Has anyone on here tried an aerodynamic drag reduction product called Airtabs?? I know all about them i’m just looking to find out what kind of impact in “real life” trucking they have as the only data I have on them is from the MIRA test track. I am of the opinion that the product does work but I’d like some user feedback before investing in them. I know Morrisons supermarket and Fed-ex in the UK are using them so can anyone help. For the record I’m not a driver but a mere engineer looking to save some dosh for my company.
stu6564:
Has anyone on here tried an aerodynamic drag reduction product called Airtabs?? I know all about them i’m just looking to find out what kind of impact in “real life” trucking they have as the only data I have on them is from the MIRA test track. I am of the opinion that the product does work but I’d like some user feedback before investing in them. I know Morrisons supermarket and Fed-ex in the UK are using them so can anyone help. For the record I’m not a driver but a mere engineer looking to save some dosh for my company.
The BEST way to suggest your company save a giant pile of dosh is to have their fleet governed to have 50mph top speed 
Sit back and watch the diesel bill drop. 
I fully understand your point! however changing an old school mind to recognise technological advances is easier to do than convince him to govern the engines down to 50mph. Lost miles and more time would be his arguement! Just to note AirTabs are only effective over 40 mph so only 3 of the lorries would be fitted with them (continent workers). With that in mind an approximite figure on the annual fuel bill would be a saving of around 8-13% (a conservitive estimate).
Yes they do work, although you’ll be lucky to see more than a 1% fuel saving and there’s no way you could measure that in a real world operation.
The purpose of them is to reduce the vortex at the back of the trailer and between unit and trailer, they do this and it’s easy to see that they do indeed work by looking at the back doors on a trailer that has them, they will stay cleaner a lot longer as the road spray isn’t being sucked up onto the back doors, so the sucking back effect of the negative pressure behind the trailer is obviously reduced and that’s exactly what they’re supposed to do
Saying that, I think they’re nasty looking things and for the small amount of money they save, I would rather not have them. You would see the same fuel savings from maintaining correct tyre pressures and that costs SFA
Montracon call them Vortex Generators. Look alright on the trailers, not on the units though.
Or you could go the whole hog and be laughed at all over UK…
I’d rather lose 1mpg than keep that ■■■■■■■■■■■■■ maintained as it wood be cheaper, I see em all over The USA they’re awful truly awful…
They have about half a mile of scaffolding holding them together, so they’ll last about 5mins when the clowns from over on the UK forum get their hands on them 
A better all round aerodynamic solution are the diffusers that sit in front of the trailer axles and force the air over them and out of the back, those eliminate the need for easily damaged side skirts and also help that negative pressure thing at the back doors, they reckon they’re worth a full mpg
I was talking to a bloke with that set up and he picked up 7/10ths over the side skirts he had before, this bloke checked every tank and really knew his numbers, he reckoned on making his money back in 6 months and that included the cost of teh side skirts he threw in the skip when he swapped for the new system
newmercman:
They have about half a mile of scaffolding holding them together, so they’ll last about 5mins when the clowns from over on the UK forum get their hands on them
Ummm, this is the Owner & Fleet Operators forum 
A better all round aerodynamic solution are the diffusers that sit in front of the trailer axles and force the air over them and out of the back, those eliminate the need for easily damaged side skirts and also help that negative pressure thing at the back doors, they reckon they’re worth a full mpg
I was talking to a bloke with that set up and he picked up 7/10ths over the side skirts he had before, this bloke checked every tank and really knew his numbers, he reckoned on making his money back in 6 months and that included the cost of teh side skirts he threw in the skip when he swapped for the new system
Any links for those ?
Here you go
Not so bad on a trailer, but they look plain nasty on the side of your cab 
You could go the whole hog…
13.4 mpg airflowtruck.com/New_Build_Pics.html but ■■■■ it’s ugly