Aerodynamics Matter !!
Hello All. First post here... wanted to share some data on aerodynamics. I am designing an ultralight (under 100 lbs/ft) small travel trailer and wanted to find out the effect of shape on aerodyna...
Forum Discussion
93Cobra2771 wrote:
It has been shown that the Vnose trailers are actually WORSE than a flat nose camper for mpg. Why? Because of increased frontal area.
They are also inherently less stable while towing due to the turbulance the vnose creates. And cross winds make it even worse, again due to increase frontal area.
What a vnose does give you, though, is 3' of extra room over the tongue that a standard TT doesn't have. Which is nothing to sneeze at.
...
I am just wrapping up an extensive aerodynamics study on trailer shapes using CFD simulation. According to the data, a V-nose trailer behind a pickup with no cap and tailgate up requires 20% less force to pull than a flat front. That is based on a 90 degree V. If you increase the V to 120 degrees (more flat), the number increases to 26% (although still not the best). All three have identical 'frontal areas' (the area when looked at from dead-on at the front) although the surface area does increase on the V's. If there is data to the contrary, it would be interesting to compare notes.
I would be curious if anyone has real-world experience with both and what they found.
And another interesting thing I learned was just how much affect the distance from the back of the TV to the front of the TT has. The closer the better. In the example above, the V-nose was closer.
Ron
