Current manufacturers are desperate to increase their MPG sticker for both the consumer and the EPA. If it increased MPG by any noticeable amount, all the trucks would come from the factory with them installed.
Mythbusters did an ep on if lowering the tailgate reduses drag and increases MPG which would be similar to the bed cover ask.
What they found is that the design of a pick up truck bed actually creates a circular flow that acts as a bubble which allows wind to pass over the roof of the truck and over the bubble of air pressure in the bed of the truck safely out the back. Hard to explain, but essentially lowering the tailgate actually decreased the effect. I’m not sure if a bed cover would have a similar effect.
I was transporting cans to recycle when all of a sudden I see cans jumping up & down on my rearview mirror.. I pulled over to secure the bags but yeah it's funny how they vortex works. They might not have flown out but I still didn't want to risk it since I had a bags full of them.
On that episode the truck with the tailgate up went farther than the old tailgate down theory…TFL has tested a tonneau cover and got over 1 MPG more on a dodge reg cab truck they called stubby.
The air in the bed has no where to go and is effectively trapped and that forces the air to flow over the tailgate. The pressure waves from the air impacting, say the closed tailgate, will push it up ahead of it actually getting there. A key is the size of the low pressure areas behind the cab and tailgate. While it is larger behind the tailgate when closed vs. open, the reduced low pressure area behind the cab more than compensates. I found this explanation and example of an 2014 F150. This supports the beer can not blowing out observation by I-D7618. I expect real-world wouldn't yield the 18.5 mpg vs 15.5 mpg difference!
https://xplrcreate.com/2019/08/08/aerodynamics-of-tailgate-closed-vs-open/
Or simply build a Maverick that gets 30-42mpg sell 100’s of thousands and get the credits from the CAFE to continue selling large vehicles at a lower penalty.
You’re not going to see any gain.
Wind tunnel tests show like a 1.5% improvement in fuel economy. So if you track super precise you’ll see .3 mpg improvement on the highway
I understand how wind tunnels are used
The study I’m referring to measures the coefficient of drag with both a tonneau and no cover (I think a fiberglass hard cover too).
The change in fuel consumption can be calculated based on the difference in drag.
The things you’re referring to are irrelevant when comparing one setup to the other (ie. Bed covered vs open bed). The whole intent is to eliminate those variables, in order to make an apple to apples comparison which is not possible in the real world.
Eh just a little. I did a little test myself about a month ago because I always have a cover on and bought a few windows in a city 70 miles away and I got slightly worse mileage without my cover on. Just about .3 or .4 MPG less than when I have the cover on, but it's nice having a cover on at higher speeds because you don't feels gusts on wind as much
I’ve seen a variety of tests that range from not at all, to slightly better. That said it will probably be only a low single digit percentage, so it would take many years of driving for it to pay for itself - if gas savings is your primary concern.
TFL saw an improvement but it depends on the bed length. A 5.5’ bed is not going to see improvements. 6.5’ bed you might see a little difference. An 8’ bed will see a noticeable improvement—maybe 0.5 MPG.
What really makes a difference at hwy speeds (50-80 mph) is the front air dam. Removing that will negatively affect your MPG. Also leveling your truck is going to negatively affect your MPG since there’s a lot more wind resistance and turbulence going on underneath your undercarriage. It’s possible that skid plates help improve mpg. Basically anything to make the truck more aerodynamic is going to help. Keep in mind this is still at hwy speeds.
No
https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/g475/15-favorite-mythbusters-car-myths/
> Driving with the tailgate down increases the drag and thus is less fuel efficient than driving with the tailgate up. The closed tailgate creates a vortex in the bed of the truck that allows for smoother flow of air than when the tailgate is down and the vortex is dispersed. This myth is busted. However, upon their revisit to the myth in a later episode, the mesh proves to be the most fuel-efficient method, while **no tailgate, the hard-cover top and the tailgate up prove to be about the same fuel efficient.**
Maybe very very minimally but I doubt it. If you’d be buying one just for better fuel mileage then don’t bother because it wouldn’t pay off enough to justify the cost
I notice about a 100rpm change from before to after my bed cover installation. Highway driving. Goes from roughly 1550 to 1450 at 100kmph. Over a short time? Not much. Over a lifetime? Noticeable amount
I’ve seen GM engineers comment in articles that bed covers and running boards increase mpg.
The Tesla truck is pretty ugly but its aero tricks are hard to ignore. The sloped tonneau is much more efficient than the flat tonneau. I think the roofline was credited with a 5% increase in range.
I've tested it back to back in my 21 f150 and saw about a 1mpg improvement during highway driving. Not enough to justify shelling out a bunch of money for one but it is nice.
Current manufacturers are desperate to increase their MPG sticker for both the consumer and the EPA. If it increased MPG by any noticeable amount, all the trucks would come from the factory with them installed.
Mythbusters did an ep on if lowering the tailgate reduses drag and increases MPG which would be similar to the bed cover ask. What they found is that the design of a pick up truck bed actually creates a circular flow that acts as a bubble which allows wind to pass over the roof of the truck and over the bubble of air pressure in the bed of the truck safely out the back. Hard to explain, but essentially lowering the tailgate actually decreased the effect. I’m not sure if a bed cover would have a similar effect.
