5er tailgate or not for better mpg?
A thread yesterday spoke of louvered tailgates eliminating the lose of loose cargo in the bed due to turbulence. That got me wondering but I didn't want to hijack the thread. If a louvered or lack of ...
Forum Discussion
proxim2020 wrote:
I'm no aerodynamicist, but I'm sure there's lots of turbulent air that comes off of the 5th wheel and enters the bed. Turbulence = drag. If I had to guess, I'd say that the louvered or missing tailgate would only enhance the turbulent air flow. If there's actually a measurable difference I'd imagine that it would be very small. The front of the truck, gap between the trailer, and the trailer's rear end would have the most significant impact. If you could fashion some kind of boot to prevent the air from getting into the bed in the first place, then you might have some useful increase.
I haven't figured a practical way to do it but I've thought some sort of stretchy material from the back of the truck cab to the top of the 5er would have a real impact (sort of like the fairings on the top of semi-tractors). The problem is it would have to hook up quickly and easily and it would have to accomodate at least a 45 degree angle between truck and trailer (more would be better)
