New Brunswick, Canada | Wind tunnel testing, open road testing, track testing etc by several different groups (not just myth busters) all found its nearly dead even tailgate up or down depending on bed length / cab length combo. Only real consistent measurable gain is putting on a cap or tonneau cover.
Even the cover gains, you could gain as much mpg by driving a couple of mph slower or planning out your stopping to use the brakes less.
hd6gtom - 4/15/2019 11:16
In my case after running pickups over a million miles, I've gotten far better fuel mileage without a tail gate or with it down. I've never noticed any box problems without a tail gate. Our tire service trucks had Tommy Lifts on them along with box topper tool boxes running down both sides of the pickup. The box was the least of the problems on the fords. It was the motors, transmissions, starters, that were constantly going bad. |
Not using tailgate on truck