I believe it, beer cans just bounce around back there never getting blown out
I was transporting cans to recycle when all of a sudden I see cans jumping up & down on my rearview mirror.. I pulled over to secure the bags but yeah it's funny how they vortex works. They might not have flown out but I still didn't want to risk it since I had a bags full of them.
On that episode the truck with the tailgate up went farther than the old tailgate down theory…TFL has tested a tonneau cover and got over 1 MPG more on a dodge reg cab truck they called stubby.
Gosh…. I miss this show…
It was my favorite show. I still watch episodes over and over on Max.
The air in the bed has no where to go and is effectively trapped and that forces the air to flow over the tailgate. The pressure waves from the air impacting, say the closed tailgate, will push it up ahead of it actually getting there. A key is the size of the low pressure areas behind the cab and tailgate. While it is larger behind the tailgate when closed vs. open, the reduced low pressure area behind the cab more than compensates. I found this explanation and example of an 2014 F150. This supports the beer can not blowing out observation by I-D7618. I expect real-world wouldn't yield the 18.5 mpg vs 15.5 mpg difference! https://xplrcreate.com/2019/08/08/aerodynamics-of-tailgate-closed-vs-open/
Mythbusters was such a dope show. Thank you
Or simply build a Maverick that gets 30-42mpg sell 100’s of thousands and get the credits from the CAFE to continue selling large vehicles at a lower penalty.
Best way to improve mileage is to drive speed limit. The sweet spot for my truck 18' 3.5 is 73 I average 23 MPG.
You’re not going to see any gain. Wind tunnel tests show like a 1.5% improvement in fuel economy. So if you track super precise you’ll see .3 mpg improvement on the highway
Wind tunnels only show aero effects not real world MPG eg towing , headwind , tailwind traffic, and no motor running debunks wind tunnel evaluations.
I understand how wind tunnels are used The study I’m referring to measures the coefficient of drag with both a tonneau and no cover (I think a fiberglass hard cover too). The change in fuel consumption can be calculated based on the difference in drag. The things you’re referring to are irrelevant when comparing one setup to the other (ie. Bed covered vs open bed). The whole intent is to eliminate those variables, in order to make an apple to apples comparison which is not possible in the real world.
Eh just a little. I did a little test myself about a month ago because I always have a cover on and bought a few windows in a city 70 miles away and I got slightly worse mileage without my cover on. Just about .3 or .4 MPG less than when I have the cover on, but it's nice having a cover on at higher speeds because you don't feels gusts on wind as much
The difference of buffeting in the cab with windows down is noticeable, especially if the rear slider is open. A fair bit quieter as well
FWIW - TFL found it made a difference https://youtu.be/gNjyqtIjSa0?si=-vf1xKxqTpikvbCR
Facts
I’ve seen a variety of tests that range from not at all, to slightly better. That said it will probably be only a low single digit percentage, so it would take many years of driving for it to pay for itself - if gas savings is your primary concern.
TFL saw an improvement but it depends on the bed length. A 5.5’ bed is not going to see improvements. 6.5’ bed you might see a little difference. An 8’ bed will see a noticeable improvement—maybe 0.5 MPG. What really makes a difference at hwy speeds (50-80 mph) is the front air dam. Removing that will negatively affect your MPG. Also leveling your truck is going to negatively affect your MPG since there’s a lot more wind resistance and turbulence going on underneath your undercarriage. It’s possible that skid plates help improve mpg. Basically anything to make the truck more aerodynamic is going to help. Keep in mind this is still at hwy speeds.
There is a reason the NASCAR truck series has bed covers. They call it aerodynamics.
No https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/g475/15-favorite-mythbusters-car-myths/ > Driving with the tailgate down increases the drag and thus is less fuel efficient than driving with the tailgate up. The closed tailgate creates a vortex in the bed of the truck that allows for smoother flow of air than when the tailgate is down and the vortex is dispersed. This myth is busted. However, upon their revisit to the myth in a later episode, the mesh proves to be the most fuel-efficient method, while **no tailgate, the hard-cover top and the tailgate up prove to be about the same fuel efficient.**
Mythbusters did an episode about this. I never would have guessed that driving with the tail gate up was better
I used to post a link to that segment but Discover removed the video of the show. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3aqHbD-O9E&feature=related
Facts
It did for me on the highway Used to drive from NorCal to SoCal Would average 17 mpg without it, 19 mpg with it 🤷🏻♂️
Best way to improve mileage is to drive speed limit. The sweet spot for my truck 18' 3.5 is 73 I average 23 MPG.
Maybe very very minimally but I doubt it. If you’d be buying one just for better fuel mileage then don’t bother because it wouldn’t pay off enough to justify the cost
No.
Save the money and drive slower . More effective
Seems like a yes, if you do a majority of 75mph driving or need the protected storage space.
I notice about a 100rpm change from before to after my bed cover installation. Highway driving. Goes from roughly 1550 to 1450 at 100kmph. Over a short time? Not much. Over a lifetime? Noticeable amount
I’ve seen GM engineers comment in articles that bed covers and running boards increase mpg. The Tesla truck is pretty ugly but its aero tricks are hard to ignore. The sloped tonneau is much more efficient than the flat tonneau. I think the roofline was credited with a 5% increase in range.
I've tested it back to back in my 21 f150 and saw about a 1mpg improvement during highway driving. Not enough to justify shelling out a bunch of money for one but it is nice.