Anyone have a roof mounted wing on their 08 or any other pickup? What brand wing do you have and how big of a trailer are you pulling? I'm looking at a turbo wing , but its costlly and I dont know if its going to make much of a difference. How much of a increase in mpg do you see? Thanks!
Wings do help the air flow over the trailer. There are other brands beside Turbo Wing. Look at some of the RV part suppliers. Don't know how much difference they make in MPG but I am sure they help some.
__________________
2001 International 4700LP T444E 210HP Allison AT545 3.38
Wings haven't come up for discussion for several years. Way back when, two different members that were engineers did extensive tests on wings (air foils).
Their conclusion? The nice pretty ones that look good don't do any good. But they do draw attention from the ignorant when you pull into a KOA.
In order to work, the airfoil must be at least as wide as the trailer, and the top edge must be as high as the highest part of the front of the trailer. And the top edge of the airfoil must be within a coupla feet of the leading edge of the front of the trailer. You're talking about some big ugly contraptions. At least 8' wide and mounted on the back of the cab roof at about a 45º angle so it sticks back over the bed of the pickup. And if you have one of those big fancy 5ers that's 8.5' (102") wide, then an 8' sheet of plywood won't be wide enough. So you need to go with a "ping pong table" piece of plywood that's 9' x 5'. And if your trailer is more than about 30" taller than the roof of your pickup, then you'll need more than that 5" wide piece of plywood sticking up over the back of the pickup bed.
Like I said, it's a big, ugly contraption. But it works to increase MPG.
Then what do you do when you unhook the trailer? Haul that big, ugly contraption around? Or do you design it so the plywood folds down and lies flat when the trailer is not tied on?
Have you ever tried to manhandle a 9'x5' piece of 3/4" plywood? It's a handfull! Don't even think about bolting it to the roof only. Build the frame that goes down to the bed of the pickup, or maybe the bedrails, with most of the weight of the airfoil on the pickup bed and not on the roof of your pickup.
But if you want to just look good and don't really care whether it works or not, then get one of those nice pretty ones like you mentioned. Such as this one: TURBOWING AIR DEFLECTORS from WINGMASTER COMPANY
Their claim that it keeps bugs off the front of the trailer is more or less true. But their MPG claim is probably bogus - unless your 5er is very short top to bottom and narrow side to side.
To see an effective airfoil, go to any truckstop and look at the newer cross-country over-the-road trucks with box trailers tied on. Notice the nice aerodynamic body (including sleeper) is as wide as the trailer, and as tall as the trailer, and there's not much space between the back of the truck and the front of the trailer. That's what you're shooting for when you design your airfoil.
And when you get it built, it will probably be a big, ugly, contraction.
__________________
My Sierra Blanca is a '99.5 PSD CrewCab hot-rod Towing Machine! BTS tranny; TurboRamAir intake and 4" stainless turbo-back exhaust; DP-Tuner tunes flashed into an Edge Evolution tuner; ISSPRO EV gauges and TTM; AIC; SP-Diesel exhaust brake and torque converter controller. I special-ordered it new and plan to drive it until it quits.
Last edited by SmokeyWren : 08-31-2008 at 06:43 PM.
Smokey doesn't have to personally try anything out to see if works or not ,he just knows.
No, but some folks have posted on the performance of their rigs after installing their Taylor wings. You might even be able to find them on here if you know how to use the search tool. Unfortunately, their experience was that it was a very expensive bug deflector. No significant fuel savings but the nose of their trailers stayed cleaner.
__________________
2002 F350 Lariat CC 4x4 Auto 4.10 DRW, DP-Tuner F5 live tuned stock, quiet, 40dd, 40, 60, 80 tow, 80e and 120r, B&W GN, BrakeSmart, 'pooned tank, tank and pre-pump mods, 2µ Dahl 100 filter, regulated return, BTS dual HPOP, AC singles with EDM 34 lpm nozzles, AIS, H2e, Spearco 6.0 IC, Hypermax 3.5" dp--> MBRP 4" 304SS exhaust, BTS tranny, 203º T-stat, Chevron ELC, coolant filter, Oilguard bypass with Schaeffer 9000, WranglerNW 200 amp alternator & Optima group 31 batteries, Nippon-Denso starter, SPA gauges, SteveRacer mods, Hella 80/100W 9007s, Hella Micro DE foglights, 1000FF driving lights, 220W backup lights, Stancor contactor, Michelin XPS Traction tires, X-Springs, Bilstein shox, custom bumpers but otherwise stock. Nov 30 '99 build engine with 16 K miles, Fluidampr, Comp Cam 910 springs, Melling LPOP and ARP headstuds. Alien-Patrol Customer Service Sucks!
I have been pulling my high profile 5er since it was new and I have always debated with myself about spending the money for one. Looks like I can spend it on some more go juice.
