Quote:
Originally Posted by aerohead
Here's a rendering of a quasi-commercial setup which combines the wing and box into an aerodynamic boattail/box-cavity/storage container.
It rolls up to the SUV/wagon receiver hitch on four castor'd pogos,which rise and stow into the belly while on the road.
3-4 mpg.
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Lots of pie-in-the-sky stuff on this forum. Part of its fun.
This idea should be well known. Trunk & aero devices.
The Highway Pack for the SUVs.
Would even work with trailer-Towing.
A tail is also beneficial in handling cross-winds. There’s a point where the extension becomes a lever, but it’s fairly high up there in wind speed.
Meaning: less work at the steering wheel thru the day. Today’s computer integration of drivetrain inputs isn’t going to be bettered by the driver. The driver already has enough work what with road, load, traffic and weather.
Judging conditions to alter speed to best accommodate NO lane changes and being able to maintain lane CENTER without corrections is where Interstate Highway mpg resides.
67-mph may be do-able prior to dawn and in earliest morning. But once traffic escalates, the penalty becomes too high (Safety & economy track for discussion purposes). It may only be 64-mph the better part of the day. Fuel burn will be about the same. MPG isn’t simply wind resistance.
Aero aids that allow the vehicle to more smoothly handle gusting and constant winds reduce Steering degree of input AND duration.
My day at the wheel is FAR EASIER when I have a 53’ van with skirt & tails. I get an extension against the clock of when fatigue takes over at the wheel.
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