*THE RTT Owners Thread (With BS)*

Yep, live and learn. We have matching tents I think... Siberian camo right?

 

Yup. I like to think I started the trend

 

Can some one with a gran Sabana tell me how far apart the mounting rails are center to center?

 

I forget how yours is mounted, but I notice a drop in mileage when my tent in mounted.

Kurt from Cruiser Outfitters once posted he thought there was a 15-20% reduction in mileage from the tents.

 

It's on the shell.

 

I keep a pretty close eye on it, I've never seen any variation in MPGs between running a canopy during the winter months and the RTT on a rack the rest of the year.

 

I noticed a difference this time... Significant. But before I don't remember much????

 

I can't see how a RTT would not change mileage. The thing acts as a sail when it's above the cab. It'd be a different story if it was level with the cab though. Don't think that would be much different than a canopy.

 

The trick is to mount your tent on a custom rack with a wind fairing that is bolted directly to the OEM track (on a 4Runner). Clearance space is < 2" at the track & < 0.5" on the center line. I noticed a 1.5 city/2 hwy MPG increase in mileage on a 4R that is rated for 15 city/17 hwy. The mechanical engineers I had design & fabricate the thing said it effectively filled in a drag co-efficient. The only drawback I've noticed is snow/ice/dirt/dust/etc. builds up on the back window & cargo hatch. The rear wiper pretty much stays on all the time during those events. The RTT rack is bolted down at 5 points per side with Torx security bolts, essentially making it an extension of the internal roll cage. Much like the front bumper, my RTT isn't coming off.

 

I'm not sure but I think a lot depends on how the air moves over the truck. If it comes off the windshield and the tent is in the leeward part of that airflow, not much is going to hit the tent and you won't see much of an impact on gas mileage.

I check my fuel mileage pretty regularly. When the tent is on the truck and it's empty vs when it's not on the truck and the truck is empty, mileage doesn't change much at all. I know when I load the truck up, it definitely gets lower mileage.

 

My cap has a little built in fairing so the air moved smoothly up that and over the tent. Snugtop xtr is the only one with one built in

 

My RTT is on a bed rack. Took it off a couple weeks ago. No difference at all in MPG. Tent sticks up above cab about 4 inches

 

I might be ordering a Tepui from ole BoxRocket in the near future. I have Yakima bars mounted to the bed rails. I think it'll be sturdy enough to hold the tent and 2 people, but I have a feeling y'all won't think it'll hold. Does anyone else mount them to the bed rails?

 

It might be enough to hold the RTT. But definitely not with 2 people in it

 

I spent all last season with mine mounted to the bed rails with no ill effects.

 

Craig it might be worth welding a "foot" to those brackets. Basically just a horizontal piece that will rest on top of the bed rail (on top of the plastic cap) and take the majority of the load rather than putting all the load of the tent and 2 people all on the tracks that are not designed for that kind of load. And while you're at it, it might not be a bad idea to add a 3rd load bar to distribute the weight a bit more.

 

What about having feet in the center of each bar as well??

 

You could add feet depending on what else you have in the bed??

 

You have to put tabs on those things that sit on top of the bed sides. I tried the same exact thing but realized you can flex the rails pretty bad with your hands. It will hold sitting in the drive way but that 150 lb tent will weigh 500 lbs when you accidentally hit a dip too hard. It'll eventually rip the rails off.

I made a super quick and dirty bed rack when I got my tent. I used some Unistrut I had lying around when I discovered spring nuts fit perfectly in the bed rails. I'll post a pic soon but all you need are small tabs to keep the weight on the top and off the rails.

 

Thanks fellas, all good advice. I have an idea for some T shaped brackets I could U bolt the bars to but I don't have angle iron...or a welder...or knowledge of how to use a welder...or the ability to drill the proper sized holes exactly where I want them... Fabrication skills. I need fabrication skills.