8 replies to this topic

[realbtl]

So we had our first snow - yes, Oct. 9 and it was 20 degrees and a couple of inches this AM. This afternoon I had to take the camper out in the melted slush and noticed how much crud collected on the back of the camper. Has anyone thought about those little wing thingies you see on the back of newer station wagons and vans to break up the air currents that deposit dust/crud on the rear windows? Could be helpful on long stretches of dirt road as well.

Kinda O/T but damn I wish folks in their big 4x4 rigs could figure out it's not the getting going but the stopping that's the issue on snow and ice, and 4 wheel drive doesn't make you stop faster. I was driving down about 2 miles of ice - duh no surprise that it is slick - and stopped for a signal change. My little Acura with studded snow tires stops pretty well in these conditions but as I'm trying to get stopped I look in my rear view mirror and here's a 1/2 ton 4x4 sliding towards my rear bumper. Luckily he decided to go over the curb on the right rather than into me. 35mph works but you still have to leave room to stop. End rant.

[Mark W. Ingalls]

Heh. When I lived in Syracuse, NY I used to have a Saab Sonett III.



It was an 1800# car with 15 inch tires and FWD. I could do hockey stops w/o brakes by cocking 'er over, dropping the throttle and clutching at 90^o. Treat those bubba trucks like toros and you the torero!

[EdoHart]

I've thought about those wings because of the dirt that ends up on the back end of my camper. I tried searching the internet for some kind of add on, but to no avail. I did stumble across a site from which I could buy a helicopter tail rotor blade that was beyond it's service life for the value of the aluminum, but it was asymmetric.

[realbtl]

Mark- I've always thought those old Saabs were very cool. If I didn't have the beetle I'd be interested in one of the old 99s I think it was with the V4 2 stroke.
My driveway enters the main road on a shaded hill, can get very icy. The front wheel drive works very well with the studded snow tires, almost as well as rear engine/rear drive eg old VWs. There have been a couple of times I've had to back up that hill, achieving the same effect.

[wanderer]

I've thought about those wings because of the dirt that ends up on the back end of my camper. I tried searching the internet for some kind of add on, but to no avail. I did stumble across a site from which I could buy a helicopter tail rotor blade that was beyond it's service life for the value of the aluminum, but it was asymmetric.

We do not use these at work, so I do not know how well they work. I have seen them on some other trucks, They are suppoed to clean-up the air flow off the back, and give better mileage. I saw them on a travel trailer this week.
http://www.airtab.com/en/35
http://www.buyairtab.com/

[Sam]

We do not use these at work, so I do not know how well they work. I have seen them on some other trucks, They are suppoed to clean-up the air flow off the back, and give better mileage. I saw them on a travel trailer this week.
http://www.airtab.com/en/35
http://www.buyairtab.com/

Those look perfect, but I wonder if they would work on the textured/corrugated sides of the camper? The instructions say to mount on flat surfaces only.

[chnlisle]

I suspect they are the terrestrial equivalent to winglets.

[Mark W. Ingalls]

Thinking about realbtl's original wind deflector question this morning... Barney, I think you could go to a sheet metal shop and have one custom made for not a lot of money.

Those airtabs look interesting...

Road Grime Reduction

Because Airtabs™ alter the airflow at the rear of the vehicle, the partial vacuum there is reduced. There is less accumulation of road grime or snow. Less road grime means advertising remains more visible and the company's image is enhanced. Less snow means less weight to haul and less snow build up that can obscure conspicuity tape reflectors and low heat LED tail lights.

...conspicuity...

[realbtl]

Thinking about realbtl's original wind deflector question this morning... Barney, I think you could go to a sheet metal shop and have one custom made for not a lot of money.

Those airtabs look interesting...



...conspicuity...

Mark- I thought about that, was just wondering if anyone had tried anything before I drill holes in the top of the camper and spend the $.

Re: airtabs- It says they can only be applied at temps over 40. That leaves me out until about April. 12 degrees this AM, may get to 30 by the end of the day.