New Cleetus!!!

[zeitgeist57]

Summary: A net would cause greater fuel consumption than a stock tailgate in the closed position.

 

What if there is NO tailgate?

 

I'm getting a net just because a good looking tailgate painted to match would be over $200. Blue net? $50-60 shipped.

 

Ron, I wanted your 'Burban when you were selling it but I'm glad I held out for this. Is the Banks kit really worth it on a stock 6.2L truck? The gearing truly has me stumped...in the Target parking lot, I can hear it shifting through all 3 gears by 25mph!!! I figure a turbo may add some efficiency and power, but I feel that the high-end RPMs need to be addressed first, if anything.

[Jelloman4571647545499]

Clay nice truck that thing is bad as shit. Also in those pics it looks warmer than 50* outside.

[ImUrOBGYN]

So there are no more reading comprehension problems associated with this:

 

A quote from the Mythbusters transcripts:

"Driving with the tailgate down actually increased drag on the pick-up and caused it to consume fuel faster than the identical truck driven with the tailgate up. It was later revealed that the closed tailgate creates a locked vortex flow that created a smoother flow of air over the truck. With the tailgate down, the trapped vortex was dissipated and the drag increased."

 

Summary: A net would cause greater fuel consumption than a stock tailgate in the closed position.

 

Did they happen to say how much mpg is lost/increased depending on the situation?

 

Ok, I'll try put this in the simplest math possible.

Let's say you drive the average of 12,000mi/yr. and you average 20mpg. That's 600gal of fuel/year. Ok, for now, let's say not having a real tailgate will cost you at least 2mpg. (Even having slightly low tires can cause this much loss.) Now, do the math using 18pmg. Rounded off, it would equal 667gal of fuel/year. That's 67gal more. Multiply that by the cost of gas/gal. I'll be nice and use $1.55/gal for diesel. That = about $104/yr more in fuel costs. Honestly, I feel this is a conservative estimate. Do you plan on owning your truck for more than 2 years? A year and a half? Get the net for now, but buy the tailgate later. It'll look much better, be more functional, and save you gas and thus, money down the road. Oh... and the environment.

[Ziggy1647545504]

I can't imagine driving that old 'burban without the turbo. It ran really good and pulled hard all the way up to 35 or 40, but after that, it was kind of a slug. I'm sure that the turbo technology has come a long way since '83 when the kit was new for my truck, but for my money, unless you're gonna be pulling and working that truck, I'd go for some kind of overdrive system before I turbo'd it.

[ImUrOBGYN]

I can't imagine driving that old 'burban without the turbo. It ran really good and pulled hard all the way up to 35 or 40, but after that, it was kind of a slug. I'm sure that the turbo technology has come a long way since '83 when the kit was new for my truck, but for my money, unless you're gonna be pulling and working that truck, I'd go for some kind of overdrive system before I turbo'd it.

 

I agree. As tempting as power mods are to do first, dealing with the drivetrain first seems to be the logical choice.

[Skinner]

Did they happen to say how much mpg is lost/increased depending on the situation?

 

Ok, I'll try put this in the simplest math possible.

Let's say you drive the average of 12,000mi/yr. and you average 20mpg. That's 600gal of fuel/year. Ok, for now, let's say not having a real tailgate will cost you at least 2mpg. (Even having slightly low tires can cause this much loss.) Now, do the math using 18pmg. Rounded off, it would equal 667gal of fuel/year. That's 67gal more. Multiply that by the cost of gas/gal. I'll be nice and use $1.55/gal for diesel. That = about $104/yr more in fuel costs. Honestly, I feel this is a conservative estimate. Do you plan on owning your truck for more than 2 years? A year and a half? Get the net for now, but buy the tailgate later. It'll look much better, be more functional, and save you gas and thus, money down the road. Oh... and the environment.

 

when they did the test the truck with the tailgate up got a extra 30 miles to the tank. but all of there driving was done on the highway.

 

I'll have to find the episode but IIRC they said that using a net resulted in better gasmilage compared to having the gate up.

 

also I would get the gate and a flush mount bed cover.