subject: Improve Gas Mileage By Installing Cold Air Intakes And Truck Bed Covers [print this page] Improve Gas Mileage By Installing Cold Air Intakes And Truck Bed Covers
As summer kicks into full gear and gas prices soar well past the $3-per-gallon mark, who isn't looking for some additional ways to save money by reducing their trips to the gas station? By streamlining your vehicle's engine as well as its exterior, you can greatly increase performance while making your rig more cost-effective at the same time. Here's how two basic add-ons can serve as game-changers for those who are looking to save money at the pump.
The biggest gains in fuel economy come from the installation of cold air intakes. And, aftermarket cold air intake systems provide the greatest improvement to overall horsepower and torque of any other performance upgrade. On average, an increase of 5hp - 11hp is standard.
Stock intake systems are built with a bunch of twists, turns and chambers to quiet the natrual rumble of your engine, but this noise-dampening design greatly restricts airflow. Performance-enahancing intake systems work by providing a smoother pathway for air to enter the engine, allowing for an increase in the amount of oxygen used for combustion with fuel. To add even more power to your intake, try coupling cold air intakes with a throttle body spacer. Throttle bodies increase performance by placing a high-velocity spin on the incoming air.
Aftermarket intake systems, like those produced by Airaid, completely replace your stock components to provide increased torque, maximum fuel economy and a meaner, throatier growl when you hit the gas -- not to mention the muscled-up appearance of your engine bay.
While adding cold air intakes may provide the highest output, it does require some basic skill. The same isn't true of tonneau covers. Also known as truck bed covers, they're a snap to install and instantly produce a greater fuel economy. Available in two main varieties, hard-top and soft-top, tonneau covers streamline your rig by making it aerodynamically efficient, allowing air to slide off the cover rather than smack into your tailgate and create drag. By minimizing drag, tonneau covers improve the overall efficiency of your truck and have been shown to extend gas mileage by up to 10 percent.
In addition, both soft and hard tonneau covers like those produced by Truxedo provide safety and security for fragile cargo or materials that are easily damaged by the elements. The hardtop variety is typically constructed of plastic or fiberglass and comes either pre-painted or paint-ready, allowing you to match your current finish. Plus, most Truxedo tonneau covers install with clamp-on hardware and therefore don't require drilling into the truck bed, mounted using only a handful of basic tools in as little as half an hour.
