Does Leveling a New Pickup Truck Reduce Fuel Efficiency?

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Jul 2, 2007
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I'm reading opinions and such, that eliminating the suspension rake on trucks reduces aerodynamic efficiency (bit of an oxymoron for trucks anyhow...) and can have a negative effect on fuel economy. There's the separate matter of it causing rear squat when/if a payload is in the bed. Clearly, when not laden, a pickup tends to look better when leveled. I think what kills mpg for some modified trucks is not the actual leveling but the addition of heavier after market rims and larger and/or wider tires with more rolling resistance. So it's true that any appearance mods along the lines of leveling and after market rims and tires needs to be carefully executed with the aim of staying as close as possible to the weight of the OEM rims and rolling resistance of the chosen tires. Perhaps the sensible option would be to ensure you match the offset and other specs of the OEM rims when selecting after market replacements.

In the case of my F150, I've considered doing the above but I'm still on the fence. If I were to level it and swap rims, I would prefer to have the OEM Hankook DynaPro AT2 tires re-mounted to any after market rims I might select.
 
Separately, I would think leveling would not change the MPG enough to notice. As you said, leveling is usually combined with larger/wider wheels and tires which potentially have a huge effect. I personally see a 3-4 MPG loss when running mud tires vs street tread even using the same OEM wheels. Most buddies say the same when mud terrain tires are used, even same size and rims.

My example is a '99 Tacoma
31" Michelins on OEM aluminum - 19.5-21 mpg
31" mud terrains on OEM aluminum - 16-17 mpg
 
My 4runner is leveled with Bilstein 5100's. I didn't see any noticeable difference in fuel mileage when making the change.
 
Lowering the back by changing the spacer blocks probably has no affect. Raising the front will have some affect on fuel economy. Enough to notice? Or care? That's up to you. Regardless, adjust your headlights properly if you do it.
 
By lifting the front you are increasing the frontal area. (More undercarriage,and tire frontal area exposed.)You will take a hit on highway mpg but won't notice it below 65. The other issue is that if you load the truck or Tow a trailer you run the risk of topping out the front suspension more frequently in this scenario just driving over road variations and dips. That's hard on the ball joints and cv boots if you have them.

That being said my trd pro 4 runner has a 1" front lift compared to a non TRD pro. It also has more aggressive tires and I have a couple of hundred pounds of additional armor installed. I'm still can get or beat rated MPG if I drive well. So the driver counts too.
 
You won't notice it if you level it, its merely a move to satisfy CAFE for the fleet of trucks and likely adds .00002% MPG. More CAFE BS...
 
All of my pickups have leveled themselves. I find that around 6 years old and 100k miles they look perfectly level, no wrenches needed.
lol.gif
 
Newer Ram trucks with tow package have auto level. Put a travel trailer on it and it comes up level. Take it off and it goes back level.. Same with bed loads.
 
Anyone looking for fuel economy should not buy a pickup. They are the worst for many reasons, even Toyotas. But I think you would get the same amount of improvement by just removing the tailgate.
 
But those driving them should just accept whatever low fuel mileage and worse? In my world, its OK to ask what comes of making changes to the vehicle whether thats a good idea or not including based on fuel mileage. And removing the tailgate these days isn't going to help.

Yes, leveling by raising the front will reduce fuel mileage. You are allowing air to move under the truck in a different way - the air dam is there for a reason. Will it be enough to notice? Maybe not. Ford put the air dam on there for a reason at the height it is, and if it didn't matter, you can be sure they would take it off to pinch pennies (and not deal with all the "its too low" calls on the internet).

Personally, if on a 4x4, I'd not level it as I don't want to increase the angles on the drivetrain in the front - the higher the angle, the lower the projected lifespan of the part...
 
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Originally Posted by JohnG
Anyone looking for fuel economy should not buy a pickup. They are the worst for many reasons, even Toyotas. But I think you would get the same amount of improvement by just removing the tailgate.

Tonneau covers or a conventional cap can help, but if you're looking for big MPGs, maybe buy a Prius??
 
I'm not an engineer, however, I've been alongside enough engineers testing in windtunnels or on a track, to say that just about anything you do to a truck to lift it, level it, or modify it from stock will hurt MPG. You level it, and now more air can flow under the truck increasing aero drag due to the airflow hitting all those misshapen things underneath: Axles, exhaust system, frame members, etc, etc. That is the point of those very low airdams put on by some manufacturers these days.

Having worked on professional race cars, and hobbyist LandSpeed Racing vehicles, you don't want anything that interrupts the smooth flow of air over, under, or around a vehicle. The exception being elements designed specifically to create downforce, or eliminate a lifting force.

Likewise tires. Most OEMs spec tires with low rolling resistance above all else. That can mean a shallow tread depth, a harder less grippy compound, and a more mild tread design.

I recall an article by another Bitog member who performed an MPG test with the only variable being tires. This test was published in the Off-Road Adventures magazine put out by 4 Wheel Parts 4wd stores for several years.

The mild highway tread tires did the best on an MPG loop, then an all-terrain tire did the next best, with the mud tire doing the worst.
 
Yeah … the GMC link I posted said the same thing as the myth buster show on tailgates
See the wind tunnel picture
 
I did not know that about the tail gate up or down info that the GMC wind tunnel test resolved. If nothing else, I learned that in this thread!! And the benefit of soft tonneau bed covers or however you spell that, also in the GMC article.
 
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