How to increase gas mileage by 39%, or why the truckers are going to be pissed

[krispos42]

I watched a recent episode of Mythbusters, and it dealt with the myth that drafting behind a big rig drastically increased fuel economy.

Tests in a wind tunnel showed a lot of promise, with drag reductions at 93% when the model car was a scale two feet back from the model truck.

Tests on the road during controlled circumstances showed the following results:

100ft 50ft 20ft 10ft 2ft
11% 20% 27% 39% 28%

for 55 miles per hour.

Presumebly the faster the truck goes the bigger the dead spot behind it. But staying one second or less behind a big rig will increase your fuel economy by a substantial amount.

I predict a lot of angry truckers screwing with drafters in the future! :-)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MythBusters_%28season_5%29#Drafting_For_Money