1. Tonneau covers DO NOT get you better gas consumption. So don't waste your money on it unless you really are going to use it for other purposes. If anything they can actually increase the amount of gas you use. It's been tested and proved.

And driving technique is where you gain the most. Today me and my sister drove to New York City (~100 miles) and back. She has a 06 Cobalt SS. She drove there and got 25.5 mpg, I drove home and got 34mpg... It was all in the driving. I was trying my hardest to get decent milage and I got 8.5 mpg more.

 

I get so sick of reading your post. It's as if you are vomiting words.

The cap gives you 20% better gas mileage. You can't do that with tire pressure alone.


Tonneau covers DO increase gas mileage, you can think they don't all you want, but they do.

 

Racing trucks use tonneau covers to be more aerodynamic
better aerodynamics = less wind resistance/ easier air flow
easier air flow/wind resistance = less power to get to speed
using less power to get to the same speed = better mpg

i'm not saying you'll get 10 or even 5 more mpg with it, but you will gain a couple mpg traveling at highway speeds

 

Mythbusters did a test and determined that it is not better for gas consumption.

I know they aren't the most reliable source, but also a friend of mine has a S10 and he had a tonneau cover on it and was getting 15mpg consistantly, he took it off and was getting 17mpg with out it. He had the tonneau on for 2-3 months and was always averaging 15 mpg. As soon as he took it off he was getting 17 from then on...

I know trucks, such as the Camping World truck series, have the bed completely covered, but its because they are going 160mph at most tracks and almost 200mph at Talledega and Daytona. The air acts a lot differently at 180mph then it does at 65...

 

I agree with that!

 

i know that the mythbusters did a test on taking the tailgate off and they said it actually had the opposite effect and consumed more gas...but they used 2 different trucks so im not sure if that was 100% accurate

i just searched google looking for the tests they did with tonneau covers, and i came across this:

Late in the 70's and early 80's when there was a gas shortage (?) Datsun / Nissan did an aerodynamic study on pickups with and without canopys / covers. Their finding found a tonneu cover best for fuel mileage increase and also that for every 6" above the roof (as with a canopy) there was an average loss of 4 mpg.

which kind of sucks because i have a canopy that goes 4 inches above my roof

 

Ok, and how much do those caps cost? Where is the proof that I'm going to get 20% fuel consumption, and even if I did, how long is it going to take to make your money back. People go out and spend all this money on this and never remember to think it might take more than a week to get your money back. Start simple.

I'm not saying tire pressure is the awnser to getting better mpg, but its helps ALOT to drive around on tires full of air. Don't you ever remember when you were a kid and after awhile the tires on your bike would lose air, as soon as you put more air in, it became so much easier to ride? Well this is the exact same thing your car/truck feels if you're driving around with low air pressure and then you finally put more in. It can relax and work much less. There for decreasing how much fuel you will use. It's def not a mod or anything that will super icrease your mpg, but its helps alot to keep air in the tires.

Its something so many people over look. They go out and buy everything to do a tune up (which isn't expensive I know) then they buy an intake and all this other stuff and the whole time they are rolling around with 20psi in there tires when there could be 38-40psi.

I'm just saying this should be the first place people look to save gas.

The second is their driving habbits. Less braking all over the place, more coasting.


And no, tonneau covers DO NOT increase your gas milage. At highway speeds the air circulates around in the bed as positive air and the air coming over the truck goes right over the bed. Its not opinion, its fact. Its a myth that a tonneau increase gas milage. It's why my girlfriends father only uses it on his F-150 if hes delivering something in the rain/snow. But any other time he doesn't use it, because you use more gas.

I told you before another friend of mine has an s10 and got 2 mpg better (according to ther onboard computer) with OUT the tonneau. And he kept trying it back and forth to see if it was true. It is. Get over it. You can always argue opinions, you can not argue fact. 2 + 2 is always 4 and tonneaus use more gas.

 

Condition Drag Coefficient, Cd % Change From Baseline MPG
Baseline 0.432 N/A 16
Square Cap 0.480 11.11% 14.9
Cargo Net 0.461 6.71% 15.33
Removed Tailgate 0.447 3.47% 15.65
Lowered Tailgate 0.414 -4.17% 16.42
Tonneau Cover 0.381 -11.81% 17.18
New Cap Design 0.302 -30.09% 19
Source: Improving Aerodynamic Characteristics of a Dodge Ram Pickup Truck

 

Just like i get sick of your post. Stop the BS! If you drive this truck with a easy foot (very easy to do) you can get 19-20 MPG. Thats not bad since its a crew cab V8 4x4. At 20% you would be gaining 4 MPG and if that was the case i think every truck owner would have one.

Back when gas was 4.60 a gallon guys where pulling off there tail gates and doing every thing they could to get better fuel millage. I think on some of the bigger trucks this was good for a few extra miles on a full tank not MPG. On a crew cab truck there is only about 4 feet of bed back there. The cab of the truck blocks most of the wind any way.

Before you make some crazy claim make sure you know the facts!

 

I actually saw that study and its not legit at all. They assumed a baseline of 16 mpg (they actually used a dakota in this test)

How on earth can you test something by ASSUMING your baseline. You learn that in 6th grade.