Saving fuel, saving you

It’s like driving with a tail wind all the time

Save fuel whenever you drive over 70km/h
The faster you travel, the greater the air drag at the back of your truck. 
Drag is a constant sucking force-slowing you down, using up horsepower and guzzling fuel. And the faster you go, the worse it gets.
Air deflectors and foils have improved aerodynamics at the front of the truck, but nobody has given much attention to the back. 
Airtabs are a simple, inexpensive way of greatly improving aerodynamics at the back of your truck. 

Without Airtabs

With Airtabs

Fuel costs cut by around 2-5% 
Drivers in Australia and overseas have reported significant fuel savings after fitting Airtabs to their vehicle. 

Airtabs cut down on drag
Airtabs placed at the trailing edge of trailers and prime movers create dozens of small vortices. Each vortex (a controlled swirl of air) fills the space behind the truck, significantly reducing drag.

Less drag means less power is required to maintain a given speed, and that cuts your largest running expense-fuel.
Airtabs cut down fuel costs
As fuel prices continue to rise, even a 1% saving is worth having. Airtabs could save you even more.
The graph above assumes a 3% fuel saving, current consumption of 50l/100km and 15000km travelled each month.

Increased stability and safety is priceless
The fuel savings you’ll get from Airtabs are easy to put a dollar figure on, but increased stability and safety is priceless. 

Greater stability and ease of driving 
The first thing most drivers notice after fitting Airtabs is that the vehicle is more stable on the road, especially in gusty cross-winds. The turbulent air leaving the vehicle is directed and controlled. 
Drivers report that the vehicle is much easier to handle and less stressful to drive. Tailers track more directly behind the prime mover. 

Greater visibility in the wet 
Airtabs change the way air behaves behind the vehicle. In the wet, water picked up from the road is directed into vortices, reducing the uncontrolled spray that follows most large vehicles. 
Safer for you, and safer for other road users too.

How do Airtabs work?
Air rushing down the sides of the truck is caught by a row of Airtabs and converted into a series of small vortices, controlling the way air fills the low pressure area at the rear of the vehicle–and slashing drag.

The science of Airtabs
What’s drag?
As a vehicle moves, air must rush into the space it just occupied. A low pressure area is created behind the vehicle and it takes power and extra fuel to overcome. 

At low speeds, air fills the space at the rear of the vehicle without much fuss. (Don’t bother with Airtabs if you rarely travel over 70km/h.) But as speeds increase, the air must fill the space more quickly and turbulence becomes more violent. Doubling your speed increases drag by 4 times!

If you don’t have Airtabs, have a look at the back of your truck after driving in the rain–it’s much dirtier than the rest of your truck.

Drag has sucked up dirt and water from the road and thrown it all over your back door. Trucks fitted with Airtabs stay much cleaner-a clear sign of reduced drag.

Airtabs are the only way to effectively deal with drag created in the gap between prime mover and trailer. Airtabs have no impact on your turning circle or fifth wheel location. 

Vortex generators
Vortex generators have been used for decades in the aeronautical industry to reduce drag and improve the performance characteristics of aircraft. They work. Engineers continue to experiment with vortex generators in many areas of fluid dynamics.

Airtabs have been especially designed to effectively reduce drag on large vehicles. They have been extensively tested in the laboratory and in real trucking applications. It’s amazing what a big difference such a small device can make.

Easy installation
Airtabs are easy to fit. 

Do it yourself or arrange fitting through our network of installers. Airtabs are supplied in white and can be painted with standard automotive finishes.

For hard-sided trucks or trailers
Airtabs are made from tough ABS plastic and come with a self-adhesive backing. It usually takes a little over an hour to fit Airtabs. Simply

1 clean the surface thoroughly
2 fit the Airtabs into the special spacer template
3 stick the Airtabs along the trailing edge of the walls and roof.

For vinyl curtains
Airtabs are available in pre-welded vinyl strips to fit to existing curtains. Your preferred curtain repairer can fit Airtabs with little hassle.

Next time you replace your curtain, specify Airtabs be fitted as an integral component of your new curtain.

Case study 
Chris Binks 

I noticed a handling difference right from the beginning and as time went on, I also noticed an improvement in fuel consumption and trailer cleanliness.

Chris does big kilometres – he hauls a B Double fridge van combination from Melbourne or Sydney to North Queensland and Melbourne to Brisbane fortnightly.

‘When I first had these Airtabs fitted, I was pretty sceptical, but wanted to keep an open mind’ 
says Binks. 

‘I noticed a handling difference right from the beginning and as time went on, I also noticed an improvement in fuel consumption and trailer cleanliness. Airtabs had me impressed but it was hard to firmly quantify the benefits.’

