View Poll Results: Do you drive highway with your tailgate open or closed?
Open
6
7.32%
Closed
76
92.68%
Voters: 82. You may not vote on this poll
Tailgate up or down?
New User
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 19
Likes: 0
From: Alpine, CA
Mine is always up.
Had to laugh today when I saw an F-350 with his tailgate down.
Oh sure buddy, that's really gonna help!
If someone lightly rear ends you when your tailgate's down it could make a real mess of your truck.
What really bugs me are rear nets. UGLY!!!
Had to laugh today when I saw an F-350 with his tailgate down.
Oh sure buddy, that's really gonna help!
If someone lightly rear ends you when your tailgate's down it could make a real mess of your truck.
What really bugs me are rear nets. UGLY!!!
Last edited by shieldsy; Sep 25, 2003 at 11:33 PM.
Post Fiend
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 9,748
Likes: 16
From: Connecticut
Originally posted by shieldsy
...Had to laugh today when I saw an F-350 with his tailgate down.Oh sure buddy, that's really gonna help!
...Had to laugh today when I saw an F-350 with his tailgate down.Oh sure buddy, that's really gonna help!
Senior User
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 161
Likes: 0
From: Spring Hill, KS
Mine's always UP...I used to have an S-10 in H.S., when it was down I got a lot of rock chips in it...now that I have something more expensive and nicer, I am more worried about rock chips then gas milage...but I did do "my own little study", and I think I only got about 10 more miles with it down, its been up ever since!
Post Fiend
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 6,940
Likes: 2
From: Eastern WA
The owners manual for my 94 specifically advises AGAINST driving with the tailgate down due to the possibility of it falling off the truck when driving over a bump. This could prove to be very exciting on, say, an interstate freeway at 70MPH. For this reason as well as to make sure I don't get sued by a lawyer for not following the manufactures instructions, I keep it up unless I'm hauling something long and heavy. Just my 2 cents worth.
Freshman User
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 31
Likes: 0
From: Montréal
tailgate up or down
There was an article in Consumers Report Magazine a few years ago on this subject. The article stated that at 60 mph a large ball of air would form in the cargo bed and that the new air coming in at 60 mph or more would hit it and deflect over the tailgate. No gas mileage advantage would then be gained by using net tailgate or leaving the tailgate down.
I got a fiberglass Lear cargo cover installed and it's a lot better
for snow covered area like here in Montréal Canada
Nannok2003
1994 Ranger SC 4.0L 4X4 3.73 P265 tires
300,000 Klm (180,000 miles) and still running.....
I got a fiberglass Lear cargo cover installed and it's a lot better
for snow covered area like here in Montréal Canada
Nannok2003
1994 Ranger SC 4.0L 4X4 3.73 P265 tires
300,000 Klm (180,000 miles) and still running.....
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Senior User
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 413
Likes: 0
From: Connecticut
Hello Flexfuel-Dave,
This question is to ponder the thought of the local-yokels / big brother in your area! Of course leaving the tailgate down creates less wind drag in the cargo bed... and there is drag or your stuff wouldn't fly out all over the road behind you. Taking the tailgate off when not hauling cargo would be the best bet. Aerodynamically, leaving it down is a bad idea cause the wind pressure that is created, needs to be there at higher speeds cause of the lightness in the rear of a pickup. Went into detail hope this remedies questions in the various threads that I have read on the subject: tailgate up / down.
This question is to ponder the thought of the local-yokels / big brother in your area! Of course leaving the tailgate down creates less wind drag in the cargo bed... and there is drag or your stuff wouldn't fly out all over the road behind you. Taking the tailgate off when not hauling cargo would be the best bet. Aerodynamically, leaving it down is a bad idea cause the wind pressure that is created, needs to be there at higher speeds cause of the lightness in the rear of a pickup. Went into detail hope this remedies questions in the various threads that I have read on the subject: tailgate up / down.
Senior User
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 181
Likes: 0
Don't any of you watch cable? The Mythbusters did a bit on this subject. 2 identical trucks, only accelerating with the cruise control. The gate up truck went 30 miles further before it ran out of gas! They did some scale model testing in water, and you could see the turbulence with the gate down. Funny thing was, they got the BEST mileage with one of those rear nets and tailgate off!
