Automarket Journal

Have you ever heard the old tale that increased fuel economy occurred when truck owners lowered their tailgates or added truck accessories? Several teams of researchers have conducted tests to see if the tailgate makes a difference in gas mileage, whether it is up or down. Those test were inconclusive to the effect of the tailgate position, however, there had been suspicions that by adding truck bed covers it could better the fuel economy of the truck.

There have been tests done to prove or disprove this theory and the results are unanimous, adding a tonneau cover to your truck will, in fact, improve the fuel economy of the vehicle. A group of mechanical engineers at the Western New England College in Massachusetts have done testing and research to discover the truth about the effects on fuel economy when adding a tonneau cover. Their trials revealed that one of the best ways to improve gas mileage and reduce drag is to add tonneau covers onto the pickup trucks. A savings of 8% was obtained while they were doing their study using a Dodge Ram for the test.

The bottom line result is that tonneau covers installed on truck boxes has been proven to reduce the aerodynamic drag and ultimately save on fuel and to get better gas mileage.

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