Have you ever drafted a truck on the highway or driven a truck

I've done it for storm protection

>>14885952
I've done it behind a bus on a Malaysian highway, in the rain, on a dirtbike with knobbie tyres. It got me from 110 to about 125.

I am not a smart man.

>>14885967
>drafting during a hard rainstorm
>truck brakes
>you get stuck on his bumper and dragged along
Yeah no

You don't need to be super close to have an effect.

I still get fairly close all the time though. Dem MPGs.

If your brakes are really worse then a fucking semi. You should consider fixing that.

>>14886402
Average human needs 3/4 of a second to realize that a sudden stop is needed and to get your foot to the brake pedal. At 65 miles an hour, that can happen very suddenly.

This is why truck drivers slow down when people tailgate them: we can't see you even though we know you're there

>>14886424
Well I'm not average then. I usually change lanes on instinct instead of brake anyway.
Actually stopping is the last thing I do even. The world needs more of me

>>14886508
No, you're perfectly average, maybe even worse. You just think your Paul Walker Converse shoes and your super Eurobeat soundtrack makes you better than average

Don't tailgate truckers, they actually have a very hard, stressful life as it is

My first car was a '63 Bug. I used to draft behind big rigs on I-5 in Cali headed for my favorite surf spot. The problem I encountered was the front end was to light and would start to lift off the road at 65mph. I solved the problem by adding a sand bag over each front wheel. It got great gas mileage...

>>14885952
You don't need to get super close. And i leave enough space to not get cut off or be too far behind to not get thoss mpgs. Also it keeps me from speeding.

>>14885952
No and hell no.

Anyone who tailgates deserves to rear end the person they're tailgating and have their ass reamed in court for it.

Seriously, it's fucking dumb. The extra half a whatever of fuel economy you save isn't worth potentially dying for.

Truck driver from new York here, I don't care if you tailgate me and hit me because I'll just pretend I didn't feel anything and keep going

>>14886524
did you cut your trip m8 havent seen you in awhile. when did you become a trucker?

Trucker here. I always get a giggle when people try to draft my flatbed.

Then I turn my cruise off and slow down to 45 mph.

Then I get sad that they don't notice.

You don't need to tailgate to get a benefit out of drafting. Normal following distance is close enough.

>>14886358
This, even a car and a half distance is something like a 15% increase. Mythbusters did a whole thing on it.

I drafted for about 600 miles on a trip from wv to tx, got great mpgs and kept me from speeding. Would do again.

>>14886524
/thread

dont fuck with truckers just dont. you non trucker drivers can be the most arrogant, inconsiderate and hazardous vehicles on the road. meanwhile a trucker is responsible for anything and everything tat could ever happen with his truck. no understanding, sympathy or lenience from the employer, the insurance company or the state DOT

Stay the fuck away from the big rigs and give em room. takes a lot more time/distance than most understand for them to come to a stop or to get going again

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>>14887521
>Mythbusters did a thing
into the trash it goes

But that would mean going 90 kph or 56 mph. If you can't afford fuel for going 130 kph or 80 mph you usually can't afford a car in the first place.

>>14885982
>truck braking on a wet road
>slowing down fast enough for you to not be able to outbrake it
Nigga I've outbraked semis with engine braking alone.

>>14885952
Nah. If I was poor enough to risk my life for a couple of gallons of gas, I'd just join the army

>>14885967
I've never understood this. Wouldn't the constant spray from the trucks tires pretty much negate any storm protection you get?

>>14885952
>Drafting a truck

More like going slower from all that turbulent air.

I do this regularly, I live in central Australia and frequently drive on roads that are dead straight for up to 800km, truckers normally cruise at about 150km/h even though the limit is 110, I signal that I want to draft and they signal that it's okay and it's fine. At 150km/h it actually sucks you along and I don't even need to touch my pedals and on occasion I can even turn my car off.

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>>14890552
>I signal that I want to draft and they signal that it's okay
How?

>>14885952
I've done it because I was low on gas and didn't feel like stopping until I got home. I wasn't so close that I wouldn't be able to brake though.

I also do it when I ride my bicycle with buses. You can go crazy fast.

>>14885952
Anybody that's ever seen a truck have a blowout doesn't want to be anywhere near them.

It has a report like a small bomb going off and the amount of debris is impressive. It WILL break windows, cause minor to moderate body damage, and can cause personal injury.

>>14892717
>>14892717
I pull halfway into the next lane (1 lane in either direction) flash my brights twice then pull in behind him, if he indicates ones in both direction then I'm good to go

>be delivery van driver
>shoot by stupid slow truckers
>they mad cause they can't go fast
LEL

>>14885967
Ive done it in a sandstorm on the I-5 between norcal and socal.

>>14893543
forgot to mention it was on a motorbike

>>14887852
not our faults you're slaving away driving a truck 24/7 to put food on the table while im at my easy 6 figure job being able to see my family whenever

>>14885952
I got more than 42mpg in my Miata drafting behind a semi at 63mph through northern Colorado last month.

Shit was pretty cash.

I've done it once. With gas so cheap, it isn't worth the risk.

I agree that trucks should be respected. Try merging onto a busy highway with a loaded moving truck. Now double the load and try it again. It's not an easy job. Don't be dicks to them.

>>14893643
>family
>post on 4chin

(you)

>>14894379
This. Assuming gas at $2.15/gallon and 15,000 miles per year, the average annual cost between a 30-mpg car and a 29-mpg car is $40. Getting a few more MPGs isn't worth the potential damages from a crash, a blown tire, rock chips...

Plus, many of these gains could be attributed to just a lower speed. Going from 80 to 60 could result in a 15-perfect fuel efficiency increase.

tl;dr just slow down