Chris replaced his trailers in July 2004 and agreed to a more formal trial of Airtabs. 

‘We agreed to run the new trailers without Airtabs for a couple of months and keep a thorough record of fuel consumption. We then fitted the Airtabs and ran for a further three months.'

‘I really noticed the change when I started running the new Maxi Cubes without the Airtabs. I didn’t like it at all as I’d become used to the way the Airtabs made the trailers more stable on the road. The B trailer in particular seemed to wander that little bit more and the trailers were definitely not tracking behind the prime mover the way the old units fitted with the Airtabs used to. I also noticed that the build up of dirt and road grime in between the trailers and at on the rear doors of the B trailer was far, far worse than I’d had for a long time.'

As planned, Binks ran Townsville – Melbourne without Airtabs for three months covering 32,000 kilometers. Average fuel consumption for the Freightliner Argosy with a 14l, 550HP Detroit engine over the period was 63.82 litres per 100 kilometres.

Airtabs were then fitted to the vans by Maxitrans and the units ran the same routes with the fuel data being very closely monitored. Average fuel consumption was down some 2.4% to 62.32 litres per 100 kilometres.

‘I wasn’t at all surprised by those results’ says Binks.'

‘I was relieved to be back running with the Airtabs and noticed immediately the reduced effort in driving. The trailers weren’t “waddling”, I wasn’t fighting the effect, especially in cross winds and I was spending far less time cleaning, particularly the B trailer fridge motor in the gap. I also asked a few blokes what they were feeling as they overtook. Sitting in behind me the airflow was smooth, when they came out to pass; some said it was like “hitting a brick wall” as they passed out of the Airtab vortices and into the dead air.’

The fuel savings over the 55,000km were worth about $1,180 assuming a diesel price of $1.20 per litre. 

At a price of $775 for the Airtab B Double kit (plus fitting) the devices achieved payback at about 43,000 km. Not bad at all-and added safety benefits to boot! 

Case study 
Displayco
Specialist fleet operator Displayco is a designer/manufacturer of display and advertising materials that runs its own fleet of rigid pan techs. 

The Displayco fleet, consisting of Hino, Isuzu and Mercedes units with fibreglass pans from 14 feet to 28 feet all now run with Airtabs after initial trials back in 2000. Managing Director, Denis Walker says,

‘These devices are now just a standard fitment as our fleet develops. Our trucks run a little heavier than the norm as we have tail lifts fitted, so we look for every efficiency enhancement we can get.'

‘Our first trials showed a fuel consumption improvement of 2.7% and that was enough for me to take the decision to fit-out our fleet. But to be honest, now that we’ve used Airtabs for some years, the big improvement in stability at highway speeds, the better rearward visibility in the wet and the cleaner tailgates would have been good enough reasons themselves to take on these things.'

‘It’s really quite a dramatic difference in handling” he says. “Cross winds in particular can really make driving our pans a tough task and reducing that turbulence at the rear makes the driving far more comfortable.'

‘I also like the way we can see clearly behind us in the wet instead of dealing with that swirling mass of grimy airborne water.'

‘I can’t understand why anyone wouldn’t fit Airtabs if they’re doing highway work. I look at them now as safety devices that also pay back real money.'

Case study 
NQX
Brisbane based NQX has also been impressed with the Airtab package of benefits and now has over 40 curtain sided trailers in the fleet fitted with the devices. 

‘We fitted our first curtains 
with Airtab strips back in 2001’, 
says NQX Operations Manager, Tony Brandt.

‘The concept of vortex generators seemed logical enough and we’re the sort of organisation that will try new innovations if the reasoning is sound.'

‘A big advantage is the way Airtabs minimise the curtains billowing at speed-an obvious aerodynamic benefit. They also keep the rear panels and doors very clean saving us time in the yard. Another significant advantage is the greater on road stability, particularly in cross winds.'

'Finally, rearward spray is far less of a problem in wet conditions with the Airtab fitted units. Our guys can see better what is happening behind them and people following enjoy greater visibility. It’s a clear safety improvement.

NQX has a large number of tow operators and trailers constantly being changed to different power units, so it hasn’t been possible to get a definitive figure on fuel consumption. 

‘I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s an improvement here, but we just aren’t set up to get an accurate figure. We’ve specified Airtabs on all new long haul trailers including our triples in the Northern Territory and the new “Switfliner” concept vehicle we’ve recently developed. The safety benefits alone justify the relatively small initial outlay.'

Saving your fuel, saving you

Fax your order now – 02 9614 7215
Phone orders and enquiries 0412 437 676 Postal orders to PO Box 88 Northmead NSW 2152

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