About the hard tonneau not doing any good, maybe not on the Dakota, but I
had a '75 Datsun that improved its gas mileage 10% in straight hiway
driving. I had noticed that the plywood tailgate cover (hey, I was poorer
then than now) would be dry except for the top 3 or 4 inches when driven
on the hiway in the rain (at 55-60 mph). Also all the stray pine needles
and crap would be nicely blown into a pile all across the front of the
bed. Dropping the tailgate or removing it worked for that, I kept
scrupulous mileage records, so this isn't just a wild ass guesstimate.
Talked to other people though who'd run their pickups with the tailgates
off or down, mostly 'merican full size trucks, and they said that they
hadn't noticed a difference. All we need are little tufts of wool, a
video camera and a bunch of money. Or just a bunch of money and the hell
with the rest.
Good driving.
Larry Elliott, '92, 3.9, 4x4, 5 sp'd, LE
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