Quote:
Originally Posted by Old Mechanic
In heavy traffic where close proximity is unavoidable, use drafting to improve your mileage.
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I appreciate the rest of the information but can't agree with this part. I like to have space in front for the unexpected.
In fact I think drafting is unsafe.
When I used to drive an Mini (as in old style economy car designed by my namesake as opposed to a MINI designed by a marketeer in Frankfurt) I used to slipstream a lot. It worked. The air vents would go quiet when I got into the "tow" and I would gain a magic 3-5 mph.
Driving in SC during my first time in the US with my girlfriend a few years ago, we passed a junction (on-ramp) and a van decided to swap lanes with no matching speed in front of the guy in front of me. Despite him braking hard I allowed the gap to close a lot, slowing more gently.
In the meantime my girlfriend was screaming "stop now, stop now".
I shouted "look behind".
All you could see in the rear view was a huge, white grill with the letters K C A M across the front (it was in my mirror) swaying from side to side as the moron in the logging truck behind struggled to stop his trailer with locked brakes from fish-tailing and wiping out the other three lanes.
My 100 yds of space meant I could slow gently and avoid being the hire-car-POS-Altima filling in a truck/SUV sandwich.