Soft or Hard ?

[RAM MAN]

I'm asking about tonneau covers . . . what were you thinking ?

Seriously, I'd like to hear from other RAM owners about their choice of covers for the back.

Even if you have a fiberglass topper, I'd like to hear what kind you have and if you are satisfied with the product.

Thanks !

[Mikey]

I have a fiberglass tonneau cover from Snug Top. I bought it painted to match the rest of the truck (Red) and had the white rallye stripes added.

I have to be honest.....the workmanship sucked. I went through FOUR covers before I got one that wasn't warped, had paint imperfections (yes, I am a perfectionist).

I figured, if I'm paying good money ($600) for something that has $1.98 worth of materials, than it should be right.

I went with Snug Top because of their warranty and reputation (yipes! did I say that?!). After the four tops, I've been pretty pleased. It comes with the either no molding or with (black), a almost water tight seal, easy off / easy on installation, and hydraulic struts that have the best warranty.

If I had to do it again, I would, but I would have perferred the right quality the first time.

[Gary]

I have an ARE hard cover on my Dakota short bed. The quality is excellent! The only thing I'm not too happy with is the latch. The cover has to be locked before the latch will stay in the closed position, and that's kind of a pain.

I ordered it painted from the factory, and even with the metalic color on my truck, they did a pretty good match. Even the plastic edge grommet was colored to match. Most covers use a black grommet, which looks cheap.

The price was over $800 installed, so it's not cheap, but I've looked at many others since I had mine installed, and it's far superior to most.

[RM Indy]

I've got an RDL fibreglass blue with the matching white stripes low profile. Seen other manufacturers with slightly lower designs. Black trim and weather seal. twin locks that close in either position. Good workmanship on the glass work but wasn't to satisfied with the paint(very slight bleeding). On my previous truck I had a soft top and hated it. No security!!! Next lid will be honeycombed alum. inside the rails so I can fill the stake holes and have super low profile. If you can afford the fiberglass go for it I don't think you'll regret it. They look great, give you a secure bed, and improve milage slightly.
:-)Blair@WOT
RM Indy

[ncarnes]

HUH! HUH! You said "Hard"! HUH! HUH! HUH! :-)
Seriously, I bought a flush mount from California Concepts. I bought it because it didn't have a visible seal, and sit flush between the bed rails, this was in 1996 when I just got my Indyram, and I wanted a cover that looked just like the Dodge Viper Truck(VTS) concept. I got that much of it anyway, problem is, the seal sucks! It leaks water on my bedrug all the time. If you going for look and not function this is where to look, but if you need to store stuff under there, I suggest the fastback flushmount. It has a visible rubber seal, but it does actually seal the bed, fairly well.
Later,
Nick

[RAM MAN]

Do you think the weight of a fiberglass top V.S. a soft tonneau REALLY effects the performance (READ: SPEED) of your truck ?

I can see where the wind resistance would be cut down, but I'm just referring to the diff between a hard and soft cover and how their weight effects your speed.

[hemivaliant]

I'm running of soft cover that's made by Custom Form (Penda Corp) out of Elkhart IN. It's been on my truck for three years now and still looks good as new. My truck sits outside day and night and is exposed to all the sunshine and air pollution here in SoCal.

For your question on weight affecting performance. 100 lbs reduction equals .10 second increase in the 1/4 mile.

Best of luck with your project.


HV

[Mikey]

For my additional .025....with the trucks being so light in the back, it would almost seem the extra weight towards the back of the truck would be welcome.

I sure could use the extra traction...

[Toe]

That is what I was kinda thinking Mikey. As it stands right now taking off the line and I get a lot of tire spin, and that's without any of the mods I want to do in the spring. So I was thinking get a tonneau cover that is 150lbs to get that rear end a little heavier to help with my tire wear.