Your wrong man..
I guess you have never seen the Mythbusters where they draft a big rig at 55mph and it makes a HUGE diffrence in MPG.

 

You can draft starting around 50-55mph (as stated previously, done by mythbusters) depending on the size and shape of the vehicle you are following behind. Sure wind will still be hitting the front of your car, if it wasn't, I'd love to know what vacuum you are driving in

There is also a point in which you will enter a semi-vacuum (no pun intended) when drafting a vehicle larger than yours. I've done this a few times. It's scary, it's dangerous, I don't reccomend doing it to anyone! Truck driver's do feel the drag that you cause when entering this vacuum area. At this point, they generally will tap on their brakes or change lanes.

The ONLY good use of drafting a semi is to pass it faster. This is very simple. When the left lane is clear of traffic and you are traveling behind the semi, accelerate until you are with 200ft of the semi (note, this works with trucks AND trailers, trucks alone not so much), at this point you need to be making your way over into the left lane. Any less distance between you and the truck is taking your life into your own hands (and those in your car and the vehicles around you, especially the ones behind you distracted by cell phones, passengers, etc.). The motion of going into his draft allows you to slightly enter the side draft of the truck. this will launch you around the truck so that you have passed him swiftly (albeit not safely) and you both can continue on your merry way.

Now, I don't reccomend anyone doing this, but I'm sure after reading this thread, the idiots and ricers will anyways.

I've got more info on drafting rigs but that's information that doesn't need to be posted here, or anywhere else where the info can be used in a dangerous situation.

Remember, mythbusters did their tests in a controlled environment. Real life is NOT a controlled environment.

 

I read an article on drafting. I think drafting is only beneficial if you're within 2 feet of the truck in front, which is dangerously close.

 

the mythbusters tested at i think 100, 50,25,10, and 2 feet and even at 100 there was a significant increase in mpg

 

Agreed. There is a huge jump in Fuel economy when you draft closely (<1 second behind). But the truckers don't like it, and the paint on the Fit is endangered enough without point-blank gravel being blown at it.

The Fit (at least the manual) gets well into the 40 MPG range between 60-65 MPH.

Drafting isn't a black or white issue. You can still follow a truck at a safe distance and get some benefit.

 

And actually, you aren't hurting the truck's fuel economy at all, you may actually be helping it(although by a much smaller amount than you are helping yours) What you are doing, is slightly increasing the pressure at the rear of the truck, thus requiring less force to maintain the same speed. Car and Driver or Road and Track did this in the 80's with a Vette and a Porsche 928 doing top speed testing. They were the two cars in the test with the closest top speed. They put the higher top speed car in front and had the other one follow very closely. They got to a speed about 5 MPH faster than either car alone.

 

Yeah even 100 Ft at 55mph made a diffrence!

 

Here's where too much thinking can be a disadvantage. I'm just guessing here, cause I ain't no rocket surgeon, but I don't think my 40 ton fish truck, which would be lucky to get 6 MPG, is going to see much of an increase in mileage, from the gnat, er Fit, "pushing" me from behind.

But now I know why more than a few goof-balls drive so close to my tail, enjoying all my stinky, liquidy goodness all over their rides. To save a half mile per gallon for the couple of exits they are behind me. Yup, makes perfect sense. With seat belts and airbags, why worry about safety?

 

drafting works yes, but geez think about the safety first. more bumper space to avoid potential accidents is worth sooooooooo much more than speed/fuel economy.

 

I meant to put a disclaimer on my post that I don't do this myself (in my car), but being at work and posting, I got distracted. Interestingly, speaking as a bicyclist. Drafting helps appreciably at speeds much lower than 55. At 15 MPH, if you are close to the bike in front of you, you get a very noticeable reduction in effort.

 

You could probaly do it safely if you had the Skunk 2 rear disc conversion because it will really stop quik lol, jk jk...

 

Thread Closed.

Drafting on a public road a very bad idea and not a useful discussion for the Eco forum.

D