Spraydown Aero Guard System, a uniquely designed 3-dimensional mud flap brought to the U.S. commercial vehicle market in 2010 through a strategic alliance between Spraydown USA and Betts Spring is showing positive results in fuel savings, spray suppression and reduced emissions during fleet road trials, track and laboratory testing in Europe. Spraydown USA products are manufactured domestically by Engineered Profiles, LLC, at their facility in Columbus, OH.
As the name implies, the vertical aero vanes manufactured into Spraydown mud flaps re-direct spray down through the pockets smoothing airflow and reducing drag, resulting in substantial fuel savings. Standard two dimensional mud flaps disrupt air flow, contributing to turbulent air flow patterns surrounding today’s heavy duty vehicle. Additionally safety is enhanced because with Spraydown flaps, 98 percent of spray is directed back to the road and out of the driver’s view.
Since Spraydown was introduced in Europe more than four years ago over a million miles of vehicle on-road and track testing has been performed. The results, supported by research and laboratory testing, indicate an improvement in fuel economy in the range of 1.5 to 3 percent by replacing standard mud flaps with Spraydown Aero Guards. Testing also showed 95 percent suppression of spray from vehicles outfitted with Spraydown, resulting in a 43 percent improvement in visibility enhancing both driver and motorists’ safety. After testing Spraydown on their vehicles, Cooperative Group (www.co-operative.coop), a U.K. company operating 700 trailers and 1000 power units with a similar duty cycle to many U.S. fleets is now specifying the Spraydown Aero Guard System on all new trailers. Nigel Sim, Fleet Service Manager explained why “We have seen how a small change to Spraydown mud flaps can make a significant impact towards improving safety and reducing operational costs.” Today, Spraydown Aero Guards are installed on an estimated 4.5 percent of new trucks and 9 percent of new trailers built in the U.K.
Spraydown Aero Guards are available in 24”, 27” and 30” lengths in both straight and angled down configurations and are easily installed. Visit www.spraydownusa.com for more information.
