[Vwdiesel] mileage

[Kurt Nolte]

With respect to an unloaded or partially loaded truck taking longer to 
stop than a lightly loaded one, the same applies to buses and I know 
some of the reasoning behind that.

We're in agreement that a locked tire skidding is going to stop you more 
slowly than a properly braking, rolling tire, right? So you want to keep 
your wheels rolling while you brake.

Heavy vehicles, (buses, semis, delivery trucks, dump trucks...) all have 
brakes that are designed for their heaviest load. The size of the drums 
and shoes is appropriate to stop a fully loaded, maximum-rated-weight 
plus a percentage vehicle within a specified distance from a specified 
speed. The amount of braking force they can lay down is /immense/, and 
measures beyond what they would need in a less loaded situation.

These vehicles carry such a high percentage of their final mass in 
cargo/passengers, unlike passenger cars and light duty trucks, that 
their unloaded weight is a very small fraction of what the brakes are 
designed to stop. Your maximum braking application pressure is thus 
greatly reduced to keep you from locking up your tires.

True your inertia is also way down because of your reduced mass, and 
your aerodynamic drag isn't going to change, but as it was explained to 
me the increased stopping time from such a reduction of braking pressure 
is greater than the reduction in stopping time garnered from the lower 
overall mass of your vehicle.

Thus what I have been told, which seems consistent with the physics I know.

-Kurt