Best technique when driving in strong head/tailwinds

[Peakster]

Originally Posted by Silveredwings

If your tailwind is high enough, you can open the doors and drive "Wing-n-wing."

I actually thought about attaching a sail to my roof at one point today. It would be rather efficient on long highway trips and I could just raise and lower the sails on demand . Watch as the new 'hybrids' get this feature .

[rh77]

Man, I could've used a sail when the winds were creating this the other night...



RH77

[zpiloto]

Originally Posted by rh77

Man, I could've used a sail when the winds were creating this the other night...



RH77

But then you would only be making left hand turns

[Hot Georgia]

jwxr7:

If I'm going to encounter a strong head wind, I take rural roads. That way I can keep my speed lower and these rural roads tend to be more tree lined, and the trees are closer to the road. These conditions tend to help cut the wind forces on the front of my car

I've also adopted this, and it works wonders. I just leave a few minutes earlier. I've seen more than 10MPG difference.

If I'm forced to take the freeway there's usually a big truck who's struggling for economy, who will be going slower.
I'll try and remain about 100 feet behind. The last one I recall was a real blessing: he was plodding along on a 2-lane 70MPH limit divided highway going 55 down hills and low as 45 up hill. I did good that day because of him.
Other drivers don't notice my own slow speed that much because of the truck.

[jwxr7]

I wish I could get behind a truck sometimes, for my highway commute 55mph is way too slow for anyone but me it seems . Everyone including semis fly by so fast that drafting is tough for me.

[cfg83]

Hot Georgia -

Originally Posted by Hot Georgia

jwxr7:

I've also adopted this, and it works wonders. I just leave a few minutes earlier. I've seen more than 10MPG difference.

If I'm forced to take the freeway there's usually a big truck who's struggling for economy, who will be going slower.
I'll try and remain about 100 feet behind. The last one I recall was a real blessing: he was plodding along on a 2-lane 70MPH limit divided highway going 55 down hills and low as 45 up hill. I did good that day because of him.
Other drivers don't notice my own slow speed that much because of the truck.

Amen brother. The car behind you can't get mad at you and you are "protecting" the car in front of you. Maybe this means that "GasSaver" commuters should travel in pairs of cars for best FE (every seat filled, of course).

Guess it's like being a wingman in a rotte (guess where I got that word!!!!!!).

CarloSW2

[JanGeo]

Well I always wondered about headwinds . . . the slower you go the longer it takes and the more air you travel through because it is pushing you backwards. So with that thought it might be better to go faster into the wind to minimize the net air penetration. Going down wind the best speed is slower so that it imparts more energy to your vehicle and if the wind is strong enough you go for a free EOC then do it! Of course it is even better to avoid headwinds by just waiting for the weather to change. Besides being too early this morning and I needed more sleep - I turned down a 45 minute trip in 10 degree air into the north west wind at 30+ mph - In my xB that would have probably been a 25mpg trip.

[Lug_Nut]

Originally Posted by brucepick

The resistance actually goes up with the cube of the speed change.

Are you sure? That's what I get for being stoned during High School Physics in the 70's (D-, and that was a gift from the teacher).
Yeah, E=M*C2, not M*C3. Energy goes up with the square, resistance goes up with the cube...

[brucepick]

Originally Posted by Lug_Nut

Are you sure? That's what I get for being stoned during High School Physics in the 70's (D-, and that was a gift from the teacher).
Yeah, E=M*C2, not M*C3. Energy goes up with the square, resistance goes up with the cube...

Actually I got that gem from another site populated by brainiacs. I believe the guy. And the cube thing makes sense. Road speed is linear (not even squared like area would be). But the air you compress in front of you is a three-dimensional blob. The faster you go the further forward that "blob" of compressed air extends. The volume of the blob and your pressure against it are all volume-based, that is, the dimension is cubed.

And the bottom line is, speed kills your fuel economy. Increasing your speed 25% just about doubles the air resistance. That's from 40 mph to 50 mph. Increase another 25% to 62.5 mph and you double it again, so it's now four times what it was at 40 mph. But you've only got your speed up to 62.5 mph!

Every 5 or 10 mph you can reduce your speed, you're saving gas. As long as you can run the car in top gear without lugging the engine or other such issues.

[JanGeo]

Nope drag goes up with the square of the speed - Power goes up with the cube of the speed. Because you go faster you have to burn more fuel in even less time.