Dodge Ram 2500 eco build

[Piotrsko]

Not a ram fancier, I do f250's. They are similar. There is generally this huge upflow of air beyween the cab and the bed, more noticeable with the cab high shell and it causes a wind wall. I put an inflatable seal on mine for a while and noticed a 5% efficiency gain until the SoCal desert sun destroyed it. When I had the turbo uppipes start leaking Co, I discovered everything in the tunnel entered the cab through the pressure flaps in the rear floor. There is a serious pressure gradient between the cab and bed.

[steve05ram360]

Originally Posted by Piotrsko

Not a ram fancier, I do f250's. They are similar. There is generally this huge upflow of air beyween the cab and the bed, more noticeable with the cab high shell and it causes a wind wall. I put an inflatable seal on mine for a while and noticed a 5% efficiency gain until the SoCal desert sun destroyed it. When I had the turbo uppipes start leaking Co, I discovered everything in the tunnel entered the cab through the pressure flaps in the rear floor. There is a serious pressure gradient between the cab and bed.

Thanks for the input! Just to confirm... that 5% gain with a the shell?

I bet the reason for the seal being on the bottom on the Rams was to keep the air clean for the vents on the back of the cab.

The up flow comment has me wondering now... how that flow interacts with the tonneau cover and the pressure it adds.

[Piotrsko]

Yes it was using the shell because it is an aftermarket feature for people wanting non-hurricane access to the shell with both sets of windows open, probably with dogs in the bed.

You are now causing me the think one for the shell and one for the cab to bed junction would really be an interesting mod.

[steve05ram360]

Yeah conversation with others is awesome when it spawns ideas... This conversation had me thinking about that horizontal bed seal and your comment on the updraft between the bed & cab... going to do an experiment soon where I do a small area of the horizontal bed seal that is centered above the driveshaft. My thinking is since the whole seal increased downforce and adds drag, why not try to split the bubble on the tonneau cover with lack of the influence the seal provides. Kind of like a air driven splitter plate down the length of the tonneau towards the tailgate.

About a month back, before I installed the whole seal, went on a 300 mile road trip to grab the magnahelic gauges. Speeds were 65-75 with AC on the way back. That trip, I had a partial seal installed with duct tape before I arrived at the solution with the garage door seal. That tank gave an impressive 22.1 mpg and I was shocked it was so high. This has me thinking the shorter center seal might be an end solution to the bed seals.

I will update this thread if I find anything meaningful out of it.

Forgot to add... currently doing a "dont care" tank for about 400 miles commuting to/from work. Yesterday on the way home, traffic allowed for 70+ mph and I must say, the truck sure did feel "light" at those speeds, meaning the aero changes were definitely noticeable & there is definitely less drag.