Quote:
Originally Posted by ArtieWag
I know this is a "Power Hungry" forum, but... I just wish to deal with adults here, and not someone who wants me to drive a different kind of vehicle. I own two f150's. Because they 'fit' me.
Does anyone have any good information on bed covers, air dams, wheel covers, etc. that have improved mpg? I have installed soft bed covers on my trucks, but they seemed to reduce mpg slightly. They have made the trucks more useful, so I have kept them on.
Yes, I have searched the internet on this topic, and all I can tell you is that other people hate F150s and we as their owners are obvious morons. I hope that is not the case here.
More Power, applied correctly, less drag, more MPG.
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Dont worry about Ford bashing here. PHP only does tuning on Fords so a Chevy guy would be outnumbered quite a bit and any brand bashing could be removed if it didn't have any logical basis in the conversation. BUT I dont find the new F150s to seem all that aerodynamic (an example of logical connection)
I do not have any solid numbers but I can give you plenty of opinions based on observations I have made.
Theoretically a bed cover should improve your mileage but the difference would be less noticeable than that of comparing cheap gas to top quality gas, something that I have found to be one of the largest differences in my truck. Also, you are adding weight when you compare the two conditions? When you compare before and after, is it empty bed before/empty bed after?
Air dams, you
could possibly see an improvement. If it blocked the majority of airflow over the grille then you would most likely see higher operation temps. If you still have the coldest possible air coming in, and a higher temp engine, again
theoretically you should see an improvement under responsible driving conditions. Some factors that might inhibit this would include higher engine temps causing the fan to engaged more often, a noticeable drag on the engine. I do know that it does have an effect on top speed but I'm not sure if it would have a large enough effect on the constant operation to improve mileage. If you are nearly 100% driving above 60ish mph (the point where wind resistance is said to start taking its toll) then it
may help. I do find it interesting you mentioned it because one of the major car brands (can't remember which) has an air dam that automatically deploys to cover the grille area when it reaches highway speeds. It supposedly increases efficiency. I do not know if increases speed efficiency through a smoother wind profile or engine efficiency of warmer under hood temps. May be both may be neither.
Wheel covers, if you can get it to come down around the fender to cover the tire/rim then I'd imagine it would. You just run into a major problem in the front. Turning would be nearly impossible because the tire extends outside of the body profile. Back fender
shouldn't be a problem though. I have seen that used on earlier "eco" cars. Just make sure it would be removable in case you have a flat or something. If you are talking about the fenders that come out like fender flares, I'm willing to guess that they would make mileage fractionally worse by decreasing aerodynamics. The front would form a pocket that could cause slight vacuum and the back portion would act as a dead end air scoop and form a slightly pressurized pocket, both pockets would act as resistance. The fender pockets would not be major pressure points so it is hardly a drop in the bucket from a practical standpoint.
***Note: I'd be willing to bet that putting a fiberglass belly covering that resembles the lower shielding on rally cars would greatly improve aerodynamics by reducing drag from all the stuff hanging down underneath. Fiberglass would be easy to form, easy to fix, weigh very little and be relatively cheap. You will just need to consider flexing (suspension and frame), heat and moving parts.
As Jack said, you could lower it but you lose some of the utility traits, I don't fully agree. In the case of heavy pulling or moving over rough terrain it may be accurate but I can tell you that lowering the truck makes it a much easier to load and unload things from the bed. Adding a 2.5" leveling kit to the front actually brought my tailgate down a little bit (see-saw angle effect). When I'm not hauling kayaks or fishing equipment I use my trail bike for around town commuting so my truck ALWAYS has something in the bed that I am putting in and taking out. After 2+ years since putting that on I am still glad for the slight drop. It lowered my tailgate about an inch so that is one less inch I have to lift everything. Or in other words, lowering may improve efficiency and utility.