Truck Aerodynamics

[thegawd]

https://media.gmc.com/media/us/en/g...news/us/en/2013/May/0516-gmc-pickup-aero.html

I posted this info in another thread but I think it deserves its own so I dont high jack it...

It's an article with one of GM's top engineers about truck aerodynamics. I was considering removing the front air dam or lower valance since it got damaged playing in the snow. I think I will keep it. It does direct air underneath away from the suspension and cavities as well as up and into the rad for more efficient cooling. I'm pretty sure that the gmt400 was the first truck in a wind tunnel but shes talking about the 2014 model being the most aerodynamic gm truck so far but it all applies to us. She also repels some myths such as the tailgate and how it interacts with wind drag. Believe it or not a tailgate that is closed is better than one that is open and far superior to a net. The net acts like a drift sock in water, severely harming aerodynamics as the air tries to go through and around it. Interesting.

Al

 

[PlayingWithTBI]

I posted this info in another thread but I think it deserves its own so I dont high jack it...

Thanks, I read it 3 times , JK
Maybe you could go back to the other 2 and edit them "Duplicate"?

 

[thegawd]

thanks Peter, my internets was failing me but apparently it was working fine. LOL so we cant delete our own threads... ahhhh I can live with that.

 

[SUBURBAN5]

https://media.gmc.com/media/us/en/g...news/us/en/2013/May/0516-gmc-pickup-aero.html

I posted this info in another thread but I think it deserves its own so I dont high jack it...

it's an article with one of GM's top engineers about truck aerodynamics. I was considering removing the front air dam or lower valance since it got damaged playing in the snow. I think I will keep it. it does direct air underneath away from the suspension and cavities as well as up and into the rad for more efficient cooling. heres some info from gms engineers and I'm pretty sure that the gmt400 was the first truck in a wind tunnel. shes talking about the 2014 model being the most aerodynamic gm truck so far but it all applies to us. they aalso repel some myths such as the tailgate and how it interacts with wind drag. believe it or not a tailgate that is closed is better than one that is open and far superior to a net. the net acts like a drift sock in water, severely harming aerodynamics as the air tries to go through and around it. interesting.

Al

Very interesting lol. I heard a rumor that gmt400 burb gave you better mpg then gmt400 tahoe. Also I personally like the air dam with tow hook look. Looks complete. But then again I wonder why gm didnt do it for the 2500 +models. Unless they didnt care about efficiency?

 

[PlayingWithTBI]

my internets was failing me but apparently it was working fine.

It's not you or your internet connection. Sometimes this forum wigs out and works very slow. When you click on "Post Reply" look at the upper right corner of your screen and see the "thinking" indicator. Once it stops your post should (should being the operative word) post. If you click on the "Post Reply" again before it's done "Thinking" you'll get a duplicate. HTH

 

[thegawd]

that's exactly what happened I can see other flaws as well and think.... man I hope they dont upgrade this forum and destroy it. this is an old platform and is one reason I like it so much. whowever is hosting the site must have their own server or has a host that dosent care. and if they are forced to upgrade it I'm %100 sure they will care about the users.... unlike gmtruckclub who didn't listen to any of the users. man I am top 5 on that site and I still have not heard from the admin... I break the terms of use all the time by telling people to come here, hoping for the admin to contact me. but he wont because he dosent care about the people. thanks to all that BS I joined this forum and wished I would have sooner. I dont have a new truck and never will.

GMT400 for life.

and.... YOU GUYS ROCK!

Al

 

[HotWheelsBurban]

It's not you or your internet connection. Sometimes this forum wigs out and works very slow. When you click on "Post Reply" look at the upper right corner of your screen and see the "thinking" indicator. Once it stops your post should (should being the operative word) post. If you click on the "Post Reply" again before it's done "Thinking" you'll get a duplicate. HTH

I have noticed this too. Glad to know it's not just my tablet (which is several years old and in spite of a stout case has been dropped a few times). This also applies to "likes".

 

[kenh]

https://media.gmc.com/media/us/en/g...news/us/en/2013/May/0516-gmc-pickup-aero.html

She also repels some myths such as the tailgate and how it interacts with wind drag. Believe it or not a tailgate that is closed is better than one that is open and far superior to a net. The net acts like a drift sock in water, severely harming aerodynamics as the air tries to go through and around it. Interesting.

Al

When NASCRAP truck racing was in its infancy and they ran real trucks..... I read an article about the tail gate thing. ON THE TRACK testing was done with the gate up and down. Lap times were almost identical. A very slight advantage to tail gate up. So to me this study validates the NASCRAP testing.

Ken

 

[SUBURBAN5]

Dumb question... is there a difference between a truck with a bed cover vs without a bed cover?

Meaning mpg

 

[thegawd]

I did not know that about the race trucks Ken but to be honest I dont really follow any racing but I do enjoy rally racing. of course when fractions of a seconds means a win or a loss, theres nothing better than real world testing.

she says the soft tonnue covers are better than hard because they will form to the air movement. she did not talk about bed toppers but she talks about a lot of things that will apply. in theory most toppers are built to move the air efficiently and one spot of concern would be the gap between the topper and the cab. it pulls the air down in between messing up the flow.

she dosent relate in terms of mpg but rather how all these small things improve the overall performance of the vehicle.

Al