Aerodynamic Heavy-Duty Truck Trailer Cuts Fuel Consumption and Emissions By Up to 15% (SKIRTS!)

www.greencarcongress.com ^ | 04/18/2008 | Staff

[Red Badger]

Rest In Peace, old friend, your work is finished.....

If you want ON or OFF the DIESEL ”KnOcK” LIST just FReepmail me.....

This is a fairly HIGH VOLUME ping list on some days.....

WITH THE HIGH COST OF DIESEL FUEL TODAY, TRUCKER FREEPERS MAY WANT TO ADD SOME OF THESE, EVEN IF HOMEMADE, TO THEIR RIGS!.......................15% IS A BIG DEAL!!.............

[Red Badger]

SAVE SOME MONEY ON THE ROAD KNOCK!!!!!...............

[patton]

If it stops the trucks from blinding me in the rain, I am all for it.

[Red Badger]

I CANNOT BELIEVE IT TOOK THIS LONG FOR SOMEBODY TO COME UP WITH THIS!!...

[patton]

LOL - stop yelling at me.

From the picture in the article, they are rigid - that poses a problem on hills.

But you are correct - it is a no-brainer.

[rednesss]

Yeah, I’d like to see that after the first re-tread lets go and explodes.

[Red Badger]

They should get better retreading technology. I was almost hit by a fragment on the interstate once.........

[JerseyHighlander]

IN countries that drive on the right, driver side roadside flats are going to get a lot more complicated to fix.

They’ve had pretty much the same thing on full size RV’s for years, the added outside storage compartments. Can’t believe no one thought of this before now.

And what will action movie directors do now in their fast convertibles chase scenes?

[Tallguy]

... or when he throws a tire chain...

[TC Rider]

To heck with skirts, give me more wheels, and machine guns, and rockets, and...

[Red Badger]

THey probably fold up for service....

[Spktyr]

Well, if they’re built right, they’ll contain the debris and unfortunate car drivers won’t get flying debris through the windshield.

[Little Pig]

And now they need to realize that they should stop trying to shove all that air up and over the top of the truck, and push it along the sides. Ford came out with a concept tractor that did this, and their studies indicated doing so would increase mileage by some 14%, but nothing ever came of it.

[rednesss]

"Well, if they’re built right, they’ll contain the debris and unfortunate car drivers won’t get flying debris through the windshield."

Wishful thinking, they aren't going to be making it out of 1/4" steel. More like fiberglass or lightweight aluminum panels. Weight, weight, weight.

[DoughtyOne]

That vehicle sat for years over by the Hollywood (101) freeway not too far from the Barham exit. Used to see it all the time when I drove past. My kindof moter home... LOL

[Spktyr]

Um, Kevlar liners?

Lightweight, strong, will contain blast. Surprise!

[thulldud]

Next experiment will be to link 100 of these in a row and run them down the highway together. The aerodynamic improvement will be hailed as a new efficiency breakthrough.

[Spktyr]

Or you could embed the kevlar in the fiberglass... or even use it as the matrix in the mix... or you could make them out of carbon fiber, which would be the lightest material AND still be able to hold in the debris.

[DoughtyOne]

IMO they could get another 15% or more if they would make that flat front more aerodynamic.

Air flowing around the back also creates a vacuum, and if they would make that more aerodynamic instead of flat, that would help also.

[decimon]

And now they need to realize that they should stop trying to shove all that air up and over the top of the truck, and push it along the sides. Ford came out with a concept tractor that did this, and their studies indicated doing so would increase mileage by some 14%, but nothing ever came of it.

Maybe it blew cars off the road.