Does Wax Really Help MPG???

[SeattlePirat]

Originally Posted by Dunner

That is also called surface tension, which will slow a boat down. Not so with non-boat applications. That is also why a boat will go faster on a slight ripple than it will on a glass surface.

GOlf Balls are dempled so that they go further, makes sense to me, I guess I will leave my RV out in a hail storm.

[gatorb8]

hitting bugs will also lower your MPG......

[bldrbob]

You have to wax in strait lines front to back. Circular buffing will cause swirls in the air and make little tornados.But if you can line up those tornados they will cause a vacuum to pull you forward.

[Pusherman]

I waxed the roof of my coach last year and easily picked up .1% in mpg.

It works!

[Dogpatch]

Originally Posted by vraines

I spent over thirty years as a pilot and was involved in some interesting tests with waxed airfoil surfaces. Wax does make a very slight improvement in drag factors, but it is so slight at any speed that it is not worthy of serious consideration. But when I wax my motor home, it sure feels faster, just slips through the air. I am waxing it the old fashioned way and my arms will be much stronger when I finish.

I'd be careful! Muscle weighs more than fat, so in theory you will be gaining weight while waxing by gaining muscle mass, which once in the RV on the move will actually slow down due to the added weight thereby negating any gains you would have achieved in waxing.

Does that mean if you Stay dirty and stay fat you'll go faster? LOL

[Sequim Guy]

I'm sure there is a small loss of drag on your MH, just as there is for a
Funny Car............... once you hit 200 MPH.
Anything less than that, the wax just makes it look pretty........

(which is kind of the point, isn't it?)

.

[clyon51]

Don't put wax on yer MH, it just adds weight! Actually reduces mpg

[mahon1993]

Originally Posted by dogpatch

I'd be careful! Muscle weighs more than fat, so in theory you will be gaining weight while waxing by gaining muscle mass, which once in the RV on the move will actually slow down due to the added weight thereby negating any gains you would have achieved in waxing.

Does that mean if you Stay dirty and stay fat you'll go faster? LOL

What about the extra weight of the wax?

[W4MBG]

hasn't anybody taught you: wax on, wax off. nothing left but the shine.

[mahon1993]

Ok, diesel fuel weighs about 7.3 lbs / gal. A full 100 gallon tank is about 730 lbs. That's a lot of extra weight to push around. So if I only carry 10 gallons that's 73 lbs, at about 8 MPG, or so, I can go 80 miles then stop for fuel. Just think about the great fuel mileage I can get by not carrying around all that extra fuel weight. Not to mention the extra weight I save by not waxing the motor home.

[Craig_R]

The highest cost to a fleet, second only to labor, is fuel. If there were substantial savings to be had by simply keeping vehicles waxed, every commercial vehicle you see would be shiny as all get out.

When I was still working I worked for one of the largest fleets in the country and our vehicles were washed twice weekly but only waxed twice each year. The purpose was to keep them looking good, not increased fuel economy.

A cargo airline I once worked for had minimal paint on the exposed surfaces of it's aircraft. I was mistaken because I thought the reason was that the painted surface caused drag and therefore was not fuel efficient. The real reason was that a painted 747 weighed an additional 6,000 lbs which was the rough equivalent of a pallet of cargo. This meant that if the loaded aircraft got within 6,000 lbs of it's Gross ACL and still had room, cargo would have to be left behind and revenue for that flight would suffer.

IMHO, shiny surfaces may contribute to better fuel mileage but the gains are insignificant.

[Kathryn]

Originally Posted by bldrbob

You have to wax in strait lines front to back. Circular buffing will cause swirls in the air and make little tornados.But if you can line up those tornados they will cause a vacuum to pull you forward.

By far the best answer yet! LOL!

Don't know if Rick was serious when he started it, but it has been a great read!

Kathryn

[La-Z-Boy]

If you really want better fuel mileage, forget about the wax and try to plan your trips only making right turns. Then you won't waste any time or fuel sitting in a left turn lane waiting on the light...
Jeff

[Sequim Guy]

Originally Posted by La-Z-Boy

If you really want better fuel mileage, forget about the wax and try to plan your trips only making right turns. Then you won't waste any time or fuel sitting in a left turn lane waiting on the light...
Jeff

Just ask any UPS driver.....