Fuel economy is based on aerodynamics, tires, gearing, and hybrid engines. Other factors that affect fuel economy which aren’t related to the design of the truck include travel distance, weight of load, driving conditions, and driving habits such as idling time and driving speed.
Remember when comparing trucks, you should use an apples-to-apples comparison where you’re looking at ones within the same category to accurately see how much performance difference there is.
Aerodynamics Is Key
It turns out that drag created by inefficient aerodynamics creates a significant fuel cost. It has been estimated that fuel consumption from drag could be reduced by billions of gallons a year using changes in design. The higher the speed, the greater the drag produced up to the point where about 65% of the fuel used at highway speeds is wasted on drag.
When the tractor is standing, air pressure is even all around the truck, but when the truck starts to move, high pressure builds at the front. A low pressure pocket forms at the rear of the truck, which creates suction and pulls air into that dead space like a vacuum. One strategy for reducing drag is to increase the pressure behind the truck.
When choosing trucks, it’s important to take into account how well air flows over the coupled space. A large gap between the cab and trailer can represent a high fuel penalty.
How Well Does the Cab Roll?
Rolling resistance measures how tires deform as the vehicle moves. Deep lugs will improve traction over surfaces like ice, wet roads, steep roads, and gravel. Deep lugs will also increase rolling resistance which means it takes more energy to move the truck at a certain speed. As you drive, tires become easier to drive and use less fuel to rotate.
Gauge the Gearing
There is usually a trade-off between fuel economy and truck performance, and gearing decides how much one is sacrificed for the other. Power train matching, axle ratio, torque rating, and revolutions per mile are a few factors that determine gearing.
If you’re interested in the difference of energy or fuel efficiency on different transports, contact the experts at Truck Loan Center. We’ll be able to not only determine what size truck you’ll need for your job, but which one you should rent to keep your fuel costs to a bare minimum.
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