Those of you with 3rd Gen's and Caps, specifically long bed quad cab, did you see any improvement in Fuel Mileage after installing the cap? I'm not looking for better milege from it, but i'm just curious as to is impact.

And of course all truck models can chime in not just QCLB's (That just what I have)

Mike.

 

I went for about 6 months with an open bed (with the tailgate up/closed) then ran for about 9 months with a SnugTop lid. I changed to a cab high Glasstite shell recently. All of this on a truck that only has about 15K miles to date. Between the CTD breaking in, ULSD introduction, etc. about the only conclusive thing I can advise is that my fuel economy hasn’t gone down. I’m anxious to get my camper trailer on the road with the Glasstite shell as I think it will help. But again, even if its better I don’t know what gains I can attribute to the non-open bed vs. break-in.

I think my driving style is moderate. I typically get 16.5 MPG around town, stop & go, 19.5+ MPG on long road trips, 14+ MPG with either the camper or boat in tow (which has accounted for a lot of the miles on this truck as I usually ride my motorcycle to work.)

In my case, not enough miles and too many variables to draw any sound conclusions. The only thing I’ve done that definitely had an immediate, measurable effect is higher tire pressure.

 

I did not notice any change in mileage after installing an ARE cap. The weight of the fiberglass probably offsets any aerodynamic gains. Overall I have been very pleased with the build quality of my ARE.

 

No differance in MPG here, but your stuff stays dry!

 

x2 no difference but it locks and keeps things dry.

 

Another satisfied owner here. I agree with the others, I haven't noticed much change. The key is my MPG didn't go down and I'm happy with that. I love being able to keep the bed covered, locked and dry. I'm VERY happy with my ARE. I had and ASTRO lid on my 2004.5 and the ARE is much better than the ASTRO.

 

Myth busters did a show on this an concluded that there was no real difference and for the VERY small amount there may be it could be attributed to the slight variances in friction, temp, engine effeciency and so on from truck to truck.

 

My undercover cap is only about 50-60lbs, easy to remove when necessary, comes in black but can be painted and is very strong. Stood in middle of mine while using it to get up on roof to put on Christmas lights, no sag. Website shows a team of kids all sitting on top of one.

 

No difference with Mega/canopy.

 

With the torque in these trucks there would be little gain in MPG. That being said...my last truck was a 4cylinder Nissan Frontier with a cap. On road trips I saw a very noticeable increase in MPG. The increase was closer to 2 MPG's. Wind resistance plays a huge role on these no-torque trucks.

My two cents...

Z