Received June 22, 2007
Aitab,
I have a 2005 Freightliner Argosy cab over and pull a 35 foot tri-axle lead van; with a forty-eight tandem axle van behind it. I run 5 days a week from Edmonton to Grande Prairie; roughly 600 miles. 2 weeks testing without airtabs with an average gross weight of 115,000 lbs; I averaged 6.2 miles pre gallon; after installing airtabs on both trailers and my tractor; I now average 6.8 miles per gallon. This gives me a return after my initial investment after fourteen trips. All the testing was done at 100 km/h (62.1 mph); as I'm restricted to these speeds for extended length vehicles in Alberta.
One thing I noticed immediately; on down hills the truck tends to pick up speed quicker and glide further. I notice in strong quarterly crosswinds I don't have sway like I used to. I would recommend airtabs to anyone who wants to save fuel and increase vehicle stability.
Yours truly,
Ralph S.
Alberta, Canada