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Old 02-12-2012, 09:41 PM   #6 (permalink)
Blu3Z3rg
EcoModding Lurker
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Indiana
Posts: 62

2005 Dakota - '05 Dodge Dakota SLT
90 day: 15.26 mpg (US)
Thanks: 1
Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts
SlowMover: Thanks for the good insight! I don't believe i'm going to be doing a full boattail. As for the amount of use, we just bought the camper, but the idea is to go a minimum of 3 trips a year. Our typical spot is a 4-5 hour drive. Last time we took this trip, my basic stock combo got 12+ mpg there, and 9+ mpg on the way home. Why so much worse coming home? Wind storm. One that had a lot of tornadoes in the mid west. We didn't know it, but we were driving right into them on our way home.
Now, I have a Cold air/hot air intake (switchable setup for purposefull driving) a grille block during the wintertime, and a chin spoiler. Hopefully an electric fan coming soon as well, but I have a boat i'm trying to work on and sell.
As for the camper itself, I'm going to repair the things that need to be repaired, and if in doing so I can improve slightly, I will.

drmiller: Thank you for that. I am thinking of simply doing something along the top and perhaps the sides on the back for 6-8 inches. Similar to the mercedes trailer.
Mercedes Trailer tail

AeroHead: When you said, "The side radius has been reported as a source of sway.Fibrelock Fabric Ltd.,England,who marketed an inflatable 'Airstream' nose (trailer dome) in 1982 claimed that their unit reduced pitching and snaking." did you mean that MY camper is prone to sway, or the airstream is? It is worded that a side radius creates sway, which you have also told me improves mpgs. Then you tell me that this company claimed to reduce it? I'm confused.

On another note, my propane IS in a nose cone, not like the one shown there. I'm sure it improves slightly, but I can't find a picture of it. I really need to go through and find some pictures because due to work I can't get over there in daylight to take one of the real thing.

So... If I made a front for my camper such as this:
Camper Link here would that be much of a help, or would that not really be enough. Anything more than that I probably wouldn't do it as it would be really hacking into this thing. If a project takes a month or long to do, I can do it during the winter inside my friends shop, but I would need to do that next year.

Also, moving the camper closer to the truck you said would improve mpgs by 8%. I don't know where you got that number, but are we talking an inch or two, or like, a lot? I don't think there is a lot of flexibility there, sadly, even if i drilled another hole into the hitch. It would be about a 2" closer max and then I would be afraid of hitting things anyways.

Thanks again guys!
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