Author Topic: Does tailing 18 wheelers actually work as drafting and save gas?  (Read 23253 times)

HighTechRedneck

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Re: Does tailing 18 wheelers actually work as drafting and save gas?
« Reply #15 on: February 09, 2009, 01:39:56 PM »
Drafting wasn't what caused the accident that claimed Dan McMurphy's legs, but the photo demonstrates rather well what happens when a bus impacts the back end of an 18 wheeler.  Drafting in a lightweight race car with a full crash cage, 5 point harness and a fire suit is part of racing.  Drafting while in the nose of a 30,000 - 50,000 pound bus with only a thin layer of metal and glass around you is ...  (I'll leave it to your own choice of words.)


Offline JackConrad

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Re: Does tailing 18 wheelers actually work as drafting and save gas?
« Reply #16 on: February 09, 2009, 03:07:35 PM »
"Yes, it works fine. Racing cars do it all the time."

In addition to what has already been mentioned another thing race car drivers have going for them is that they know the other driver and that driver's  ability.  As well as being able to see through the car they are drafting.  Jack
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Offline chris4905

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Re: Does tailing 18 wheelers actually work as drafting and save gas?
« Reply #17 on: February 09, 2009, 07:14:26 PM »
You've GOT to be kidding me !!!!

After all the years on this and the BNO board, some of the posts still never cease to amaze me.

So.....if only 3 people would have posted an answer, and they all said "ya drafting in a bus will save lots of gas".....you'd go ahead and continue (notice "not start") to do it?

GEEEEEZZZZZ !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Chris & Cheryl Christensen
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Eagle, Idaho

Offline ilyafish

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Re: Does tailing 18 wheelers actually work as drafting and save gas?
« Reply #18 on: February 09, 2009, 10:29:04 PM »
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Offline RickB

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Re: Does tailing 18 wheelers actually work as drafting and save gas?
« Reply #19 on: February 10, 2009, 04:43:29 AM »
I say have at it.... If you want to rent Talladega and get a friend who owns an 18 wheeler and tailgate/draft him. Have at it.

But as long as you are going to take many other people's lives into your hands by doing it. Don't even bring it up on this board.  And then to display a holier than thou attitude when you get scolded for suggesting it. Wow that is hypocrisy indeed!! As if you just can't figure out why people get "bent out of shape" when you ask whether a selfish, dangerous, illegal stunt is acceptable or not.
Your life is yours to do with as you please it's just too bad that there actually us meaningless "other" people in the world that get in your way.

Speaking of "bent out of shape" your bus will get there soon enough if you keep this up my friend.

I defended you a year ago when you were illegally taking used restaurant oil for your biodiesel, but you are way out of line even starting this dialogue. This is beginning to look like a pattern of "How can I break the law and get away with it" questions.

I went to the bathroom in a bag for a year and a half because of a young, know it all driver that thought the freeway was his racetrack.

The book you quote so freely at the botton of your posts explains quite clearly why what you are doing is wrong.



I will drive my Detroit hard... I will drive my Detroit hard.

Offline Len Silva

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Re: Does tailing 18 wheelers actually work as drafting and save gas?
« Reply #20 on: February 10, 2009, 05:38:39 AM »

So, let me throw this in for the theorists among us.  I think that if you drafted close enough, like 1 inch, and the bumpers were strong and aligned, then maybe you would survive a crash into the back of the truck.  Of course, you would also push the truck into whatever he was stopping for.

I'm not going to try it so you guys let me know if it works.

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Offline bubbaqgal

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Re: Does tailing 18 wheelers actually work as drafting and save gas?
« Reply #21 on: February 10, 2009, 06:07:24 AM »
Hey guys, the man asked a simple question. Please don't turn this into an attack on him or anyone else. Let's keep it civil! 
Faith is not believing that God can, It's knowing that God will.

Offline BG6

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Re: Does tailing 18 wheelers actually work as drafting and save gas?
« Reply #22 on: February 10, 2009, 06:25:55 AM »

Trucks follow other trucks. Its called riding in the rocking chair.

It is also known as "the root cause of the 20-car pileup."

Quote
I usually wait for a speeder to run the front door and follow behind so he gets the ticket.

Actually, this doesn't work.  Cops LOVE to get the second or third guy into court, not only for speeding but also for tailgating.

I once saw half a dozen CHP troopers all working a stretch of I-10 west of Blythe, and they were pulling over three and four trucks at a time.

Offline boogiethecat

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Re: Does tailing 18 wheelers actually work as drafting and save gas?
« Reply #23 on: February 10, 2009, 07:11:54 AM »
Back in my stupid youth I took a motorcycle trip from San Fransisco to Fresno and back in one night (long story involving girls, don't ask)
Anyway, on the way over I drove normally and got 50mpg like I always did.  For the return trip which started at 1am, I decided that (a) even though I was only 10' from the rear of the truck, on a long haul at that hour it didn't "seem" like there was much risk of a trucker slamming on his brakes, and (b) not much risk of a cop seeing me... so I drafted the entire way back.
150MPG !!! Firsthand truth.

I always thought it'd be a neat project to make a system in a car that launches a little cable with a supermagnet out to stick on a trucker's rear bumper, On the car end, that cable'd be on a spring-wound reel with a sensors that actuate the throttle or brakes depending on how much the cable winds up or is played out (and for that matter steering depending on it's angle) so you could just pull up close, launch the cable to stick it to the truck, drop back 10 feet, engage the system and pretty much automatically follow -and brake- very accurately with basically zero reaction time.  These days it'd actually be technically easy to do!~ If you set the thing at 4-5 feet it'd look like you're being towed and you'd probably get away with it... until everyone started doing it...

