Just curious if I'd get a noticeable difference in my gas mileage by removing my tailgate from my 1998 F150xlt V8. I was considering buying one of those rubber tailgates with all the holes in it. Thanks, Matt

 

There were several members that discussed and tested this a few years back and what they posted was that after the cab breaks the wind, very little improvement was noted.

 

I have read several articles on this with most saying that the new trucks are developed with areo dynamics in mind and designed to run this the gate on, and that you can actually increase drag by running with no gate. Supposedly as air flows over the roof, it creates a pocket of dead air in the box, thus acting to aid air flow over the box( even have a can back there and see how it may swirl around slowly) so the only real area of drag is the tailgate. Now they say if you remove the gate it stops this pocket from forming and that you increase the area of drag to be the size of the entire back of the cab.( Cans will suck right to the back of cab with gate off) and more drag means worse millage.
If you are looking for better millage get a bed cover, I have always seen better gains when I have installed them on my trucks.

Sled...

 

How much would I save by getting a cover for the bed? (I'm trying to see if the initial cost of getting a bed cover would pay for itself through the savings in gas...) Do you have any other creative ways to save on gas?

Thanks,
Matt

 

mscruton

I would say I average about 2 mpg better with the cover, mine is just a soft cover, snap down type.

A better less restrictive exhaust can help too. Other than that, not driving it does wonders for mileage.


Sled...

 

Underdrive pulleys combined with an electric fan. There is no question that there is a substantial decrease in parasitic engine drag.

 

I haven't noticed a bit of difference in gas mileage since I had my roll-top cover installed. I bought the cover several months after buying my truck, so I had some time to see what the gas mileage was like. I bought it for extra storage space, but I had hoped my gas mileage would improve. Oh well!

 

If you search online you can find the whole article, but here are the highlights:

"Tonneau covers on pickup boxes reduce aerodynamic drag" said Ford's Jack Williams. "we've seen reductions of about 8 to 10 percent on the F150, which means the average fuel economy improvements for the EPA city/highway cycle(test) is about 2 percent.

"The average steady-state (cruise control) fuel economy improvement at highway speeds is close to 5 percent.."

He also goes on to say that your tailgate basically gets hammered every time you hit a bump when you leave it open.

 

no difference with my Leer hard tonneau.

Yes it makes the truck a little more aerodynamic... but it also adds weight so I think the two balance each other out.

As far as the cover paying for itself? I think of all of the things that didnt get ruined in the rain because they were under the cover. I think about all of the things that didn't get stolen because there is a lock on the cover and no window to show theives what is in there.

Yes, they will pay themselves off.