MPG and tailgate...
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MPG and tailgate...
I have been doing a lot of reading and everyone says that you get better mileage with the gate up than down. I havn't really tested that out yet but i will say this, if i compare the drag with the gate up and down, I kan definately feel less of a drag with the gate open. Also i have a rubber mat in the bed and with the gate up, the back of the matt gets air under it and than it gets real wavey. Looks like the waves at a beach.
From what im gettin from all these sites is that the air is suppose to go over the tailgate but mine seems to be gettin caught by it. I have an 86 f150 with the 8 foot bed and regular cab.
Has anyone tested this out and got the results they say or have u found that its better to run with the gate down?
From what im gettin from all these sites is that the air is suppose to go over the tailgate but mine seems to be gettin caught by it. I have an 86 f150 with the 8 foot bed and regular cab.
Has anyone tested this out and got the results they say or have u found that its better to run with the gate down?
Postmaster
Joined: Nov 2006
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From: SE Wyoming
Mythbusters tested it and ran them through wind tunnels to show why tailgate up gets better mileage. It appeared to me in the wind tunnel that removing the gate would be just as good if not better than having it up but they did not try that. If you have a rubber mat and leave the gate down it will end up getting blown out of the truck over the cab, unless there is no wind where you live of course.
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My matt doesnt go anywhere. If i leave the gate down the rubber matt doesn't move at all, no matter what speed i am drivin at. Even with the gate removed the matt still doesnt go anywhere. The only time the matt moves is when the gate is up and wind gets under it from the back by the gate and forces the matt to fold over twards the cab.
Posting Guru
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Did you ever follow a semi an notice that your truck is being buffeted back and forth? This is because the wind coming off the truck is swirling. As you get closer to the truck, you have to back off the accelerator. This is because there is a low pressure area formed behind the truck as the swirling air spins inward.
The same thing happens with the cab of your truck, on a lesser scale of course. With the tailgate up, there is an air boundary formed in the bed, and the moving air goes over the top of this layer. With the gate down, no boundary layer is formed, and more drag is created in the truck bed.
I have a longbed F150. I too get the rolling up of the mat in the bed towards the cab. This from the low pressure area behind the cab. If I open the windows, and the back window at the same time, the mat slaps against the back of the cab.
I don't know if bed length has effect or not. I have not had the opportunity to give it a try.
jd
The same thing happens with the cab of your truck, on a lesser scale of course. With the tailgate up, there is an air boundary formed in the bed, and the moving air goes over the top of this layer. With the gate down, no boundary layer is formed, and more drag is created in the truck bed.
I have a longbed F150. I too get the rolling up of the mat in the bed towards the cab. This from the low pressure area behind the cab. If I open the windows, and the back window at the same time, the mat slaps against the back of the cab.
I don't know if bed length has effect or not. I have not had the opportunity to give it a try.
jd
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Joined: Apr 2006
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From: Kansas City, KS
Frankly, this can be (and has been before) argued to death.
The only way to know if YOUR truck will do better with tailgate up, tailgate down, or no tailgate at all is to run through a tank of gas with each configuration and see which does best in YOUR specific application.
The only way to know if YOUR truck will do better with tailgate up, tailgate down, or no tailgate at all is to run through a tank of gas with each configuration and see which does best in YOUR specific application.
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Postmaster
Joined: Sep 2006
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From: Clearwater, Fl
ive done both ways the last 3 years driving from fla to ma and back and got the same result.....both registered a pos 16mpg
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From: Gallatin, TN
Back when I had a truck with a tailgate, I figured it like this. Assume you're tailgate being down gains you 1 MPG. Whether it creates any gain or not is debatable, and even those who say it does help usually don't claim a 1 MPG increase, but let's just say that it does.
How long will it take for your fuel cost savings to make up for the cost of a new tailgate, painted to match the truck, after somebody rear- ends you and turns yours into a toothpick?
How long will it take for your fuel cost savings to make up for the cost of a new tailgate, painted to match the truck, after somebody rear- ends you and turns yours into a toothpick?
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Thanks for all the info guys and gals ( i know there are some on here). I think i shall run a tank with each configuration n check mileage. As everyone states i doubt ill see really any increase.
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From: The Star-Club, Hamburg
My tailgate tends to be up most of the time, but sometimes I leave it down so the accumulated loose hay and stuff in the bed can blow out. I've ran through full tanks of fuel with the tailgate both up and down, and can honestly say that my mileage has'nt really changed in any measurable way either up or down. I've also had a truck that I bought that was missing the tailgate when I got it, and did'nt have one until a few months later. Same story on the mileage... no real difference.
So, I think my opinion on this is that it really does'nt make much difference what you do with the tailgate. Just a matter of preference... or function... or in my case, laziness and forgetfulness, maybe.
So, I think my opinion on this is that it really does'nt make much difference what you do with the tailgate. Just a matter of preference... or function... or in my case, laziness and forgetfulness, maybe.
