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Old 02-23-2010, 11:56 PM   #23 (permalink)
ChazInMT
Aero Deshi
 
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Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Vero Beach, FL
Posts: 1,065

MagMetalCivic - '04 Honda Civic Sedan EX
Last 3: 34.25 mpg (US)
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Something which bears mentioning I think, or at least emphasized. The variations among "Pick-up" trucks are amazing. Since I've taken an interest in the aerodynamics of pickups (and really anything that moves through the air now, truth be told) I am amazed at the height differences, wheel/tire size differences, 4x4 vs 2wd, and cab/bed length differences. There is certainly no "One size fits all" remedy here for an aerocap advantage. I believe my extended cab 6.5 ft pickup really only has 15-17% room for improvement if I were to design the ultimate aerocap. I'm certain I have gotten better mileage with my cap. On my cross country 2500 mile trip I averaged about 16.2 mpg. Granted I was much more careful about my driving habits, I averaged 8 mph less on the whole. But I usually would have expected to see 14.5 mpg for an average. So that's a solid 10%, and with warmer temps, I'm hoping my average will climb to 17 mpg or better.

Also, as far as any fuel savings goes, at least an aerocap is a definite saving feature that has the potential to pay itself back over the life of it, there are very, very few accessories that people put on their vehicles which make this claim.
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