Tonneau Cover Questions

[Mountain Whiskey]

For those of you with tonneau covers, I have a couple of questions:

1. Is there an advantage to fuel milage by covering the bed? I am sure a lot of tech goes into aerodynamics of the truck as is but thought I would ask.

2. Broad question, is a soft or hard cover preferred and why?

3. If a hard cover would you go with fiberglass oe aluminum?

 

[Appyfan]

2) Hard cover for me. I had a convertible once and someone cut the top just for fun. I would never feel comfortable parking with something in the bed & a soft cover.
3) I have the Bakflip MX4 (aluminum). It’s sturdy, yet light enough so that I can fold it all the way up against the back window without getting in the bed (my right arm is a little weak from a prior surgery).

 

[Apeman]

There have been studies done that show you can actually lose mpgs with a tonneau cover. It has to do with the air flow in the bed. At least for me the loss of a little mileage is worth being able to keep stuff secure and dry in the bed. I'm waiting on delivery of a bak MX4.
Hard or soft would be determined by your needs and security concerns. I've never had a problem with anyone messing with my stuff but I don't live in a high crime area.

 

[Cbzr1107]

I just put on a Diamondback HD. Love it.

 

[392DCGC]

For those of you with tonneau covers, I have a couple of questions:

1. Is there an advantage to fuel milage by covering the bed? I am sure a lot of tech goes into aerodynamics of the truck as is but thought I would ask.

2. Broad question, is a soft or hard cover preferred and why?

3. If a hard cover would you go with fiberglass oe aluminum?

1. No. Engineers do plenty of testing for aero. And as someone else mentioned (though I haven't looked up any studies specific to tonneaus), there is actually less drag when air molecules flow past other air molecules (i.e. the air flowing over the truck and over stagnant air in the bed will have less frictional drag than air flowing over a tonneau on the bed).

2. My truck came with a Mopar soft cover and I got rid of it because I don't like the way it looks, and it flaps around a bit in the wind.

3. Aluminum since it won't crack. And I'd recommend going with the AmorFlex since its panels are coated with bedliner and are much less likely to damage over time.

 

[tidefan1967]

I wanted a Retrax but my local dealers wanted like $1900 for the budget model so I went with another Undercover Elite hard cover for $1260 installed. I realize that I could have ordered one off the internet for a lot less money but I haven't had much luck in the past with that so I decided to let my local dealer deal with it possibly being damaged in shipping and the hassle of installation. I have has one on every truck I've owned going back to 2011 and the hard covers like this are bulletproof and water proof. I personally don't think the affect fuel economy one way or the other.

 

[vinnieloo]

Consumer reports did a test and found tailgate up without tonneau was the best mileage but they used a soft tonneau.

Pickup Truck Tailgates | Fuel Economy - Consumer Reports News

Pickup Truck Tailgates have long been at the center of truck owner debates on how to improve the aerodynamics of the cargo bed and if doing so was worth the effort. Conventional wisdom dictates that an empty bed with the tailgate up would capture air flow and the added drag would reduce fuel...

www.consumerreports.org

Ford tested and agreed with tailgate up but said tonneaus help. Tailgates are designed and tested to direct air flow.

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I have a lomax aluminum tonneau for dryness, security, low profile and compatible with ladder rack. Works great.

 

[1D32319]

2. Broad question, is a soft or hard cover preferred and why?

Soft roll up cover for me. If I need to use the bed of the truck, I typically need the whole bed.

Hard covers do not allow that without removing, retractable covers have a huge box in the front of the bed, and folding covers are similar to hard covers in their utility.

 

[Mountain Whiskey]

Thanks for all the replies. It helps with my decision.

I will wait to see if I really want one for security. I have had a pickup of one sort or another for 30 years. When I actually used tools and needed them secure I had a cap. If I go the tonneau route, I may go aluminum.

 

[BobK]

I didnt even consider a soft cover. All i saw was traveling to area i go to for clients that are not the best neighborhoods, and someone slicing it just to see if there was anything in the bed. Had to be a hard cover. I went with the Rugged Liner E-Series Hard Folding Truck Bed Tonneau Cover and have been completly happy with it.

 

[theblet]

retrax hard cover for me. I like the added security. Would have got the aluminum because it’s lifetime warranty, but they sent the wrong one so I took the poly one.

fuel mileage is the same.

 

[Richard320]

For those of you with tonneau covers, I have a couple of questions:

1. Is there an advantage to fuel milage by covering the bed? I am sure a lot of tech goes into aerodynamics of the truck as is but thought I would ask.

2. Broad question, is a soft or hard cover preferred and why?

3. If a hard cover would you go with fiberglass oe aluminum?

1) I put mine on so soon, I can't say if it improved things or not.
2) I have hard. So it can be locked for real. Can it be opened? Sure. So can the cab. Sneak thieves won't bother. But they might give a quick slice to a soft cover just to see what's underneath since that doesn't make much noise.
3) I don't even know what mine is made out of. Might be aluminum, might be plastic. Some kind of foam core stuff with a metal frame. It's a Rough Country three panel.

 

[Floyd]

Got the new Bak Revolver X4s...rigid roll up, dont think you would be able to cut through it. Holds 400 lbs on top and locks securely all the way down the bed, so you cant lift it up. Rolls up to give you the while bed (maybe a very slight loss for the rollup. Installed myself, super easy.

Haven't evaluated MPG, but the look, security, and ease of use are great.

 

[Cbzr1107]

 

[vinnieloo]

Do soft rollup tonneaus flap in the wind on the highway?

 

[theblet]

Probably. Even my retrax moves in the wind a bit

 

[cervelo15]

Do soft rollup tonneaus flap in the wind on the highway?

Mine doesn’t. Most of them have tension adjustments so in hotter weather, I run it tighter. I just ratcheted it up the other day and it’s perfect now. Ive heard people say to tap on it and if it has the tone and/or consistency of a drum, it should be tight enough.

 

[Sal731]

Bakflip mx4 might be the best cover on the market

 

[392DCGC]

Bakflip mx4 might be the best cover on the market

I don't think so. Had both an MX4 and the Undercover (same parent company) Armor Flex, which is about the same price, but Undercover has better features and uses bedliner instead of paint.

 

[Sal731]

Not 100 percent sure of paint or bedliner