Airtabs - anyone tried them?

[thatguy]

I met a trucker that had 'airtabs' (Aerodynamic Fuel Economy Savers for Road Vehicles) all over his tractor (class 8 truck) and trailer.. he said he got better MPGs and better stability with them..

Anyone heard of them or tried them?

Brian

 

[crazyal]

I know the Mythbusters did a fuel mileage test with a car with and without the dimples a golf ball has and found the dimple improve mileage. So I would think they could work.

 

[KYDan]

There are similar systems (vortex generators) on aircraft to produce a more laminar flow over aircraft flying surfaces to enhance lift and speed.

 

[Diamondpilot]

There are similar systems (vortex generators) on aircraft to produce a more laminar flow over aircraft flying surfaces to enhance lift and speed.

I was going to say the same thing.

The gain is minimal at 70 mph but as speed increases they work exponentially better. Very beneficial on a plane like I fly at 525 mph but not so much on your truck and camper doing 55 mph.

Chris

 

[crazyal]

For a puckup it might not really matter much but even a 1% or 2% increase in fuel mileage for a semi would be worth it.