Has anyone removed their tail gate?
I am planning on removing my tail gate, I went on a short road trip last weekend and I put the tail gate down for the first time and I like the way it felt. Seem to have a lot less wind resistance, better fuel economy, seemed to turn better with less effort and when I let off the accelerator I could coast further without slowing down.
Has anyone removed theirs and how does the truck react: Handling, fuel economy, bumpiness or hopping due to the light rear-end or faster due to weight loss?
but yeah I dont think it will help you I think it is like a placebo so many people believe that it works so then others begin to do it just like a placebo in one of those medicine trials they say they are the real meds but they are just sugar pills
but yeah I dont think it will help you I think it is like a placebo so many people believe that it works so then others begin to do it just like a placebo in one of those medicine trials they say they are the real meds but they are just sugar pills
Popular Mechanics in their latest issue debunked this myth. You actually get slightly worse gas mileage without the tailgate or with the tailgate down. The tailgate also supports the rigidity of the box (don't ask me how, I'm just repeating the article).
The article states that the best thing you can do is either add a tonneau cover, or
a shell which will add to the aerodynamics of the truck for slightly better mileage, considering the added weight of these additions.
Has anyone removed their tail gate?
I am planning on removing my tail gate, I went on a short road trip last weekend and I put the tail gate down for the first time and I like the way it felt. Seem to have a lot less wind resistance, better fuel economy, seemed to turn better with less effort and when I let off the accelerator I could coast further without slowing down.
Has anyone removed theirs and how does the truck react: Handling, fuel economy, bumpiness or hopping due to the light rear-end or faster due to weight loss?
The operative word here is "SEEMED". You won't coast further, turn better, or get better mileage with the tailgate down or off. Tests have been done to disprove that myth. Now if for some reason you prefer the looks w/o the tailgate....that's another story.
I've read the reports that leaving the tailgate on provided better aerodynamics and also better fuel mileage as a result. The Craftsman Truck Racing series seems to bear this out. I don't know if it is because of rules or because of aerodynamics. but they all have tailgates and I think they use bed covers as well.
I like the finished appearance that a bed cover and tailgate provide. I'll keep mine on for all these reasons.
In order of WORST to best coefficiant of drag (i.e. aerodynamics):
1. No tailgate.
2. Tailgate down.
3. Tailgate up.
4. Flat flexible bed cover.
5. Flat rigid bed cover.
5. Topper no higher than cab, with angled back. (about a tie with bed cover)
6. Triangular "topper" that goes from cab top to top of tailgate. (though not very attractive)
The shorter the bed, the more severe the effect of an open tailgate. This is from my senior design project in college including wind tunnel testing.
MikeH,
Doesn't the tailgate provide a similar function as did the "Camm Back" in race cars like the Daytona Cobra, etc? I'm not at all sure about the spelling of "Camm back" but I remember it achieved forward thrust on the vehicle caused by the turbulence pushing against the flat back as it rolled off the roof of the car.
Is that the "gist" of the tailgate function in the aerodynamic world?
OK. Don't laugh at my crude drawing. I did not feel like it was worth drawing it in AutoCAD. Red dashed line is best shape. Blue dashed line is worst shape. Black dashed line is the inside of the bed.
OK. Don't laugh at my crude drawing. I did not feel like it was worth drawing it in AutoCAD. Red dashed line is best shape. Blue dashed line is worst shape. Black dashed line is the inside of the bed.
Are you sure you drew that? It kinda looks like it's from an Avalanche ad...
On the tailgate, I've read the same thing.
Bursting The Bubble
According to design experts, the truck tailgate if designed to create a cushion of air in the bed that aerodynamic engineers called a "seperated bubble" (the real nerdy ones refer to it as "Locked Vortex Flow.") Jargon aside, this invisible bubble of air actually helps deflect the faster moving wind coming over the cab so it passes over the truck's raised tailgate, keeping drag behind the truck minimized.
"Putting the tailgate in the down position tends to increase turbulence and drag of the open box," explained Jack Williams, of Ford Aero Systems Engineering. "We've seen drag increase as much as .5 to 1 percent. Flow-through, web-like fabric replacement tailgates tend to increase drag even more; we've seen increases as much as 4 to 5 percent." In a nutshell, all of that extra drag translates into worse fuel economy for the vehicle.
think about it, how often do you let off the gas and coast ont he freeway? I only do ths in town when lights turn red and at those speeds non of this is really very important. Tire size and weight would probably have more effect, or how hard you accelerate.
Thanks Mike - I'm not going to saw a word about your drawing ability - I can't draw a straight line with a ruler. I can see why the blue line is the worst with the air swirling behind it. Thanks for the visual explianation.
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