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Conrad AlbertoJr

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This is a question for those of you that have done this and have/have not seen a change. Of course in theory the idea sounds good but i would like to hear feedback from real experiences in the ST.



Since i started my internship i drive about 30 miles a day on the freeway 5 days a week. Have nay of you removed the tailgate ON THE ST and noticed an increase in gas mileage? I dont like the way it looks but with gas prices these days im loking for every way to shave off some fuel consumption in addidtion to driving like miss daisy.



Thanks,



Conrad.



 
After getting a lot of fine dirt on my Trac one time, I noticed that it never blew off the bumper no matter how fast I drove. That would indicate to me that there is no turbulence at the very rear of the Trac, nor is there a vacuum, it is very still air in relation to the tailgate. which means minimal drag [turbulence and vacuum increase drag]. If you do anything to increase either, you will increase drag. Increased drag = less mpg. I have a soft cover.
 
The only reason i dont get a tonneau cover is because im at an unpaid internship, so i have no income. other wise i would have gotten one a long time ago. I guess i should start putting some cash away for a soft cover then, how much did they run you guys?
 
I have heard that on any pick up truck lowering the tailgate will average approx. 3 miles to the gallon increase. I have also heard that driving in the daytime with your head lights on will decrease your chances of being in an accident because you were not seen by the other driver by as much as 30%.
 
Conrad,

When I owned my ST I had a tonneau cover and it did not affect my MPG. However, I've seen some people claim up to a 1 mpg increase. If there is an increase it is probably less than that on the average. Do the math - the cost of even a homemade tonneau vs the savings in gasoline. I doubt it will ever pay for itself. I didn't get the tonneau to save gas, I got it to make the back end of the ST a big-ass trunk. It worked very well for that purpose!



:D



Wes,

Lowering the tailgate on modern (post 1980) pickups increases drag by destroying the 'stable air bubble' formed over the bed. This will most likely slightly lower the MPG. The body design allows for minimum drag with the tailgate in the up position, which gives the ST the best aerodynamics. A tonneau des not noticeably increase the aerodynamics of the ST design.



The effectiveness of DRL's are still being debated, but while making a vehicle more visible will not increase the chances of an accident, it is still not proven it will decrease the chances significantly. The biggest problem is that most accidents are caused by people not paying attention, and if they are not paying attention, what difference does it make if you are visible or not - they still won't see you.

 
A tonneau cover won't add much because it is only repeating the air bubble effect that is already there with the tailgate up, except this time it's not just air.

The free mod to save some gas is to keep a light foot on the gas pedal.
 
Ford says, right in the ST manual IIRC, that the tonneau cover (paraphrasing here) "has been designed to maximize fuel economy". (Unlike the engine I guess :>)



 
Ford says, right in the ST manual IIRC, that the tonneau cover (paraphrasing here) "has been designed to maximize fuel economy". (Unlike the engine I guess
Click to expand...



:lol:



I got a hard tonneau myself and didn't notice any change in mpg. Perhaps its weight negated the aerodynamic benefit??? As Rocco said, however, it makes for a big-ass trunk! And a good looking one at that.
 
Mostly I need to keep things dry. When I put one on my first Ranger, a '99 4x4 vastly underpowered with a 3.oh-no, it did hold speed better on the highway with the cover on.
 
Ford says, right in the ST manual IIRC, that the tonneau cover (paraphrasing here) "has been designed to maximize fuel economy". (Unlike the engine I guess :>)
Click to expand...



And the ST gets what MPG according to Ford?



:D



Seriously, I was speaking from my personal experience. Some others that have posted on the subject in the past wrote of their own experience. You pays your money and you takes your chances.



:lol:
 
The vehicle manufacturers take all of that into account when they design the trucks. They try to get the best aerodynamics out of what they believe is the best looking truck. Some trucks MAY get better mileage with a Tonneau, and the ST may be one of them. I just didn't see any difference when driving with or without one.

 
Yes, Rocco, there's nothing more sound than checking it out yourself! And even then, that can be very difficult, unless you're actually in a test lab.
Click to expand...



If the MPG difference is so small that it can only be seen in a test lab and not be easily noticed through repeated field trials then it wouldn't make any difference to me. :D



And if it's that small and you are only getting the tonneau to save gas, it comes down to the cost of a tonneau vs. saved gas money, and the ROI on that. IMO, It's not worth putting any tonneau on an ST for the gas savings because the ROI is too long even with a homemade cover.



But it STILL makes one big-ass trunk! And that alone makes the cost worthwhile, once again IMO!



:lol:

 
Well, it cost me about $100 to make my cover. 1mpg increase = about 1 gallon per fillup. So, $3 per fillup saved = 33 fillups to equal the cost of the tonneau. 400 miles per tank means that after about 13000 miles I will have recovered the cost. I have driven about 15000miles in the last year, so it is worth it to me, IMO. :D :lol: :cool:



Plus, with the BedRug, my bed is a big arse trunk with carpet!
 

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