With the increased costs of gas and tips for mileage, why I am never seeing tailgate nets being used instead of the gates being up any longer? Are they out of style, ugly or proven not to impact mileage all that much?
Last edited by pyronn : Oct 5th, 2005 at 08:13 PM.
To sum it up, trucks are designed so that an air bubble forms in the bed, kind of like an invisible tonneau cover, and the air flows semi-smoothly over it. Drag increases with the gate down or removed, also if a net is used. For optimal mileage gains, get a tonneau cover. Bottom line, you probably won't notice the difference either way, unless you get the tonneau cover. However, if you check your mileage to the 4th digit like I do, you will notice the loss/gain.
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'94 hardbody ka24e 5spd
Last edited by deathtorice : Oct 5th, 2005 at 08:30 PM.
no problem. just get the tonneau. they are about $6-800 for a good fiberglass one, but with gas $3.14 a gallon or more it will pay for itself in savings before too long. I couldn't find the link i was really looking for, but there was an 11.8% decrease in drag with a tonneau.
With the increased costs of gas and tips for mileage, why I am never seeing tailgate nets being used instead of the gates being up any longer? Are they out of style, ugly or proven not to impact mileage all that much?
I didn't get the impression they did a lot of testing, but FWIW, Truck Trend magazine had an article on this a few issues ago. [EDIT: Whoops! The TT article is listed above.]
I believe their conclusions were (I'm paraphrasing here):
1. Most modern trucks are designed so that CoF is lowest with the tailgate up.
2. The tailgate is an integral part of the bed's structural integrity.
3. If anything will improve MPG, it would be a tonneau cover.
I can tell you that I didn't notice any MPG difference after adding my tonneau cover.
I am noticing a difference (maybe 1-2 MPG) after putting on cruise control and a Flowmaster muffler. Unfortunately, I put them on at the same time so I can't say which (or if both) are contributing to increased MPG.
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Jerry
2004 Frontier, King Cab, XE, 4x1, 4-cyl, 5-spd My Frontier Page
Last edited by jerryp58 : Oct 6th, 2005 at 05:30 PM.
Just to add my two cents. I saw a Chevy S-10 pickup in a magazine once that had been modified for top speed trials at the Bonneville salt flats. It was a full tube-frame, big block monster but the body was more-or-less stock. They had installed a hard tonneau that covered only the rear 2/3rds of the bed and was open behind the back window. The article said that they had tried several configurations and, although it looked weird, this gave them the most stability at 200+ mph. Food for thought, I wonder if this would have any effect at normal highway speeds. Maybe a soft tonneau could be installed this way or something.
Also consider the fact that, if your truck bed is full of leaves or beer cans or pine needles or something, even if you drive around with the tailgate down all the stuff just piles up at the front of the bed under the window. None of it ever falls out.
__________________ 2005 Frontier Nismo CC 4x2 -- Aztec Red, Rockford-Fosgate, Sunroof, Side Curtain Air Bags, Tow Package, Bed Extender, Hard Tonneau (finally!!), Microfilter, Manik Step Bars, Nissan iPod Interface, Ground Wire Kit, and more to come . . .
My beer cans n shit fly out of the bed all the time...on the interstate when I'm runnin 90-100. Otherwise, they blow around and slam into the bed sides and annoy the hell out of me. I just keep it empty.
Something else to consider. What about those toolboxes that fit across the bed behind the window. How do they affect the airflow and thus the mileage?? Any thoughts??
Of course, I imagine lugging around 200 lbs of tools in the box probably cancels out any aerodynamic pros/cons.
__________________ 2005 Frontier Nismo CC 4x2 -- Aztec Red, Rockford-Fosgate, Sunroof, Side Curtain Air Bags, Tow Package, Bed Extender, Hard Tonneau (finally!!), Microfilter, Manik Step Bars, Nissan iPod Interface, Ground Wire Kit, and more to come . . .
I don't know for sure, but I would imagine that any aerodynamic drag would be very small. If you are worried about it, get an under the rail tool box. The only way I can see it causing any drag is if the sides of the box stick out past the sides of the cab.
I wasn't referring to aerodynamic drag from the toolbox so much as I meant the effects of the toolbox on the air-bubble-in-the-bed, invisible tonneau idea.
__________________ 2005 Frontier Nismo CC 4x2 -- Aztec Red, Rockford-Fosgate, Sunroof, Side Curtain Air Bags, Tow Package, Bed Extender, Hard Tonneau (finally!!), Microfilter, Manik Step Bars, Nissan iPod Interface, Ground Wire Kit, and more to come . . .
no clue. I would just get a roll n lock tonneau, and an under the rail tool box. best of both, plus the roll n lock would let you have full use of the bed when you need...quite easily. http://www.rollnlock.com/
Just to add my two cents. I saw a Chevy S-10 pickup in a magazine once that had been modified for top speed trials at the Bonneville salt flats. It was a full tube-frame, big block monster but the body was more-or-less stock. They had installed a hard tonneau that covered only the rear 2/3rds of the bed and was open behind the back window. The article said that they had tried several configurations and, although it looked weird, this gave them the most stability at 200+ mph. Food for thought, I wonder if this would have any effect at normal highway speeds. Maybe a soft tonneau could be installed this way or something.
Also consider the fact that, if your truck bed is full of leaves or beer cans or pine needles or something, even if you drive around with the tailgate down all the stuff just piles up at the front of the bed under the window. None of it ever falls out.
actually that was just a little ol v-6 not a big block
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