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Topic Closedpros and cons of risers.
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Thinker View Drop Down
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Joined: 25 Feb 2013
Location: S. Mississippi
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Posts: 171 		Direct Link To This Post Topic: pros and cons of risers.
    Posted: 19 Jun 2013 at 1:49pm
Mine came with risers, I get 12.5 or 13 towing. If I want better mileage, I slow down. Mileage is inversely proportional to speed.
Tow Vehicle: 2013 Pathfinder 4WD R-POD Model 171
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Posts: 267 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 18 Jun 2013 at 4:52pm
Ok, I've towed the Pod for 3 years now and up until September of last year had not hit the Holy Grail of 13 mpg but once. Since then I have achieved 13 mpg several times towing the exact same routes as previously. Same truck, same gas, same common routes, same weather, same speeds for the last 1.5 years. I hand figure every tank. The only difference is the much maligned recall wing. Now I'll add more kindling to the fire. Since the addition of an air conditioner a couple weeks age, 4 of my 5 towing tanks have been above 14 mpg--again, over oft towed routes. The wing and the A/C are doing something to lessen the rear air drag. If my results are an anomaly, then they are a consistent anomaly that I'm happy to be a part of.
'10 RP 175-Replaced by 2014 Kodiak 173 QBSL
'12 Toyota Tundra
'05 Sportster (half a Harley)
Retired-We're on Beach Time!
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Posts: 9059 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 18 Jun 2013 at 2:36pm
That's what everyone thinks, and FR implies it (or they used to, I haven't looked at their sales materials lately).
Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ Pod instruction manual
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Posts: 1042 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 18 Jun 2013 at 10:43am
That's what I thought!!  You know when I first looked at the pod I kind of thought (trust me I'm no engineer!) that it looked like and would be very aero-dynamic.  Of what I have been reading, not the case.  Oh well, still love the pod.
Jon & Pam
2013 RP177
2010 F150
2017 HD Streetglide
2009 HD Lowrider
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Posts: 1797 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 18 Jun 2013 at 10:33am
Originally posted by hogone

Charlie:  What do you mean by 'hook up the pod'?  Hooking it to the hitch literally due to the weight which obviously reduces gas mileage or hooking up the wiring and using the TV system to charge the pod?  Just want to clarify.  I could possibly see how risers could reduce mileage, as it would be up approx 3 more inches in the air, but your right, probably minimially. 


What I meant was just the fact that you decided to tow a trailer.  Tongue It's like pulling a parachute. Hooking up the battery charging line would be an unmeasurable difference. Even the weight is only a big factor when accelerating or going up a steep hill. By far the biggest impact is the wind resistance. Hence the large impact of higher speed you see reported around here.
Charlie
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OLD: 2013 RP-172, 2010 Honda Pilot 3.5L 4WD
PRESENT: 2014 Camplite 21RBS, 2013 Supercharged Tacoma 4L V6 4WD
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Posts: 6128 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 18 Jun 2013 at 8:16am
Originally posted by 21grandma

WinkHusband nixed the ideas of risers.Said gas mileage would decrease significantly. .....anyone noticed this?


No one has reported any real change in mileage from adding risers, or the fairing/light bar for those of us that got retro fitted with them.

We just did the trip down to NC for the rally, 1050 miles round trip, pretty hilly and curvy for a lot of it, and I do mean curvy.. as in "LOOK a Pod".. oh wait.. that's us.. curvy.. averaged right at 11.5 for the whole trip. When pulling on the interstate, cruise set at 60-62. (truck says it got 13.1 on it's little readout, but I have always known it is an optimist..)
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Posts: 1447 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 Jun 2013 at 7:40pm
I got the best mileage ever on the last trip and it was the first since putting on the risers.  The only thing that helps is keeping the speed to about 55-60.  I loose 5MPG (20 to 15).  If I go 70-75 I loose half (20-10).
Keith-N-Dar
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Posts: 9059 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 Jun 2013 at 7:26pm

We, too, had our pod for a while before we got the risers, and didn't notice any difference.  

Discussions with computer modeling in the past showed air flow problems across the curved rear, counter-intuitively.  I think the problem with the pod is less pressure on the front and more suction on the rear.
Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ Pod instruction manual
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Posts: 672 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 Jun 2013 at 5:23pm
On a tractor/trailer the airshield on the cab roof and the fairings on the side of the cab do work very well if they are 18 inches from the trailer but not over 30 inches, after that they start to loose their effectiveness. The same holds true with a TV and the POD, you really need a set of fairings that extend a little ways from the back of your TV to start to see any improvement in MPG. Those that have put kayaks on the roof of their TV's have reported better MPG as the kayaks are much like the airshield on a big rig.
I would not think that risers would have much a difference in MPG. Putting flexible side skirts on your TV and the POD may help some, just like on the race cars.   Goose
Mother Goose's Caboose..2011 RP171..07 Grand Cherokee
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Posts: 633 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 Jun 2013 at 5:04pm
I have wondered the same myself. I think it would have to be V shaped though because the TV ls narrower that the trailer.
Sean, 2011 Rpod RP-173,2009 Jeep Liberty Rocky Mountain Edition
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