Someone ... please invent a merge in turn camera!

R420LA6X2/4MNA said:
I see this often, its crazy.

The truck following has little idea if the truck infront is carrying a light or heavy load until they either reach a hill or, the truck in front brakes hard. ...
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As a matter of interest, is there some perceived benefit in trucks tailgating one another? Does slipstreaming save fuel or something? The practice seems so common that I can't believe that it is just due to lack of attention.


R420LA6X2/4MNA said:
... Unfortunately,whilst I'm sure the majority are considerate, it only takes a few morons with 44ton behind them to tar us all with the same brush.
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I shall bear this in mind.

I must confess that whenever I pass an Eddie Stobart truck, I do tend to wonder vaguely if you are in the cab. There are so many of them on the road that if I gave a wave to every one, I would end up driving with one hand ;)
 
rypt said:
So ... I'm happily driving down the right hand lane, at around the speedlimit (it's still 50mph as the 30 limit does not kick in until the point where the lanes merge).
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If you want to start educating people on good driving, the thing to have done here (imo) would have been to start slowing down towards the speed of the traffic on the left. Possibly creeping past slightly faster if the left lane was entirely stationary.

It wouldn't be long before both lanes are then moving at the same speed, where merge-in-turn works well.

The problem of course is that you get people behind you who want to go flying past in the outside lane and then 'merge' as far up the queue as possible. So you can't really win. But in my experience if you drive sensibly down the outside lane, then people do usually let you in.
 
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rypt said:
fact that cars have different braking abilities, a light weight sports car with very good brakes and tyres can easily out brake a 3/5 series by a fairly large margin.
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An MR2 is hardly a light weight sports car compared to the real ones, elises and what not :p Besides, of the two mk3's I've owned and my girlfriend's that I've driven, the stock brakes are pretty **** after a month or two of general use. Hell, I had no faith in my old yellow car's brakes after it had the V6 transplanted in. Judging by Fox's 60 - 0 speed in the wet, I'd be gobsmacked if yours could beat that.

MR2's brakes don't really start shining until you uprate them, and by that point they're hardly the "MR2's" brakes.
 
stockhausen said:
As a matter of interest, is there some perceived benefit in trucks tailgating one another? Does slipstreaming save fuel or something? The practice seems so common that I can't believe that it is just due to lack of attention.
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Slipstreaming can save fuel, by quite a margin too, that said, to do it effectively, you have to be close enough so you can't actually see the lights of the trailer infront (think about it!) you effectively find yourself being pulled along in the hole in the air caused by the vehicle in front, you can usually lift the throttle quite a bit hence the saving.

Now when you consider an empty artic will out brake a full one by a massive margin, you realise the folly and sheer insanity of such tailgating.

a lot of truckers deliberately drive as close as possible, as if we don't, some Muppet in a car will sandwich himself between us (no matter how small the gap it seems!) so we try (I think) to drive close ish to discourage car drivers from jumping into a gap that is actually a death trap.

Well, thats my theory, the truth probably is closer to us being nutters! :o



stockhausen said:
I must confess that whenever I pass an Eddie Stobart truck, I do tend to wonder vaguely if you are in the cab. There are so many of them on the road that if I gave a wave to every one, I would end up driving with one hand ;)
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Will Gill said:
hehe me too :)
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I must admit I get fed up of flashing (my lights!) & waving (sometimes single finger) to my fellow Eddies.... I often ignore them... :o

As for which one has me in it, well, beware the Stobart Scania with the Gorilla in the window! ;) :D
P1010139.jpg
 
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rypt said:
Before you answer that, consider the fact that cars have different braking abilities, a light weight sports car with very good brakes and tyres can easily out brake a 3/5 series by a fairly large margin.
.
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Deceleration 60-0 (secs)
MR2 : Braking, 60-0 mph: 106 ft

Deceleration 60-0 (secs)
BMW 5 series 530d (E60 (03 - )) 109 ft

yep thats a massive margin, I didn't even cheat and grab the M5 - thats from http://www.motortrend.com
 
MoNkeE said:
An MR2 is hardly a light weight sports car compared to the real ones, elises and what not :p Besides, of the two mk3's I've owned and my girlfriend's that I've driven, the stock brakes are pretty **** after a month or two of general use. Hell, I had no faith in my old yellow car's brakes after it had the V6 transplanted in. Judging by Fox's 60 - 0 speed in the wet, I'd be gobsmacked if yours could beat that.

MR2's brakes don't really start shining until you uprate them, and by that point they're hardly the "MR2's" brakes.
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Stock they are decent, ... but ... Good job mine are upgraded then :)

The point is, you never know what the car ahead has as his setup, so how much of a gap should you leave?


Will Gill said:
Deceleration 60-0 (secs)
MR2 : Braking, 60-0 mph: 106 ft

Deceleration 60-0 (secs)
BMW 5 series 530d (E60 (03 - )) 109 ft

yep thats a massive margin, I didn't even cheat and grab the M5 - thats from http://www.motortrend.com
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Those figures have no relation to my car though, given the fact that the tyres, disks, pads on it are not stock and are all better than stock
 
rypt said:
Those figures have no relation to my car though, given the fact that the tyres, disks, pads on it are not stock and are all better than stock
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nope you are right, no bearing whatsoever, nada, utterly none

lolrypt you are a very unique individual aren't you
 
rypt said:
The point is, you never know what the car ahead has as his setup, so how much of a gap should you leave?
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I guess we just shouldnt bother then?

Those figures have no relation to my car though, given the fact that the tyres, disks, pads on it are not stock and are all better than stock
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You were not talking about your car, you were talking about lightweight sports cars in general:

lolrypt said:
Before you answer that, consider the fact that cars have different braking abilities, a light weight sports car with very good brakes and tyres can easily out brake a 3/5 series by a fairly large margin.
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