Aerodynamic wheel covers question..

If you use brakes on downgrades I wouldn’t use them.. However if you use jakes properly they might be worth the 1% fuel savings over time

 

I am skeptical as far as 1% goes, there is a good chance it is closer to .01%. I have my doubts a one truck operation would notice much difference in the bottom line.

 

They could at least make them some spinner hub caps or something.

 

The aerodynamic mud flaps with holes in them I would not recommend. I’ve seen so many start breaking apart even the ones on the tractor. It seems like debris on the road hits the mud flaps on the tractor and tears pieces of it. This likely isn’t from bumping it against a curb like is common on the trailer mud flaps.

 

If you buy some, you want them to have a lock in them. Deflecktor wheel covers come with a lock. Schneider is using them. They’re claiming a 1-2% savings. I personally think that’s not enough to warrant the cost of these things which will probably be close to 1k. Schneider buys tons of them, and may even own the company that produces them.

 

I don't care for them.

The brakes get their airflow from behind the drums into the pads. The airflow around the drums towards the sides covered by the covers are less than Ideal. I think the covers are only in the way, not worth it.

You cannot check the hubs with the covers on. You cannot check the heat of the brakes inside the wheel near the bolts with the covers on. You cannot hand check for bad bolts that have started spinning in place on frost heaved roads in say the dakotas. Yes you can break drive wheel bolts on those kinds of bad roads. Maybe one maybe 5 maybe all of them. When they rattle off your wheel and tires come off with them. And will try to kill someone. So the covers are no good.

Anytime the tires need changing those covers are in the way. If god forbid you have a old fashioned over heated tire fire *In the early times of trucking I checked tires three times a hour for overheating, in those days the 5 spoked big bolt tire rims were very easy to change. Preferably before they burn. Less of a problem today but those covers are in the way.

And your wheels are probably aluminum or a alloy of good quality, you will collect stones, dirt dust and god knows what else constantly scouring it. Eventually you will have to replace the wheels. Such savings eh? toss the covers.

I am set in my ways. I don't care if I am one truck or a company with 20,000 tractors, there will be no wheel covers. As a matter of fact the areodynamic BS stuff will be reduced to a bare minimum. Or taken off entirely. We spent 100 years in trucking without them and it really did not affect the fuel mileage that much. Say from 4 mpg to 5 then 6 then 7. All that fancy stuff might get you closer to 9. Many companies will be almost orgasmic to have 9 miles to gallon now that they will need all the savings they can get to pay off those fancy covers plastering their trucks and trailers everywhere.

 

Day or night, any time I stop I walk around and feel the hubs, I couldn't do that with them things on.

 

Or see when studs snap off or they leak.

That’s why I don’t run dishes on my truck. I heard a stud rattling in one because it snapped off and it was leaking pretty bad. After that I took them all off.