Bed covers impact on MPG???

Does anyone have an opinion on bed covers and how they improve MPG????

 

I love my Extang Trifecta tonneau cover but I really don't see any difference in fuel consumption at all

 

Zero.

 

I think mine gives me a 0.5mpg - 1 mpg. Less drag..

 

didn't see much if any improvement with mine. Highway driving might be more affected by it though.

 

When I had my Undercover on I didn't notice any change.

 

Nothing in town and not much with mixed but with total highway driving I did notice a 1-1.5 mpg increase. I take the same highway trip often and I've done it several times with and without the cover and the results are consistent.

 

I have a Undercover.No change in town or on the highway.

 

Won't chang your mpg. Mythbusters had an episode on it

 

No change. ONLY mod that will improve MPG is to keep it under 2k rpm. Which is impossible considering 2k in 6th gear is 55 mph. Who the heck drives at 55??

 

mine gave me 0 mpg and maybe even made it a tad worse.

 

Even if it does increase slightly (like I saw at 1, maybe 1.5mpg), it doesn't make it worth buying just for the potential to see an increase in mpg. It would take a very long time to make up the price difference in what you spent on the cover. So if you were going to buy it for what it's intended for, go ahead but not for an mpg increase.

 

Erm... I noticed at least 20 extra miles to my tank after install of my Access LE. Did I drive differently? Maybe, but I continue to get better mileage than when I didn't have it on. I also believe in ghosts and ufo's.

Check this, though:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYO21Frl9Vc&NR=1&feature=fvwp

 

I was interested about the mpg before and after adding a bedcover. So I calculated mpg for 3 weeks of normal driving before, the average was 18.5 and 3 weeks after averaged 20.25. It did make a small difference.

 

may have been the summertime getting there with warmer temperatures, less humid conditions, etc... very hard to prove that your bed cover did the change. I did the test also, but didn't have a scangauge then, and discovered a 5% increase in mileage, but I think it was me creating the difference because I WANTED it.

 

It won't change your MPG and might even hurt it.

 

They don't .

 

Didn't their testing method get busted on that one??? If I remember right, they used a shortbed V8 pickup. People have retested it with different vehicle configurations and came up with different results. Not to mention how un-scientific it is to say that testing one truck is the rule for all the other trucks out there.

The weight of the cover makes a big difference if you see any gain also. I had a fiberglass bed topper on my old F-150 and saw a mileage gain when I took it off. When I replaced the topper with a marine canvas bed cover my mileage went up again on long drives.

 

Would seem they should help but I've seen little if any improvement.


It does seem to feel better at highway speeds though, I believe because it's creating additional down-force. All it needs is to generate one ounce per square inch of down-force (not much when you think about it) that's 3600 ounces (60" * 60") or 225 lbs additional down force. I know it is creating some since it's pressed down against the ribs for the most part, fluttering a little (meaning zero) in a few areas and never being sucked up.

 

In my opinion, it does make a difference, BUT, its not a huge difference tank to tank. It maybe over the life time of the truck which would make it worth it. Just my opinion......