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Old 08-06-2008, 02:56 PM   #9 (permalink)
MechEngVT
Mechanical Engineer
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Richmond, VA
Posts: 190

The Truck - '02 Dodge Ram 1500 SLT Sport
90 day: 13.32 mpg (US)

The Van 2 - '06 Honda Odyssey EX
90 day: 20.56 mpg (US)

GoKart - '14 Hyundai Elantra GT base 6MT
90 day: 31.25 mpg (US)

Godzilla - '21 Ford F350 XL
90 day: 12.1 mpg (US)
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Thanked 7 Times in 6 Posts
As a fellow Dodge Ram driver I would heartily recommend drafting. In my area I don't like to drive quite as slow as you but typically do 65 mph. Trucks around here typically go the same speed or about the flow of traffic.

I would gladly speed up to 70-75 to draft a truck. When I'm at 75mph my engine is at 2100 rpm which is pretty much it's sweet spot for BSFC. At that speed you can be a full 2 seconds behind a truck with a box trailer and get most of the benefit of the draft. In my area 2+ seconds is another "death zone" because you'll get cut off, so 1-2 seconds is the acceptable following distance (typically at 60-65mph) and drafting works very well. At 1-2 seconds following at 60-65 mph I can draft minivans, other pickups, and CUVs/small SUVs.

I would say most truckers do attempt to DWL to maintain momentum. It would burn too much fuel and require too much shifting for a trucker to maintain constant speed on hills. Maintaining a DWL in the draft of a truck is a little hard in the strict sense, but it's easier to P&G especially since a heavily loaded truck will slow down more on uphills and the draft helps extend your glide.
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