I've been told that you can take an empty plastic soda bottle, hold it
out the back slider, let go, and it'll hang there as long as you keep
your speed up.
Jon Smith wrote:
>
> I had a small plastic tray in the bed of my truck one day, wound out 3rd
> gear (not on a highway of course.....) and looked in the rearview
> mirror...
> the tray was "floating" in the middle of the bed, at the rear-view mirror
> level, it "floated" there for about 1/2mile, when I got to my destination,
> it was laying happily in the bed....
> _________________________
> Jon Smith--Raleigh, NC
> 95 318 4x4 CC auto
> www4.ncsu.edu/~jdsmith4
> fast4x4@digivill.net
> Crane 2030 awaiting install
>
> > Matt I have to agree with you big time on this one. My 85 3/4 4X4 Ram I
> think
> > got a little less mileage with the tailgate down. (And that muther drank
> > premium gas like it was water) Realistically it was hard to notice, but
> I
> > think it was a consistent half a MPG for highway miles. Consumer
> reports
> did
> > a long term test a couple years ago and claimed that it lowered mileage
> as
> > well with the TG down. And I've heard reports that at highway speeds in
> the
> > rain with the tailgate down, without the separated air bubble effect you
> run a
> > much higher risk of having the rear wheels hydroplane on you becaus it
> > actually has a lifting effect. Hmmm.. do they run without tailgates in
> the
> > Nascar Truck series? I'm not sure. Don't watch it much.. Just my .0005
> cents
> > worth...
> >
> > --- Matt wrote --
> >
> > big snip---
> > The subject of the tailgate up or down and its effects on fuel mileage
> and
> > drag has always been a hot topic . Most people are either in one side of
> the
> > fence or the other. I have had 3 trucks, 84 Ram, 85 F-150, and now the
> Dak.
> > I have experimented with the tailgate down/up and have never seen any
> > increased MPG with it down.
> >
> > Lockhead Aircraft did wind tunnel testing on trucks in the 90's with
> > tailgate up and down and actually found that leaving the gate up created
> > less drag than putting the gate down!! A "separated air bubble" forms
> in
> > the bed of the truck at highway speed which lets the air flow freely
> over
> > the tailgate.
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
> --
> Jon Smith
> Raleigh, NC
> fast4x4@digivill.net
> www4.ncsu.edu/~jdsmith4
>
> BellSouth SUCKS!!!!
-- -andyhttp://home.twcny.rr.com/andylevy/ --- andylevy@bigfoot.com ------------------------------------------------------------- "Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the vote." Benjamin Franklin, 1759 -------------------------------------------------------------
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