I finally encountered The Force ( drag from a passing truck )

[Cd]

For years now I have read about you guys feeling the vacuum as a truck drives past you in the next lane.
I drive a '93 Civic hatch and have even had semi trucks pulling mobile homes, large busses, etc, and have never once encountered this phenomenon.

However, I just recently encountered what you guys are talking about on a trip to see my parents in Houston.
Speeds were 70-75 mph ( I'm just under that at 65-70 ) and a truck drives by me doing maybe 80-85.
As he goes by, I feel a sudden 'pop' in the air and heard myself saying out loud "whoa ! "

Here is what puzzles me - the truck was a 2012-2015 Ford F-150 lifted perhaps 6" with a grille bar on the front.

Why would I feel the phenomenon from a much smaller vehicle like this versus a semi ? Right place, right time, or is this something you guys encounter quite often ?

[aerohead]

On the semi's,the trailer bottom is almost 4-ft off the road surface and this gap cannot support a transverse pressure gradient,as it just bleeds into the physical void.
The F-150 is lower,and side-to-side,does create a boundary in which the air is accelerated between the two of your vehicles.
You experience the Bernoulli effect,as the static pressure is converted to a partial vacuum by the displacement.

[Cd]

It was almost erie !

[dirtydave]

I have felt it driving a 26' international box truck. Getting passed or passing someone else the sideskirts do make a difference. I have seen a lot more lately

[graysgarage]

this happens to me often.

[cowmeat]

Here's my experience with it:

http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...tml#post464933

http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...tml#post464949

[awcook]

I feel this force occasionally. I pulled up behind a semi today that was going 75 and my MPG went up to 50. I was really far behind the truck too. I've also had the gauge read 150 going 60ish when I was behind a truck. Trucks pass me all the time here in Oklahoma, and I feel this force quite a bit. It's not really something I notice too often, since whenever I am getting passed by a truck I feel like it is throwing me off to the side of the road