Sold my Truck Cap - Feels Like I have a Brand New Truck

Not sure if anyone else has experienced this but after selling my Leer 100XL truck cap, it now feels like I have a brand new truck.

Acceleration and cornering is much improved without it. With the cap on, my truck (4 cyl 5sp 4x4) struggled more up hills and in corners it felt a lot more top heavy - frankly it made driving it not very enjoyable (though the cap was excellent otherwise).

Just my two cents for those who are thinking of buying one for their 4 banger. Anyone else have this experience?

 

it does totally feel like a different truck. I ran my cap for 2 years before taking it off. threw it back on for this winter and then just took it off again last week. love having an open bed for summer and then all the dry storage in winter. didnt notice any difference up hills.

 

thanks for sharing your experience! im on the fence about getting one for my regular cab, so i appreciate your 2 cents.
i wouldnt have anywhere to store it during the summer/spring, so it would be a permanent fixture, and i certainly dont wanna hurt acceleration anymore after already adding E-load tires.

 

Im on E load tires and i honestly didnt notice a difference. I store my cap at the place i bought it from. they charge 20$ a month for storage and that includes removing it and placing it back on my truck whenever i want to.

 

not a bad deal at all on the cap storage! worth it for the flexibility. thanks for the tip!

and i mainly notice the E load tires on highway driving... definitely harder to accelerate and pass in 5th gear.
find myself getting back into 4th more often.

 

It definitely makes a difference. I recently put a Wildernest on mine and could tell a difference in the extra weight that it had over the old Leer topper I had. Planning on rigging something up in the garage to I can remove it fairly easily when I don't use it.

 

Agree. Putting a shell on made my truck handle differently than before. But am very happy that I have it on.
Will be upgrading the suspension soon to take care of some of the "sloppiness".

 

That's pretty much the only reason why I went with a softopper. Weight and being able to roll up the sides and leave the top up for shade and good airflow for my dog.

 

Do you have a good idea of the suspension mods you are planning?

I'm thinking of Blistiens 5100's for a slight lift but not sure if they are going to provide a harsher ride. Will be doing more research.

 

I have been all over the map thinking about the suspension. (not sure I am done yet).
Have seemed to settle on a full OME standard kit. Can't beat that price that Ramon is getting for the GB+rebate.

 

I really didn't notice much change with mine. Since I've had it on, I've changed tire size, gearing, and suspension. It now drives so much better than stock with the cap, I have no desire to remove it.

 

I didn't really notice an acceleration difference when I had one but it did affect handling.

 

The 5100s won't provide any lift. You need an AAL to help handle the extra weight and that will give you some lift.

 

Too true, OP!! I've taken caps off of several trucks I've owned, and there is an exhilarating feeling each time you reduce the truck to its simplest configuration. Not sure why that is - more light in the cab, easier to use the box, better view in the blind spot, the list could go on and on. If you need one, you need one, but it's not convenient or cool. A tonneau keeps the box dry and you then have full use of the space. Most caps leak water and dust and pretty horrible. Sorry if I tick anyone off for saying that. Just my .02 for what it's worth.

 

That's another reason for getting rid of my cap. While it was water proof, it certainly was not dust proof - not even close. I installed a tailgate seal and tried a few tutorials from this forum to seal the the hatch flip gate but nothing really did the job.

One of the main reasons I bought the cap is so that I could turn it into a sleeping camper (with a foam bed platform) on back road camping trips. So much dust got in the back when driving down gravel roads to make this impracticable. Any foam for sleeping on or camping gear would be covered in fine dust - at that point I might as well just sleep in a tent. Everything there is at least in a bag or container for protection.

 

Even the adjustable 5100's? (

$157 Bilstein 5100 Series Ride Height Adjustable Shock Absorber - 24-186940

http://www.4wheelparts.com/Suspensi...aspx?t_c=1&t_s=90&t_pt=3306&t_pn=BIL24-186940)

Have to admit - I'm a newb to suspensions.

 

Sorry, I was thinking just for the rear of the truck to support the topper weight... but you got rid of it. Mondays

 

The rear window in the cap (i.e. the one that faces the back sliding window in the truck) or the side windows on the cap? If it's the first, I was too cheap and did not get that window as an option, if it's the latter than DOH!

 

That explains that when I was trying to sell mine, so many people asked if my cap had this as an option.

 

I had a soft top (Can-Back) for several years. Had to get rid of it due to the canvas getting worn out and shrinking. Plus the frame rusted out. Drove it around for a few weeks, and enjoyed the openness of the bed. Got a Leer shell on there now. As much as I like it, and have plans for in-bed camping, I find myself wanting to take it off many times. There's a definite difference in the way the truck feels, especially on turns.