DTSFab.com (Desert, Trail and Sand)
Machinery, Trailers, Toyhaulers and Motorhomes => Trailers, Toyhaulers and Motorhomes => Topic started by: dsrace on June 23, 2015, 09:27:19 PM
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also just added these to my th'er tonight and am taking it on a 5 hr drive to imperial ne this weekend so we'll see what diff they make. ???????
http://airtab.com/how-do-they-work.htm (http://airtab.com/how-do-they-work.htm)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V13T_hSSlGY (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V13T_hSSlGY)
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Was quite a discussion about those a while back. Interested in what your opinion is.
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I talked to a long haul trucker that had them on his sleeper. Said, 1/4 mpg improvement.
In the snow, it was pushing it away from the trailer into next lane.
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For around $400 for the truck and trailer,I'd expect a lot more improvement.
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At 50,000 miles a yr avg mpg 6. 1/4 mile increase. $3 diesel. You'd get your $400 back in 5 months, then you be rollin in extra cash you can
waste invest in drugs, women, and sand toys!! ;D ;D
See Fabr, your lookin at it all wrong.
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At 50,000 miles a yr avg mpg 6. 1/4 mile increase. $3 diesel. You'd get your $400 back in 5 months, then you be rollin in extra cash you can waste invest in drugs, women, and sand toys!! ;D ;D
See Fabr, your lookin at it all wrong.
LMAO LMAO LMAOI put about 10K a year on the toter and trailer. In 5 years the adhesive will be coming loose and I'll be lucky to break even. ;) ;) IF I were to use them it would be so this underpowered rig would be a bit more slippery and possibly perform better at highway speeds ,mpg gains would be irrelevant to me.
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It has been proven to save fuel but the real benefit is the stability while driving. On the cab of a semi that has a large gap between the truck and trailer, it stops the air from rushing against the front of the trailer. On the rear or the trailer it really helps cut down on the aero drag caused by the suction created by the trailer.
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Do you run them DW? When I brought them up the idea was not MPG so much as sway. I will look for that thread.....
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Here you go. Last time we talked air tabs.....
http://www.dtsfab.com/index/index.php?topic=3888.msg66093#msg66093 (http://www.dtsfab.com/index/index.php?topic=3888.msg66093#msg66093)
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No I don't have them on my trucks Yummi. The reason is because we pull container freight and with the corrugated sides there is no real benefit. Livewire is right in his posts. A "V" nose trailer does very little to combat aerodynamic loss. The way to combat aero drag is to keep the air flowing down the side, and over the top, smoothly. The biggest loss is the air rushing into the gap behind the tractor and the vacuum created as air rushes around the back of the trailer. The air tabs address both of these issues. That thread was older and the comments were made that they weren't seen much. I think that has changed and they are on lots of trucks now. Just as you see more trailers with the tails on them. The other main drag is the aid rushing under the trailer and running into the axles. That is being addressed with either side skirts or the wedge systems you see in front of the axles. Those systems also include small air diverters to push air up from the bottom and down from the top to fill the vacuum.
The most aerodynamic shape is actually a teardrop. Where the air rolls around the front, hugs the sides and slips off the back. Tucking companies are looking at all kinds of things to get better aerodynamics. I'm sure you have seen semi trucks now have hubcaps to stop air from entering the rear wheels? Also they are now putting the aero plates between the drive tires and small extensions on the back of the drives. Again, all done to keep the air hugging the vehicle until it exits the rear.
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Benefits to guys pulling box trailers with buggies and stuff.....
Maybe a bit more mpgs but more stability and much better vision in the rain as they stop a lot of the spray off the back of the trailer.
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So ,are you saying that the aero drag being reduced should "add" HP to my rig?Ya,I know,not really adding any HP but rather freeing up HP to help power me up hills/long grades? If so , would the performance increase be noticable in your opinion pulling long grades where I either lose 15mph or even have to downshift? My toter/trailer is basically a baby semi@70ish foot long depending on which trailer I pull.2-3 foot shorter height .
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Aero drag is directly related to speed. No speed, no drag. In the case of a long grade, you loose speed, so the decrease in drag (increase in "power" ) would likewise decline.
For weekend / occasional haulers the benefit is the sway is my take away. Clean up the air, clean up the trailer whip.
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I have zero whip as I am. I understand what you are saying,yummi. I was reading on airtabs site that anything over 40 is where the benefit begins. I was thinking I might see the benefit of reduced drag when I normally drop from 70 to 55 on a longer grade. Maybe be 70 dropping to 60 with the tabs perhaps? DW,what do the truckers think? Any benefit of them when pulling a grade?
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So ,are you saying that the aero drag being reduced should "add" HP to my rig?Ya,I know,not really adding any HP but rather freeing up HP to help power me up hills/long grades? If so , would the performance increase be noticable in your opinion pulling long grades where I either lose 15mph or even have to downshift? My toter/trailer is basically a baby semi@70ish foot long depending on which trailer I pull.2-3 foot shorter height .
No, I don't think you would notice much of a difference other than driving wet roads and being passed by other big trucks and the small increase in mpg.
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So putting on side of buggy wont be same as doing the turbo? Crap!!
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I was hoping someone would chime in with it's more like freeing up 15-20 hosses on my toter. Hell that's approx. a 9% increase in HP for my little cat. Turning the fuel up that much was very noticeable. It would seem to me getting a 4-5% increase in mpg (if true)for a true big rig would need a performance increase equivalent to something like that to see the claimed mpg increase. I'd agree 100% with DW though that 15-20 hosses would be unnoticeable on an engine with 2-3 times the hp/tq as my baby Cat.
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well i added them to the tail of the toyhauler and under the front lip. i am going to add them to the roof of the truck but not until enemy paints them to match the truck for me. i haven't drop them off for him to do so yet lol now i put them on and left on a 620 mile round trip drive to the sw corner of nebraska. i drove to the elmcreek exit just west of kearney ne then took hwy the rest of the way. i set the cruise at 75 mph and on gps my fastest speed was 80.5 must have been when i needed to pass people. 65 to 70mph on the hwys except for little towns that slowed me down to 25 mph!!!!!!!!!!!! wtf anyway i didn't have any real issues with sway before on a decent day. i installed them for poss mpg and to try and stop the tornado in my truck box along with keeping my ramp door cleaner. a 5 gal fuel can with 1 gal of fuel up towards the cab of my truck was sucked out but that tornado on the way to LS. i did notice this........ no longer lifting the 3/4 " thick rubber mat in my truck box at 80 mph with camper on, ramp gate road grime reduced 90% DO NOT feel any suction from semi's as i pass them anymore and 3 fill ups on 620 miles hand calulated 1 mpg constistant with all three fill ups.
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pics
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I can't tell by your pics, but did you put them on the back door?
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I can't tell by your pics, but did you put them on the back door?
cell phone pics.....back door? i can't see how mounting them on the ramp gate would do any good but you have more experience so please explain? the pics are of the side walls at the very rear of the camper that is a ladder to get to the roof in the one pic which is on the left side at the rear corner of the camper.
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i'll have to take better pics and post them
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Yea that's what confused me was the ladder. Lol I was wondering why you would put them on the back only because I never saw a ladder on the side.
Your experience is about what others have told me and pretty much think they are a perfect use on any trailer. Or should I say, any place where there is a 90* turn that air will rush in.
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pics