Tonneau covers have a lot of advantages and many truck owners install them for the benefits. But does a bed cover improve gas mileage too? It’s a question asked by many truck users after experimentation and a lot of research we finally decided to answer the question unbiasedly. Read this article to know do a tonneau covers save gas or not?
Does a bed cover improve gas mileage? Let’s discover
It’s common thinking that adding a tonneau cover on a pickup truck will reduce the drag. Because they assume that the open space of the pickup truck can capture airflow which leads to drag at speed. Moreover, according to theory anything which adds more aerodynamic and decreases the drag meaning better gas mileage.
A better gas will save you a lot of money. That is the reason people wonder whether tonneau cover saves mpg.
A lot of opinions exist out there. Some speak in favor some not we will discuss some facts and find the answer to the question that does a bed cover improves gas mileage or not.
Let’s discuss all the studies:
The “MythBusters” Study:
This study comes from the TV show Myth-buster. Where the scientists make different modifications to a truck and check how it affects its fuel. In the experiment, they test different factors such as:
- Hard tonneau cover
- No tailgate
- Mesh tailgate
- Tailgate down
After the experiment, they found out that only the mesh tailgate shows the results and an improvement in car mileage. However, other modifications made no difference.
Many people were against their methodology as they said they should have run the test on more than one truck. But according to the scientists if you only want to save the mileage you should not solely rely on tonneau.
The Wind Tunnel Study:
The study was conducted in 2007 by the specialty-equipment market association (SEMA). They used four trucks and thirteen tonneau covers. In this experiment they chosen trucks were
- Ford F-150 bed cover
- GMC Sierra bed cover
- Dodge Ram 1500 truck cover
- Chevy Silverado truck bed cover
The 13 tonneau covers were of different material soft hardcover both were included. Moreover, all the covers have different styles such as retractable, folding, hinged, and all. As for the brand the study didn’t reveal the name.
They tested the trucks with and without tonneau covers to know how does a bed cover improves gas mileage. The location of the study was a full-size wind tunnel in California.
The goal of the study was simple to identify whether tonneau covers reduce drag or not.
According to the results of a windmill study when you use a tonneau on a truck bed the drag is less. Although, the results were not huge but measurable. It was clear from the results that when you use a tonneau you experience a 5.7% reduction in drag. Lastly, Less drag means an increase in fuel efficiency of about 1.8%.
Many people said that 1.8% is a small amount and does not make a big difference but it does make a difference when you talk about an entire year.
In short wind tunnel study says that by using a tonneau cover gas mileage improves.
Consumer Reports Test:
In 2013 consumer reports conducted a test-own their own with a dodge Ram V8. The test consists of two factors:
- Impact of soft tonneau cover on gas mileage
- Moving a tailgate up and down have any impact on the economy
The results were quite surprising they found out that with the tailgate down and soft tonneau cover fuel economy become even worse. However, it is important to note that in this experiment they only used one truck and one tonneau cover. It’s possible that if they took more the one other and covers results variate.
This study about whether tonneau covers improve gas mileage doesn’t carry much weight, but it still comes up when people discuss tonneau covers and fuel economy.
Other Important Factors:
All these three studies don’t talk about two important issues:
- Driving Speed
- Tonneau Cover Weight
Driving Speed:
Mostly the truck used in these studies were trucks of high speed. Most of the pickup drivers drive them at high speed on highways and sometimes in cities too. It means that fuel efficiency also depends highly on the speed with which the driver drives the truck.
Tonneau Cover Weight:
The weight of tonneau cover varies from cover to cover some are heavy and some are lighter in weight. Furthermore, Lightweight truck covers do not have much weight and they don’t interfere with the gas mileage of the truck.
So while noticing the other factor while studying the gas mileage the weight of the tonneau cover and speed of the truck also matters.
So what is the Final Verdict? Does a bed cover improve gas mileage?
As we have come this far we came to know every study has its result. One study notices a modest improvement in fuel efficiency while the other says tonneau cover has no importance when it comes to gas mileage.
The results came from the SEMA study were encouraging as they support the statement that if we add a tonneau cover it will improve the gas mileage. Now it’s up to you which study you think is more reliable.
The tonneau cover is beneficial or not?
Of course, tonneau cover has a lot of benefits. Using it to increase the gas mileage is not the only benefit which it offers. Moreover, It has several other noteworthy advantages and reasons that you get your truck a tonneau cover.
The tonneau cover protects the truck and holds the equipment and tools inside it. It’s best suited to truck beds and cargos.
Multiple types of tonneau cover exist in the market. Which one is best for you to depend upon the drivers driving and your needs. Moreover, in market two type tonneau cover exist:
Soft Tonneau Cover: They are light in weight, cheap, flexible, and use to cover the light.
Hard Tonneau Cover: If you want to provide strong protection to your truck bed hard tonneau cover is the best choice.
Conclusion:
It’s a common question by truck users that how does a bed cover improve gas mileage. Well to answer this question many people performed experiments and came out with several different results.
Read this article to explore how does a tonneau cover improves mileage, which factors play an important role to improve the gas mph, and what are the benefits of using a tonneau cover other than saving the fuel.
People also Read: Modify Tonneau Cover for Tool Box【Tips and Tricks 2021】
1. Do tonneau covers save gas Mythbusters? According to another study conducted by SEMA, the tonneau cover increased their truck’s fuel economy, but only while driving at a certain speed. Their test truck saved a little over one mile per gallon while driving at 85 mph. … According to a test conducted by Mythbusters, it improved their truck’s gas mileage by 5%. 2. Does a truck bed cover help mpg? On average, using a tonneau cover led to a 5.7% reduction in drag. That reduced drag meant about a 1.8% increase in fuel efficiency. However, 1.8% gas mileage isn’t massive, it makes a difference over a year of fueling up your truck. 3. What are the benefits of a tonneau cover? A tonneau cover will help to save you money from low gas mileage, lost/damaged cargo, and theft. Furthermore, It will also protect the bed of your truck and help to prevent serious damage that will cause repairs to be needed. But upon reselling your truck, the bed will maintain much better shape than if the bed was exposed. 4. Are tonneau covers worth the money? The short answer is: YES. A tonneau cover is worth the investment. Imagine driving through the rain or snow with your cargo in the truck bed exposed to the rain. Or driving along the highway or off-road and all your cargo is covered with dust and debris.
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