Quote:
Originally Posted by kalifornia
do you think there is any merit in a aero shaped "sock" velcro'd and strapped to the cab & bed and leave enough gaps at the cab area to inflate the sock? Or do you suppose it would have to be inflated and sealed to have a chance of working?
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There's a fellow in Lubbock,Texas by the name of Rufe who is doing this with big trucks for a boat tail.I think he's applied for a patent on it.Texas Tech's Aero Lab was helping him with wind tunnel work.
When I did my pickup I had a fan forcing air into mine to help prevent aeroelastic effects that Frank Lee has mentioned.
You can try it and if it 'hunts' you can go to plan-B and install any 12-VDC ventilation fan out a car ,van,or pickup.The power liability from the alternator load to provide the current will be drowned out by the savings from drag reduction.I know this for a fact.
PS in the commercial vehicle section of Hucho's textbook he shows the Koenig-Fachsenfeld/Kamm inflated bus tail of the 1930s which he said might be worth re-visiting.(you're barking up a popular tree)