Yeah.

 

Obviously I have not if thats what you think I am trying to say.

They did ALOT to make it as fair as they knew how.
They are 100 times more creative problem solvers than me. They are also 1000 times smarter than me on a wide array of things. I hope to one day be as creative and have a small portion of thier vast knowledge.
Also I'm not questioning the outcome.
But let me point out that if the outcome would have been different, then you would have been pointing out the variables too. If the truth be known you would have probably seen even more than I could if it didn't go your way.

All I'm saying is that with this one, you can not base an argument based on thier experiment becasue there is to many variables in thier experiment.

If we need to do an experiment to prove my theory then lets do it.
Lets pretend that I dont belive the results of this one.
I'll be your skeptic.
You may only use thier experiment to convince me with out doubt, that with out a bed cover on my bed, I'll get better fuel economy with my tailgate up.

I've already pointed out some of the variables that I seen. So I'll let you start by catching up on them. Then I'll continue with some others.

 

No, they pretty much covered all the bases in their experiment.

1) Both vehicles tested out to have the same gas mileage and the same odometer reading before the test.

2) Both vehicles had 100% identical amounts of fuel in them.

3) Both vehicles weighed exactly the same. They added weight to one of the vehicles to compensate for one of the drivers being heavier than the other.

4) Both vehicles were driven under the exact same conditions (roughly within 300 feet of each other as a matter of fact)

4) Both drivers had to follow driving rules. No drafting. The only acceleration allowed was by using the cruise control. Windows up. They had rules about A/C etc.

They did this 'water tunnel' test using oat meal flakes and a little truck model to illustrate why the truck got better mileage with the tailgate up. A nice pocket of 'water' filled up the bed and sort of completed the aerodynamics of the truck. As soon as they lowered the tailgate you could see where the water started colliding with the pickup bed in the rear causing all the added drag. Any truck that's ever seen a wind tunnel is naturally going to be designed this way. QED; Argument over.

In fact, I'll bet this is another reason why the 04+ F-150 bed sides are higher--to make that vortex larger.

Now for the real question. What about a tonneau cover? I have a feeling they might cause a mileage drop; I've been watching my rear view and I can see where air is hitting right in front of the 3rd bow in my cover--so it is hitting the truck rather than going over the back of the tailgate.

Everybody email these guys!!! They need to do this with Tonneau covers as well!

-Fatz

 

This one I find hard to belive.

I did not observe them droping the tanks or using an approved FDWM (Federal Department of Weights and measures) container or any DWM calibrated container of any kind.

I did see that

Assuming that both vehicles got percisely to the millimeter the same fuel mileage, this would work.

All cruise control accelerates differently, using accelerate on my truck vs my brothers 97 f150. I will run him over. If I'm following him down the highway and he uses resume then I have to accelerate manually then I hit resume after we are back up to speed. Other wise my cruise control will hit him before his cruise contol gets him back to speed.

The two different AC compressors throw yet another variable in it. Compressor manufacturers have a tolerance. This means that some compressors have more or less compression plus more or less friciton, than a nother one will. The ones with more compression takes more HP to run, which means they require more fuel to run. If they have more compression plus more friciton it can be a full 1 mpg difference just in the compresors. I belive the ones in our trucks are based on the scroll design compressors which only reduces friction, you still have to have compression and thier is still a variable in the friction of each compressor. How ever friction variance is slight and barely measurable but it is there.

Yea that was cool, but I wonder what happens to that vortex when driving with a 10+ mph cross wind?

Could be, and maybe help prevent a cross wind from disrupting it. But would it gain enough to counter balance the added weight of the extra metal?

I've never had on so I have no idea.

I do know that I can tell a big difference between this truck and all my other trucks.

I have always ran with my tailgate up. I always have something in the bed and dont want it to escape. Ussualy a log chain, 10K ratchet straps, binders, etc etc. (Man I need a tool box! LOL) But they rarely move. Just incase though I leave the tailgate up.

I am bad after I have hauled a load of fire wood for not sweeping the bed out.
So as I go down the higway all the saw dust, leafs, other small debris flies around. On my other trucks and my dads chevy at 60 mph it made about 2 circles on avearge then blow out. 2 miles and it is pretty much all gone. It was just a big cloud of saw dust behind me. With this truck... it never blows out. It just keeps making circle after circle after circle beating up my back glass. I get to town 6 miles later and it's still blowing a cloud hovering in my bed making circles. Now I have to sweep it or wash it out with a garden house! Haven't I worked enough just cutting it?

 

I must start by saying I did not see this particular episode. I did, however, watch one where they tested gas mileage with A/C and without. If they used the same protocal in this test as that one, which seems highly likely, IT IS AS CLOSE TO EQUAL AS POSSIBLE. The only way to make it closer is by haveing a computer drive the car, turn it and everything.

The slight differences in one time acceleration from 0-25 and the friction from driving different lines around the track, etc. is negligible. Yes they will effect the outcome, but not to the extent where it would equal the 1.25 mpg difference.

 

Just as a note since you didn't see this episode, they did not do this test on a track, they did it on the open road.

rdy2rac with