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Old Folks · 01-28-2016, 01:58 PM

I recently took a tour of Redwood RV. The guide said that the molded rear cap reduced drag and made for a fuel savings. Has anyone heard of this or had personal experience with it?

tderonne · 01-28-2016, 02:15 PM

Looked like this?

Pretty much a lie.

It'd need quite a bit more taper/length to help any measurable amount.

Like a Monaco Vesta:

Or this home brew tail:

(He reported going from like 12 to 16 MPG (diesel Ford chassis).

drdarrin · 01-28-2016, 03:01 PM

Reduces drag as compared to what? Claims like that are easy to make and impossible to verify. I'll bet it's "new and improved" too.

paz · 01-29-2016, 07:12 AM

If there is any improvement in fuel economy, it will be too small to measure. I have seen semis with drag-reducing devices on the trailers, but they may be driving driving over a hundred thousand miles a year. Any savings for a 5th wheel being towed a couple thousand miles would amount to pennies, if they exist at all.

clifford j · 01-29-2016, 09:46 AM

In the marketing world they call that SIZZLE . Many would think oh that's great. And it don't amount to a row of beans. :>)

CLIFF

Cumminsfan · 01-29-2016, 10:04 AM

My guess is that any fuel savings will be offset by the price of the FG rear cap. If you get .25 better you'd be lucky.

jpharley · 01-29-2016, 02:57 PM

In my opinion, the value in the rear cap is aesthetics. I doubt that it adds to fuel economy.

schrod · 01-29-2016, 03:09 PM

Might save a few pennies in fuel savings but Oh My the thousands it adds to the price tag increases the enjoyment immensely!!

wingnut60 · 01-31-2016, 08:56 AM

Ahhh, this kind of fits in with "Pickup trucks--tailgate up or down, which gives better fuel mileage?".....been argued for years.
I'd go with all the above answers that say 'pennies' to 'worthless'.
Joe

Cumminsfan · 01-31-2016, 09:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wingnut60

Ahhh, this kind of fits in with "Pickup trucks--tailgate up or down, which gives better fuel mileage?".....been argued for years.
I'd go with all the above answers that say 'pennies' to 'worthless'.
Joe

Actually tailgate up saves fuel. Myth Busters proved it in one of their shows.

wingnut60 · 01-31-2016, 09:24 AM

And I think MythBusters have been shown to be show guys--interesting, but not too scientific. I seem to remember some studies by university physics labs that could not verify either way.
Would like to dig up that episode, tho--would be good to watch how they proved it.
Thanks,
Joe

MnTom · 01-31-2016, 09:30 AM

There must be something to the shape of the rear of a vehicle for economy. I see a lot of 'Trailer Tails' on semi trailers. here is a claim of about 5.5% increase in mileage, but unless you put on many thousands of miles I doubt that a small increase in mileage would be noticeable. Here is a website if anyone is interested: Semi Truck TrailerTail® Fuel Savings Technology | STEMCO

palehorse89 · 01-31-2016, 09:35 AM

Don't forget to install the "Air Tabs" also..........https://buyairtab.com/about-airtabs/

Old Folks · 02-01-2016, 02:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by palehorse89

Don't forget to install the "Air Tabs" also..........https://buyairtab.com/about-airtabs/

I checked a few forums on the air tabs. Some truckers reported increased economy, maybe 2/10 mpg. Several RVers reported increased stability in towing. I never heard of them before, but I'll have to keep my eye out for them in the future.