Succesfull fule mileage increase with Snow board wind deflec

[Cosmo]

Slim Potatohead has success using a snow board as a wind deflector to reduce trailer drag and increase fuel mileage!

Happy Camping
=Cosmo

https://youtu.be/9bvaEYFTKS4

[saltydawg]

I can see what he did working to that level. My truck gets around 18mpg normally, towing my trailer at 80 with no drafting I get around or just under 10mpg. If I slow down to around 70 I get 13-14, If I draft trucks or larger campers I can get to 16pmg.

I kind of want a soft topper for my truck to see of that helps on trips, by filling in from the cab to the rear of the bed. But 1000 bucks for one is a lot of gas.

[TimC]

Slim is a genius! The ultimate garage tinkerer.

...
I kind of want a soft topper for my truck to see of that helps on trips, by filling in from the cab to the rear of the bed. But 1000 bucks for one is a lot of gas.

Didn't Myth Busters bust the myth that those help improve fuel efficiency? I vaguely remember an episode addressing these add-ons.

[saltydawg]

Didn't Myth Busters bust the myth that those help improve fuel efficiency? I vaguely remember an episode addressing these add-ons.

They did test a bunch of things, but none of them where towing a camper. They just tested bed covers, tail gate up and down and tail gate removed. I dont remember the results, but I think tailgate down was worse.

[TimC]

... They did test a bunch of things, but none of them where towing a camper. They just tested bed covers, tail gate up and down and tail gate removed. I dont remember the results, but I think tailgate down was worse.

Yeah, towing would make a difference.

[swoody126]

the OTR industry has been using this conceps for years

makes sense that those folks wouldn't keep spending $$ on it if it didn't improve profit

the snow board looks like a natural ... shape wise

sw

[gudmund]

after 16310 miles of using the air spoiler set-up that can be seen mounted on the aft edge here on my canopy = it has also made an improvement in the mpg when traveling with the teardrop in-tow like that seen here in this article. With the mounting of the canopy roof stripes(new), cost of the (used) Yakima roof rake pieces and plexiglass panel (new) I have right at $300 tied up in it's build, and with what has been done here = It is working!! My MPG prior to this install was 15.61mpg (prior 7 trips before = 6445miles - 413.0 gallons) and now after adding my latest trip to Minn. and back, am at 17.35mpg (16310 miles driven since this added - 939.9 gallons) = a +1.74 mpg increase in my overall average. On this latest trip, the $$ of fuel averaged out to $3.24 per gallon cost and using a +1.5 per gallon average increase gain in mpg figures out to 89 gallons saved x $3.24 per gallon = $288+ saved so far = so for the most part, from here on - this set-up has just about "paid for it-self" (now I just wish I had thought of using the 'used' skateboard first being it would have paid for itself "a-lot sooner"!!!!! ).............. Both of these mpg figures here were gotten from a mix of 'total' towing runs (before/after) mix of hiway/stop-go driving = over-all mpg with 'trailer in tow' for 'all' miles driven for each of these two segments being used here for comparison.

[Socal Tom]

I don't doubt that a spoiler like that can help fuel economy, but the accuracy of his results are questionable. Last time I checked "about 1/2 a tank" was not a unit of measure. The direction of travel ( is it up hill or down hill both ways?) and wind direction could have bit impacts on his measurements.

[featherliteCT1]

I have noticed smoothness of the road surface makes a noticeable difference on my mpg.

[gudmund]

don't know the routes or roads he would have traveled in Canada but as far as mine, they included many 'mountain passes' between Wash and Minn and back again. The trip I just finished was 5215 miles using 300.3 gallons of gas. Cascade & Rocky Mountains = Macdonald & Rodgers Pass, Mont - Lost Trail & Lolo Pass, Idaho/Mont., Sherman & Stevens Pass Wash, with a few others along the way. (would have been including the 2 North Cascades Mountain passes but fires stopped me from going home that way being they had shut the road down, so I had to go Stevens home instead). Lost Trail-7000+ft & Sherman-5600+ft were the hardest 'pulls' for the 4 cyl in my PU. But Yes, the 'pay-back' runs were in eastern Montana/across N.Dakota on the long steady levels runs (E/W) getting upwards of 20+mpg+++ both ways............. the bottom line was the 17.36mpg for the whole trip (the best I had ever gotten before the install of this spoiler was 16.5mpg on one trip with 15.61mpg average for the 7 trips taken = 6445miles - 413.0 gallons prior to it's mounting) The trailer weights in at 1750lbs including the tongue fully loaded. Take care.......(this picture was taken before I 'capped' the ends of the spoiler - don't know if they helped any?? -but- I think it looks better = more 'finished' look............

[Modstock]

Those of us with bigger trailers, this video is very beneficial. Getting the air up over the trailer , instead of smashing into the face of it is what im going after.
I could care less about mpg's.
Headwinds is what concerns me, especially when they drive you down to 45mph.

Gonna try this on the new tow rig.

Sometimes I wonder how those jigantic 5th wheels can do 65 in windy conditions.



Sent from my SM-A115AP using Tapatalk

[gudmund]

you may not care about MPG -but- that can end up being one of the outcome 'gains' when you are able to get the wind to travel "up and over" the trailer = better M P G ........... a change in MPG, either a +plus or -minus change in it - can be one the indicator's showing whether what is being done is working or not........ just my opinion.............PS there is a after market air deflector being made for the 'big' trailers you are speaking about that you may want to check out .... - "Aero Shield" Wind Deflector - their website is http://www.ICONDirect.com

[Shadow Catcher]

I have thought of building a wind tunnel and a scale model and seeing what could make a difference, my guess is that the big space between TV and tear is a MPG killer. The canoe BTW did made no difference in MPG

[printer]

I messed around with a online simulator. I took screen shots of it but the movie version shows how the air whips around.













http://www.flowillustrator.com/run-flow-simulation.php

Find an outline of your vehicle and put your trailer behind it. I used an RE of 50,000. You select your image and then hit upload. After that select RE and the time, I am ok with 10s. Put in the code. On the next page select check completion, check now, wait till it is done and download and play in a movie player.

I just turned my car into sort of a SUV (station wagon?) and ran it without a deflector and with.





Without, the air gets sucked under the trailer, with it the air is deflected over. I don't know about gas mileage but there is a difference.

Well that sucks. Did my car outline with and without a spoiler, not a lot of difference. It helps a SUV or truck with a cap but not a car. I feel so left out.

[Socal Tom]

In the test with the car/spoiler, you would want the spoiler to be at a higher angle, like 45%. In your picture its almost flat.