Fuel Economy - Empty bed vs Item in bed.

[Overdraft]

For about two months, I rode around with an ice chest bungie-corded in. I never thought anything of it. I started to get a little sad when I saw my mpgs start to dip, thinking I was driving like a loser. One day I was like, "Okay, let's see what happens." I filled up, removed the ice chest, and the next tank, boom! My mpgs were back to over 45, and I was now running at over 600 miles to a tank. Moral of the story: empty that damn bed!

Also, if a tonneau cover worth it? I'm not sure if it would be, wouldn't it adjust the airflow?

Attached is a screenshot from Fuelio.

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[JBryant]

Hard to imagine a normal sized ice chest would affect the gas mileage. That thing could not weigh more than a few pounds. If it is against the back cab, it surely cannot cause a drag by acting as a dam. Strange!!

 

[Overdraft]

Hard to imagine a normal sized ice chest would affect the gas mileage. That thing could not weigh more than a few pounds. If it is against the back cab, it surely cannot cause a drag by acting as a dam. Strange!!

It was real, I thought it was strange. See the attached.

 

[commadorebob]

I think Mythbusters did something on this a long time ago. Basically, Ford's engineers know what they are doing. The bed creates a bubble that the air flows over. Anything that interrupts that bubble increases drag, thus increasing fuel consumption. That's why you counterintuitively increase fuel consumption when you drive with the gate down.

So, it isn't the weight of the cooler but the existence of the cooler that causes the issue. That said, you bought a truck for a reason...

 

[AutobahnSHO]

Weird, "could be" aerodynamics but I'm surprised if it would make that much difference!
I know the empty bed creates a pocket of air that circulates and helps vs leaving the tailgate down, but that's really crazy a cooler could shift the air that much..

 

[RedRider]

I'd bet it has more to do with switching from the lighter and less efficient winter fuel to summer fuel. It happens every year.

 

[wax87]

For about two months, I rode around with an ice chest bungie-corded in. I never thought anything of it. I started to get a little sad when I saw my mpgs start to dip, thinking I was driving like a loser. One day I was like, "Okay, let's see what happens." I filled up, removed the ice chest, and the next tank, boom! My mpgs were back to over 45, and I was now running at over 600 miles to a tank. Moral of the story: empty that damn bed!

Also, if a tonneau cover worth it? I'm not sure if it would be, wouldn't it adjust the airflow?

Attached is a screenshot from Fuelio.

any temperature variations?

 

[Dmat]

I think Mythbusters did something on this a long time ago. Basically, Ford's engineers know what they are doing. The bed creates a bubble that the air flows over. Anything that interrupts that bubble increases drag, thus increasing fuel consumption. That's why you counterintuitively increase fuel consumption when you drive with the gate down.

So, it isn't the weight of the cooler but the existence of the cooler that causes the issue. That said, you bought a truck for a reason...

while it does create a bubble, it also rolls the bubble. the truck I used to drive was a long bed with a toolbox it. Id constantly see small items get sucked up and land on the tool box only to fall back into the bed. never flew out of the bed but would cycle around.

 

[Old Man]

Variations in temperature, traffic, your right foot, route, gas mix, ... make differences in mileage over time. You can't determine cause without eliminating all but one variable at a time so why bother about it? Maybe you had a bigger breakfast one day and that extra weight reduced your mileage. If it goes down 50% then worry otherwise forget it.

 

[Sventinker]

I added a bed mat (from Ford) and the BAK X4S and my mpg's went down 4mpg.

 

[JP4AZ]

Makes you wonder if a spray in bed liner would affect the MPG??

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