Quote:
Originally Posted by sc2dave
What if the tailgate was lowered halfway down,to a 45* angle?
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Texas Tech's wind tunnel research demonstrated that the lowest drag was achieved with the tailgate all the way up.It prevents air flowing into the bed backwards from behind,and sequesters a locked-vortex which has a rear terminus closer to the curvilinear path of lowest drag.
The air above the vortex skips over as if the vortex were a solid structure.
You'll notice that current day pickups have a proto-spoiler incorporated into the tailgate.The 'spoiler' performs no function other than help remind the owner to keep the gate up.