Many years ago when my dad had a Fifth Wheeler he (and many others did too) had a wind diverter mounted on the roof of the truck to divert the wind of the road up and over the 5er. This supposedly helped mileage (not sure if it was true) and kept the bugs off the front of the 5er. I don't seem to notice these on trucks as much as I did in the past. Do people still use them or are 5ers so tall now that they are useless?
Luvglass said
02:21 PM Feb 23, 2007
Hi,
From what I've been able to determine from the various discussion groups, the mileage benefits, are elusive at best.
jomago said
10:26 AM Feb 24, 2007
Noticed one thing about friends that have/had wind diverters mounted on the tow vehicle. Because they used the tow vehicle for transportation after they parked the RV, they either remove the diverter or loosen mounts to lower in order to reduce the drag.
Finally most just gave up and done away with them when they got new truck because they didn't think they provided a significant savings.
It's nice that everone can do their own thing and be different in their personnal needs/wants because it would be a truly dull place if everyone had exact same car/truck/rv/cloths/dogs/, do I dare say DW !
As my old Granny used to say " if you see something you have never seen before, throw a stick at it or go the other way"
jomago said
10:37 AM Feb 24, 2007
I tried to add a post script about the tongue-in-cheek remark about DW in the above post but it didn't print.
" we all really love and appreciate our DW/DH but we don't realize how much until they are gone"
ahoweth said
08:37 AM Feb 25, 2007
Hi;
Having driven many miles with a 5er both with and without a wind deflector, before moving to a motorhome, I never really saw much of a difference in mileage. I did see a difference in the amount of bugs on the front of the 5er but the deflector was a mess.
I know that most over the road haulers use them but upon a close examination, the deflector on the big trucks is much closer to the trialer and much larger than one used on the top of a pickup truck. The larger this gap the greater low pressure area is created in the bed of the truck. This area consumes energy from your engine to maintain and is greater when you are driving with a head wind. A 5er already requires approximately 20% greater power to pull than a comperably sized trailer because of the larger frontal area. All these things cost you $'s at the pump in addition to the initial $ outlay to purchase the deflector. To sum it up. I sold mine at a flea market and never looked back.
Now I am sure some other folks will swear that they help them with their mileage. That is okay with me but I never saw a benefit that made it worth the trouble myself. One has to do what they think is best. What a dull world it would be if we all thought alike.
Having driven many miles with a 5er both with and without a wind deflector, before moving to a motorhome, I never really saw much of a difference in mileage. I did see a difference in the amount of bugs on the front of the 5er but the deflector was a mess.
I know that most over the road haulers use them but upon a close examination, the deflector on the big trucks is much closer to the trialer and much larger than one used on the top of a pickup truck. The larger this gap the greater low pressure area is created in the bed of the truck. This area consumes energy from your engine to maintain and is greater when you are driving with a head wind. A 5er already requires approximately 20% greater power to pull than a comperably sized trailer because of the larger frontal area. All these things cost you $'s at the pump in addition to the initial $ outlay to purchase the deflector. To sum it up. I sold mine at a flea market and never looked back.
Now I am sure some other folks will swear that they help them with their mileage. That is okay with me but I never saw a benefit that made it worth the trouble myself. One has to do what they think is best. What a dull world it would be if we all thought alike.