tanneau cover... but which one?

troykshafer · #1 02-09-2005, 06:26 PM

I am trying to decide on a bed cover for my truck. I've heard it can improve your gas mileage greatly. I like the fiberglass with matching color, but is it really worth it? All i require is that when i lock the tailgate, someone can't pop the bed cover up and see what's inside.

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eathomps · #2 02-10-2005, 09:51 AM

I noticed a slight increase in milage, but I definitely would not say it improved "greatly". It's worth about 1 mpg to me. So if that is the driving reason for getting the cover you may want to reconsider.

If you currently get 15mpg and go to 16mpg and drive 15K miles/year, you go from using 1000 gal to 937.5 = 62.5 gallons saved. At $2/gal, $123. If the cover costs $600 (a paint to match is probably a good bit higher), you're looking at almost 5 years to recover the cost of the cover.

If you haul large items in the bed (or small ones that slide to the front of the bed) a cover can be a PITA. If you want to keep things in the bed dry and out of sight, and/or just like the look of the truck with cover, get a cover. You can use the gas milage improvement as justification (as long as the person you're justifying to isn't mathematically inclined), but if that is your primary reason I don't think you're going to be happy.

jhogan · #3 02-10-2005, 01:35 PM

I've got an Access cover which I really like. It's a roll up cover making it extremely easy to access things in the bed and to haul larger items. You can lock the tail gate securing the box contents, of course the cover is vinal so if someone really wants to get in they will. I suppose the same can be said for any cover. Mine was $425, but I've seen where guys have gotten them for less.

troykshafer · #4 02-10-2005, 02:32 PM

one is asthetics, increase in mpg qouldn't hurt but it's not my main reason. i just can't decide between Fiberglass and vinyl.

I love the look of the fiberglass, can't decide if it's worth the extra money or not.

as for hauling. it's small stuff. i have a 2x6 cut to width and spray painted black that works great for keep stuff near the bed.

thanks for the input... any shops that have decent prices online?

eathomps · #5 02-10-2005, 05:29 PM

For what it's worth, I currently have a vinyl cover and plan to get a hard cover this spring. The vinyl cover works fine but has started to rattle at speed due to the flapping. I've tried adding another clamp to the rails but it hasn't helped.