Can you really save fuel by drafting behind a diesel while driving?

yes .. but the “closeness” in following to obtain a meassurable increase is waaay-dangerous

If you ever watched the Mythbusters, they actually tested this and concluded that driving behind a rig will in fact increase your gas mileage substantially. The closer you are the better you will save- up to 40%. Be careful though, as this practice is illegal in most states, not to mention unsafe.

not me, but i watched a segment on it done by Mythbusters…….it was really cool, they were 5 feet from the bumper and getting like 50 plus mpg at 55, in a minivan…crazy sick, required special training and a open road………..

Depending upon the height of your vehicle, yes, you can save fuel by drafting behind another vehicle (diesel or any other power). This is why bike racers draft each other. The reason for this is as the first vehicle moves forward, there is air pressure made as it moves into the air in front of it. There is a vacuum the follows directly behind it. If you are following closely, this vacuum will help pull you along. However, you would need to be several feet behind the vehicle in front of you to receive benefit – not a very safe distance to be following any other vehicle.

Wow I had never heard of that. Very interesting. Thanks for the explanation Garth.

yes
the air flow from the Simi-truck lightens the load of your car and can pull you not a lot but just enough to improve your gas mileage
however…you have to be close …so close that the diver might not see you in there rear view
So the answer is YES BUT NOT SAFELY !

I personally knew someone who did this on a road trip and got 64.x mpg. I do it all the time to large SUVs and vans around town on my bike which allows me to ride 30+ mph easily. And of course, it is not exactly always safe, especially if you can’t see what’s in front of you.

Yes, but you can also rear-end his trailer when he stops quickly and it’s your fault for following too closely.

You can. When I used to drive overnight to visit family, I’d get in behind trucks going 80 mph and over a tankful of gas, I’d get 40+ mpg in a car that normally gets 28 mpg. I only did it late at night, when there were virtually no cars, just semi’s on the road and in rural areas, not near cities.

It is incredibly dangerous, because you need to be only a few feet off the bumper of the truck and the slightest change in speed can kill you. You can tell when you’re close enough. As you get closer, you’ll feel the draft shaking your car, then when you get in the pocket, there will be no wind at all. You’re so close that the wind goes over your car and you’re not spending energy pushing through the air.

you might save fuel but someone cuts off the truck
and he had slammed on his brakes guess who will
be going to the morgue. or having a nice car all totaled
if you survive without losing your head..

Yes, but if the truck/bus stops, you’re going to be plastered all over the rear bumper, and YOU will be the one at fault for “Following Too Close.”

Yes…I dont know the whole thing, but I do know it has to do with the airflow that’s created when driving close to the back of a larger truck. It’s called drafting, and i think it just reduces the wind resistance against your car.