Under trailer air dam
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Category: R-pod Discussion Forums
Forum Name: Podmods, Maintenance, Tips and Tricks
Forum Discription: Ask maintenance questions, share your podmods (modifications) and helpful tips
URL: http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=2005
Printed Date: 14 May 2025 at 8:18am
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Topic: Under trailer air dam
Posted By: Zilbub
Subject: Under trailer air dam
Date Posted: 30 Jul 2011 at 9:27am
| I am thinking of adding a rubber air dam to the front of the R-Pod...attached to the frame and hanging down to pavement level. I had thought of backing it with some strips of spring steel that will help it keep its shape but have some give when going in and out of driveways. The idea is to keep air from getting under the R-Pod while traveling, thus improving gas mileage. Anyone else ever do something like this??? |
Replies:
Posted By: TIDALWAVE
Date Posted: 30 Jul 2011 at 7:14pm
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A 'flexible air dam' probably won't work...You are looking at forcing an air dam about 6-8 ft wide by about 1 1/2 to 2 feet tall through the air at up to 60 mph (100 kph). If it is flexible, wind resistance will swing it up out of the wind flow or hitting the roadway will bang it up into the Pod frame...it will destroy itself. If it is rigid, it will break apart or the Pod frame apart on the first real impact. Many Pod owners have axle risers to try to get the Pod frame up higher than the original design...putting an air dam in will be putting Pod parts even lower than before. As many of us have discovered...there is no simple, elegant way to increase the wind efficiency of our Pods. ------------- TIDALWAVE |
Posted By: techntrek
Date Posted: 30 Jul 2011 at 10:04pm
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I know some 18 wheelers have added walls along the sides, under the frame of the trailer, to improve mpg. I don't know if this would help on the 'pod.
------------- Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1723 - Pod instruction manual 
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