MythBusters: Does Drafting Semis Improve Fuel Economy?

[Hockey4mnhs]

i just give myself a ton of time i love drafting because i dont feel as guilty.

[Bubba Bob]

Drafting works. I found out last week while towing a trailer, you can get pretty far back and still feel the positive effects. However, if you get too close and a tire explodes... good luck to ya.

Also, as mentioned before, rock chips in paitn and glass are a PITA.

They are also testing a truck's trailer tire exploding, causing injury to a driver behind it "myth". Although, I dont know how thats a myth. Itll be interesting to see what they say. Ive seen blown tires turn DOT bumpers into pretzels, I have no doubt about it coming through a windsheild.

[zpiloto]

I curious why they are even doing this. Is that any doubt that drafting reduces the amount of airflow? Bike racers and cars racers have been doing this for many many years. I guess I'm missing something maybe they will draft from 3-5 car links back or something. Odd.

[DRW]

One of the previews showed them drafting within a foot of the trucks rear bumper. Just a little dangerous, ya think?

How about testing the myth that the trucks FE goes down when they're being drafted?

[philmcneal]

drafting rocks, when you open your windows... you totally notice the air rushing through when the truck speeds up away from you or takes the exit ;(

get close as you can, then draft glide that's my strategy, as well as hovering the brake as I glide but since i have a prius i have to "feather" the gas pedal to coast so its two feet for me

if mythbusters says bs then i can understand, don't want noobs drafting now...

[Hockey4mnhs]

yeah ive seen a ton of people drafting around these parts. it kinda pisses me off because they drive really bad for fe once there away from the truck. so all there doing is getting a little bit of a booste from the truck then lose it all after flooring it at a light. and form what i hear truck drievrs dont like it so that just gets them more pissed

[atomicradish]

I live an hour and a half from the nearest Interstate highway, so there is very little opportunity to draft.

[Telco]

Y'all enjoy that semi drafting, this is one I won't do. A windshield costs about 150 to 500 depending on vehicle (some are even more), add to that my time to get it replaced as I don't let anyone work on my vehicles unsupervised (after watching one "tech" attempt to remove my glass by kicking it out with his freakin' feet ), then there's the risk of retread tires (commonly used by semis) coming apart without warning and the possibility of a sleepy, punch drunk OTR driver jackknifing his truck when the tire blows, you can keep drafting. Too risky and too expensive to me over a few MPGs.

[omgwtfbyobbq]

I think the rocks/retread's the most likely. If I can't stop before a jackknifed semi does then I shouldn't be driving the car at all!

[Telco]

All it takes is for your attention to be diverted at the wrong time, for just a split second. By the time you get back to the road, get your bearings, see the trailBOOOM! Even professional drivers in multimillion dollar racecars have said "I looked away just for a second..."