Shell/Topper and MPG

So, has anyone with a shell/topper experienced significantly better mpg?
My bi-monthly trips to North Padre Island from San Antonio are almost 2.5 hours each way.
I recently put on an ARE Z Series shell.
Before the topper I was doing anywhere from 15-18 mpg - that's with 4.88 gears and an OVTune.
Before gears and tune it was an abysmal 14-16 mpg and 4th gear was reached on every. single. incline. Fucking awful.
Post gears and tune I hit 4th gear maybe MAYBE once during that trip.

After the topper, I haven't fallen below 19 mpg in two trips, headwind or not. With a tailwind I was doing 22mpg+. My truck has never seen such numbers. I'm actually now getting the mileage Toyota said the Tacoma was supposed to get bone stock.

Also, I'm mostly on cruise at 80mph.

I'm never super concerned about mpg, but now (one-way) I can do with slightly more than a half tank left after arrival. Used to be only a quarter left. Over a whole summer that's a pretty penny saved.

(285/75/16 tires, billie 5100's all around and OME dakar's for 2.5ish" of lift)

Just curious if anyone has experienced such.
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I have a topper and no lift, no tune, slightly larger tires and I get usually between 17-21 MPG on the highway. I did over 300 miles this weekend and got 19.3 for my tank avg., highest ever by .2 MPG. I generally do around the speed limit so 70-75.

 

So you did notice mpg up post topper?

 

No noticeable difference, but I got my topper pretty quick after buying the truck.

 

Cool to hear. My ARE V series should arrive Friday. I'll report back in a couple of weeks. I'm averaging about 20 to 21 mpg per tank now in mixed driving, but my truck is fully stock in terms of tune, tires and drivetrain. In general I go as easy on the throttle as possible to try and keep the Atkinson cycle going as often as I can. I'm all about good mpg. I try not to go over 70mph usually because mpg falls fast at those speeds with any car. I've read most cars have about a 70% increase in wind resistance at 75mph vs 60mph. I once did 27.5mpg in the Taco for about 30 miles driving through a freeway construction zone at 45 to 55 mph. That was pretty neat.

All the cap manufacturers claim one will see an mpg improvement, but I've been skeptical. I'd love to be proven wrong!

 

I was skeptical too. I truly didn't care either way - I camp a lot and think toppers look bad ass. Now I like the thing even more.

 

Have you been happy with the cap in general so far? Any fit and finish issues you've noticed?

 

I've got a V series. It's been fine. Color matches well, doesn't leak, and hardware has held up well.

 

Very happy with it. There is a slight SLIGHT color variation, but it’s barely noticeable in most light. Fits great, only a tiny bit of water gets in when I spray a pressure washer right on the rear seams.
I love the thing.
I installed a topper ezlift. That thing is so cool! Camping is even more enjoyable.

It was a bitch to install though! I had to put rivets in the rear bed rail. Looks and works great though. The problem is it’s too damn hot camping in Texas! Can’t wait for fall.

 

Looks great.

 

Not on my 3rd gen, but my 1st gen, I noticed no difference with or without the cap.

 

Beautiful truck, I really wanted the ARE CX-HD but that rack mount on top was just too much for me. I have a snugtop rebel coming in and I'm hoping she'll be as cute as your truck.

Currently getting ~18-19.5mpg with a 6MT DCSB, it's a solid 50/50 of city and freeway. I try to be cool on the roads and keep it 70 and under but plenty of aggressive drivers where I am make it difficult.

-Action

 

man i like the looks of your truck! good looking set up

 

I bought my truck with a topper already installed, but my friend has basically the same truck as me except I have a topper. and I always get 2 or 3 mpg better than him on highway road trips.

 

I haven’t really seen any mpg change (-ve or +ve) with any of the shells I’ve had on my last four trucks. If there is any mpg gain from being more aerodynamic I always figured that was offset by the added weight of the shell itself. But I’d probably still have a shell even if there was a -ve effect on my mileage since I can’t seem to live without one.

 

Did you install those racks or did the people you bought the topper from install them?

 

Had them installed when I bought the cap. For $110 I figured it was easier to let them do it.

 

Same.

Admittedly though, 98% of my daily driving has always been stop and go style driving with very little highway commuting.

 

I will be taking my topper off shortly and have a long trip coming up, I will see if it makes any appreciable difference without it and report back!

 

When I put my Leer 100R shell on my Taco I didn't notice any change in MPG. I think the weight increase offsets the better aerodynamics. I noticed more of a change (< 1 MPG Difference) when I removed the front chin spoiler. Just my 0.2.