Best drafting distance ?

I must tell you I dont spend much time drafting, but I sometimes cant help but slip over behind a truck or motor home, usually after a few miles I get bored and have to back off. I feel the need to back off where I can relax without risk of not reacting to a sudden change from the car I am following. and seriously I stay back a truck length and I think that is enough time to react. Other trucks follow at that distance for hours on end. how can they do it without going cross eyed or falling asleep

 

Everything affects mpg. the climb, the inflation of your tires, the weight in your car, and the air resistance. not to mention everything else. going up hill extra weight and tire inflation would be the major ones. if you can drive behind a truck or better yet in a line of trucks if you have a big one in front and a big one in back you have almost 0 resistance due to air speed. Often trucks are going slow up the hill, but if they are going fast enough to keep you content to drive behind them you may gain some mpg

drive a truck length back and watch the truck in front like a hawk. be ready to get on the brakes if the truck slows down.

What is your average mpg going up the hill?

 

Truck Drivers drive for a living and communicate with each other. If you are far enough back to be safe, then you are not drafting and will see no benefits, regardless what somebody on TV tells you. It is apparent some here do or plan to draft regardless of the warnings from those that know, so have a nice life.

 

You never know, they could have been high. Many people out there don't have logic or commoner courtesy. Just today I moved left from the far right lane giving the car incoming enough room to come out safely at the speed he was going. Damned if the yahoo behind me doesn't then move into the right lane causing the incoming car to practically stop to avoid a accident. This was a case of being in such a hurry, he didn't have time to think. He never had a clue as to why I moved over and probably didn't care.

 

If the truck driver and I had cb radios and were comunicating. how could that help if someone cut him off or stopped in front of him? would he first get on the brakes good and hard then say breaker breaker xraydoug. gona be stopping shortly, you better get on your breaks. or would he radio me first so I have a chance to start hitting my breaks before he does. I think truck drivers comunicating dosent change anything.

As far as trucks following other trucks, how could this be any better givin that trucks dont stop as quickly and light cars do. "prius c 118 feet from 60mph. I will admit truck drivers drive a lot more than other drivers. that has a benifit. but the trucks dont stop as easy so collisions would be more likely.

I follow at a minimum of one truck length. I think it is safe if I am alert and driving conditions are good. If you want to say that is not drafting I'm ok with that.

on mythbusters they had an episode that they did several runs if i recall at 100 feet was the first then 50 feet, and I think 3 more every time they got closer the mpg went up! and that was on a old car like 70 something nova or similar.

My prius c mpg can change dramatically from changes in speed, temperature, wind resistance ect. I see changes when I drive behind something large.

And finally who is the expert? The one who says it won't work, or, the one who is doing it and it dose work.

 

Correct, the lousier your aerodynamics are, the more drafting works. (if you survive) The Prius is one of the worst cars to draft in as the aerodynamics are already very good, so the improvement is minimal. (the Prius c would be better, as the aerodynamics are worse)

I am betting that the expert is the person who can spell brakes, and does. (Or at least he looks more expert than the person who can't spell brakes or does)

 

Wow great mpg on you Prius v, We get better than your fuelly mpg in our Camry hybrid. does that make you a poor driver? And yes I will admit spelling is a difficult thing for me With some determination I was able to graduate high school and also earned an associate degree. Im no expert in spelling I suspect that many of the truck drivers also have difficulty with spelling or math or history. does this disqualify them from being great drivers?

 

My Prius have replaced a truck, not a car, so is always 'full'. This effects my mileage, as does 40+ years of bad driving habits, always running with my lights on, and A/C running full blast to keep a northern boy alive in Mississippi.

(Why I chose a v)

 

I hope toyota and others start offering small pickups and mini vans in hybrid. It seems like that would be a great seller. it seems that your v is getting the job done