Quote:
Originally Posted by eco_generator
Wow, those graphics answered a question that had been rattling around in my head. Over-simplified, a car is pushing a 'bubble of air' and dragging a 'vacuum'. I wondered if there was a point where the trailing car's 'bubble' would start to fill the 'vacuum' of the leading car. This seems to be the case at around 1 vehicle length +/- .... anything beyond that and the leading car keeps its full aerodynamic drag.
I might have it all wrong in my head, but this is still very interesting information to know!
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If you look at the bottom image of the stock cars drafting,you see that the lead car is unaffected by the trailing car,but the trailing car is already picking up some 'draft.'
This is going to very from vehicle to vehicle.
When I get the railroad comparisons posted,you'll start to see some similarities in drag as a function of following distance.
The main theme is that the lowest drag for both the 'tug' and towed vehicle always occurs when bumper to bumper.By closing the gap between the two,the absolute lowest drag is achieved.Which is the premise for the gap-filled trailer.