Joined: February 21, 2012 Posts: 14 Location: Monument CO
Posted: Thu May 17, 2012 10:23 am Post subject: The Thing and drafting?
So I get this Thing a couple of months ago and drive it to work. Coming home I have a couple of minor hills on the fwy. It came with a single port engine and I could only get 50 out of it going up the hill. I was in the way. The next day I had a car in front of me and tucked in about 2 car lengths back and drafted a nice 65 in the same spot! So it seems a brick can draft. I have since dropped a dual port in it and all the power issue has gone away. This morning I had a strong head wind and it was slowing me a bit so again I tucked in behind a car and came way off the throttle. Damn these cars are fun to drive !!!!!!!!!!!!
I can attest to the brick draft plausibility... Not with Our Thing, but a Samurai I had in High School. The engine was so worn out on that thing I had the same issues on long grades of 4 lane blacktop. Semi's were my choice of "host" and I would easily gain 10-15mph Uphill, with part to No throttle once I got in the draft. I always made a point to thank them with a wave on the down slope. I'm sure they knew what was happening!
In my years of driving trucks, I hated when folks would tuck in the rear out of site, but I was accepting if I knew the vehicle was struggling at the time. I just drove safely, for the both of us as to not test any poor braking issues! LOL...
Give 'em courtesy, they'll help you out!
@Ferret, Tow bars are for when the Thing is Broke!!! LOL.. _________________ FORWARD: forward is only a good thing, when you're facing the right direction!
Joined: December 26, 2004 Posts: 390 Location: Silicon Valley
Posted: Thu May 17, 2012 4:38 pm Post subject:
One time many years ago I was driving from Las Vegas across the Mojave Desert flatlands and discovered something very interesting. As you may guess the heat was bad and I was driving for many hours going north and would frequent trucks. What I noticed was that when I got to close to a large truck my oil temp would go up. After a time I discovered that it if I did not keep my distance, something like several hundred yards, there airflow would prevent enough air from properly flowing into my back end. So every time I backed off my oil temp would slowly come down and when I got too close it would go up. Maybe some of their residual heat was flowing off the trucks but it was an interesting situation. So I learned to stay back 5-600 yards at a minimum if I wanted to keep the oil temp in proper operating range.
_________________ "I like how everyone likes talking about Zeke's Thing yet he's the only one that's ever seen it." - Katie
"I've seen pictures..." - Jeremy
@Ferret, Tow bars are for when the Thing is Broke!!! LOL..
So is drafting!
Well plaid, Sir.... I thought of that when I made my statement, as with my fresh 1915, I am passing anything I want on Any grade..
Not knowing the OP's current position or anything other than they just got the Thing a couple months ago, I didn't want to come off straight away with a "your Thing is crap because it can't pull a hill" inference... I'm just glad to see another Thing on the road, and if they have to safely draft a rig to make that happen.... I say go for it...
Of course Solomon has a Great point with the void of cooling air available in the draft..... You're essentially in a vacuum when tucked back there, and thus your engine Will starve for cooling air. Keep it short, if ya gotta do it! _________________ FORWARD: forward is only a good thing, when you're facing the right direction!
Joined: February 21, 2012 Posts: 14 Location: Monument CO
Posted: Fri May 18, 2012 6:14 am Post subject:
Well this did not turn out like I thought. I never mentioned a truck in the original post. It was a story about my experience with the car is all it was. I was following a car each time and could clearly se what was in front of them. Each event lasted about a minute or two. I tried to keep the story simple and it seems I failed here in every way. I'm gone. Sorry guys.
Awe give them a brake haha They have never driven down I25 going South on Monument Hill in an ice storm. So what can you expect them to know about ice drafting. Its a Colorado Thing so to speak...
Joined: May 14, 2005 Posts: 2607 Location: HELL Paso, TX
Posted: Fri May 18, 2012 8:45 am Post subject:
kubelmann wrote:
Ah ha another veteran Monument Hill ice storm drafter survivior...
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Joined: August 03, 2009 Posts: 479 Location: the Hills of Western Maine
Posted: Fri May 18, 2012 11:24 am Post subject:
K-mann,
last spring when my trip to Colorado got short, we got stuck in a huge rainstorm (33 degrees out) right around monument, so I dodged the ice on that one! It was hairy enough with the 200 ft visibility.
600 yards is well over a 1/4 mile, so I can't see how you could ever need to sit back that far to keep your engine cool. Really glad I don't run a temperature gauge if having one is going to drive you that crazy. Dropping down by 5-10 MPH might cool your engine a bit though as you will have less oil pressure and therefore more oil flowing through your oil cooler.
Joined: February 23, 2005 Posts: 207 Location: Stockton, CA
Posted: Mon May 21, 2012 2:42 pm Post subject:
Last time I drafted was in high school. Since then I've been using CAD. _________________ There are three kinds of people. Those that can add and those that can't.
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I'm just glad to see another Thing on the road, and if they have to safely draft a rig to make that happen.... I say go for it... 
Keep it short, if ya gotta do it!
