Yes, the tires. That's a good point. I have seen one blows just beside me and that's the kind of expericence you don't forget. And that append often.

Yes, thank you for your comments

PM

 

Yesterday, I was returning home from a business trip to Mobile, AL (about 230 miles one way). I had extreme humidity and heavy rain for a while -- required AC for a while, as well as the MPG hit from rain....by the end of the trip I had pulled MPG up to 50.5 for the entire 230 mile trip. I did a fair amount of drafting behind trucks going pretty slow (65-70), and I could feel it when I was in a sweet spot -- I typically got no closer than about 3 car lengths, and even there I could feel the "pull" from the big trucks.

Anyway, this car still only has about 1300 miles on it, about 500 of which came in the last three days on this trip -- I had a 51.6 mpg average on the trip there, in fair weather, at speeds between 65 and 72 mph. The first 55 miles, I had an average just over 55mpg, but when I turned to head more SW, I had stiff crosswinds....

It is never dull driving when trying to play the FE game!

 

As a general rule from what I can remember from driver's ed class and some old Disney cartoons on driving, you should leave 1 car space between you and the vehicle in front of you for every 10 mph you are driving. E.G. going 70? then drop back 7 car lengths, or roughly 100ft.
Although braking systems are better these days and civics are lighter than the average car, this is just a guideline for safety, i.e. it allows you to make good decisions to avoid accidents or to brake properly.

 

True, but a football field is 300 ft, or 100 YARDS.

 

I get around 42 MPG when the cruise control is set at 70 MPH.

 

Two points here:

1. Whatever money you're saving in gasoline by drafting a semi, you'll spend more to repaint the hood and replace the windshield from the stones the truck throws at you. I've seen truckers so irritated by drafters that they swerve the rig onto the shoulder to kick up dust and rocks just to get the car driver off their a--.

2. The reason truckers hate drafters is that they cost the truckers mpg. While the car driver is benefiting, the truck driver is paying more by having to pull that extra load through the air. There's no free lunch in physics.

Personally, I avoid angering men who drive 20-ton machines in proximity to my compact sedan.

 

WOW, are you drafters ever missing one HUGE factor. At 60 mph, an car is going 88 FEET PER SECOND. At 75 mph (original post said 70-75 mph) that figure rises to 110 FEET PER SECOND. That means his 12 feet gap would be closed in 1/10th of a second if the trucker slammed on his brakes. Do you SERIOUSLY believe you can interpret the info that he is braking, process that from your eye to your leg and foot and get the brake applied in 1/10th of a second ??????

 

Yep!

I work in the trucking and transportation industry as a technical instructor. What this poster has said and the poster below him is exactly correct. This is an extraordinarily foolish thing to do. It come up in my classes occasionally.

I'm also old enough to remember the gas crisis of the 1970's when ding-dongs in VW Bugs would do the same thing, sometimes with the engine off and the trans in neutral.

PLEASE don't do this!

 

I agree that there are significant safety risks with close-in drafting. However, point 2 is incorrect. Mark Martin's website describes it well.

http://www.markmartin.org/drafting.html

 

I agree. If anything the drafter HELPS the draftee's MPG, ever-so-slightly. The reason truckers hate close drafters is that it's a dangerous practice, period.