Big project-F250 pulling 20x8.5 enclosed trailer

[JasonG]

Originally Posted by QuickLTD

That looks great. Love the clear grille blocks and everything you intend to accomplish! I am not an expert on TD engines but I would think since you are towing a fairly heavy trailer and you closed off a substantial portion of air to the intercooler that you might want to monitor your charge air temperature. I think you guys do that with the end result out the back end with a an EGT gauge right? If you don't have an SGII get one or add an intake air temp gauge into one of your intake tubes. After the intercooler of course. If temperature becomes an issue you could make a simple scoop under the bumper since those trucks are "dirty" to the air anyway underneath it would not negatively affect your progress. Like I said I'm no pro just a friendly neighbor looking out for a guy. Those Powerstrokes are not cheap I would hate to see you pop it.

Good points. Really a 7500# trailer is not much work for a Powerstroke unless your climbing lots of hills.
SGII doesn't work on many diesel trucks, something to do with fuel metering. I have heard some have had success with the newer ones though.
Diesel trucks in colder countries actually have intake air warmers. Mercedes diesels benefit well from WAI installs.
However, GET AN EGT GAUGE !! Never tow or modify a diesel without one, and a boost gauge.

How has the new camper affected "bug testing" on the front of the trailer?

[5.0 Junkie]

I haven't gotten a chance to tow it much yet. I'll have a whole week full of it coming up.

I have a commission only sales job and needless to say, things are pretty rough now. Gauges are on the list.

7500# isn't much for the truck, but it pulls like twice that due to pushing so much air.

[dremd]

SGII " works" just fine on 7.3 powerstroke. There is one in the driveway right now (2001).
However they suffer from the same issue as my tdi, the accuracy of fuel consumption is poor ESP. If you hypermile it.
I think there are prety many xgauges for it also.

[w8tvi]

I know I'm digging up an old thread, but as my family has some experiance with this, I though I'd add my $0.02.

We had a '91 Chevy Suburban and towed a 30' Nomad travel trailer with it. We gained 3 MPG just by adding a rooftop wind deflector that looks just like
this.
All you need to do is aim it so its pointing JUST above the top front of the trailer.

Its amazing that this small bit of plastic helps this much.

[5.0 Junkie]

Oh, good call. I have been looking for a decent "cost effective" one to test. All of the ones I found were over $300. For $100, I'll try this one. I put almost 2000 miles on truck and trailer in 7 days. Going to start working on the trailer some, but cold as heck and snowing here now.

[JasonG]

WOW ! did you see this one TRAIL-EZE II WIND DEFLECTORS - JCWhitney
If I build one (+$500, yeah right !) I could angle it down like a Kamm when the fifth is off !
Sorry to hijack your thread........

[MetroMPG]

Originally Posted by 5.0 Junkie

Going to start working on the trailer some, but cold as heck and snowing here now.

Please keep us updated.

Also: "cold as heck" is relative.

[winkosmosis]

Originally Posted by Christ

Edge fairing without adding frontal area. Good job!

I was about to post this idea. You'd want the PVC to blend smoothly into the sides though, so I was thinking 180 deg of PVC... although that might create a parachute effect between the pipes.

You could do this kind of thing also, like what some Volvo trucks have. It would prevent the flow from fanning out like when you hold a spoon under running water

[MetroMPG]

Originally Posted by winkosmosis

I was thinking 180 deg of PVC... although that might create a parachute effect between the pipes.

Apparently already addressed:

Originally Posted by aerohead

The trailer's front desperately needs some radius'ed edges all around,top/sides.bottom.
...
And you're saying "parachute"! Nope! Dr.Paul MacCready patented such a thing and it would help for sure.

[aerohead]

Originally Posted by winkosmosis

I was about to post this idea. You'd want the PVC to blend smoothly into the sides though, so I was thinking 180 deg of PVC... although that might create a parachute effect between the pipes.

You could do this kind of thing also, like what some Volvo trucks have. It would prevent the flow from fanning out like when you hold a spoon under running water

Rather than vanes,out in the air,they can be fastened to the leading edges,upstream and will soften the corners as Moller did with the original VW van,dropping the Cd from 0.75 to 0.42.
In Hucho's text he displays a graphic which demonstrates the proper minimum radius for attached flow,as a function of the bodies width.It's surprisingly small.Sorry,didn't bring the book with me.
P.S. the later produced VW Vanagon leading edge radii were developed from this very article.