When did streamlining go away ?

[Flyer15015]

In our search for a class "A" gasser, as opposed to our current Jayco Seneca, I'm noticing that during the years 1987 and 2020, any effort to "streamline" coaches has literally disappeared.
Our previous coach, a 1987 Georgie Boy 38' tag axle, had an aluminum bumper, sloped windshield, rounded corners and a 454 Chevy with a THREE speed Tx, that got 10+ MPG, pulling a Minnie van on a dolly.

The "newer" coaches, say from 2008 - 2016 are somewhat rounded up front, but not really prize winners.

The newest coaches we look at from 2016 - 2020, look like shovel nosed frogs.........
A loaf of bread seems to be more streamlined.

Whom ever is designing these, did not make it out of their third grade art class, and has never spent any time any where near a wind tunnel.

They just seem to be piling on more "glitz" inside, and not giving any consideration to the outside.........other than piling on a nutty paint job, like something a kid did on a wall down in the "hood".

Please, won't you RV designers, make some effort for those of us who drive these rigs cross country, before we use them as hotel rooms.

Mike in Colorado

PS ; Don't get me started on pick ups and long haul trucks. Their designers are a disgrace too ...........

[HarryStone]

Streamlining for what purpose? Looks or economy? If for economy, nobody is buying an RV because it's easy on gas.

[NITEHAWK]

It is hard to streamline a brick. Resistance at front and Vacuum at the rear.
Streamlining a class A makes about as much sense as streamlining an auto for 260 MPH. At 55-65 you don't get a whole lot of benefit.

[TonyMac]

And a lot of what we thought we knew about fluiddynamics ain't so. Remember submarines of the WWII with their slped and pointed bows? How the F-105 and F-4 andtheir coke-bottle fuselages? A look at the F-35 says the area rule ain't a rule after all. Maybe a brick is more aerodynamic than a needle..

[Roy-c]

At the present time it seems they can sell every unit they can make. as long as what they make sells, why would they change anything. Todays buyers want all the glitz and automatically computer controlled everything, so apparently it is all good. ( at least until these poorly made low quality units leave them on the side of the road and when they call the guy they are told 3 months, but you have to leave the RV )

[RKins]

I like the way our coach travels down the road with the slope of the front - no push from a passing vehicles, I get around 8mpg. She just travels nicely. The next year they came out with a rounded front and then the flat face after that.
I think the sloped front eats up maybe a foot of interior space plus the vertical height of the newer coaches were changing. Our coach is around 11'8" tall, the new coaches changed by 1.5 ft in the following years. I don't think the slope would work on a 13.5' tall coach.

[BirchyBoy]

I’d rather have more room up front, around and above the seats, than an extra .2 MPG.

[Unplanned Tourist]

Our old 1994 Airstream Legacy 34 foot class A just took off on a down-hill run!

Fast forward to the 38 foot, 5,000 pound heavier class A Winnebago Adventurer, and it doesn't take off nearly as much as that old Airstream!

We save on brakes I guess, but it sure likes the gas! The 7 foot, 2 inch ceiling is kind of nice too!

SO, we give and take. That's our and your choice.

[Gary RVRoamer]

Yeah, interior space and panoramic windshields trumped any notion of streamlining. Especially after they realized that any practical streamlining had about zero effect on mpg. Pushing an 8.5 ft x 12.5 ft brick through the air ain't never gonna be efficient.


Wind tunnels have taught that the major drag points are the numerous protuberances in the roof (a/c, skylights, antennae, etc) and sides (awnings, window frames, mirrors, etc) and the huge suction at the back. Sloping windshields are purely for visual effect.

[Flyer15015]

Originally Posted by TonyMac

And a lot of what we thought we knew about fluiddynamics ain't so. Remember submarines of the WWII with their slped and pointed bows? How the F-105 and F-4 andtheir coke-bottle fuselages? A look at the F-35 says the area rule ain't a rule after all. Maybe a brick is more aerodynamic than a needle..

Needle and a brick are the same, in a vacuum, per my old professor.

Maybe I should send this to Winnebago, and others as a "guide".

[KanzKran]

Originally Posted by Flyer15015

Needle and a brick are the same, in a vacuum, per my old professor.

Maybe I should send this to Winnebago, and others as a "guide".

This looks pretty slippery in the wind, too.

[Flyer15015]

Tom,
Actually that's one of the new Weinermobiles.
When I lived in Davenport, Iowa back in the '60's, home of Oscar Meyer, I got a chance to drive one of the first generation mobiles around town for about 4 hours. Got a free lunch too.

Now this could be one of the first class "B's", and with a little bit of engineering, it could be enlarged to a class "A" size. Just imagine the possibilities. Buckminster Fuller would be proud...........

[alank]

To the original question, "When people realized the streamlined ones didn't look so good."

[96 Wideglide]

70's