Rear Window Sizes Through the Generations

[Josh B]

LOL!!

Mine usually has C-gar ashes in it. But, I keep the ashtray closed.

Yeah, I learned it the hard way too. Managed to quit smoking about a year ago now but I still would not care for that wind tunnel coming through. Sometimes with kids in the truck and headed around the farm I'll open it up to let them climb back and forth if they want to

 

[cbxer55]

I love the slider in my LIGHTNING. It's open any time I drive it. I want one in my Ranger since the ac hasn't worked for some time. I prefer driving with the windows down in any event.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

I love the slider in my LIGHTNING. It's open any time I drive it. I want one in my Ranger since the ac hasn't worked for some time. I prefer driving with the windows down in any event.

Yeah, rear slider makes a HUGE difference if you don’t have A/C. My first Ranger had A/C (Blue 00), but I liked having the windows open. Had the pop out extended cab windows and rear slider. Rear slider really helps cool the cab on a hot day. If you didn’t want full on wind tunnel in the cab, the rear slider closed but the front windows and extended cab pop outs would do pretty good too. My second Ranger (Green 00) had rear doors so no pop-outs but a rear slider (and A/C). If you didn’t want the rear slider open, it really didn’t cool the cab well. No big deal because the A/C worked. My red 92, however, had no pop out extended cab windows and no rear slider and the A/C was half tore out. No factory tint either. Not enough airflow, I’d bake on a hot day. When the motor slagged a piston, I fixed the A/C when I put the replacement engine in. Rear opening windows and tint was on the list for it before it ended up wrecked. If I resurrect it, I’m still doing the windows.

 

[97RangerXLT]

if you have leaves or maple tree "spinners" in the bed, opening hte slider will make sure they fly in the cab and hit you in the back of the head...

AJ

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

if you have leaves or maple tree "spinners" in the bed, opening hte slider will make sure they fly in the cab and hit you in the back of the head...

AJ

That’s why you leave the back slider closed until any loose debris blows out. Or have a tonneau cover or cap.

 

[cbxer55]

I have a tonneau cover on mine. With a Lind Back Draft spoiler. Last winter, there was a bunch of snow on the cover. It was loose and shifting around a little. When I hit about 45 mph, it all slid to the back, jumped up about nine inches above the spoiler and dropped down behind the vehicle. It was proof to me that the airflow over the bed with a cover in place, all moves to the rear. Without a cover, the air actually moves backasswards in the bed.

 

[sgtsandman]

I have a tonneau cover on mine. With a Lind Back Draft spoiler. Last winter, there was a bunch of snow on the cover. It was loose and shifting around a little. When I hit about 45 mph, it all slid to the back, jumped up about nine inches above the spoiler and dropped down behind the vehicle. It was proof to me that the airflow over the bed with a cover in place, all moves to the rear. Without a cover, the air actually moves backasswards in the bed.View attachment 87915

Yep. The air flows over the cab and down into the bed and gets caught by the tailgate. That circulation causes and air bubble which lowers what the air “sees”. If you were to remove or drop the tailgate, your mpg drops because the air bubble goes away and the air sees the entire height of the cab instead of just the height of the tailgate.

A cap or a tonneau cover is more or less mpg neutral because of the reduction in turbulent air friction but the air “sees” more of the truck.

I’ll take the minor mpg penalty, if any though. Better to hide/secure whatever is in the bed and it helps slow down the Ford rust.

 

[Josh B]

I have a tonneau cover on mine. With a Lind Back Draft spoiler. Last winter, there was a bunch of snow on the cover. It was loose and shifting around a little. When I hit about 45 mph, it all slid to the back, jumped up about nine inches above the spoiler and dropped down behind the vehicle. It was proof to me that the airflow over the bed with a cover in place, all moves to the rear. Without a cover, the air actually moves backasswards in the bed.View attachment 87915

What is the difference in the "back" and the "rear" ?

Yep. The air flows over the cab and down into the bed and gets caught by the tailgate. That circulation causes and air bubble which lowers what the air “sees”. If you were to remove or drop the tailgate, your mpg drops because the air bubble goes away and the air sees the entire height of the cab instead of just the height of the tailgate.

A cap or a tonneau cover is more or less mpg neutral because of the reduction in turbulent air friction but the air “sees” more of the truck.

I’ll take the minor mpg penalty, if any though. Better to hide/secure whatever is in the bed and it helps slow down the Ford rust.

What about the tool box?

 

[sgtsandman]

What about the tool box?

The air bubble just works itself around it. It neither helps nor hinders things.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

A soft tonneau will actually push down by the tailgate and pull up behind the cab because it’s still sort of trying to conform to the bubble effect. I noticed slight MPG gains with a soft cover and slight decrease with a cap vs running empty bed with the tailgate up. Cap is more useful in a practical sense, things can be locked up and a surprising number of things are taller than an 83-11 Ranger bedsides, which negates a hard tonneau. That said, if I fix my 92, I’ll probably put my cap on that and the soft cover on my green one.