Wind Deflection - Montana Owners Club

McIver · 02-23-2019, 09:09 AM

Does any one have experience with the kind of wind deflection on see used on the cab of 18 wheelers?

jeffba · 02-23-2019, 09:18 AM

Huh???

mlh · 02-23-2019, 09:20 AM

That was a big deal for RVs 20 years ago. But not so much now.
Lynwood

twindman · 02-23-2019, 11:17 AM

Thing like that and the tail gate stuff only save a couple percent on economy, according to some research articles I have seen in the past.

**DQDick** · 02-23-2019, 11:54 AM

I know a couple of people who had them and took them off years ago. The new campers are more aero that the old flat fronted ones and they didn't feel it made any or enough difference to keep them.

BB_TX · 02-23-2019, 02:07 PM

Those wind deflectors on 18 wheelers are about the same height of the trailer. Those made for pickups are typically much lower than the trailer height. And farther from the trailer. Meaning less benefit.

WeBeFulltime · 02-24-2019, 06:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by McIver

Does any one have experience with the kind of wind deflection on see used on the cab of 18 wheelers?

If you're serious about improving your fuel mileage have a delete done.

McIver · 02-24-2019, 06:45 AM

Huh? "A delete"???

jeffba · 02-24-2019, 08:24 AM

On your truck. Delete emission and muffler and put a tuner on it.

CarWin · 02-24-2019, 09:20 AM

The "delete" being spoken of.... Its for diesel engines that use "DEF" fluids. It all operates in conjunction with the emissions system, exhaust system, and also gets rid of the DEF system. Also it does require the able mentioned tuner for the engine. It is proven to increase performance and fuel mileage on diesel powered trucks.

Downfall to doing such.... Legally no new car dealer can take a "deleted" vehicle in on trade, therefore you have to sell it outright to a private party.

team bradfield · 02-24-2019, 09:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by twindman

Thing like that and the tail gate stuff only save a couple percent on economy, according to some research articles I have seen in the past.

I remember that research study, it was based on return on investment, it cost X$ and would take Y years to pay for itself. I don't remember the exact years but it was enough to make most of us pass on it.

BB_TX · 02-24-2019, 10:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CarWin

Downfall to doing such.... Legally no new car dealer can take a "deleted" vehicle in on trade, therefore you have to sell it outright to a private party.

And let that private party know the emissions system has been illegally modified.

mlh · 02-24-2019, 01:16 PM

I took all the emission systems off of my truck and tuned it. That did NOT help fuel mileage. What it did is give me much more power, 600 HP and 1100 TK and a much nicer truck and no more fuel in the oil.
Lynwood

WeBeFulltime · 02-24-2019, 03:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mlh

I took all the emission systems off of my truck and tuned it. That did NOT help fuel mileage. What it did is give me much more power, 600 HP and 1100 TK and a much nicer truck and no more fuel in the oil.
Lynwood

I did the same but set the tuner on lowest (tow) setting. Around town bobtail went from 16.5 to 19.8 and towing 16800 (scaled) Montana went from 10.5 to 12.4. These figures are hand calculated. My goal wasn't the increased power but I had gotten tired of emissions repairs.Goal achieved.

pinheadgraham02 · 03-03-2019, 01:34 PM

I have towed with them on 3 different trucks over 25 years. I use the Stainless 1 made by Taylor Wings in Rancho Cordova, CA. When I purchased them (1st was a aluminum, 2nd was white stainless, 3rd regular stainless) the company guaranteed 10% fuel mileage improvement which I exceeded on all three wings/trucks. I have been towing with a 2005 Chev K3500 CC DRW Long Bed and have the wing rack. My main purpose for the purchase was deflect bugs and debris away from the front of the 5th wheel so I didn't have all the cleaning to do when we returned home; the fuel mileage improvement was an added benefit. We have upgraded our tow vehicle to a 2010 Freightliner Club Cab Mountain Master. I do not know if I'll add the wing to the new truck; I'll have to wait and see.

WaltBennett · 03-03-2019, 02:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by twindman

Thing like that and the tail gate stuff only save a couple percent on economy, according to some research articles I have seen in the past.

I've a deflector from a previous truck and can state that I get between 1 and 2 mpg better with it on and up than without it. Doesn't sound like much, but when you're taking long trips it can really add up. Last big one we took was for over 9k miles over four months. If you're just traveling a few hundred and back one would take some time to hit pay back. We've managed to put over 50k miles on our Monty though. If you're going to travel a lot, they are worth it.

laverdur · 03-03-2019, 04:36 PM

Remember, the effectiveness of deflectors is speed dependent. For maximum effectiveness, placement of the deflector and the angle of the deflector varies with speed. Obviously, one could chose a "typical" speed and work with that. I'd want to see a cost-benefit analysis before I dropped the cash.

Mark7 · 03-03-2019, 06:38 PM

Just a heads up to anyone thinking about doing an emissions delete... Dealers will not even work on them. They legally cannot. I speak from experience.

If you're going to do something like this, be sure you have the phone number of whomever did the delete for you... if your a long way away from where the delete was done, be sure you know when or how you can get it worked on wherever you are.

Dealers have to flash the ECM with current firmware by law... and that will not play well with the mods done with an emissions delete.

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