Video: 2009 Ford F-150 aerodynamics in the wind tunnel

[MetroMPG]

Not a particularly excellent video, but it did reveal one item that was news to me: the tailgate has what the designer calls a "spoiler" on top that interacts with flow off the roof to minimize rear wake.

Also, the truck has a Cd of .40, which is supposedly at the lower (better) end of the scale for pickups.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YL423MHtLc

[Frank Lee]

Yeah, seems strange that such a small "shelf" could function much like car spoilers!

You may be aware of the GM "half-tonneaus" that only cover the box from the tailgate forward to... whatever, but IIRC half-way forward was deemed the best- even better than a full tonneau! That's counter-intuitive to me also.

Hmmm... didn't see the "bubble" at the base of the windshield I was expecting...

[windrider919]

How about that!

Once more I am correct that 'the little things' are making a difference.

I'm still trying to find a way to get rid of more of the drag after the tailgate on my F150. I have tried several cardboard forms and tufs with a friend driving and me following but it just does not show much beyond turbulence. I guess I was correct in that the only way to solve this is CFD so many different trials can be conducted quickly. Still solo on that effort.

Amazing, with so many trucks on the road you would think that if even 5% wanted better gas mileage there would be SOMEONE with CFD access to team on the effort but Nada.

[RobertSmalls]

Wow, 0.40? That's horrible, and it's multiplied by a very large frontal area. I bet were it not for macho truck buyers, Ford would build an F150 with a minivan-style, rounded front end, rear seats narrower and with less headroom than the front seats, a Prius-shaped tonneau cover, and a Cd of 0.30. Basically a giant Prius that can tow 5000 lbs and haul a few thousand pounds in the bed.

[MetroMPG]

Originally Posted by Frank Lee

Hmmm... didn't see the "bubble" at the base of the windshield I was expecting...

You and your windshield separation bubbles. I bet you never tuft tested your Tempo either to see if it has one (it doesn't!).

[MetroMPG]

Originally Posted by windrider919

I'm still trying to find a way to get rid of more of the drag after the tailgate on my F150. I have tried several cardboard forms and tufs with a friend driving and me following but it just does not show much beyond turbulence.

Reducing drag on pickup trucks is well understood. There are more than a few examples on this forum of how to do it.

[Frank Lee]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

You and your windshield separation bubbles. I bet you never tuft tested your Tempo either to see if it has one (it doesn't!).

I completely forgot about that! I haven't driven that thing in a month.

Thanks for the reminder.

[aerohead]

I liked the video,it's a good introduction to aero,thanks!---------------- All the car makers appear to be raising the height of their pickup's box rails in comparison to the cab roof such that curvature of the locked vortex in the bed better approaches the Kamm roofline.If you look at the drawings of the truck on the easel and of the smoke trace,they both mimic Ford's "aeroshell" of the Texas Tech paper published in the 1980s.---------- It would be interesting to place the F-150(with smoke) under the aerodynamic template and see what kind of "fit" might exist.Thanks again Darin!

[MetroMPG]

One thing of note: the figures on Mr Pien's easel in the video show their tweaking got the 2009 truck's Cd down to 0.40 from 0.42 on the 2008 model.

[CoastRider]

Originally Posted by RobertSmalls

Wow, 0.40? That's horrible, and it's multiplied by a very large frontal area. I bet were it not for macho truck buyers, Ford would build an F150 with a minivan-style, rounded front end, rear seats narrower and with less headroom than the front seats, a Prius-shaped tonneau cover, and a Cd of 0.30. Basically a giant Prius that can tow 5000 lbs and haul a few thousand pounds in the bed.

Ewwwww.

I wonder how bad my 1989 F150's Cd is.