Saw an 'Air Dam' under a Tractor Trailer - Fuel Economy, Hypermiling, EcoModding News and Forum

cighon · 05-21-2010, 09:49 AM

Saw some side skirts under a trailer today on my way home in NJ today. it looks to be set back in the front alittle, and then has a curve before the hind wheels.

AeroModder · 05-21-2010, 10:23 AM

Those would be side skirts, actually, but it's still an awesome find!

stevet47 · 05-21-2010, 12:11 PM

I saw a tractor trailer the other day with vortex generators up both sides and across the top of the trailer.
Glad to see they are trying to improve their FE.

cfg83 · 05-21-2010, 12:52 PM

cighon -

Good catch. Yeah, it looks like the start of the skirt is inward and then comes out flush to the side. Probably to minimize the possibility of being a parachute. It would be neat to get some close-up pix of one of these parked in a truck stop.

Sometimes the company that makes the side skirt will sell wheel covers too.

CarloSW2

Clev · 05-21-2010, 01:03 PM

While driving through Austin, I saw a truck with wheel covers and side skirts. Strangely enough, I saw it in Phoenix two days later. When I saw it again this morning in Orange County, I finally looked up the company and realized that all of their trucks are so equipped.

Check out the picture at the top of Mesilla Valley Transportation

gascort · 05-21-2010, 10:52 PM

The ones I've seen are all the "Freight Wing" brand:
Freight Wing Incorporated - 6% fuel savings with our Aerodynamic Trailer Skirt, The Belly Fairing and Gap Fairing.

wildfire8 · 05-21-2010, 11:21 PM

I saw a truck in Utah last week with some of those skirts. I could not get my phone out in time to get a picture of it before we passed. My first thought was ecomodder post.

vskid3 · 05-22-2010, 01:23 PM

There is a semi trailer manufacturer (Utility) near me that has been putting side skirts on some of their trailers the last couple years. I would guess that about 10% of the trailers have side skirts.

hardwired · 05-22-2010, 01:27 PM

I have seen these in Ontario as well and one truck had a rear tail it was three feet long and curved in from the rear corners of the trailer, there was some info on fuel saved but i was unable to read it at the time.

Old Tele man · 05-22-2010, 05:23 PM

...seen a couple of 18-wheeler trailers wearing those, but not a lot.

...however, I did see one with a "weird" V-shaped air-dam under the trailer, located right behind the tractor trailer wheels...looked sorta like a snow-plow wedgie being towed under the front of the trailer; however, the "side" areas from there back to the main trailer boggie wheels was "open" as most trailers are.

...anybody else seen this?