Square "Teardrop". Are aerodynamics really important?

[Mojave Bob]

Gas mileage, comfort, price, simplicity...all valid considerations regarding aerodynamics. The one think I don't think has been mentioned yet (or did I miss it?) is wear and tear. Cars today are built with minimum over-build, to save weight. The brakes are only as big as the lawyers say they have to be. The steel is only as thick as necessary for structural integrity. The transmission is also not over-built. Pulling a boxy trailer will put a lot of extra load on the tranny, particularly if you hit a headwind, and that will generate a lot of extra heat that the transmission has to deal with. The loss of mpg will seem like chump-change compared to the loss of a transmission.

A transmission tech once told me that there is only one thing that can damage an automatic transmission -- heat. Clearly, he was over-simplifying, but the point stands. Engines today are fairly powerful. It is entirely possible that even if the car does not seem to be straining, and is climbing hills fine, and is riding comfortably, the transmission can be cooking itself to death. I see this as the biggest argument in favor of streamlining. And, for the record, this can apply even to a ultra-light foamie.

[DougH]

Towing my trailer costs me about 3-4 MPG. I tow with a Honda Element and it tows fine but any sort of grade and thr trans downshifts a gear lower than without the trailer. Size was 5 x 8 and about 4' 9'' high.

Trailer has since been rebuilt, still square but now 4x8 and totally behind the tow vehicle. Hasn't been out yet so don't know how it tows differently.

[Socal Tom]

I tow with a Jeep Wrangler Unlimited ( the 4 door jeep). My TD is a 5x8 generic Benroy, and the tops of the two line up pretty close height wise. I made an interesting observation last week. It rained in San Diego... for the first time in a while. When driving the rear window of the Jeep would get wet. Its almost vertical, but no real surprise there. When towing the TD on the highway in the rain, the rear window did not get wet.

I assume that the aerodynamics of the Jeep improved with the the TD behind, causing the vacuum that normally forms behind the TD( pulling water onto the rear window), to move back behind the TD.
This was my first time pulling the TD in the rain. So I found it interesting.
Tom

[Ron Dickey]

my first trailer( The Box Kite) was flat at the lower front but had a curve that started about 1/2 way up going back. I found I got what I call U-hual drag. so I added a box at the front that was also curved at the top and it pulled better. I pull with a carolla and when the car was newer got about 30mpg pulling it.

My new trailer (The Cross Bow) which I have not pulled yet, is designed like the Camp Inn Rain drop with the curve left to right. I wrote them and asked and they said they got a little better gas milage with the rain drop over their other teardrops.

So I would think the one with the lower front will tow best, But I do not know how fast you drive, what you pull with, or if drive in a manor to conserve gas.
Ron

[Capt.todd]

Hi There, I Actually just picked up our new Signatour Matrix XL yesterday from Jim and Brian at Signatour. I can tell you that when towing it behind a v6 tacoma,the only thing I kept thinking was that somebody was tailgating me the whole way home. I had to remind myself there was an extra 13 feet behind the truck. Ours came in at a little over 1000lbs as we put 2 6v Trojan batteries in it. Not having towed the escape, but seeing 2 in person and dealing with those guys in Tampa, I can tell you that nothing that I saw comes close to there quality. I can't say enough about signatour and urge you to consider the escape!!