Tonneau/MPGs

[Steve Urquell]

I read several reports about this last night. Most sources reporting big gains are selling covers and then they are vague on what those gains amount to.

The best unbiased site I read said that tonneaus have shown being able to add up to 15-20% aerodynamic efficiency. Loose covers actually make aerodynamics worse. Heavy covers negate gains.

It further broke that down to say that was only above 55mph. Gains are best at 65mph plus and amount to .5 to a high of 2mpg when travelling >65mph.

So if you drive a lot of highway speeds you may see small gains when travelling at speeds >55mph.

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[Limeymav]

Don't expect a great improvement...may not even be noticeable since your driving habits will affect your mileage a lot more. I installed the Tyger soft trifold...nice cover and easy to open and provides some security with bed locked. Product well packaged and easy to install with no issues.

I saw the Tyger one , thoughts on useability, easy to fold, and does it fold up to rear window for full bed use, has it been water tight so far, would you buy it again

 

[HD676]

No. I have used tonneau covers on all my trucks going back 20+ years. Everything from V8 & V6 F150s, old style Rangers, 1500 Hemi Rams, and this Maverick. Purely cosmetic and to keep the bed dry. I have noticed no gains in mpg.

 

[SR-71]

I saw the Tyger one , thoughts on useability, easy to fold, and does it fold up to rear window for full bed use, has it been water tight so far, would you buy it again

100% satisfied with the Tyger since purchase 3 months ago. Have not noticed any leaks and has very little ripple at highway speeds. Only folds 2/3 open (with straps to hold it in that position), but from there only 3 more clamps to open for complete removal. Simple to install also. For me it’s been an excellent value and I plan to move it to my ‘24 Mav currently scheduled for week of October 30.

 

[gp1200x]

I saw the Tyger one , thoughts on useability, easy to fold, and does it fold up to rear window for full bed use, has it been water tight so far, would you buy it again

I would buy it again since it provides security, looks nice, packaged well for no shipping damage and priced well. It easily installs and folds up quickly. No issues since installed and tested it up to 80 with no problems. It leaked when I was in a hand car wash but I was spraying the wond directly and horizontally at it so I expected it wouldn't stop a pressurized stream. During the rain I have not noticed any water in the bed but I also never carry anything in the bed that could get water damaged just in case. I suspect it is just as good as many of the others out there but I wasn't about to spend $500 to 1G on a bed cover. I bought the T3 trifold for around $230 and shipped for free. First 1/3 remains down on bed with brackets underneath to secure the entire unit and keep it aligned. It's a nice looking cover and the material is nice. You can get 10 percent off if you sign up on their site for info.

 

[RockHoundTX]

I went with the TipTop soft tri-fold. From what I can tell, there are about a dozen companies importing the exact same Maverick bed covers from the same factory in China (Tyger, TipTop, etc.). Only reason to pick one over another is customer service and/or warranty. Only issue I have is that they all seem to be about 1/2" too short (this applies to the factory Ford soft tri-fold as well). The general consensus on here is to stay away from the Chinese roll-up covers (latches break).

As for do they increase MPG, in the stock form it will be very minimal. A parasitic drag is still being created just behind the back window even with the cover. From what I remember from all my aerospace engineering classes (fluid dynamics, aero dynamics, etc.), to increase gas mileage the front of the bed cover would need to be about 1/2 to 2/3 the way up the window (would need to do fluid-flow analysis to know exactly where). You would not want it all the way up the window since the short bed would cause the angle to be too steep and you would have air separation creating even more drag.

Getting the correct angle/design is hard and safety/looks/marketability come before fuel economy. Just because something "looks" aerodynamic does not mean it is. Several of the "aerodynamic" trailer companies have the least aerodynamic trailers (one was measured to have a higher drag than if it had been a square box ;-)

If someone really wanted to go down the rabbit hole, you could probably get a small bump in efficiency with vortex generators on the back edge of the cab as well as the back edge of the bed cover. This causes the airstream to twist instead of roll downwards creating a low pressure area behind the back window and tailgate. If you wanted to tweak even further, you could add a tapered, hitch mounted cargo box (the front edge of the box should be as close to the tailgate as possible and the back extend the full 4 feet allowed by law). I did this on a Ford Focus (made of light-weight aluminum) and got an additional 2-3 MPG even with an extra 60 pounds in the box.

 

[GPSMan]

I have one.
Anyone who reads anything on here knows I have 101 gauges and measure everything to six decimal places. Ten when I can.

It hurts MPG ever so slightly. Too slight to notice without 101 gauges and six decimal places. But I love the form and function.

Wife thinks it's best accessory ever.
Hard ones are lockable. And you can sit on them.

 

[GPSMan]

 

[gp1200x]

I went with the TipTop soft tri-fold. From what I can tell, there are about a dozen companies importing the exact same Maverick bed covers from the same factory in China (Tyger, TipTop, etc.). Only reason to pick one over another is customer service and/or warranty. Only issue I have is that they all seem to be about 1/2" too short (this applies to the factory Ford soft tri-fold as well). The general consensus on here is to stay away from the Chinese roll-up covers (latches break).



