We all know MINI's drag coefficient is quite high. Despite the fact, the MC and MCS get great gas mileage. But I wanted to stretch my wallet even further so I started drafting behind larger cars. I have been averaging 38.8 mpg on the current tank. I welcome big SUV's to cut in front of me.

 

Considering how close you have to be to profit from the effect it should work with no problems if you've got good reaction time.

 

'Nother name for MINIs drafting behind big rigs? Bumper stain.
Be careful out there, man.

 

 

Even better ....
1. leave mini in garage.
2. tie rope to foot.
3. tie other end to neighbors Suburban.
4. catch the draft with zero mpg.

 

... be careful.. rock chips

 

running over road debris that you can't react to.

 

As an option to tying yourself to an Escalanch, Hummer, or some other mostly useless bauble of conspicuous consumption and sense of personal and perhaps sexual inadequacy you might try tying bicycle.
In order for "drafting" to be effective one must be practically kissing the bumper of the aforementioned lead vehicle. You would have to be on hyper alert. Imagine having someone follow you so close to your rear bumper. Along with irritation, frustration, anger, etc., your concentration would be diverted from paying attention to what is ahead to "what is this idiot behind me doing and how can I shake him/her." Another issue is that these large beasts are frequently driving at stupid speeds particularly considering the $ involved. It is not surprising to me to find 'support our troops" stickers on the rear of these beasts.
I try to maximize my mpg by attempting to drive in a sane manner at or near the speed limit. Most people pass me. I no longer care.

 

Here is link to the results that MythBusters achieved behind a big-rig.
http://mythbusters-wiki.discovery.com/page/Big+Rig+Drafting?t=anon

 

I just got 37 on my way to Maine, half highway, half back roads (hand calculated). That's good enough for me.

I brake for tailgators.

 

Welcome to Maine. My MINI resides in a garage along the shore of a lake in Poland, Maine. Oh, I am fortunate enough to live in a house on the shore of a lake in Maine.

 

how near do u have ot be?

 

You have a VERY good point about potential road rage / distraction of SUV drivers when someone is trying to hyper-mile on them. ANd also some good points as to why some folks like SUVs. But please leave the political /troops side out of it - it tends to lead off-topic and into a nasty discussion when the OP was trying to be helpful.

 

I believe that mythbusters proved that anywhere within 100ft is beneficial. Hanging in around 75ft at 60mph isn't THAT dangerous... it's the crazies that try to get 20ft from the bumper of the big rig that scare me.


Oh, and a way to save gas.... just don't drive as much. Lately I've been driving my wife to the metro (5 miles) then parking near by to ride my bike to work (6.5 miles). There's a nice trail near by, and I could use a loss of a few pounds... and its fun

 

That's odd, I was able to get 38.8 without drafting.

And, yes, it is quite dangerous.

 

Yes, but the size of the vehicle you're drafting will determine the size of the low-pressure wake it has. Mythbusters mostly did its testing with a big rig, no?

Also, keep in mind the money you save in gas costs you may end up giving back to the state in tail-gating tickets. WA state requires 1car length for every 10mph velocity. Completely unrealistic in urban areas, but there you go.

 

Yeah.. no thanks. I'll go with the savings on my gas card rather than risking my life or the paint on my MINI.

 

To get the drafting effect, I agree that you don't have to be dangerously close. I intentionally left the distance part to the readers and as I suspected many people think NASCAR kind of bumper to bumper drafting. However, anything that will break the air for you in the front will be beneficial, especially in the headwind. I ride road bicycle and you won't believe how much energy you can save by following someone. On a bike you have to be close to save a lot of energy because the bicycle is already extremely aerodynamic.

 

Well said....

 

Can someone help me with some math? Is there a way to figure out the deceleration rate of a MINI while at maximum braking?

 

If you follow the One car length for every 10 mph rule you have 0.82 seconds to notice their brake lights and match their deceleration. How fast you are going doesn't change it. This is based on the length of a MINI (12 ft.) and a person's ability to precisely estimate multiple car lengths visually -- which is doubtful.

0.82 seconds is probably the minimum time it takes for someone to notice the brake lights, decide to brake, get your foot from the gas to the brake pedal, and get the brakes acting. If your attention is distracted you better have significantly better stopping power than the car ahead.

 

OK, forgive me - can you detail that equation for me please? Math is not my forte, and that sounded like fuzzy logic when I read it....Could be user/operator error, though.

 

Not my cup of tea. I like to have my own envelope of space for freedom to maneuver in case of an emergency. And also I like to drive relaxed. r56mini, your reflexes may be really sharp but watch out for the debris on the road and be prepared. Just my 2 cents.

 

.82 seconds assumes the vehicle ahead of you is at a dead stop. Sobering, isn't it? In practice, however, how often do you find yourself six car lengths behind the vehicle in front of you at 60mph during rushhour? Leave that type of gap and 5cars will squeeze into it. Growing up in NM we were taught to follow a 2second rule.

I thought I'd seen studies indicating attentive drivers can begin reacting in .4-.5 seconds. Still doesn't leave much time if you assume the leading vehicle is at a dead stop.

BTW, calculating the deccelleration of a MINI you would have to assume either wheel lockup or ABS and each has its set of inputs into a back of the envelope F=ma equation.

It's just v=d/t

 

I know that extreme tailgating can be very dangerous, but I have to completely agree with this one. I notice that I get way better gas mileage in heavier traffic were you really cant get out in front, and making and effort when stuck to pick going behind the bigger vehicle helps as well. The drag coefficient is quite terrible so even little bit of draft you get on an SUV with typical busy highway spacing is pretty noticeable.

When things aren't busy, I just stick to the cruise control, because 10 mph faster than everyone else seems to be the comfortable speed for me when im not thinking about it