mslipac

f150man3.5

Was that all down hill.......lol. pretty decent mileage

johnny_rotten

After exactly 10 tanks of gas this is the fuel economy of my ecoboost.
For reference it is a 2012 4x4 crew cab long box 3.73 rear gears.

f150man3.5

Trip b after alot of gas. Trip b never reset since new
Trip a current tank 50/50

mykrrrr

What's the MPG with just the aerocap? I'd rock one of those. Have you thought about some sort of underbody tray to smooth out the air underneath? I've toyed with the idea of that. An engineer friend of mine suggested trying to make fender liners for the bed so it's not like an air scoop.

Back to the real world MPG, I get 17-17.5 in my '11 EB w/3.73 towing pkg gearing. I sold the boat anchor 20" chrome wheels for some 17" Raptor ones and I couldn't really tell an MPG difference but stopping you definitely could feel the advantage of a lighter set up.

Bondo

I get 23.5 to 24 mpg highway with just the aerocap alone with my 2009 4.6 liter that is rated at 20 mpg highway from the factory. The bed extender gets me another 2 mpg. I can also haul full 4x8 sheets of plywood in the 6.5 foot bed with the bed extender, laid flat, and not worry about rain. An underbody tray can definitely improve mpg. They do clean up the air turbulence underneath but are tricky to build and keep in place.

My friend's black 2011 ecoboost gets up to 28 mpg highway with just the aerocap alone. I intend to test run the lowered tailgate mounted bed extender also on her truck together with the aerocap. I think with both on her truck she may well break the 30 mpg barrier in ideal conditons.

engineermike

I love what you guys are doing! 2 questions. . . Have you considered lowering one of the trucks to see what the combined affect would be? What is your honest opinion on hard bed covers?

I ask because I tried to test mine with and without it, measured a sizable mpg gain with it, but later realized my test method was flawed. However, I do seem to get mileage higher than most people can. I averaged 24 mpg over a 2400 mile trip running mostly E10 87, and loaded with luggage and people.

Bondo

Wind tunnel testing of pickup trucks with tonneau covers on them have shown a 5 to 8% increase in fuel efficiency. I include a link to one such test done at the A2 wind tunnel by SEMA.

http://www2.sema.org/main/semaorghome.aspx?id=57514

Lowering the truck does help because it reduces frontal area. 4x2 pickups are always lower than 4x4 pickups. The 4x4's get worse fuel economy than the lower 4x2's do because of the taller stance. I have chosen to leave my 4x2 2009 at stock level because this is the height most Ford F150 owners keep. Have yet to test the aerocap on a 4x4.

Engineermike, I have followed your fuel figures and you do consistantly get very good fuel efficiency. I appreciate your interest and hope to someday overcome the seemingly insurmountable odds I have encountered trying to get this product to market. I will keep hammering.

fourload

2013 Lariat CC with Ecoboost
145 inch wheelbase
20 inch rims
331 gears
no tonneau cover yet.
30-40 degreeF temps
87 octane gas
With 800 miles on the truck I am averaging 14.7 mpg in short trips with lots of stop and go. My one short 20 mile highway trip got me 19.2 mpg. I am sure the truck will get better when it breaks in.

engineermike

Well I hope your hard work pays off. With the EPA fuel mileage mandates over the coming years, I really don't see any way around the OEMs adopting something like your design. Just look at how much money they've spent on miniscule mileage improvements, like lubricant and roller bearing changes and variable ride height, and consider how big the gain is on your aero cap.