RV NOW
Sign up for a feed and get posts automatically.rss


Friday, March 16, 2007

WOW! What Will RVers Think Of Next?

I’ve said it many times before, RVers are some of the most innovative people on the planet! John McChristy is the owner of 5 Star RV park in Tyler, Texas. He is also an avid RVer who was getting tired of spending hundreds of dollars replacing the plastic front-end shield on his 2000 Gulf Stream motorhome. After replacing the third shield he started looking for alternatives. The photo below illustrates the type of shield John was using before he and his auto-body buddy came up with an entirely new idea. John could have gone with clear film or a bra, but instead he had his friend put a Rhino Lining (TM) on the front of his motorhome and he reports that it immediately increased his gas mileage by one mile per gallon. John also says that it repels rocks without a visible scratch and the bugs wash right off. John chose to go with black, and now you can get Rhino Lining (TM) in several different colors and you may be able to closely match your coach color scheme. What will you think of next? Jim

posted by Jim Twamley at 3/16/2007 08:09:00 PM

12 Comments:

  • Jim, Were you able to determine if the Rhino Lining was more cost effective then the clear shields or bras? William

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at March 15, 2007 1:03:00 PM PDT  

  • John told me he was paying something like $1400 to replace the plastic plexiglass shields. I don't know how much a bra costs, but I do know that some folks don't like them because they can scratch and mar the finish by retaining sand and dust around the edges. The Rhino Lining was under $500 when he had it done. Jim

    By Blogger Jim Twamley, at March 16, 2007 12:03:00 PM PDT  

  • Wow, 1 mile per gallon more! How could that be? Peggy

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at March 20, 2007 2:32:00 PM PDT  

  • Not that pretty, but neither are a bunch of nicks & scratches. Never cared for the appearance of the plastic shield either. I'm surprised to hear that the shields don't hold up better. I had Rhino liner in my pick-up truck bed and can attest that it is great stuff. By masking off areas, I would think it could be applied in a pattern using several colors. This would of course, cost quite a bit more.

    By Anonymous DaveB, at March 24, 2007 8:44:00 AM PDT  

  • My dh has been saying that's what he wants to do with our Damon...but we haven't found anyone willing to do the job. Can't wait to show him someone else thought of the same thing!

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at March 24, 2007 9:03:00 AM PDT  

  • I was wondering the same thing regarding the gas...

    By Blogger Frank & Lucy, at March 24, 2007 9:25:00 AM PDT  

  • You can get this done in Tylor Texas. Call John McChristy at (903) 530-6599 if you want to get the name and phone number of the body shop that will do it.

    As far as gas mileage improvement, well as a former Navigator on KC-135 aircraft I can tell you that drag is a critical component of aerodynamics. If one little rivet head is popped up it will reduce the aerodynamic efficiency of the aircraft (read more fuel to propel it through the air). Now, take a plastic shield on a motor coach – protruding, causing vortices (disruptions in air flow) across the plane of the surface of the face of the motor coach (there is an actual mathematical formula for this) will induce significant enough drag to reduce the miles per gallon. That’s why auto manufacturers run their clay car models through air tunnels with smoke emitters to test the aerodynamics of the vehicle design. By putting the Rhino Lining on the motorcoach, it conformed to the original coach design and therefore eliminated the induced drag from the protruding plastic shield. Ooooo that gives my brain a work out.

    By Blogger Jim Twamley, at March 24, 2007 10:37:00 AM PDT  

  • Seems that's an alternative, but I REALLY like my 3M clear plastic bra on my Beaver. Bugs clean right off, I can wax it, and it does not change the aerodynamic qualities of the coach. AND, you can't teel it is there, allowing the original color sceme to be uninterrupted!

    -Dave

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at March 24, 2007 4:06:00 PM PDT  

  • I looked into this for the front of our Bluebird. Yes, you can get various colors, but they will fade in time as they are not part of the Rhino, but as a coating on top.
    Also, don't see how would increase fuel milage on the front of a flat surface like our rig.
    I would love to increase our 5 mpg bus to 6 but I doubt it would help.

    By Anonymous Bob Lawrence, at March 24, 2007 7:26:00 PM PDT  

  • Thanks to Jim T. for the explanation on the fuel savings. The important thing to remember here is that it is not the addition of Rhino Liner, but the elimination of the plastic shield that provides the improved fuel mileage. Anything that "protrudes" from the body affects the aerodynamics & reduces fuel mileage. Stick with products that adhear to the body contours. 3M film, Rhino-Liner or equivelant, or a bra. Much more economical & apparently holds up better. Who would have guessed that these things would hold up better than 1 inch thick plexy???

    By Anonymous DaveB, at March 24, 2007 8:29:00 PM PDT  

  • In addition to the streamline drag of the plexiglas, I imagine the weight of it was also a factor, which reduces mileage!

    By Blogger mogul264, at March 25, 2007 6:08:00 PM PDT  

  • In addition to the aerodynamic drag of the plexiglas shield, it has mass/weight, which is also a factor of mileage.

    By Blogger mogul264, at March 25, 2007 6:11:00 PM PDT  

Post a Comment

Links to this post:

Create a Link

<< Home

 

free web hit counter