Difference in towing a v-nose enclosed trailer over a regular one

[redneckdiesel]

I am in the market for buying a new enclosed trailer for business and need one that is 8 ft inside height. Being that tall, I know it's going to affect my gas mileage considerable. Does anyone out there currently have or have pulled one of the v-nose trailers and if so, did it give you any better mpg over the regular flat front ones?

[LMJD]

I guess it's comparing apples to oranges, but my V-nose 3 horse gooseneck trailer pulls easier with more weight in it than my flat front end 24' gooseneck travel trailer. As for mileage, that's a tough one, it depends where I'm pulling to, how big a hurry, wind, etc. However, I can't help but feel wind, load, and all other things being equal, a V-nose has to get a mile or two better MPG.

[PerryB]

LMJD's probably about right on the mileage. I'd say a 1 to 1.5 MPG increase is about what you could expect from the V-nose. How much more does it cost versus a square nose trailer?

[T_Bone]

Hi RD,

I had a website (no longer valid) that was testing custom 5th wheels that they were designing. There data shown that once you made a round/rolled/slant nose beyond 5º there was very little aerodymanic advantage until you hit the very sharp nose cone designs.

What made the huge gains was a smooth bottom with a 15º kick up on the back of the trailer and a 10º slant on the overhead to coach vertical face joint. If I remember correct this was a 15% gain and the largest gain of any of the designs.





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