Drafting Semi

[scottkan357975343]

Ok, I know I can't do it at home, but what about on the road, like the highway? can I do it there? lol. I love figures of speech.

[jasonkucherawy]

Wait, I'm not quite clear on this. Should we or should we not tailgate big rigs? I see them tailgating but at the same time they are calling it suicidal, crazy and illegal. Can someone please explain? By the way, I'm an idiot.

[soadluvr2]

@jasonkucherawy If you didn't see at the beginning they said "Don't try this at hom." They test dangerous myths to see if they are real or not, their not testing em so you can go out and do it.

[MrTetromino]

@soadluvr2 More to the point it also says at the beginning: "this program also available in HD" - WTF 240p -- give me break!!!

[soadluvr2]

@MrTetromino haha gotta love downscale recordings lol

[databanks]

@MrTetromino I think they mean the original broadcast version was also available in HD - guessing it was recorded on a device receiving in SD. Similar to over here in Australia - when you were watching the Analogue SD version, the same message pops up to indicate that if you switch to digital you can watch the HD version on that station's HD channel. Nothing to do with the YouTube version

[tml4873]

So over-dramatic. Under these conditions, there's no reason the big rig would have to stop, so that scenario is unrealistic. Also, if the big rig slammed on the brakes, even though Grant has only 0.03 seconds to react, the big rig only has the same 0.03 seconds to slow down before getting rear ended by the car. The speed differential would be extremely small. Following at 10 feet was probably more dangerous than at 2 feet.

[goliath92738]

gas is too expensive...I am drafting.

[HipieGirl1786]

I dont understand something, if the rig driver cant see me when i am behind, how is that dangerous. is he looking to dump his trailor on the road, or slam it in reverse and cant do so if he sees someone behind him?

i can see if he is in the next lane over, but if i am drafting him, I know I can stop much faster than him. loaded they weigh how many tons?

[NoNiceNamesLeft]

@HipieGirl1786 yea i don't understand it either. I know there is some risk attached to it, but i think they are exaggerating it.

[frankthetank789]

@HipieGirl1786 if ur driving behind a big rig and he suddenly has to slam on his brakes and ur still acclerating then theres a risk that u will plow into whatever he's towing. the closer u are to the back of whats being towed the slower ur reaction time

[dbuschhorn]

@frankthetank789 Your reaction time won't change just by being closer to something. I think you meant "Your reaction time will be too slow to stop, before you smack into the butt of the truck"? Although if I was going to pick what to tailgate, it would be a big rig. They can lock up their brakes and they still take forever to stop.

[HipieGirl1786]

something interesting about drafting. I had an air cooled motorcycle I was riding behind a big rig on, to stay warm. My temp gage started to go up. I thought my bike was over heating, but when I backed off the gage came down. bank and forth the same thing was happening, up and down, The rig was reducing the air flow to my engine, causeing it to heat up at high speeds. so I know this is fact. that is why over 60 mph the drag on vehicles is so strong it burns much more fuel.

[1mrjiggyfly]

i;ve tried it, doesn't seem to do much difference for me...

[Trashjack101]

Wow that's so unnecessarily dramatic.

[SierzantYelonek]

in Poland such driving is preety common

[wansuiclay]

Looks like 25' or so is the sweet spot - 32mpg becomes 40 mpg.

[anttrap321]

lol I was driving in california this summer, Iv seen a lot of dangerous close tail gators....... especially the route between SF and LA

[azbrc1984]

Wish i had the balls to draft within ten feet.. 50-75 is pretty much my limit.

[tfmercedez]

Well, Mercedes has invented the radar, for keeping the distance between front cars, an if something happens ahead, it applies the breaks the car automatically, even to a full stop. They should try with such a car, with setting the distance to 6 ft, and leaving it in autopilot. The driver holds his hands on the wheel and the car does the throttling and the breaking.

[oDTheTruth]

@tfmercedez Have you seen the videos of the "test"? It appears to stop by hitting the object.

[tfmercedez]

@oDTheTruth Yeah, it vas very embarasing, but they forget to engage the radar function

[oDTheTruth]

@tfmercedez Easier to say they forgot to turn it on, then to say it failed completely. In our day and age, my opinion is that no unmanned car will ever be able to trump the insight, and instinct of an actual driver.

[tfmercedez]

@oDTheTruth Yeah, but, planes are taking off and landing completely automated, + flying , only assisted by the pilots.

