optimal MPG mods

[thz71]

Not to mention the one in question isn't stock

 

[Tinkerinmatt]

Blue95 I backed up everything you said. I just helped explain why adding a sheet of plywood increases frontal area. I'm new here, I have spent the last 8 years on LS1tech which if anyone's goes on there is full of aholes, I am sorry I jumped to the LS1tech thought train and was rude, but I really didnt like everyone bashing you for explaining why an air dam DOES help mpg on a stock height truck and developing crowd mentality and not actually looking at facts. All auto makers have designated engineers who's only job is to reduce drag on vehicles to improve fuel efficiency. Notice how all new trucks have their headlights fade out towards the fender, creating more of a cone shape into the wind rather than the box front we have. They also have lowered the fronts of trucks and put air dams so low that your approach angle is garbage, if they were only concerned about fuel efficiency the trucks would sit very low, but nobody who actually plans to use their truck for more than a commuter would buy a truck that couldn't straddle a sand rut on the beach without plowing.

The tailgate thing kills me. Notice every test they did, the consumer reports one and the myth busters one was on newer crew cab 5' bed trucks that already have aerodynamics built in to the truck for fuel efficiency with the tailgate in the "driving down the road, cops can see your plate, how the vehicle is tested in crash results" position. The concept of tailgate down helping fuel mileage was found by people with reg or long bed 70s-90s trucks that didnt have that focus on fuel efficiency or engineers that had wind tunnels at the disposal of today's truck manufacturers. The test myth busters did in the fish tank showing the bubble created by the tailgate was perfect, that's what they do with air in the wind tunnel. But throw a model of a gmt400 truck in there and that bubble would probably not be there. Concepts that do help on all trucks is keeping tires inflated at max psi for less rolling resistance, electric fans that don't use engine power to turn them, and keeping your speed down.

Again, sorry for sounding rude, but everyone was being very rude and closed minded instead of doing real research.

 

[SlowZ71]

There is some idiocy going on in here. Blue95 and tinkerinmatt are right. Why do you think new semi trucks have air dams on the bottoms and sides of not only the trucks but the trailers as well. If a 900+ cubic inch engine pulling 80k down the road getting 7-8 mpg nowadays, I don't see why adding an air dam wouldn't hurt on the op's truck.


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[ChevyDave]

Alright. Have you ever noticed that when driving in the rain, without stoping, no water gets in the bed of your truck? That's because wind takes the water right out of the way.

Also if you have ever ridden in the bed, you'll notice that there is hardly any wind back there. If there is no wind back there while driving, there won't be any resistance, causing no loss in mpg...

 

[sewlow]

I know some mechanical engineers at work, common sense eludes them and an actual understanding of anything mechanical.

Didn't get my A.M.E. ticket till I was almost 40. They tried, but they just couldn't drum out the common sense that I had acquired before.

I'm a Rebel!

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[1997k1500Calvin]

Also your going to spend more in mpg mods than your going to actually see in these trucks...unless you slam it to the ground and put 3.42s in the rear end you ain't driving a prius homie.. Buy a beater Honda civic crx for mpg.. Not trying to be rude just saying what I would do

Live action!!

 

[kkirwan71]

Also your going to spend more in mpg mods than your going to actually see in these trucks...unless you slam it to the ground and put 3.42s in the rear end you ain't driving a prius homie.. Buy a beater Honda civic crx for mpg.. Not trying to be rude just saying what I would do

Live action!!

X2 looking for one now


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[SkyHighColorado]

Many times mods for mpg have many other benefits so it's not pointless.

 

[Purefection]

he is actually right but stating your an engineer and being a ***** will get you 0 appreciation around here, most engineers are life stupid, well it looks good on paper so it must work, but then in reality its failure prone. fortunately this isnt one of those cases and on a stock truck your correct it makes a different but majority arent stock

**** engineers and their white hard hat. **** them and the lines they draw on my papers.

 

[poncho62]

There is so much stupidity in here I can't keep myself from commenting, like when idiots argue that increasing minimum wage is a good thing. I am a mechanical engineer by degree and career.

The air dam is to move air around the vehicle instead of under it and create a low pressure zone below the truck to draw air through the radiator, reduce lift, and reduce drag. There is a point where an air dam is not doing anything for any of those after being so high off the ground, you can't create a low pressure zone when the area is too big. I'm sure you hillbillies watch NASCAR, notice how low the chin spoiler is. Look at the 05-06 tahoes, they got a cow catcher attached below the normal air dam. Look at the new F series trucks, huge air dam. On a stock height gmt400, the air damn DOES help reduce drag, it was designed by many engineers to do so on that stock truck. When you start screwing with the height of your truck, you throw all of their research and development out the window.

The equation for how much horsepower it takes to move a vehicle down the road at a certain speed involves coefficient of drag and frontal surface area. If you put a piece of plywood on the front of a lifted truck your frontal surface area increases. Coefficient of drag, 1 being a flat surface in the wind, a vette is about 0.28-0.3, our trucks which have the aerodynamics of a washing machine being 0.5 probably. Craftsman truck series, look how low those air dams sit. They are not racing stock height trucks.

My truck is stock height....I am thinking about adding a 2nd air dam below the one thats there now....maybe 1/2 an air dam. Something that I can add or take off depending on how far I'm going. Any thoughts if this might be worthwhile on my "brick" of a truck?....Getting about 16mpg highway now