Tonneu cover practicality?

[Stackedstroker]

We've all seen that bed covers are marketed to "improve fuel economy" among other points, but to the guys who are running hard/soft bed covers, Have you honestly seen an improvement in mileage? There are lot of theories out there that state that a bed cover has no effect on drag as well as running with the tailgate up vs. down so I wanna here some real world testiment of improved mileage, if it exists?

[gmoore]

I picked up .5 mpg with a Truxedo Lowpro. It's a soft cover that works well for me. Rolled up when towing fifth wheel. Stretched out covering everything in the bed while not towing. I have had 3' of wet snow on it no ill effects.

[RAVOwner]

I got about 1/2 mpg with my roll lock cover. I had a fiberglass low profile cover on my last truck, but is was not very practical for hauling loads that were taller than the side of the bed. The roll lock cover is almost as firm as a hard cover, but it rolls up to the front of the bed when you want to haul something or tow a travel trailer.

[Stackedstroker]

Im trying to do anything I can to save fuel so I wanted to hear some real numbers. I think Im gonna have to build my own anyway to fit up to my toolbox.

[OMCUSNR]

Originally Posted by Stackedstroker

Im trying to do anything I can to save fuel so I wanted to hear some real numbers. I think Im gonna have to build my own anyway to fit up to my toolbox.

The Most Important Time For Getting Good MPG

Look at Dave Whitmer's posts. He's got the numbers and ideas on how to squeeze every last drop out of a PSD.

There have been engineering wind tunnel tests done at engineering schools several times.

1. A cranked taper cap on the back is "best", maybe about 3 m/g. By cranked taper, you come off the roof line of the cab at about 5* for about 3' then break the taper down to the tailgate (on a 8' bed).

2. A tonnau cover is slightly better than a full height cap. I prefer a roll top, for its load versitillity over a hard cap tonnau. This'll get you about 1&1/2 gain.

3. Gate up. This creates a swirling pocket of air in the bed at speed that the air flowing over the truck "sees" as a solid surface. If the gate is down or you have an "airgate" the air flow is disturbed and creates a drag off the back as it tries to leave the truck. This is also what happens with a full height cap. The vortex off the back is higher up and has trouble leaving the truck smoothly.

4. Put a air dam on the front. This will force air around the truck, not under it, where it can find all sorts of pockets to hang onto, creating more drag.

5. Boat tail the back end. This is one that hasn't been done, cause it looks so goofy, but anything that allows the air to flow off the vehicle smoothly will gain some economy.

Allot of guys in model airplanes get good at glassing, and if it were me, I look at glassing up a tapered cap with a hinge at about 2' behind the cab, that'll have gas shock to swing up to level. Put a window in it, so you can see out the back. Taper the sides of the shell, so the lid has something to ride on.

OMC

Here is a link to a site that shows what I'm talking about:

http://forum.ecomodder.com/showthrea...d-cap-583.html

I think bondo worked with Dave to create the hard shell cap. I think it looks pretty sweet, but I'd mod it just a bit. I also think you might enjoy the ecomodder site if you want all you can get outta your fuel economy.

OMC

[h2guy]

Are'nt we trying to make silk purses out of sows ears here???

Given the cost of fuel, mileage increases of 10-12% are gonna take a long time to recoup their costs of installation. Thats money that could have gone into fuel.

If your driving a diesel, you should have bought it to WORK. They're not commuters. I'm sorry if the vehicle is the only one you own and you're forced to use it daily, but.............. You bought it.

Things will NEVER go back, including prices. My first house cost $12,200 NEW. My first car (3 yrs old) was $595, including a new paint job and new seat covers the dealer threw in to make the deal.

Welcome to the 21st Century.

[jjfertig]

Originally Posted by Stackedstroker

Im trying to do anything I can to save fuel so I wanted to hear some real numbers. I think Im gonna have to build my own anyway to fit up to my toolbox.

Have you looked at the Extang tonneau's? They make one that will fit up against your box. Nothing against do it yourselfer's, factory ones just look better in my opinion. I ran Extangs on all my trucks until I put a cap on my current truck(too many sticky fingers in CC). They've always held up well.

[Stackedstroker]

Originally Posted by h2guy

Are'nt we trying to make silk purses out of sows ears here???

Given the cost of fuel, mileage increases of 10-12% are gonna take a long time to recoup their costs of installation. Thats money that could have gone into fuel.

If your driving a diesel, you should have bought it to WORK. They're not commuters. I'm sorry if the vehicle is the only one you own and you're forced to use it daily, but.............. You bought it.

Things will NEVER go back, including prices. My first house cost $12,200 NEW. My first car (3 yrs old) was $595, including a new paint job and new seat covers the dealer threw in to make the deal. Welcome to the 21st Century.

Ok...who says this thread was to improve mileage for daily drivers only? I think whether your truck is for work, daily driven or play , we can all appreciate ways to save fuel. Obviously diesels trucks arent the kings of MPG but little things can help

And Im pretty sure that if everyone owned diesels for work only then there wouldnt be so many king ranches and lariats out there. I sure wouldnt want to pay for all the bells and whistles just to use it as a work truck.

Anyone with CONSTRUCTIVE knowledge of the thread at hand please keep it coming and thanks to those who already have. If your gonna be negative keep it out of this thread.

[DesertDave]

I added a hinged folding cover (three pieces, folds up) for 1) rain and physical security of stuff bought on the way home 2) potential mileage improvement. I would not have bought one that took over 3 minutes to add or remove.

Can't really say anything concrete about the mileage - it varies enough for lots of reasons that it'll take a while to see if the average is up, at all.

[short_stuff]

Stacked,
I used to have the Extang cover for several years. My issues with it were: 1. I had to find someplace to stash the bows when I needed to roll the cover up. and 2. The snaps on the sides would get awfully hard to manage in the winter time. I found an ACCESS cover (by Agri-cover) that had integrated bows that roll up with the cover, and velcro sides. Its designed for the heavy snow loads up in Minnesota. I've been a happy camper ever since. I noticed about 1/2 to 1 mile mpg improvement with it pulled closed, depending on the head wind. All in all, I think it was a great improvement to the truck. As far as your tool box, how high is it? The cover actually sticks up about 1 to 1/2 inches higher than the side of the bedrail. I guess you could modify it if you needed to.