knipp4la
Slidell, La
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Joined: 07/06/2004
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I was looking at different TT...a couple have the V-front like the Forest River V-cross series. I was wondering if they are more aerodynamic than the traditional TT...if the V front would result in less drag and better mpg when towing? Forest River does not imply they are..just touting use of previously wasted space. Some one smarter than me chime in please!
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HappyTrails2U2
Yazoo City, MS & Atlanta, GA
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Joined: 11/11/2009
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knipp4la wrote:I was looking at different TT...a couple have the V-front like the Forest River V-cross series. I was wondering if they are more aerodynamic than the traditional TT...if the V front would result in less drag and better mpg when towing? Forest River does not imply they are..just touting use of previously wasted space. Some one smarter than me chime in please!
The trailer is 8 ft. wide and a straight line from one side to the other will only be 8 ft long but if you make a V shape to go across the same distance it's going to be longer and you'll have more surface area. That would probably be why Forest River doesn't advertise that the V shape is easier to tow, they just let people make their own assumptions because it looks like it would be. I'm sure the dealers will say it's easier because they'll tell you anything you want to hear.
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VintageRacer
Dundas, Ontario
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I have a vee nose car hauler (Forest River, as it happens). It is more aerodynamic and will be a bit easier to pull, but not as much as you would think. Much of the drag of a trailer is from the vacuum it creates behind it, less from the front than you would think, partly because the tow vehicle actually does a pretty good job of creating a bubble of chaotic disturbed air that surrounds the whole front of the trailer. It's more complicated than that, but the bottom line is the vee nose isn't a magic bullet. What it does do, and I found this out the hard way, is make the trailer sway a lot worse than a similar square nose trailer will do, particularly the pull and push when being passed closely by a big truck. Again a complicated reason, the air between the vehicles creates a low pressure area which is fed faster, smoother air by the vee nose and so accentuates the venturi effect, lower pressure, more pull and release. I took a couple of years to figure that out.
Brian
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skipnchar
Topeka or somewhere else
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The difference from a flat front and a V nose is much less than you might believe since it is only pointing the V nose DIRECTLY into the wind when the wind is directly from in front of you. If the wind is actually from a 45 degree angle than they actually may present more of a flat front to the wind than a flat front trailer. Good luck / skip
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bpsims
Albuquerque, NM
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I just bought a Flagstaff V-lite and was thinking they should have put the V shape at the back end of the trailer instead of the front. From a drag standpoint, it would probably help more being back there. From a sales and aesthetic standpoint, probably wouldn't work.
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old guys
s.w. ontario
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We just towed our 27vfk v-cross from s.w. Ontario to Fort Myers Florida and averaged 10 mpg (U.S.gal). It towed extremely well but I don't know that it affected the mileage that much. I do know that we took our daughter and 8 mo. old grandson and his playpen and a thousand other toys and accessories and it sure was nice to have that extra room with the v-front kitchen. Oh yes, did I mention we also had our dog along. Old guys.
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jimroach
Arizona
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We have a VR1, and this is our first trailer(so don't have a lot of experience to compare it to), we did have a lot of sway problems, as mentioned above, especially with big rigs. got about 10 mpg with a dodge 1500. However with the kitchen up front on ours, it was really nice and we enjoyed it. Did make the tongue weight heavy though.
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mkirsch
Rochester, NY
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Yes, but the comparison is to a trailer of equal OVERALL length.
On a square nose trailer the space over the hitch A-frame is wasted. With a V-nose at least some of it is utilized.
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advntrs
greenwood, Indiana
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We have a VR1 also. No mileage or handling difference from our old flat nosed trailers......We do like the nice big bathroom up front though.
When we first got the trailer, we experienced a good deal of sway when towing with our F150.. As it turned out, the dealer did not have the hitch set up correctly which resulted in some handling difficulties. I then got the manual out and ran through the set up procedures for my hitch and weight distribution, and corrected the problem completely.
We now tow the trailer with a F350 diesel, and except for the gas mileage, it is hard to tell the trailer is back there.
It would be hard for us to go back to a conventional trailer after experiencing all the that extra room in the "V" configuration.
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HappyTrails2U2
Yazoo City, MS & Atlanta, GA
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advntrs wrote:
It would be hard for us to go back to a conventional trailer after experiencing all the that extra room in the "V" configuration.
Actually if you bought a trailer with the same box dimensions (front of trailer to rear of trailer...not including tongue length or bumper etc.) you'd have more space in one with a conventional square nose than one with the V shape front. You lose that space that is at a diagonal up front.
Draw a square box on a piece of paper and then draw another one on top of it the same length except put a V shape front on it and you'll see what I mean.
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