tractor fairings pros/cons

Great for aerodynamics but not so great when it comes time for maintenance.

 

They help with fuel economy, but they sit too low to the ground. They get busted up pretty easy. I prefer not to have them.

 

Mainly put on the truck for aerodynamics and help with mpgs. Depends on what kinda trailer u pull and what u haul for it inorder to see if its worth add the fairings on ur truck or not.

 

I'd say if I'm haulin something where im like 90% on blacktop i'd prefer to have the fairings but thats just me. I pull double bottom dumps with a freightliner fld that has the side fairings on it bcuz it was a former fleet truck. The driver we had on this truck before me screwed up the fairing on the whole right side while dropping at a landfill -_-. Cant wait till I take these dumb fairings off, naked tanks just look so much better on flds unless u have one with the full fairing kit.

 

Well if your a big guy like me, getting under them to blow your air tanks, check the air dryer etc, if you have any kind of fuel or air leak, well, they become the most dreaded PITA part of the truck. I prefer the classic look of exposed tanks.

 

Hi p47, depends what kind of trailer you pull. Nowadays, all trucks are somewhat aerodynamic, as opposed to the old cabovers years ago. Fairings are pretty useless on dump, tanker, and certain flatbed trailers, but absolutely essential on van or reefer trailers. When I had my old Western Star conventional pulling van trailers, I put a wind deflector on the roof of the sleeper, and gained 3/4 to 1 mpg. While that may not sound like much, over the course of a year, and with the price of fuel, it made a big difference. Those underside fairings on trailers you see, another great idea, as the rear wheels of a trailer catch a lot of wind. Just look at European trucks, that have been aerodynamic for years, and just now, America is starting to catch up, mostly because old fashioned ideas about how a truck looks with them, didn't go over well in the US, but the price of fuel changed all that.

 

I drive off road and to/from construction sites so I forgo the plastics so I get the ground clearance. If you're driving the freeways all day pulling a box it will make a major difference in mpgs.