Drafting with scangauge

[1993CivicVX]

Originally Posted by ALS

I have found you can space your self back about 2.5 seconds and still get the benefits of drafting. Do not do this at night or in the rain or bad weather.
The down side is you must keep all your attention on the truck ahead of you.
If you have never done this you soon find out how mentally tiring it can be even after 20 to 30 minutes. Second your front end will take the blunt of all road debris that the rear tires on the truck or bus ahead of you kicks up off the road.

Yeah, I've taken some nasty debris doing this. Once I was so close to a truck that I started exiting when he exited because I couldn't see. (Duh!) I realized what was happening before I exited, but yeah... got to pay close attention, or don't draft so damn close.

[Frankenstipe]

I saw a Mythbusters episode on this subject recently. Proved to be worthwhile as long as a safe distance and steady speed are used. Once you get too close you have to constantly adjust your speed in order to stay at a certain distance which uses up more gas. Cruise Control is your friend, I drive mostly highway miles and I always use it unless traffic is bad.

I hate it when people can't maintain a constant speed, drive in the wrong lane, don't move out of the way when someone behind them is trying to go faster then them, tailgate, pass on the right, cut people off, don't use turn signals soon enough etc etc....

Anyway I'm not big on hypermiling, although I might start soon, I got to school about 30 miles from where I live to the South and I work about 40 miles from where I live to the North so I have to fill up about 2 to 3 times a week. Even if I switch out to stock tire size and do the whole hypermiling thing I'd end up using about 1 and half tanks of gas a week, which is less than than now but the money savings isn't big enough to out weight the benefits of the wider tires. I do a lot of spirited driving when I have the time, 1 or 2 extra tanks of gas a month isn't a big issue.

[bowtieguy]

Originally Posted by 1993CivicVX

I don't doubt it for a second. But a question. Didn't the truck driver not like you drafting? I stopped drafting because I got varying levels of messages to "get off my tale" One truck driver even hit the brakes pretty hard. Another one put on bright white lights on the back of his truck. So I've taken the hint and stopped doing it. But I'm wondering maybe it was because I was not in their rear view? Doesn't it slow them down to drag on them (aren't they essentially pulling you when you draft Going down a hill on the Mass Pike (I-90 headed toward Boston) there is a 6 mile hill that goes into the Pioneer Valley. In a prius, you can actually charge the battery going down this hill drafting! Driving a friend's Prius, drafting behind a truck down that hill, I got the battery completely charged.

first let me say that i drive a truck. to answer your question, they(and i) do not get noticeably angry as long as you do stay in their line of vision. certainly everyone has seen the sticker: "if you can't see my mirrors, i can't see you."

[bowtieguy]

Originally Posted by Frankenstipe

I saw a Mythbusters episode on this subject recently. Proved to be worthwhile as long as a safe distance and steady speed are used. Once you get too close you have to constantly adjust your speed in order to stay at a certain distance which uses up more gas. Cruise Control is your friend, I drive mostly highway miles and I always use it unless traffic is bad.

I hate it when people can't maintain a constant speed, drive in the wrong lane, don't move out of the way when someone behind them is trying to go faster then them, tailgate, pass on the right, cut people off, don't use turn signals soon enough etc etc....

Anyway I'm not big on hypermiling, although I might start soon, I got to school about 30 miles from where I live to the South and I work about 40 miles from where I live to the North so I have to fill up about 2 to 3 times a week. Even if I switch out to stock tire size and do the whole hypermiling thing I'd end up using about 1 and half tanks of gas a week, which is less than than now but the money savings isn't big enough to out weight the benefits of the wider tires. I do a lot of spirited driving when I have the time, 1 or 2 extra tanks of gas a month isn't a big issue.

yes, drafting cannot be busted IMHO 'cause it works.

BTW, you have a vehicle that could get some impressive mpg if you really want it to. research and experiment...

[Frankenstipe]

Yeah, I used to get about 40 or 41 mpg on the highway going mostly 60-70 mph, lots of on/off pedal action and downhill/uphill stuff so I'm not sure how I got so much. I'm fine with what I get now, it's not very impressive but at least I know all I have to do is swap in the stock rims and go with stock tire size and I'll be good to go.

[8307c4]

I drive a smaller truck, a full-size 3/4 ton with an open trailer.

To me it isn't that I can't see them, my problem is a tailgater first dictates how I have to drive, and I find I have as much a right to be on the road as they do. Once someone tailgates I can no longer stop as quickly without fear of them plowing into me, so now I am forced to adjust my driving.
Big deal or not, this becomes the first mild irritant.

It's not always about whether or not their car can stop faster than my truck can, most can.
But all it takes is an instant of distraction on that driver's part and PLOW!

So if the car in the rear so much as 'taps' my vehicle I have to stop, at the very least to see if any damage was done. There just went 5-10 minutes and it should be no big deal but it could be yet another mild irritant. If the damage is anything but non-existent the police has to get involved and this wastes 2 hours of my time (because that's how long it takes) and it gets worse if it has to go to a body shop.

Now I do know if someone hits me in the rear it's not my fault, but insurance-wise "policy activity increases premium" which translates to "even if I'm not at fault my insurance rates could go up." This doesn't even take into account the noticeable portion of drivers who will fight and dodge you over the claim and the who was at fault issues.

Last but not least my vehicles are older, anything much over 1-2 thousand dollars worth of damage and the InsCo writes it off as a 'totalled car' and now I'm out of a means to work.

In conclusion, tailgating is total bs

Originally Posted by ALS

I have found you can space your self back about 2.5 seconds and still get the benefits of drafting.

2+ seconds I can tolerate relatively easy, that should be far enough.
And I believe you are right because the huge aero wake of a truck does a lot in the way of breaking air resistance, the effect can be felt at a fair distance.

[ihatemybike]

I started drafting trucks with Grumpy this morning. I have an old CB that I'm thinking of installing so I can ask permission to draft, not tailgate.

What do you think 8307c4? Communication with a drafter a good thing?

[Nate R]

I've been wondering the same thing. There's a driver that hauls a double UPS trailer along my route from work to home every night around the same time I get out of work. I know he almost always goes to the nearby McD first. I'm wondering if I shouldn't ask him about it. (He didn't seem to mind last week for 50 miles. Another truck OTOH made it obvious he didn't want me there.)

[Nerds laugh at me]

Yesterday,I was driving just below the speed limit. ( 60 in a 65 zone )
I started wondering if it was even worth it, because of the fact that I had a huge line of tailgating cars in my wake. ( With a semi directly behind me )
How much does tailgaiting hurt the first person in line ?

[GasSavers_RoadWarrior]

Originally Posted by Nerds laugh at me

How much does tailgaiting hurt the first person in line ?

zip... until you stand on your brakes hard.

There would be a very very slight effect on the Cd for the better if someone was very very close.