Aero tractor saves 17%
Page 13
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
• An aerodynamic Leyland Daf Freighter 16.17, which achieved 20% fuel savings for Exel Logistics, lost 3% efficiency when the axle ratio was changed back to what it was on the control vehicle.
The NFC subsidiary had been running the Besco-bodied vehicle since 1988, and in trials reported a 20% fuel saving over a standard truck on the same operation.
But the Besco vehicle had had its rear axle ratio changed from 5.4:1 to 4.8:1 because lower wind resistance made the higher gearing possible, says Exel's engineering director Mike Aldridge.
Many in the industry said this made the comparison unfair, and Exel altered the ratio back to 5.4:1 — resulting in a fuel saving of only 17%, Aldridge told delegates at an Institute of Mechanical Engineers conference in London.