Has any PIP advance owner tried "drafting" behind big rigs to increase mpgs on long road trips? I am specifically interested in DRCC as I have a PIP basic which lacks this. It is not safe to draft too closely, but even at a safe distance, I seem to eek out about 10% increased mpg with this technique. If, with DRCC one could safely draft closer, the mpg gained would be quite significant. A link to drafting: Drafting Behind Trucks: Does it Work? : TreeHugger
I'm hate getting too close to those **** trucks as they pick up rocks and chip the nose/windshield of the car. We seem to have a large number of gravel trucks around here as well... dropping rocks out of the trailers all the time as they wiz by at 70+. No CHP anywhere in sight. I try to stay in EV for my 8 mi commute and at 61/62 mph the trucks climb up on my tail and pass on the left all the time. I'm tired of looking in the rear view mirror and seeing nothing but the grill and bumper of a truck! I actually have changed my drive to avoid the big rigs and the resulting rock damage they bring. Don't get me started... Drafting does work though... just not for me!
You can regulate the distance/sensitivity on the DRCC. There are only three distances and I don't know if the "closest" distance is near enough for "drafting' benefit. It does maintain your idstance and is quick reacting although I would never abdicate intense attention when traveling so close. I have drafted but it is not fun--but then again I'm still living.
Don't draft behind a truck, or any vehicle. It's very dangerous, and it gives us all a bad name. There are many proven hypermiling techniques which are 100% safe and legal. Stay a safe distance behind vehicles.
That was largely the point of the post, but again, I'm not sure moderate drafting is unsafe with DRCC. Yes, there is a large percent of people who unsafely tailgate behind the vehicle in front of them, and this is a really bad idea. To get significant drafting gains, one would have to follow a truck too closely for safety without DRCC. When I try mild drafting, I maintain a safe distance but do not, therefore, achieve large mpg gains. The reason I ask about DRCC is that it could theoretically allow one to draft at closer range, eliminating human error and the delay to process braking if the truck driver slams on his brakes. Correct me if I am wrong, but DRCC is near instantaneous in response to braking with the vehicle in front. For those following the progress of the "driverless vehicle", Google car, etc, advancements in DRCC should allow vehicles to safely drive at decent drafting ranges and most would benefit from increased mileage and improved traffic congestion management.
You can gain minor benefit from following at a safe distance but you must be extra alert for road debris! I find that once you are far enough away to be considered safe, the benefit of drafting is much diminished BUT you can now drive slower than the rest of traffic and not be a road hazard. I call it blocking instead of drafting. If the rest of traffic wants to do 70mph+ then fall in behind a big rig at a safe following distance and use him as a blocker. People would have to go around the rig anyway so they are less annoyed with the Prius going slow behind him.
I bet it really makes the truck driver's day for there to be a small car in the blind spot behind his rig.
Good point. In the near future, there will probably have to be an vehicle-to-vehicle notification system that the car behind is in DRCC mode. Even in a car, it's annoying to have someone tailgating, mostly for fear that the car behind would not be able to stop in time if you had to brake aggressively. But if you get a message on your navigation screen telling you the person behind you engaged DRCC, that should solve the problem. With the current developments of vehicle radar and other imaging systems, trucks and cars in the near future should no longer have blind spots.