Ok.....'nuff of that....
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Offline zubzub

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Re: Does tailing 18 wheelers actually work as drafting and save gas?
« Reply #24 on: February 10, 2009, 07:25:30 AM »
Yeah, motorcycles that's when I really got into drafting...bad weather and a big truck.  get in tight on your bike and stay dry, also no cross winds back there once you pass through the turbulence.  150 mpg!  Awesome, I never noticed the MPG but I really didn't care about mpg back then.
Boogiethecat maybe you are a little german?  The germans developed a system 10-15 years ago to link up a line of cars one behind the other.  Instant braking using sensors (radar and laser and stuff) .  They were more interested in how a system like this would increase the capacity of the highway, basically you can X5 the capacity by having no following distance.  As well you don't get the weird reverse braking waves that create so much of stop and go traffic in rush hour.
I personally would love it if I could get on the highway link in and just sit there enjoying the view, just keeping and eye out on some guages etc..

Offline wvanative

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Re: Does tailing 18 wheelers actually work as drafting and save gas?
« Reply #25 on: February 10, 2009, 08:35:44 AM »
I had a friend who was following a truck  to closely one night, he was having a problem staying awake. he was suddenly snapped back to a full and alert state by a loud noise to find his passenger side windshield with a big hole in it and a fifty pound peace of metal in the passenger seat. He says he doesn't tailgate anymore. The possible savings from drafting/tailgating are so small compaired to the possible loss of limbs, personal organs, loved ones or even your own head with a decapitation as your car submarines under the trailer of a truck. Guys I get P.O'ed when some idiot cuts in front of me and take my cushion of comfort away. I fell you have a right to do what you want and kill yourself, but when you take other peoples lives in your own hand you have gone to far. Everytime we get behind the wheel we take other peoples lives in our hands and I for one will not drive recklessly.

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Offline jackhartjr

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Re: Does tailing 18 wheelers actually work as drafting and save gas?
« Reply #26 on: February 10, 2009, 09:13:28 AM »
Two memories here folks;
Back in the 80's three A&W Trucking rigs out of Mt Airy, NC were on the way to California.  They were nose to tail.  The front one drove off a hill in TN..the other two followed right behind.  No one hurt real bad.  The safety director loved that one!
During one of the Tour du Pont bicycle races that started in Kernersville, NC and ended in Winston-Salem, NC...the Yugoslovian Race Team followed the team van back to Kernersville tucked right in behind it by inches...on Insterstate 40!!!!!!!  Oh yeah...at just over 55MPH!  I would not have beleived it had I not seen it myself!
Jack
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HighTechRedneck

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Re: Does tailing 18 wheelers actually work as drafting and save gas?
« Reply #27 on: February 10, 2009, 09:35:50 AM »

The driver of a bus that collided with a semi-truck early this morning near Edson died at the scene of the crash, RCMP say.  Four people injured in the crash are being flown to Edmonton hospitals this afternoon ...

... RCMP Const. Dion Barry says it appears the bus rear-ended the truck, which was carrying a load of pipe. Road conditions were poor at the time of the accident. ...

... "We have one fatality, being the bus driver. He was the one who came into contact with the semi truck."





Offline Don4107

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Re: Does tailing 18 wheelers actually work as drafting and save gas?
« Reply #28 on: February 10, 2009, 09:56:35 AM »
Boogie,

Did you ever notice that when riding a bike in cold weather on a multi-lane road that if you tucked in real close to the fuel tank area of a truck that it was a bunch warmer.  It is behind the bow wake and sucked you right along too.  At least you could see what was happening in front of the truck.  Younger and much stupider days.  ;D

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Offline JohnEd

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Re: Does tailing 18 wheelers actually work as drafting and save gas?
« Reply #29 on: February 10, 2009, 11:10:34 AM »
Hey, look!  We have all done stupid stuff.  At least, and this is a near certainty, any that drove between the ages of 16 and 25.  Near certainty.  Recently I related my procedure for starting a diesel generator when I was in the Air Force.  I sprayed either in the intake while cranking and continued after it started cause it quit if I didn't.  It took a can or two till it stayed lit.  A kind hearted Knut shared that "you are lucky to be alive".  I guess it was that stupid a thing to do but I would have innocently repeated had it not been for that guy and I might have risked others in doing so.  Remember that old saying that goes "there is no such thing as a stupid question"?  Well, that saying is not to relieve the questioner of any embarrassment....it is to NOT DISCOURAGE open questions and maintain an atmosphere of "safety".  Come down on somebody for sharing and he says Jack Squat after that and we all loose.  I don't draft but I'll bet dollars to doughnuts that there are some that read this thread and muttered under their breath "crap, I never saw anything wrong with that" and maybe a life was saved.  If you guys had any idea of the unadulterated $#!% I have pulled in my misspent youth you would avoid me on the off chance that STUPID is contagious.  Probably applies to most, I dare say.  I share your propensity to JUDGE, really I do....but it such a VERY BIG commandment.  Isn't there another that says that you should take this offending person aside and "whisper in his ear"?  Constructive, always constructive.

Still luv ya,

John
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