will a louvered tailgate save fuel ?

i've never had one and i bought one today. a stromberg-something(hey, we all forget, right?) it'll be here monday. i know there's a lot of turbulance under the front of the fiver because it popped some screws loose. now, my question, do you think the louvered tailgate helps with fuel mileage, and if so, how much has it helped you ?

I have the Stromberg tailgate also but I do not see and improvement in the gas mileage. What I got mine for was that the Stromberg is a local company I have meet the owner and talk to him, very nice person and great company to deal with. and the ease of hook-up no getting out of the truck put the tail gate down- back up get out put tail gate up. I do love my tail gate and looks great on truck.

thanks, i see there's another thread on this topic that i didn't see until AFTER i posted this one. the reason i asked, is that at another forum people were talking of increased mileage after installing a louvered tailgate. i guess i can look forward to not having to mess with the gate while hooking and unhooking.

Rick,

I've had mine for 6 years now. Got it through one of the hardware catalogs (can't remember which one now). I've never seen an improvement in fuel mileage, but the convenience of using it with the 5'er is wonderful. I think you'll enjoy yours and the ease of installing it. On my Ram 2500, all I had to do insert the plastic bushings from the original tailgate into the cups on the Stromberg, insert the left end onto the standard, line up the slot on the right side and put the gate up. Works like a charm.

thanks. will put it on mondat for grins and giggles.

hmm, having some problems. on some threads there's no reply box and it says i cannot reply to topics on this forum.
and then on some i can.
partial ban ? lol

No, it will not save fuel. It will save your OEM tailgate when (not if) you forget to lower it before hooking up. It will also save your cat from getting gouged by the OEM tailgate if you are hooking up at an angle with it down. To me the most important is the ease of hooking up with a 5th wheel gate.

Don't get a cheap one. I made that mistake and had to replace it. Some have cheap latches that do not hold well. The good ones have latches similar to your OEM gate. Mine is a Custom Flow.

Read this

isimar wrote:hmm, having some problems. on some threads there's no reply box and it says i cannot reply to topics on this forum.
and then on some i can.
partial ban ? lol

And I assume you ARE logged in cause you wouldn't be able to post at all.

Let us know if this keeps happening, we'll have to have Phillip look at this......

it was on the thread about giving props for good service.
the one about rod batts. wanted to say he did me good the first time... threw me under the bus the last time.

Strange - You should be able to reply to anything that isn't locked, and the post about Rod Batts isn't locked. Hope you or Phillip can solve this problem.

it's no biggie really.

scottz wrote: It will also save your cat from getting gouged by the OEM tailgate if you are hooking up at an angle with it down.

Scott, that is my biggest fear. I'm not worried about hitting the gate with the hitch, but I'm worried about the gate hitting the Cat. I try and come in line with the Cat to minimize the chance for the gate & Cat to collide. The long bed trucks do stick out more and with the gate down, there isn't a whole lot of room between it and the Cat. I still use the factory gate, and hope I don't regret that decision.

MaxRock wrote:

scottz wrote: It will also save your cat from getting gouged by the OEM tailgate if you are hooking up at an angle with it down.

Scott, that is my biggest fear. I'm not worried about hitting the gate with the hitch, but I'm worried about the gate hitting the Cat. I try and come in line with the Cat to minimize the chance for the gate & Cat to collide. The long bed trucks do stick out more and with the gate down, there isn't a whole lot of room between it and the Cat. I still use the factory gate, and hope I don't regret that decision.

I have come real close; that was a big part of the reason I changed.

Mythbusters did a comparison of fuel economy with tailgate up, and tailgate down. They had no improvement in fuel economy with tailgate down or up, so I wouldn't think louvered would make any difference either.

I have not found a steel gate for the Tundra, but I have a Pro Net across the back when towing the Cat. Like you, I like the convenience of hitching and unhitching without worrying about damaging the tailgate.

Guess what, the roof deflectors don't improve mileage a whole lot either. What they do though is improve the bug line on the trailer. Less cleaning to do after a long day of driving.