, Carter cut it back to 55 to save gas. In short if you were a real sport with a new eight cylinder DeSoto in 1930 you might well have run the roads at 50 MPH, conditions permitting. But today it would be smart to slow down out of respect for the car's age. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty_OToole Posted July 1, 2017 Share Posted July 1, 2017 1930 DeSoto 8 probably had a top speed of around 80. When new it would cruise at 50 or even 60 but that was pushing it. Engine life and gas mileage would be double if you slowed down to 35 or 40. It was about that time that Chrysler engineers were experimenting with streamlined bodywork and improved engine and chassis design that resulted in the Airflow in 1934. The Airflow was the prototype for every car made after it, by every manufacturer in America. The typical 1930 model was streamlined like a brick. Air resistance at 50 or higher was murder. The Airflow design added 10MPH to top speed and comfortable cruising speed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
36 D2 Coupe Posted July 1, 2017 Share Posted July 1, 2017 To follow up on Rusty's comments, I just came back from the Airflow Club of America's National Meet and had the pleasure of riding in a '37 Chrysler Airflow that had been driven from California to Wisconsin at freeway speeds - 60-70 mph. This is a bone stock unrestored 323 cu. in 8 WITH FACTORY OVERDRIVE. The engine was loafing along at about 2500 rpm. HOWEVER, the 6 cyl De Sotos that came were not capable of that kind of speed and could only manage 45-50 mph without overworking the engine. So your '30 De Soto 8 in stock condition will really only be comfortable at 45-50 mph. Any more speed risks catastrophic failure of a number of mechanical parts that may be tired and not able to handle the stress. As an example, the aforementioned '37 broke an axle on the way and an inspection of the broken parts showed that the fracture had been on its way for a long time with only a dime-sized section of the axle holding it together when it failed. Another axle was provided from a club member's stash and all was well. I was told by one of the club experts that these chrome-molybdenum alloy axles are prone to breakage and carrying an extra when touring is a good practice. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R Walling Posted July 2, 2017 Share Posted July 2, 2017 I have a few resto rods and I usually drive at about 10 mph under the speed limit because the ride is the thing, not the destination. If I were you, I would do no less than the same or stay off of the high speed roads. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty_OToole Posted July 2, 2017 Share Posted July 2, 2017 I might add that we are not used to hearing engines rev anymore. After the gas crisis of the early seventies manufacturers changed rear axle ratios to higher (lower numerical) ratios in the interest of improved mileage. Since then a lot of work has gone into making engines that got max economy at low and medium revs, coupled with 4,5 and even 6 speed transmissions. Even a car from the sixties with its 2 speed or 3 speed transmission sounds like it is revving very high at 60 or 70 but that was normal at the time. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grimy Posted July 2, 2017 Share Posted July 2, 2017 On 7/1/2017 at 4:20 AM, 36 D2 Coupe said: As an example, the aforementioned '37 broke an axle on the way and an inspection of the broken parts showed that the fracture had been on its way for a long time with only a dime-sized section of the axle holding it together when it failed. I had the same experience in 2002 with my 1930 Pierce-Arrow roadster. Oil staining on the cross-section of the broken pieces indicated that it had been running on 20% of the cross-section for perhaps decades. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeke01 Posted July 2, 2017 Share Posted July 2, 2017 On 7/1/2017 at 7:20 AM, 36 D2 Coupe said: To follow up on Rusty's comments, I just came back from the Airflow Club of America's National Meet and had the pleasure of riding in a '37 Chrysler Airflow that had been driven from California to Wisconsin at freeway speeds - 60-70 mph. This is a bone stock unrestored 323 cu. in 8 WITH FACTORY OVERDRIVE. The engine was loafing along at about 2500 rpm. HOWEVER, the 6 cyl De Sotos that came were not capable of that kind of speed and could only manage 45-50 mph without overworking the engine. So your '30 De Soto 8 in stock condition will really only be comfortable at 45-50 mph. Any more speed risks catastrophic failure of a number of mechanical parts that may be tired and not able to handle the stress. As an example, the aforementioned '37 broke an axle on the way and an inspection of the broken parts showed that the fracture had been on its way for a long time with only a dime-sized section of the axle holding it together when it failed. Another axle was provided from a club member's stash and all was well. I was told by one of the club experts that these chrome-molybdenum alloy axles are prone to breakage and carrying an extra when touring is a good practice. I have to differ with you on the subject of six cylinder DeSotos. I had a 1935 DeSoto coupe with factory overdrive and can state from personal experience that it would run comfortably at 60 mph. Airflows were originally designed to be six cylinder cars. The DeSotos handle better than Chryslers because of the lighter engine and better weight distribution. Zeke 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank DuVal Posted July 3, 2017 Share Posted July 3, 2017 BTW, when Carter was elected (November of 1976), we had already been driving 55 for almost three years! Yep, Nixon signed the law (Emergency Highway Energy Conservation Act) on January 2, 1974. Carter may have regulated thermostats in public buildings, but speed limits were already in law. http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/nixon-signs-national-speed-limit-into-law 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
36 D2 Coupe Posted July 3, 2017 Share Posted July 3, 2017 21 hours ago, zeke01 said: I have to differ with you on the subject of six cylinder DeSotos. I had a 1935 DeSoto coupe with factory overdrive and can state from personal experience that it would run comfortably at 60 mph. Airflows were originally designed to be six cylinder cars. The DeSotos handle better than Chryslers because of the lighter engine and better weight distribution. Zeke I agree with you Zeke - Your '35 De Soto Airflow coupe with factory overdrive would indeed run easily at 60 mph. The ones I was referring to did not have that option installed. Sorry I did not clarify that point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrbartlett Posted July 3, 2017 Share Posted July 3, 2017 In the family we have a '38 Chrysler Royal 6-cylinder convertible coupe with overdrive. The engine speed is fairly low with overdrive kicked in, but there's not enough power to get beyond 65-70. In fact, we're floorboarded at that speed. It's a small engine in a heavy car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeke01 Posted July 4, 2017 Share Posted July 4, 2017 6 hours ago, 36 D2 Coupe said: I agree with you Zeke - Your '35 De Soto Airflow coupe with factory overdrive would indeed run easily at 60 mph. The ones I was referring to did not have that option installed. Sorry I did not clarify that point. No blood, no foul. Years before I bought my Airflow someone made the statement that the Airflow was the first automobile that wasn't an extension of the horse and buggy because of its innovative features. I thought that the statement was a bit of hyperbole but after owning one, I see what he meant. Zeke Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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