Found out open car trailers add 15% more rock chips than enclosed, saw it in a study from 2022

2 comments

2 Comments

Yeah I'd take that study with a grain of salt unless they controlled for driver behavior and trailer speed. Open trailers with a decent mesh stone guard don't add anywhere near 15 percent in my experience.

wood.andrew1mo ago

I get where you're coming from but I've actually tested this with a few different setups. I ran a 6x12 open trailer with a mesh stone guard on a 300 mile trip at 65 mph and saw a consistent 12-14% hit on my truck's mpg compared to the same route empty. Driver behavior was the same, same truck, same cruise control setting. Maybe my mesh guard isn't as airy as yours but the wind resistance is real once you get above 55.