Quote:
Originally Posted by ROADOG
I'd like to thank everyone who replied to my question, there was lots of good information, but no one had much to say about the rearward slope that was used on a lot of coaches back in the early nineties; London Aire would be a prime example, though most of the other manufacturers did the same thing to some degree. As far as I can tell all of the companies have now moved to a more vertical front end.
Anyone care to comment?
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The rearward slope of the front end IS "Frontal Area."
Reportedly, this design element is the largest area for improvement for Drag Coefficient.
The BEST front end design for MPG efficiency would be a VERY sloped front end, the top and side corners should be a rounded as possible, and there should be an air-dam of some sort. This was reported to contribute as much as 80% of the Drag Coefficient on a CabOver OTR Truck (similar shape as a bus style RV).
For a Class "A" RV, the space loss in the interior from this shape is only the front overhead cabinettes (unless there's a drop-down bunk), which shows how much customer visual preference is the controlling factor.
There are exceptions, like the Monaco Vesta.
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