Motorway windsocks

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Chris Bertram
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Re: Motorway windsocks

Post by Chris Bertram »

Noticed one on M5 today on the northbound side as you come out of a downhill cutting on the way towards J14 (B4509). I suspect that wind shear would be the reason for it being needed.
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Big L
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Re: Motorway windsocks

Post by Big L »

There’s one almost at the top of the hill on the M42 between j3 and j2.
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Ruperts Trooper
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Re: Motorway windsocks

Post by Ruperts Trooper »

owen b wrote: Tue May 17, 2022 22:49
the cheesecake man wrote: Tue May 17, 2022 20:48
owen b wrote: Mon Apr 20, 2009 23:31 I remember being intrigued by them as a small child on the A1 in North Yorkshire, possibly near RAF Leeming and/or Catterick.
Me too. They seemed to be for the airfields rather than the road, but I could have been wrong.
I don't recall seeing them on recent trips. That route is notorious for cross winds from the south west. I wonder what if any provision there is for them in the Dishforth - Barton scheme.
Me neither, until last month. There are now windsocks between Wetherby and Dishforth. I didn't notice any north of Dishforth.
Thanks for the reply, 13 years after my post :D .

The M6 Cumbria windsocks are still there, and the wannabe meteorologist in me still looks out for them.

One thing I've become very aware of is just how much wind direction can affect fuel consumption at motorway speeds. Based on many trips to and from Scotland from Luton keeping an eye on weather reports and the trip computer and watching out for the windsocks I reckon the difference in fuel consumption can be as much as 15% between a tailwind and a headwind at usual motorway speeds. Of course it's more or less impossible to be precise about this because of other factors such as congestion, varying distances driven through roadworks speed limits, vehicle load, outside temperature, tyre pressure etc. etc. but I'm certain that wind direction and strength is significant. The last time I headed north I had approaching perfect conditions for good fuel economy, with a moderate southerly breeze and mild weather, tyres pumped up, light vehicle load, long stretches of roadworks limiting me to 50 or 60mph, and I got almost 90mpg from my diesel Astra from Luton to Cumbria without any hypermiling tactics.
For about 15 years when our son was younger, we headed for a fortnights holiday with our caravan at a camp site near Ashburton in Devon - I don't recall the actual figures now but the journey home was always about 10% better than the journey down - I put this down to the prevailing wind from the SW.
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owen b
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Re: Motorway windsocks

Post by owen b »

Ruperts Trooper wrote: Sun Jun 26, 2022 20:18
owen b wrote: Tue May 17, 2022 22:49 The M6 Cumbria windsocks are still there, and the wannabe meteorologist in me still looks out for them.

One thing I've become very aware of is just how much wind direction can affect fuel consumption at motorway speeds. Based on many trips to and from Scotland from Luton keeping an eye on weather reports and the trip computer and watching out for the windsocks I reckon the difference in fuel consumption can be as much as 15% between a tailwind and a headwind at usual motorway speeds. Of course it's more or less impossible to be precise about this because of other factors such as congestion, varying distances driven through roadworks speed limits, vehicle load, outside temperature, tyre pressure etc. etc. but I'm certain that wind direction and strength is significant. The last time I headed north I had approaching perfect conditions for good fuel economy, with a moderate southerly breeze and mild weather, tyres pumped up, light vehicle load, long stretches of roadworks limiting me to 50 or 60mph, and I got almost 90mpg from my diesel Astra from Luton to Cumbria without any hypermiling tactics.
For about 15 years when our son was younger, we headed for a fortnights holiday with our caravan at a camp site near Ashburton in Devon - I don't recall the actual figures now but the journey home was always about 10% better than the journey down - I put this down to the prevailing wind from the SW.
I usually measure average fuel consumption on my Scottish trips. It's usually at its maximum heading north around Lancaster / Kendal. After that it drops a bit over Shap and the Southern Uplands, and a bit more as I tour around the Highlands. Then on the trip south the average consumption slowly improves with the less undulating and generally more speed restricted sections of M6 and M1 back to Luton. It didn't work out like that today, heading south. There was a strong southerly wind over the Southern Uplands and Shap, the windsocks were full, and the running average fuel consumption dropped quite quickly on the upslopes and recovered very little on the downslopes. Only after Manchester did the average consumption improve, but the average consumption for the trip was still lower when I got back to Luton than when I set off this morning.

Incidentally, I spotted another windsock, just on the mainland side of the Skye bridge.
Owen
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