[ZZAKON]

They're too dramatic... lol

[HermieHedgehog]

I draft trucks on the freeway, but I keep a safe distance. My car can stop faster than a rig and I have pretty fast reaction time, but I never come closer than 50 feet. Even further back, you can still feel the difference in airflow. I typically stay 75-100 feet back at 55, and over 100 feet behind above that.

[Maradinho100]

6:10 How can you be scared drafting under those controlled conditions, i could draft at 200km with my eyes closed.

In the other hand, if u did drafting on a highway you'd have to be insane,all it takes is the truck driver to brake for any reason, next trip you be taking is to the hospital if your lucky.

[peterfaj]

Drafting is green.

[777strongcoffee]

saw a bumper sticker on a car while driving home tonight. Said, " I'M NOT TAILGATING, I'M DRAFTING".......... and believe me, the lady was drafting.

[MrHidekiTojo]

and who said asians couldnt drive???!?!?!

[777strongcoffee]

What's with the ridiculous fear factor of driving close behind a truck. That's a normal day for someone driving in Atlanta or Chicago etc.

[policeman1313]

@777strongcoffee seriously what the hell? I think they just added that for entertainment. He can't possibly be scared. Actually he's Asian so you never know...

[titandown]

@777strongcoffee its not dangerous if you tell the truck driver ur doing it.

[goatman5]

the closest i would get is 50ft

[dalakcemal]

dalak alınır yenir

[Regenerit]

I would like to see my lumina go from 29 mpg highway to 39 mpg highway.

[SakoTGrimes]

Drafting is dangerous, sure. But fuel economy is more important than safety.

[s11881guam]

Fuel economy is more important? Are you serious? Well, try to remind yourself that while you're flying through your windshield.

[SakoTGrimes]

Yeah, I am serious.

[MoParguytilidie]

whoa thats my dodge magnum!

[Tobystacy]

Now they need to do a "Mythbusters" on how dangerous drafting is! Not as dangerous as people think.

[razorflown2]

OK armchair jeff gordon. You're probably the asshole that tailgates me down the interstate.

[Tobystacy]

I don't tailgate people. I do get reallllly pissed when the Californian in front of me does 64 passing a semi AND THEN won't get over in the slow lane for another half mile passed that.

[razorflown2]

Odd that you would pick californian as your bad driving stereotype. I live in Texas, and I went to california on vacation. It was a driving dream. People actually used their turn signals, they actually let you in! When they made a left hand turn onto a multi lane road, they turned into the proper lane and not just any lane they felt like.

Californian drivers are alright. Texas drivers suck!

[ecsmith62]

Actually, if you are a##hole who drives 55 in the left hand lane, that will be me with my pick grill filling your rear view mirror until you get over to the right. After I pass you, I will immediately get into the right hand lane so that the 10 cars behind us can get by.

[razorflown2]

@ecsmith62 lol. Damn, you're a badass. Scary stuff man, scary stuff.

[ecsmith62]

@razoflown2 - actually more like bad driving than badass, but the steam causes my brains to just dribble out of my ears every time I get stuck behind an idiot going slow in the left lane and holding back a whole row of cars. :)

[razorflown2]

@ecsmith62 Ya, i'm with you on that one. It's funny though, I don't drive slow in the left hand lane, so none of this applies to me.

[bsirvine]

There are several solid physics reasons why drafting a SEMI is safer than most people think: 1) A SEMI has much more mass than your car, so all other things being equal it accelerates/deaccelerates more slowly than your car. You car may weigh a ton and a half. A (loaded) SEMI (CAN) weigh 40 tons.

2) All other things aren't equal. Cars have a great deal more braking power than trucks. Per unit mass a car has more tire patch on the road and more brake pad on the disc.

[ecsmith62]

Well those both may be true, your better breaking power doesn't do you any good if you ram into the back of the truck BEFORE you finish saying "s***" and hit your break AFTER his break lights come on.

[bsirvine]

@ecsmith62 - Can't disagree with you. If you draft YOU HAD BETTER STAY ALERT if you want to live. Obviously, most people can't so they shouldn't (draft). I always make sure the truck's brake lights work first. I actually prefer using intercity buses to draft because they appear to block more wind, especially down near the ground where I am.

[jaw0426]

"Controlled" is not the same as "dangerous", moron.

[nyr36]

I dont get why these h-mos are so scared given its a controlled environment.

[ugabulldawgs2009]

physics project