Aerodynamics
Posted on: Sun, 2008-05-25 20:55
Offline
Aerodynamics
I drive a 2000 Chevy S-10 pu, 2.2, auto, air. Great little truck; what makes it great is the gas mileage. My routine on the road pretty much drive the POSTED speed, see the signal change go to neutral/barely touching the brake enough to slow down to a stop. Now if i know the signal is a LONG wait, i'll stay in neutral same time foot on the brake full pressure with parking brake engaged(hopefully to not allow vehicle to move if rear ending occures). Now i do use my a/c, but spareingly; i have dark tint on glass so a/c at low setting does the job. Great little truck in every sense.
Now the best for last-ALL PU OWNERS DROP THAT TAILGATE! It's been shown that air flow over a pu with tail gate up like driving a brick on the road, bad airflow engine has to work harder to push the vehicle forward. By dropping the tailgate, that flow moves nicely around, up & over the body. Experiment it yourself; 1 tank of gas with tailgate closed; 1 tank of gas with tailgate open. BIG difference. Now you may want to invest in a bed cover(kind you lock, functions like a hood)if you need to keep items in rear area. Now, if the idea of burning 2 tanks of gas gives you vapor lock, experiment Hollywood style; 1) find a big enough room/building you can drive you vehicle in/out safely, 2) the use of a large fan(the fan must be able to put out at least 50-60 mph wind to simulate travel), 3) a smoke bomb/grenade(i have a white truck so i used white smoke
). I wished i still had the video of the 'wind tunnel' testing. You would be shocked to see the diff when tail gate in up/down positions.
happy travels
Interesting information. Your suggestions would save a lot of gas especially for those going on road trips. It would still depend on the vehicle's design though.
Now the best for last-ALL PU OWNERS DROP THAT TAILGATE! It's been shown that air flow over a pu with tail gate up like driving a brick on the road, bad airflow engine has to work harder to push the vehicle forward.
Nice tip. I can easily believe that, but I am wondering if the bed cover would be even better? I am talking about those that are just as high as the side walls of your truck bed. This way you could keep the tailgate up and the air flow would be even smoother.
Did you try that one too?
Andre
Travel Photos
P.S.: I have linked this forum topic from our main Gas Savings Page.
nice tip. just started driving a couple of months back. thanks!
Now the best for last-ALL PU OWNERS DROP THAT TAILGATE!
This is actually not true. They proved it on mythbusters and several others have done studies on it.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2400605931519184533
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MythBusters_(season_3)#Tailgate_Up_vs._Tailgate_Down
Speaking of saving gas, well here's something I found while browsing for some stuff.
http://helloworldbea.com/environment/6-great-gas-saving-tips/
Just something I read, anyway.
This is actually not true. They proved it on mythbusters and several others have done studies on it.
Thats a great show! Some good stuff on it
Yeah it is. They do some really relevant experiments sometimes and then take it to the extreme. I really enjoy it.
Wheelchair Lifts open up new doors everyday.