My T3 is exactly spot on. I don't think those that say it is too short understand the issue. If the cover was back further on the end of the truck lid it would be pushing up on the ridge of the tailgate..you can see it in the pictures if you look closely. One shows it with the tailgate closed and another with the tailgate opened about a 1/2 inch. Notice the ridge in the plastic as it starts to travel up. If the trifold was pushing on this it would leave gaps in the final panel along the side edges of the bed. It comes exactly to this ridge on my truck and stops. Notice the front of the cover is all the way up against the back window but there is still room for the latches to be accessed and work correctly. Sorry--raining and pictures at night.

 

[Old Ford Guy]

Did your Mpg"s increase after adding a tonneau cover, if so what's the best one on Amazon, roll up Or tri fold soft TIA

this is a frequent thread.
it would seem that the consensus is that there is some marginal beneficial effect to MPG.
for me the main reason for a bed cover was the ability to put stuff in there that was'nt just sitting there for someone to grab & to keep stuff mostly dry in inclement weather where i live. it's just a large 'trunk' for me most of the time.
for what it's worth i have a Ford OEM soft rollup cover that i got with my Ford Pass points and installed myself in less than a hour.

 

[Old Ford Guy]

They also did one where they made the body of a car like a golf ball, and were surprised at the MPG increase. Good episode.

it's just physics, there are numerous scientific studies on why 'dimpled' golf balls fly straighter & longer than balls without dimples.
i wonder if this could be a new direction for vehicle design? instead of super sleek/smooth body panels maybe new innovative dimpled designs that perhaps handle air resistance more efficiently are in our future ?

 

[Old Ford Guy]

I went with the TipTop soft tri-fold. From what I can tell, there are about a dozen companies importing the exact same Maverick bed covers from the same factory in China (Tyger, TipTop, etc.). Only reason to pick one over another is customer service and/or warranty. Only issue I have is that they all seem to be about 1/2" too short (this applies to the factory Ford soft tri-fold as well). The general consensus on here is to stay away from the Chinese roll-up covers (latches break).

As for do they increase MPG, in the stock form it will be very minimal. A parasitic drag is still being created just behind the back window even with the cover. From what I remember from all my aerospace engineering classes (fluid dynamics, aero dynamics, etc.), to increase gas mileage the front of the bed cover would need to be about 1/2 to 2/3 the way up the window (would need to do fluid-flow analysis to know exactly where). You would not want it all the way up the window since the short bed would cause the angle to be too steep and you would have air separation creating even more drag.

Getting the correct angle/design is hard and safety/looks/marketability come before fuel economy. Just because something "looks" aerodynamic does not mean it is. Several of the "aerodynamic" trailer companies have the least aerodynamic trailers (one was measured to have a higher drag than if it had been a square box ;-)

If someone really wanted to go down the rabbit hole, you could probably get a small bump in efficiency with vortex generators on the back edge of the cab as well as the back edge of the bed cover. This causes the airstream to twist instead of roll downwards creating a low pressure area behind the back window and tailgate. If you wanted to tweak even further, you could add a tapered, hitch mounted cargo box (the front edge of the box should be as close to the tailgate as possible and the back extend the full 4 feet allowed by law). I did this on a Ford Focus (made of light-weight aluminum) and got an additional 2-3 MPG even with an extra 60 pounds in the box.

Wow! i think that post's like this are 1 of the main reason i like hanging around here. way to drop that science.
considering your points about managing airflow, are there any beneficial effects to be had from a roof wing with or without a bed cover?
also i'd be interested in your thoughts on front hood 'bug deflectors'. i'm not referring to protective 'hood bras' , but rather the ones ostensibly designed to deflect/redirect airflow (and thus bugs) away from the windshield? do they work or are they just cosmetic?

 

[stoptothink]

I read several reports about this last night. Most sources reporting big gains are selling covers and then they are vague on what those gains amount to.

The best unbiased site I read said that tonneaus have shown being able to add up to 15-20% aerodynamic efficiency. Loose covers actually make aerodynamics worse. Heavy covers negate gains.

It further broke that down to say that was only above 55mph. Gains are best at 65mph plus and amount to .5 to a high of 2mpg when travelling >65mph.

So if you drive a lot of highway speeds you may see small gains when travelling at speeds >55mph.

Without conducting a trial myself, this would seem to be the most logical answer based upon the fundamentals of physics. We have a (cheap soft roll-up) tonneau cover on our Maverick and I also put one on a previous truck; no, we have never noticed a mileage improvement.

 

[MakinDoForNow]

They also did one where they made the body of a car like a golf ball, and were surprised at the MPG increase. Good episode.

Texture of surface affects drag. The dimples of a golf ball causes cavitation which decrease drag. Relative humidity will also affect drag. Of interest the humpback whale with the tubercles (serrations on the fins) decrease drag. These serrations if placed along the trailing edge of the roof could possibly increase turbulence and decrease the vacuum formed behind the vertical wall of the cab. Was interesting that some wind turbine blades were replaced early because the addition of trailing edge serrations reduced drag so much that it was economically feasible to pay for replacement.

 

[ejouie]

Need one of these to go along with an ST package. Less drag = More drag (racing).

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