The secounded time MB did the test they used a 2nd gen dakota and got the same results. Where a cover makes a difference is at highway speeds in cross winds. And every truck is different, my dakota the mpg with the cover, without, ane without and a bike standing up in the bed seem to be really close. My dads 05 tacoma however the cover increased mpg on highway by almost 2mpg. This truck has the plastic bed and it acts like a wind sock on the highway.

 

tell your dad to get rid of his TOY and get a real truck














lol j/k but yea my dad does all highway when he got a tonneu on his truck(03 QC dak) he gained 1-2 mpg at 70-75mph so it definetly helps, never tried it w/o a tailgate tho so idk about that but all i have heard is that the tailgate helps

 

I never even needed mythbusters show to know how retarded guys looked with their tailgates down, or with those queer rubber nuts. I just laugh when I see retards with their tailgates down..

 

you also gotta love when they tell you it helped out and they notice a difference in gas mileage

 

haha exactly! I mean, did those people just fool themselves they were getting better mpgs? Besides, half of them did it because they thought it looked cool. It is one of the stupidest looks I've ever seen, I just never got why guys would put their gate down with nothing in the bed, it's looks trashy, and it ruins your bed sides without the support.

 

what do those things have to do with aerodynamics? how do you know that they help with mileage? those things are so minor that common sense tells me that they are just for cosmetic looks. a truck isnt aerodynamic in the slightest and never will be. if they were so concerned about making it aero, they would have made the grill sloped and leaned the windshield back more. a truck is a truck and made to do certain things, like haul and tow. if the bump in the top of the cab is there for areodynamic purposes, then dodge wasted time and money on design because they may have gotten a whole 0.0000000004 added MPG's...

 

Heh heh. Okay... You're right -- they don't do anything. If they had just consulted you in the design of the truck, they could have saved their money!!

You may find this interesting: http://www.allpar.com/model/ram/2009-ram.html

Scroll down to the aerodynamics section. Many items found in there can also be found on our Dakotas. Trucks are trucks, but there are a lot of things that designers, engineers, and stylists alike collaborate on to be mutually beneficial to all. They didn't create the small bump in the back of the cab for their own good. The Dakota apparently needed it for aerodynamics. You'll note that the 2009 Dodge Ram doesn't have a bump at the back of the cab at all. But it's got a HUGE stamped-in tailgate spoiler. Every vehicle is unique, and the things that work on some vehicles apparently don't work on others.

To say that Dodge didn't have aerodynamics in mind when they designed our Dakotas is absurd. And to claim that they wasted their time doing what they did do is...well...just presumptuous. Were you there when they flow-tested the vehicle. If you were, I'd love to see some photos and design analyses. If you weren't, it's a pretty bold statement to say that engineers wasted their time doing something that you can't possibly verify.

 

well, i hope the hump on the cab and tailgate of daks isnt too major of an issue since im shaveing mine off.....
i should do wind tunnel testing to be sure, i'll post findings.....
i like how they did the second MB with a dak,

i've been too lazy to worry about whether or not my gates down for aerodynamics.

 

I think you guys are agrueing to much about something so stupid, honestly how much do you really notice a 1-2 mile increase or decrease in mpg's?

 

tailgate up = good

tailgate down = bad

trucks not being aerodynamic = wrong


Why you think Banks used a Dak for the 5.9 Cummins fastest truck in the world? Cuz of aerodynamics and because daks rule..

Period.