__________________
1994 F-350 7.3 IDI Turbo, crew cab, E4OD, LB, Dually,
ATS Turbo upgrades: 3" DP with 3" exhaust Magnaflow XL muffler: Pictures Here
1997 Jayco fifth wheel 323 RKS, Robins 16K dual axis hitch
Apillar pod with: Autometer C2 Series gauges: pyro,trans, boost
Hypermax Cowl induction, Flex-A-Lite 26K tranny cooler w/fan
K&N air filter (we'll see in a million miles)
Tekonsha "prodigy" brake control
Train Horns: Pictures here
they work but the cost of one verse the mileage increase is not worth it unless you drive .5 million miles then you MIGHT break even.I built my own just to see if they can help and my mileage increase was ABOUT .1 mpg. that was over 3 k trip that I do 6 times a year[same roads and speeds]It does help with the bugs but at the same time if bugs are deflected then it stand to say so is SOME for the air.The one I have now [made it to] works better it is as tall as the trailer and just about as wide[lacks 3 inchs per side]and is 2 feet from the trailer[have to watch out how I turn on inclines]And it does work gained about .5 mpg.And running in a head wind in WY. I could run faster and still keep the EGTs in check.STan
Unfortunately, their experience was that it was a very expensive bug deflector. No significant fuel savings but the nose of their trailers stayed cleaner.
Exactly, they've been discussed year in and year out on the many RV forums and everyone agrees they are a waste of money.
No. You don't have to burn your hand to learn that a metal pot on a campfire gets too hot to handle with your bare hands.
Every time I consider it, I research it and determine it's not cost effective. IOW, it has a negative return on investment (ROI). So I haven't spent the up-front investment to try it.
Last edited by SmokeyWren : 09-01-2008 at 07:17 PM.
I had(still have but don't use) one. It worked better with our previous mid-profile 5er than with our current full height whatevertheycallthem 5er, and at lower speeds. Mostly they help deflect bugs from hitting the front of a 5er, but don't really help in MPG. With a TT they may help more I dunno. The only time I counted MPG with the wing I got 2-3 MPG better at 55-60, even steven at 65 and lost almost 2 at 70+. And don't even drive the truck without the 5er with the wing. Like say run into town to get grub while your camped. Without the 5er and running 70-75 into town, I got just over 9MPG. About the same as with the 5er and no wing. It felt like I had a sail tied to the truck. Prolly 'cause I did. It was the wing. All and all, I didn't find it worth the money or hassle of putting it on and taking it off. If I could drive slow I could get 13-14 without it. But, alas I can't drive 55. Counting those white stripes S L O W L Y pass by kills me.
If you're interested in economy,,,tow at 50-55 MPH and save your money.
2006 F350 CC LWB Dually XLT Oxford white manual 4x4 6.0 PSD 6 speed. 4.10 LS front and rear, Built May05. 4" turbo back, 100gal aux fuel tank. A real pig from a stop, but give me 10' and she'll lite'em up.
But, alas I can't drive 55. Counting those white stripes S L O W L Y pass by kills me.
If you're interested in economy,,,tow at 50-55 MPH and save your money.
I agree it's HARD to drive 55 with the "house" behind you. It's something I am trying to work on...Have been for yrs. Is there a support group for that, seems like there is for everything else
__________________
1994 F-350 7.3 IDI Turbo, crew cab, E4OD, LB, Dually,
ATS Turbo upgrades: 3" DP with 3" exhaust Magnaflow XL muffler: Pictures Here
1997 Jayco fifth wheel 323 RKS, Robins 16K dual axis hitch
Apillar pod with: Autometer C2 Series gauges: pyro,trans, boost
Hypermax Cowl induction, Flex-A-Lite 26K tranny cooler w/fan
K&N air filter (we'll see in a million miles)
Tekonsha "prodigy" brake control
Train Horns: Pictures here
Re Air WIng Thing: Here's another way to think about it. Think fluid dynamics. Air & water behave similar. I.E take the same shapes we are talking about, invert & move through the water like a boat hull with something attached behind. In order for the water to flow smoothly, the hull & towed object need to be similarly sized and shaped to fare cleanly. Otherwise turbulence, eddies & energy wasting things develop. Same same. Think towed barge, it's an exaggeration, but the principle is the same. BTW, ever seen a speeding towboat/barge combo?
__________________
O7 F-250 XLT S/C L/B, 4X4, 2" lift, Firestone air bags, o/b compressor, Ranchos, Linex, Diselsite coolant filter, Fumoto oil drain, straight through truck muffler, 5" Flo-Pro s/s tip, Kobalt toolbox, bug shield & ventshades, Steelcraft s/s bull bar, IPC dr & fog lights, Rampage s/s step boards, Line of Fire LED under tailgate, fog lights on class III hitch reverse lights, JVC HDR-1, Infinity Kappas, wheelskins, cover king dash mat, Husky mud flaps.
Artic Fox 21-5R 5ver
Totalled 01 F-350 C/C, L/B (someone ran a stop sign, & ended up as a hood ornament), many xtras, best of which from Rob Riley (Diselsite), Jody Tipton (DP Tuner) & many thanks to Dieselstop contributors.
We stand on the shoulders of giants. If you can read, thank a teacher, if it's english, thank a vet.
Such as this one: 
Linear Mode
