Tent Placement in Relation to Wind Noise

[carbon60]

I recently moved my Roost hard shell RTT from my old truck to the new. In doing so, I moved it forward a few inches because that seemed more balanced. But I think it is now noisier.

Are there any general rules about wind noise that I should know? Moving it back and forth, driving on the highway, repeat, is a chore.

This style of tent:

Thanks,

A.

 

[anickode]

Looks like it extends far enough forward that it protrudes past where the roof line and windshield start to slope downward. You've got a great big scoop that's funneling air underneath it. Moving it back a bit and adding a wind deflector would likely cut your wind noise drastically, and would also help your fuel economy.

Perhaps buying or making some lower profile crossbars to decrease the gap would help too. Its sticking up pretty good.

 

[carbon60]

Looks like it extends far enough forward that it protrudes past where the roof line and windshield start to slope downward. You've got a great big scoop that's funneling air underneath it. Moving it back a bit and adding a wind deflector would likely cut your wind noise drastically, and would also help your fuel economy.

Perhaps buying or making some lower profile crossbars to decrease the gap would help too. Its sticking up pretty good.

The image was just an example, not my truck, but I think you're correct in any case. So the nose of the tent should be behind the invisible line drawn from the slope of the windshield?

Yeah, I need to buy some of those Gamviti gutter mounts and make a lower profile rack, it's been on my list for a while.

Thanks for the reply!

 

[lugueto]

If you want to avoid wind noise, whatever cargo you have on your roof has to be behind the windshield. Even further, it has to be directly behind an imaginary line that follows the same angle as the windshield.. This way the cargo is behind the updraft caused by the windshield and keeps noise to a minimum.

 

[rayra]

yep, got to be out of the 'bow wave' of air going over the vehicle. Either way it's going to make some noise. No way it can't

Were it mine, I'd consider totally reworking the mounts to put it as close to the roof as possible. And I'd fabricate some sort of gap-filling V-shape air dam to fill the front void between tent and roof and shed air to the sides as much as possible. Some cardboard-aided design can make it easy, a bit of welding and it could bolt to the rack / frame holding the tent.
something like this.

 

[carbon60]

My actual truck with tent:

I'll move it back 5" or so and see how that goes.

 

[rayra]

it would help, but the overall length seems too long to get it back far enough.

I'd try an experiment with something like a large pool noodle stuffed in the gap between tent and vehicle roof. Block that front aspect and wind noise should be reduced. Drag will be terrible though. That's what all the noise is anyway, drag.

 

[pyrate]

I'm not sure how effective it would be but a deflector off the front of the hood might help to a certain degree. Moves the air flow up higher. But at higher speeds it may not be able to divert the airflow enough to make it worthwhile or cause too much drag or be an ugly addition. Turn up the music...quick fix. :smiley_drive: