Tonneau Cover Range Improvement numbers

[ZeusDriver]

That is the cheapest cover I've heard of, good buy.

After being stunned by the offerings at Leonard, I checked Facebook marketplace, and found it in near perfect condition. The type is about 250 brand new.

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[tearitupsports]

I don't think the cover makes any difference. That being said, I have had a Bak X4S since the first week of owning the truck and 63,000 miles later I still have an all time efficiency of 2.3 mi/kWh.

 

[PJnc284]

I don't think the cover makes any difference. That being said, I have had a Bak X4S since the first week of owning the truck and 63,000 miles later I still have an all time efficiency of 2.3 mi/kWh.

A X4S was also my first purchase. Had it for about 18 months. I mainly got it because I liked the look of a covered bed better and it beats having to push snow out of the bed the once every 5-10 years we get any. Can't say I've noticed any discernible difference in mileage which lines up with every test I've seen. Shame mythbusters didn't do this test when they did their tailgate up v down. I averaged 2.2 at 60mph and 1.8 at 75 the month before I got it and still get the same. A brick is a brick is a brick after all.

Asked chatgpt to give me a more aerodynamic lightning. I ran out of tries to make it 4 door

 

[RLXXI]

I started covering my truck beds for one single reason, to keep asshats from using my truck as their garbage can. Too fking lazy to keep holding that empty until they get to an actual trashcan, no they just drop it in the bed. Infuriates me would be describing it lightly.

 

[Timeless Epoch]

A X4S was also my first purchase. Had it for about 18 months. I mainly got it because I liked the look of a covered bed better and it beats having to push snow out of the bed the once every 5-10 years we get any. Can't say I've noticed any discernible difference in mileage which lines up with every test I've seen. Shame mythbusters didn't do this test when they did their tailgate up v down. I averaged 2.2 at 60mph and 1.8 at 75 the month before I got it and still get the same. A brick is a brick is a brick after all.

Asked chatgpt to give me a more aerodynamic lightning. I ran out of tries to make it 4 door

Reminds me of the Ranchero.

 

[JMD359]

I can obsess about this stuff... but obviously if I were really concerned about vehicular efficiency, I'd be driving a Prius instead of a Lightning.

So, the theory is this: a tonneau cover lowers the Cd (coefficient of drag) of a pickup truck. That is almost universally true, for reasons that are probably intuitively obvious. The tailgate is an obvious apparent wind catcher. Try to carry a sheet plywood with the flat side facing the wind on a gusty day, and you will appreciate aerodynamic drag.

I've linked a study by SEMA that squares with my understanding of aerodynamics, and especially vehicular aerodynamics.
https://www.agricover.com/downloads/pdf/2007_windtunnel.pdf

Aerodynamic drag becomes increasingly dominant with increases in speed (going up at the square of speed, unlike rolling friction, which stays nearly constant). Power required, therefore, goes up with the cube of speed, (because you are both going faster and pushing harder). Power times time = energy usage. Range increases by the same factor as claimed fuel mileage increases.

If you do a lot of highway driving, (and charge at the robber barons' fast chargers) then a tonneau cover can justify its cost even if you have no other use for it. The range reduction you might imagine from the increase in weight is not measurable, because even the rigid covers are so light. (Do you stick your nose out the window and aim your sneezes backwards to give the truck a little boost?).

My range seemed to improve by about 10 miles (about 5%) after installing my ($100) fold up tonneau cover. However, I was driving fast on the day that I checked, and I don't bother to check on slow driving days, because I know there is no measurable difference. So read the article if you are so inclined, and figure in your style of driving. No "average" gain in range will likely apply to your use case... and my presumed gain won't apply either, unless you happen to drive exactly like me... on the same roads... at the same temperature... in the same wind conditions.

AC and heat have a significant effect on range, as does terrain and many other things. (That is why I used the word "seemed" above -- a definitive, reliable, repeatable test is quite difficult, if not darn near impossible.)

Related: My front air dam extension (the retractable part that extends at 40 to reduce aero drag) fell off a while ago, and I have not been able to detect any difference in range. I tend to drive at close to the speed limit. Maybe if I drove at 20 over all the time, I'd notice a difference.

My seat of pants tells me the cover takes away range slightly . I run about 50 percent of the time without it since I use thumbed a lot for firewood and large items . I could be wrong but either way it’s insignificant .

 

[zakress]

My Lightning has had a cover on it since day 1, so I can’t speak to its difference. On my 12th gen, the tonneau made a 0.18 mpg difference which could easily be had by driving 3-5 mph slower or accelerating slower or a tailwind or any number of things.

The one very noticeable difference was the smoothness of the air with the rear window open. Prior to the tonneau,, there would be a lot of noise and turbulence through the window, but almost none once the cover was installed.

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