How much does putting a camper shell on a pickup truck impact gas mileage?
by 
RosieGHM Jetpacker
ANSWERS: 8
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In general, it should improve your gas mileage by giving the vehicle a more streamlined shape. Ask the manufacturer of the camper shell. They are not all alike.
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I have a camper shell / topper (whichever name you prefer) on the back of my Chevy pick-up, and it did slightly increase my gas mileage. About 2 MPG on the highway. I have seen no eveidence of an increase or a decrease in town.
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It's a wash. The extra weight of the camper is generally offset by better aerodynamics. Note that without a camper shell, the rear tailgate of the truck is just pushing a lot of air in front of it, affecting mileage. As always "Your mileage may vary" depending on model of truck, camper, etc.
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It would depend on the construction and type of camper shell. A shell that conforms to the height and width of the cab (which is commonly referred to as a truck cap) will not really affect it much, however if you are talking about a camper shell that is taller than the truck cab or an actual slide in camper for your pickup you will see a noticeable difference in milage from the wind resistance.
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when the crosswind is blowing it make the truck burn more fuel because of the weight/of the camper is also heavy!tch/!
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Actually, wind tunnel testing shows that: -camper shells/caps typically *increase* drag by about 10%, therefore reducing gas mileage, and are less aerodynamic than an open bed with a solid tailgate. -An open bed with a mesh tailgate is about 5% more drag than an open bed with a solid tailgate. No tailgate is slightly better than mesh (though still worse than a closed, solid gate). -The most substantial improvement to drag (and mileage) is with a tonneau. Link to the research report: http://ecow.engr.wisc.edu/cgi-bin/get/me/363/ghandhi1/pickup.pdf The report also explains *why* these results occur, even though they seem "backwards" to some. Chuck
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I have a 2008 Silverado 4.3L 4x4. EPA says 14/18. Before I put on the cab-high shell, I was getting 20 to 21 on the highway. After the shell, 16.2 maximum. I'm also upset to find out the V8 gets BETTER mileage on the highway. My opinion is that the v6 has less power and needs to use more gas to overcome the weight of the shell. Simply my "opinion" and everyone knows that opinions are like.....
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It would depend on the weight and shape of the camper shell, what you put in the camper shell for supplies and the available horsepower to pull the extra load.
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