Headwind vs. Slope: A Comparison

Given the current wind speeds, I had the following question. Can headwinds and inclines, or tailwinds and declines, be compared? In other words, can we say that a headwind of xx km/h is equivalent to an incline of x %? The fuel consumption display clearly shows that a motor has to work harder in a headwind, just as it does on an incline.

The additional power required when facing headwinds depends on the air resistance (drag coefficient x frontal area), while the vehicle's weight is the determining factor when climbing inclines.

You're probably right. However, I believe that older versions of the Ulfs DZR (German data recording system) also required specifying the gradient or incline. And the input for headwind or tailwind is also included in that DZR. It would be interesting to create a table for a specific vehicle (e.g., a Golf with a defined weight, Cd value, etc.), showing the effects of headwind on one side and incline on the other. Specifically, for a concrete vehicle. You just have to play around with the headwind value in the DZR; you'll see significant power losses.

Hello.

Unfortunately, these two things cannot be compared. This is because air resistance depends on the (wind) speed squared.

So, when traveling at twice the speed, you experience four times the air resistance.

And the slope resistance is the sine of the tangent of the slope...

'So, you can't determine a single table that would be useful in any meaningful way. You would need a separate table for each speed, and even then, if you have wind and incline, the table becomes useless again.'



Best regards, Ernst.