willshak <willshak@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in
news:1sGdnYPcBrOlx4_VnZ2dnUVZ_s-pnZ2d@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> The beginning of this month I bought a soft tonneau cover for my 97
> Nissan PU, 2.4 l, 4 cyl FI, 62,500 miles. He's a good old boy and
> looks almost as good as when he was new. I buy him a present every
> once in a while. Last time it was a cat-back dual exhaust, and the
> time before that, a keyless entry system.
> When I installed the cover, I had about 3/4ths of a tank of gas left.
> Since driving it with the cover on, it seemed that my trip odometer
> was getting a higher reading compared to my gas gauge than before. I
> usually traveled 50 miles between the 1/4 markings on the gas gauge,
> winding up with about 190 miles with about an 1/8th tank of gas left
> when I refill it. I got to 212 miles with about an 1/8th tank left.
> When I filled the tank yesterday and made the MPG calculations from my
> last fill up, it seems that I was getting 18.34 MPG. I rarely put more
> than 11-12 gallons in the 15-7/8 gallon tank. This time, it was 11.595
> gallons. Before the cover was installed, I was averaging around 16.5
> MPG. The last time I filled up before the cover, I got 16.62 MPG. I
> haven't changed my driving habits despite the rising gas prices, or
> made any long trips, so it may be aerodynamics.
> The next time I fill up, the MPG will be calculated with having the
> cover on for the entire period between fill ups, so we'll see what
> develops. Watch the mpg drop and burst my balloon! :-)
>
I've read that a bed cover does give better mileage.
The tailgate acts as a spoiler with a lot of drag,so blocking the airflow
into the truck bed reduces drag.
--
Jim Yanik
jyanik
at
kua.net
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