Boy are we all soooo wrong on our trucks!

[Metrodps]

MSN Fuel Economy tips
Don't use lift kits to boost the height of your SUV or pickup. In terms of fuel economy, "generally speaking, lower is better."

Many car owners like to modify their vehicles. Unfortunately, this can lead to energy losses, too.

If you drive a pickup truck, keep the tailgate closed and don't replace the tailgate with netted fencing. According to Kaufman, a lowered tailgate or a tailgate that's replaced with netting result in the same problem: Extra air turbulence at the back of the vehicle that causes drag and reduces fuel economy.

On the other hand, a tonneau cover over the pickup bed in the back of a truck can help fuel economy by lessening the drag from air being buffeted into and around that open bed, he said.

According to Kaufman, installing wider or bigger tires on a vehicle can drop fuel mileage because both kinds of tires change the vehicle's aerodynamics, and both typically add to the mass of the vehicle at each corner. With more mass to move, the engine needs to use more fuel.

Bold light racks look cool on the roofs of some sport-utility vehicles and trucks, but they can contribute to drag and reduce fuel economy, Kaufman said.

Don't use lift kits to boost the height of your SUV or pickup. Besides the fact a vehicle's height is maximized for fuel economy, safe handling as well as design by the auto manufacturer, Kaufman noted that in fuel economy, "generally speaking, lower is better."

http://autos.msn.com/advice/article.aspx?contentid=4023966

 

[nova]

If everyone save gas around me fine, so be it. I have no problems with living out side the box or being the black sheep. By them saving it means more gas for me to have fun with.

 

[Jishory]

good thing msn is here or i wouldnt know that

 

[LIFTEDGMC4X4]

Didnt mythbusters prove that the netted tailgate thing was the most efficient way to go???

 

[nova]

You know I think they did

 

[Metrodps]

Didnt mythbusters prove that the netted tailgate thing was the most efficient way to go???

NOPE they said with tail gate on do a thread search someone posted it heck it might of even been me I have cant remember poo disorder

 

[scooter122983]

Actually they did prove that the net was the best. It alowed air to flow through the bed and it also shaved weight. The worse was tailgate open and on. and in the middle was tailgate closed, and toneau cover. But I think someone needs to test one of our older chevys to see how that works out because they tested it on a newer truck that was designed in a air tunnel to make the truck more efficient on the highway with the tailgate closed. I would be curious to find out what a stock 1986 c10 pickup with a long bed and a 350 sb would do with the same tests ran on it. Im shooting for no tailgate.

 

[howdiy]

Baddest ass truck right there

 

[thatK30guy]

I was never lifting, raising, etc. a truck to "improve" mileage to begin with. I was only doing it for function, appearance and performance. But never for fuel economy.

 

[K5Greek]

Didnt mythbusters prove that the netted tailgate thing was the most efficient way to go???

they did, but i dont believe because they gave mileage figures for all other configurations but never gave one for the net

 

[Big Blzn]

they did, but i dont believe because they gave mileage figures for all other configurations but never gave one for the net

Plain and simple. Better for the tailgate to be up and closed rather than down in loading position. This is from the 'busters show.

 

[atho]

Tailgate nets...ahh yes. But to get the best mileage out of those, you also need at least 2 dozen bullet hole stickers, one of those wing things that JC Whitney sells that goes behind the cab, an 8" body lift, and a windshield banner that either says "GIT 'ER DONE" -or- "CHEVROLET TRUCKS".

 

[Metrodps]

Straight from their site http://mythbustersresults.com/results/all.html

Running a car with air conditioning on is more fuel efficient than running with the windows down.
partly confirmed*
Tests were performed under varying conditions (55 mph versus 45 mph). The 55 mph test used a computer to estimate fuel efficiency based on air intake, not actual fuel consumption, and showed A/C was more efficient. The 45 mph test consisted of running the tank until it was empty, and showed open windows were more efficient.
*Because the orignal tests were inconclusive, this "urban puzzle" was revisted in episode 38: It is more fuel efficient to use air conditioning when the car is traveling approximately 50mph or more. Otherwise, windows are more fuel efficient.

REVISITED: Running a car with air conditioning on is more fuel efficient than running with the windows down. (From episode 22)
partly confirmed
The fundamental flaw in the MythBusters' test was that the point where the drag becomes powerful enough to inhibit a car's performance with windows down was inside their 45 - 55mph margin at 50mph. Going less than 50mph it is more efficient to leave your windows down, but going greater than 50mph it is more efficient to use your A/C.

It is more fuel efficient to drive your pick-up truck with its tailgate down, rather than up.
busted
Driving with the tailgate down actually increased drag on the pick-up and caused it to consume fuel faster than the identical truck driven with the tailgate up. It was later revealed that the closed tailgate creates a locked vortex flow that created a smoother flow of air over the truck. With the tailgate down the trapped vortex was dissipated and the drag increased.
(This myth was revisted in episode 64 and re-busted. However, it was found that mesh tailgates are the most efficient configuration.)

REVISITED: It is more fuel efficient to drive your pick-up truck with its tailgate down, rather than up (from Tailgate Up vs. Tailgate Down, Episode 43).
re-busted
Using a calibrated fuel flow gauge, Adam and Jamie first re-busted the tailgate up vs. down myth, then went on to test various other truck configurations (hard top, mesh tailgate, no tailgate).
Episode 64 » Oct. 25, 2006
A plastic mesh tailgate provides superior fuel efficiency compared to the standard metal tailgate.
confirmed
Again using a calibrated fuel flow gauge, Adam and Jamie proved that the mesh was the most efficient way to configure a pickup truck.


You will get a smoother ride on a rough outback road by driving faster.
confirmed
As far as driving on non-"washboard" roads there was no solid conclusion due to a conflict of data. However, when they tested a "washboard" road, like one the myth originally states, the build team were able to confirm the theory that driving at a higher speed will indeed cause the wheels of a car to travel over just the ridges and not into the troughs, allowing for a relatively smoother ride.


WOW I stand corrected!

 

[habitatxskate]

Didnt mythbusters prove that the netted tailgate thing was the most efficient way to go???

yeah they did...they didn't test tonneau covers though...but yeah, they said for the most part, it still gathers a ltitle circle of air in the bed, but mostly because of the 50 pds approx. to 5 pds is the real gas saver spite the increasd drag..tailgate down is the worst i think.

 

[LIFTEDGMC4X4]

Obviously I watch too much tv.

 

[Clod_King]

WHAT!?!?!?

my truck is going to be WORSE on gas after I lifted it, and installed bigger tires??

Oh JEBUS I am going to take all that junk off, throw a 4 cylinder in there, and slam the bugger to the ground!! hahaha.

Anyone with half a brain could've come to those conclusions.

Oh and don;t drive around with your tailgate down...

I hit some rough train tracks and the tailgate flew off and I dragged it by one of the straps...

The tail gate was fine, don't worry about that, but it hurt my pride...

 

[lectric80]

Wow!!! If I went to the stock 235's I would get better than the 10 mpg I got this weekend? Wow, I am sure glad we have all these highly intelligent people at MSN to tell me that putting 12.5" wide tires on my K5 is going to affect my fuel economy.

 

[habitatxskate]

you mean my 37"x14" iroks aren't going to give me better mileage? curse you fourwheelparts!!!!!! /sarcasm

 

[gmc4cw]

I must be doing my calculations wrong. Bigger tires=less rolling resistance=better economy. Isn't that why they came out with the 54" bogger?

 

[habitatxskate]

no no your all wrong..the 54" bogger is for the compact cars...