Getting Better Fuel Mileage

I'd say he's right, it's coming! Wait till your fuel hits 10 dollars a gallon as did ours this week!

 

Not true ! Coe is more aerodynamic than a conventional cos it only has to break the air once and doesnt have turbulence caused by the bonnet slamming into the windscreen giving turbulent air all over the truck

 

The only thing I see you did not address is mechanical drag from friction as in the wheel Bearings and in the Rear End gears and bearings.

We have been using since July something from the racing world called MicroBlue that is a process where they prepare the metal surfaces by micro-polishing them using a 2 part REM process and then coat them with a process that binds tungsten disulfide to the metal surface.

Picked up 4/10ths MPG by just changing wheel bearings to Microblued ones on just the 3 axle tractor and picked up another 8/10ths MPG by having both rear ends moving parts all Microblued for a total gain of 1.2 MPG.

Even with us going into winter blend fuel season, I filled up my CAT 3406E powered 1998 Volvo 770 that the last 4 times on my dedicated runs at the same fuel stop in Dodge City, AL

11/22/11 8.70 MPG
11/16/11 8.93 MPG
11/15/11 8.32 MPG
11/09/11 8.58 MPG
Average 8.62 MPG

4,378 miles on 4 dedicated roundtrip runs.

Note: I switched to Michelin X-Ones XDA Energys on my drives from duals the first of November that I expect fuel mileage to improve as they break in. I like the tire too.

 

Let me throw something else out there is that Massila Valley Transport (MVT) fleet wide average is 9.5 MPG during this summer when fuel was best quality and they are governed at 66 mph. They do average load weight is around 15,000 lbs in the box that is on the light side, but it is still great fuel mileage.

Their trucks have alot of the fuel mileage tricks on them including 1 drive axle (6x2) and 1 tag axle on the tractor, wheel covers, trailer skirts, super single tires and even the boat tail on trailer.

 

maxeffort,

Would you say http://www.airflowtruck.com/ is 'the ultimate' design aerodynamically?

I see where it can be improved by at least 5-7%

I doubt anyone 'can believe' the 13.4 MPG.

 

I’m 4 years late but lo pro tires have more rolling resistance than tall rubber.

 

That is 100% incorrect

 

And how do you get that I’m 100% incorrect?

 

Because the more sidewall flex you have, the higher the rolling resistance. Tall rubber has more sidewall than low pro tires so that means they also have more rolling resistance. You should really take a look at Michelin's website or AMBT. It's all there

 

I don’t think that is on Michelin website. I understand what you are saying and I thought the same till I was educated and showed tall rubber has better fuel economy due to the main loss of energy in a tire is in the contact patch itself, the part of tire that contacts the road and also the sidewall flex. The lo pro has more revs per mile than tall rubber which means more times the tread and sidewall compresses causing the loss of energy. This is why low rolling resistance tires have less tread new. The less rubber to compress equals less energy loss.