A 12 ft. FEATHERLITE conversion

[Rainier70]

I know that you have had airtabs on your ct for a while now. Still liking them? Would you do it again? Do the ones across the top make a difference? Any mpg figures? Thanks!

[Prem]

Rainier,

Yes. I like them. 1.5 mpg gain with them at 45+ mph.

It's about lessening the vacuum vortez behind the trailer, hence three sides with AirTabs is better than two.

They also make the trailer more stable when passing or being passed by another vehicle. No whip.

[Prem]

More home threater...on the road:

[Prem]

The Beverly Hillsillies?

[working on it]

concerning "airtabs" Yes. I like them. 1.5 mpg gain with them at 45+ mph.

It's about lessening the vacuum vortez behind the trailer, hence three sides with AirTabs is better than two.

They also make the trailer more stable when passing or being passed by another vehicle. No whip.

I considered using the airtabs, but really wondered if they would be worth the expense, since my trailer is aslanted box on wheels. I have a vortex disturbing shape (the bump-up created by my elevated hatch seal), and haven't found a way to attach a Gurney flap (a 90 degree angle at top rear, to break up the vacuum vortex),so do you think attaching them to the sides alone would help much? Or maybe, given my affinity for aluminum angle, attach Gurney flaps there? Helicopters use them, vertically mounted, also. I've only seen them (the top mounted one) used on Alaska teardrops trailers. What's your take on this idea, Prem?

[Prem]

Well, aerodynamics is not just about how you take the airflow apart in the front, but the other half is about how you put the airflow back together in the rear. If it weren't, airplanes would have squared-off rear ends and could just be backed in to the terminal.


See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drag_%28physics%29 and http://www.airtabs.com/how.html

[Prem]

P.S. AirTabs are the result of trial and error and redesign to get it right, all perfected in a NASA wind tunnel.



Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V13T_hSSlGY

[Prem]

Three days after the snow storm and it still hasn't melted.

[Rainier70]

I would think that if you have a flat underside rear lip on the trailer, wouldn't mounting them there also help? Or would that be overkill? Or on the front of the underside to lessen the effect of turbulence? Anyone know?

[Prem]

AirTabs take laminar airflow and turn it into double streams of counter-rotating vortices, so putting them on the underside of the front of the tow vehicle would make more sense than putting them under the rear of the trailer where the air is not laminar, but all crazy turbulant because of the trailer axle and other shapes underneath. Overkill. Just the trailer. If you have a yearning to do more, put AirTabs on the back of the tow vehicle, three sides.

[roadinspector]

I liked the idea of the gain from the airtabs at first. I was checking into buying them until I did the calculations of cost vs. gain for the miles I travel. The tabs would cost more than the gain in mpg. Hope you have better results with that than I did.

Earnest

[Prem]

I spent $258 on mine, plus the cost of two cans of Krylon to paint them. They don't pay for themselves in gas savings if you do little driving. But for me, they were worth it just in the safety factor of no sway/whip when passing or being passed by big trucks. I also like giving less money to the petroleum companies.

[OverTheTopCargoTrailer]

I spent $258 on mine, plus the cost of two cans of Krylon to paint them. They don't pay for themselves in gas savings if you do little driving. But for me, they were worth it just in the safety factor of no sway/whip when passing or being passed by big trucks. I also like giving less money to the petroleum companies.

Prem

Plus it makes your trailer look really cool


BTW how cheap do they have season Ski passes in your area ? Maybe I'll come for that
I just need some really flat hills & extra soft snow to start out.....
BUT .... I could also really get into cross country ski walking ... Best exercise ever
Look at how slim the swedes are, I could knock off 2,000+ miles my first trip, if 35 miles for a pound of flab holds true.

[Prem]

Jerry,

Mt. Ashland and Mt. Shasta Ski Park for downhill. (Least expensive on the west coast.) Various cross-country ski areas in the Siskiyou National Forest and Rogue River National Forest around here. KOA at the bottom of the hill in Ashland, Oregon. Google it for more details.

Rainier,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIrNJlgh2g0

[Prem]

Rolling recording studio