Truck Bed Covers

Changing tides and bigger rides

In recent years, purchases of light trucks and SUVs have been on the rise. Sales of cars, on the other hand, have made a steady decline. Given the apparent shift in preference from cars to larger vehicles and skyrocketing gas prices, consumers had better devise some clever ways to maximize mileage. Common sense dictates that you keep your truck clean of unnecessary weight and avoid sharp accelerations, but reducing air drag with a truck bed cover may prove one of your smartest moves.

Truck bed covers by a landslide

Easy solutions to this problem include removing cumbersome items that can reduce the effectiveness of your truck. As a baseline value, we'll say the drag coefficient of a truck without side mirrors is 0.432, resulting in 16 miles per gallon. This isn't bad, but is not practical by any means. Likewise, lowering the tailgate or removing it altogether can decrease drag to 0.414 - achieving 16.42 miles per gallon. A cargo net can keep the contents of your bed secure, but it generally slows things down with a drag coefficient of 0.461.

It appears that truck bed covers may offer the greatest efficiency. By a considerable percentage, truck bed covers showed the least drag of all options tested. Measured at 0.381, the drag coefficient of the vehicle tested with a truck bed cover gained an impressive 1.2 miles per gallon, a figure that should call everyone to action.

Because bed covers can't do it all

Truck bed covers are just the beginning of maximizing your fuel efficiency. Keep in mind that such simple actions such as using the air conditioner less or keeping your tires properly inflated can have an equally drastic effect on mileage. Granted, combining these methods together will not aggregate their increases when tested independently, but evidence suggests that every little bit helps. For the sake of your bank account and the environment, truck bed covers should be your first aftermarket investment in your truck.