RE: RE: R/T bedliner

From: Jason Jennings (jason@spray-tech.com)
Date: Thu Jan 07 1999 - 16:38:46 EST


It is pretty much a challenge any way you look at it.... I knew from
the start a truck on the track would be a challenge. Any one can make a
pony project go fast w/ little cash. You never see those Ferd wussies
hitting the track w/ a truck???? The lightening doesn't count.
Supercharging is not expectable on a stock vehicle. If Ford needs a
supercharger to get that sled off the line, then what does it say for
Ferds, hahahaha.... I won't achieve the ultimate sleek design on my
budget. I just don't want to spend the heavy cash on something that
might pan out to be a poor approach. I don't know what nice Tonneau go
for, but doesn't sound cheap..... That 2/3 smooth thing is pretty much
the truth, and a spray on. Well, sounds like it kills the smooth 2/3
idea, right??? You have the texturing of the material, its' weight,
plus the ridges of the bed from start..... A drop in liner may offer a
'smooth' surface over the spray. I just don't trust the drop in any
more..... the lid is a fair approach and should over a down force on
the rear, kind a spoiler like????? Every car contains drag
somewhere.... I will just have to try a few things little by little....
Gee if I had a tunnel, boy I would spend days in there with my truck,
hahahaha.... What I would love to do is make it handle better on a road
course as well..... May I ask what the majority of you use for lids,
and the wallet crunching price????

Jason
1/7/99 4:34 PM

        -----Original Message-----
        From: Bridges, Bruce [SMTP:bbridges@alarismed.com]
        Sent: Thursday, January 07, 1999 4:15 PM
        To: 'dakota-truck@buffnet.net'
        Subject: RE: DML: RE: R/T bedliner

        Jason,
        If your looking for the ultimate aero package check out the
Pikes Peak
        challenger from Toyota... Looks like they grafted a 65
Barracuda window to
        the back of the cab. doesn't even look like a truck anymore...
And
        seriously, Once the flow has separated off the edge of the
truck's cab, your
        pretty hosed aerodynamically anyhow, Tonneau or no Tonneau. The
separation
        layer acts as an additional chunk of cab, effectively making
your little Dak
        truck look like a Mack truck in the wind tunnel (Just think how
big a Mack
        truck must look without aerodynamics in the wind tunnel)...You
need to
        smoothly transition the air over the bed from the cab! The
2/3rds cover
        moved to the rear starts sounding like a good initial approach
with the
        racing Tacoma bubble back being the ultimate for aerodynamic
purposes...
        .02
        BKB

        -----Original Message-----
        From: Jason Jennings [mailto:jason@spray-tech.com]
        Sent: Thursday, January 07, 1999 12:56 PM
        To: 'dakota-truck@buffnet.net'
        Subject: RE: DML: RE: R/T bedliner

        I to agree with the fact that I should only be concerned with
the rear
        of the bed and truck..... I personally fear the extra weight
vs. air
        flow on the track. Open high hay runs are more costly in the
drag
        factor when thinking in terms of gas mileage. I can see the
line
        between traction and excessive weight. I plan to make a few
runs w/ the
        bed as is.... And contemplate coving the bed with something
after I
        have a few ets in the book. Sorry, I hate to disappoint
everyone, but I
        can't take this one as a truck..... If I wanted a truck in it's
name.
        I would have kept my '97 Ram and all of its' dents & scratches.

        Jason
        1/7/99 3:57 PM

                -----Original Message-----
                From: Gary Shook [SMTP:gary.shook@mci.com]
                Sent: Thursday, January 07, 1999 2:56 PM
                To: dakota-truck@buffnet.net
                Subject: Re: DML: RE: R/T bedliner

                I hate to break it to all three of you, but results from
2 of
        the big 3
                automakers (you guess which 2) showed that covering the
bed of a
        pickup
                truck did little, if anything to improve the
aerodynamics.
                I know this sounds hard to believe, but with their
        experimentation the only
                thing found to make a measureable improvement (and still
very
        marginal) was
                to cover the rear 2/3s of the bed with a hard, slick
surface and
        leave the
                front 1/3 UNCOVERED!

                The theory is that there is just turbulence behind the
cab at
        speeds where
                it would make a difference, and not smooth airflow-
disrupting
        turbulence
                does nothing, it's already disturbed ;-)

                So in theory, your ET's make go UP when adding a lid,
unless the
        extra
                weight gives you more traction that you need.
Personally, I'd
        take it for
                what it is- a TRUCK, and give up on aerodynamics, unless
you're
        worried
                about airflow into the engine!

                Just my 2 copper/zinc discs...

                Gary Shook

>True...however the lid will ad wait, and with the line,
lookout
        heavy
>boy. That is one of my biggest concerns. That chute
thing
        called a
>short bed. Even with the tail gate down or off, it
will pull
        on the
>truck like a mother. I would slap a lid on it, but the
        slapping can
>only start w/ a few dollars from my end..... I was
thinking of
        a mat
                <snip>

> faster you run it. The more potential drag may
arise???? The
        spray on
> kind is not getting my best thoughts either???? The
spray on
        has a
> massive rough surface.... My opinion.....Leave it
untouched
        and just

                <snip>

> That is just completely ridiculous, in my opinion of
course!
        in case you
> didn't know, having an open bed is like a dragging
parachute,
        if you are
                going
> to be eating fords of the road then you need to be
installing
        a lid. I
                drive
> a 98 sports plus with a rhino spray-on and a gaylord
lid. once
        you have a
                lid
> it doesn't matter what surface is in your bed and the
real
        drag again is
                the
> open bed!!!!
                <snip>



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