That tailgate thing is controversial . Some say I does, others say no.
GRM need to make a test run.
Our Chevy Colorado was volunteered for towing duties for the 2015 SCCA Solo National Championships. The magazine is based a stone’s throw from Daytona Beach, Florida. That meant our trip to Lincoln, Nebraska, would cover roughly 3,000 miles in about a week with our project Formula 500 tagging along behind on a trailer. Not a bad sea trial for our new towing project.
So how does this thing do on long trips?
Actually pretty darned well. The loaded Formula 500 trailer weighs about 1500 pounds—which is light for a trailer—but it was almost unnoticeable behind this “small” pickup. Road noise could be a little quieter with a less knobby set of tires, but that minor flaw can be drowned out with the stereo, which is actually very good.
We managed almost 17mpg on the entire trip. However, we found out when we got home that taking the tailgate off the trailer would have netted us another easy 1-2 mpg.
Overall, we had no problems along the way, and after a post-trip cleaning, it was hard to tell that it went anywhere.
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That tailgate thing is controversial . Some say I does, others say no.
GRM need to make a test run.
I did. Once I got home I pulled the tailgate and instant mpg shot up noticeably. The thing is, it's going to depend highly on your specific configuration. Behind a pickup, that tailgate was killing us. If the pickup had a topper it might not have been so bad. Behind a van we might not have even noticed.
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