# Lets Talk About Airtabs



## Thor (Apr 7, 2004)

I have been readiung Trailer Life and they have an article about improving fuel ecomony and they focused on the regular type stuff (speed, tire pressure etc). This reminded about an add that I saw trying to sell Airtabs.

Check out their website

Clicky Thingy


































It seems to make sense and it looks easy enough to do...so what is the catch????

I look at like dimples on a golf ball - they allow the ball to travel further with the same energy. I think it should work..kinda makes sense

What does everyone else think? Does anyone know who has tried this?

The other hand if it was so quick and easy ...why do I not see all the transports with them??

Thor


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## Sayonara (Jul 23, 2007)

THats pretty cool. Let us know how they work......


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## webeopelas (Mar 11, 2006)

I would suspect that while the theory for the airtabs is correct, the actual gain in real world applications is minimal. The reduction in "suction" forces will be so small in relation to the "pushing" forces on the front of the trailer/RV as to make no difference.

I could be proved wrong, but as you said, if it was so easy, why aren't all the truckers using them. Especially when even a small increase in MPG is big when traveling thousands to millions of miles a year.


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## GoVols (Oct 7, 2005)

I think it would be virtually impossible to gauge any savings attributable to them. A 2.5% improvement at 13 MPG is only 0.325 MPG, and you will gain/lose that much with all the other variables affecting fuel mileage.

Buy them if it makes you feel better, but you'll be hard pressed to ever prove it.


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## PDX_Doug (Nov 16, 2004)

I have seen these before. Will they work? Maybe. Are they worth the cost? Doubtful.

Devices such as these - known as _vortex generators_ - are common and used to great effect on aircraft and race cars. The idea is to cleanly separate the airflow from a surface prior to reaching the point where surface friction induced drag overcomes aero efficiencies. There are, however, some significant differences between an airplane and a travel trailer!

First, in the case of the aircraft or race car, you are dealing with an otherwise very clean surface. The natural tendency of the airflow is to stay attached to the surface, and the generators provide interruptions to that clean surface which causes the airflow to separate. Your TT is already covered with devices that do just that. Window and door frames, awnings, external fittings and handles (the list goes on), all act - unintentionally - to separate the airflow from the surface. It's hard to imagine that these devices will do anything that is not already happening (maybe on an Airstream!).

The second major difference between your TT and those Gulfstreams and Ferraris is speed. Aerodynamic drag increases with the square of speed, and until you reach a very high velocity, the effect of aerodynamic aids is going to be negligible at best. On an airplane such a device is going to have little to no effect at 60 MPH, but at 200 MPH the benefits become tangible, and you can bet that at 500 MPH the use of such devices is hugely important.

Finally, as with anything aerodynamic, the actual design sizing and placement of the devices is a very exacting science/art. Boeing and others expend huge amounts of resources and testing determining exactly how and where to apply such devices. In many cases moving an aid even a few inches one way or another can totally alter its effectiveness and value. The notion that you could just slap these Airtabs on any generic TT and expect to achieve a positive result is - in my mind - highly optimistic. Equally likely is that the drag produced by the tabs as well as their weight will more than offset any possible gain.

So, back to the initial statement, the theory is sound and the benefits of vortex generators are well known, but the net result all depends on the application. I would buy them if you think they look cool, or add a little stylistic flare to your TT... But I would not expect to actually see any benefit from them.

But then, what do I know?









Happy Trails,
Doug

Now put that Outback on a conveyor belt...


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## Y-Guy (Jan 30, 2004)

We had this talk with some toy hauler owners too, seems the final nail in the coffin how many semi-trucks do you see with them? If they really made a big difference they would be rushing to add them to every rig they own. I've looked when I'm out on a trip, so far I haven't seen one. You can bet that as many trucks that Wal-Mart owns they would have them. For $200 I can buy a lot of gas.


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## Nathan (Jan 2, 2007)

So, on the curb side do you put them on the trailer, or on the awning arm?!?!









IMO, trailers just aren't clean enough aerodynamically to worry about something like this. What we need is someone at a University with access to a wind tunnel to go and test it


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## Scoutr2 (Aug 21, 2006)

I'd have to say that if these things worked as well as the claims on the website, we'd be seeing a lot of them in the trucking industry. I cannot recall EVER seeing these on any truck I've encountered. And even if they did work, you'd have to tow your trailer a lot of miles to make back the cost.

They sell for $2.50 each, or a set for $200. Around home, I get about 10 mpg when towing. A 2.5% improvement would get me up to 10.25 mpg. At $3.00 per gallon, I'd have to tow over 26,600 miles to recoup the cost of the Airtabs. (At my gas mileage, their claim would save me 1 gallon for every 400 miles towing.)

And that's if I actually realize what they claim. What with all the stuff on the roof of my Outback (A/C, antenna, fridge vent, 3 Max-Air vent covers, a sky-light, 2 tank vents, etc), I seriously doubt that I would see the full 2.5% improvement. As Doug said, what works on a clean, smooth surface probably won't work near as well on surfaces that have other stuff sticking out all over - especially when that other stuff sticks out further than these doo-hickeys.

Call me a skeptic, but to quote P. T. Barnum, "There's a sucker born every minute."

No criticism intended - just my take on the subject.

Mike


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## Collinsfam_WY (Nov 9, 2006)

Scoutr2 said:


> I'd have to say that if these things worked as well as the claims on the website, we'd be seeing a lot of them in the trucking industry. I cannot recall EVER seeing these on any truck I've encountered. And even if they did work, you'd have to tow your trailer a lot of miles to make back the cost.
> 
> They sell for $2.50 each, or a set for $200. Around home, I get about 10 mpg when towing. A 2.5% improvement would get me up to 10.25 mpg. At $3.00 per gallon, I'd have to tow over 26,600 miles to recoup the cost of the Airtabs. (At my gas mileage, their claim would save me 1 gallon for every 400 miles towing.)
> 
> ...


X2

-CC


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## Scrib (Jun 28, 2005)

There are some Class C folks with these. The effect on mileage (if any) is immeasurable, as well as any improvement in stability (how do you measure that?). They are very effective, though, in keeping the dinghy and the rear the RV much cleaner.


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## Carey (Mar 6, 2012)

click
I have seen maybe just a few semis with these airtabs.. BUT I have seen lots with this setup installed on them.. The guys who have these say they really increase mileage. Would work well on a pick/suv too, I bet.

Carey


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