To cap or not to cap?

Snagged a new dcsb trd sport 4x4. New toppers are $1400 ish, bear in mind I live in northern ohio and it sucks keeping an open bed. Tonneaus seem like a bad idea because of the depth of the bed.
What does a cap weigh?
Does it make the truck squat?
Does it hurt/affect mileage?
Brands? Snugs are popular in the searches, but not available in ohio.
Century is winning the bids right now... Salesman says it's actually a leer with less warranty and a different sticker.
I apologize in advance if I missed a search, I looked for 4hrs at existing threads.
Seems like newbies like me get slammed pretty hard for not catching the right threads.
Happy Holidays

 

Ehhhh, I've never had the need to put a topper on my bed. Anything that needs to be covered that badly can ride with me in the cab, or I can put a tarp over it. Then again, I don't live in snow country.

 

I bought a used cap for $500 in near perfect condition. Color matched my truck perfectly with sliding windows on the sides and sliding folding window in front. Found it on craigslist. No noticeable change in mileage. I added a Thule rack to carry canoes/kayaks. Have slept under it on a few camping trips. I'm not a huge fan of the look but it is very usefull and my wife thinks the truck looks better with it on so ... BTW Did you search? j/k

 

cap it

 

Depends on what you plan to do with the truck. I am getting a Snugtop XTR as I don't need the open bed and it is nice to have it dry when it snows and rains. Weight is about 200# if I remember right which should make the truck ride better than with an empty bed also. Not sure if a full cap helps mileage or not, they claim toneau's can add about 5% to mileage.

 

I had a tonneu and sold it, went with a LEER cap. Tonneu limit the height of anything that you haul without removing it. The tonneu that I had was 8 years ago, I could never get the thing fastened back down when it was cold out, I hear they're better these days.

IMO, cap it and don't look back, the practicality of it is the way to go. Gas mileage will be no different, the noise level in the cab however will be greater. You will need to put the OEM rubber bed mat in the bed to help eliminate the additional road noise. I experienced absolutely no squat with the extra weight.

 

I put a tonneaus cover on mine. Went with Leer cover. The cover fits good a snug on the Tacoma. Yes you are limited in what you can haul in the back. But that is why they made trailers. The top is not that heavy. Did not change the way it sit. If it made a difference in mileage it was minimal. Keeps everything dry in the back. I use mine for hunting. Gives me extra storage with out the concern for theft for the most part. Out of sight out of mind.

 

There's always a plus or minus to a cap. Lockable storage is great! If you need to haul a couch it sucks. My short box leer weighs somewhere between 150 and 200 lbs. it doesn't squat the rear suspension because I added helwig helper springs to the leaf pack. Those are a must in my opinion if the leaf pack is oem. I also haul a kayak on the topper, it's much easier loading there, than on the roof! During snow days it adds the needed weight to the back end. So, to me it had to serve a purpose. Otherwise its 1500 dollars down the drain.

 

I do not know how much they weight but it made my brand new dcsb squat about a quarter of an inch... I have airbags so it really does not make a difference anyway. And I have not noticed any drop in mpg's but I am a very conservative driver. I have a A.R.E Z series and I love it. Orignally I had a hard cover but it was not enough storage and now that I have the cap I will never not have a cap if I ever buy another short bed.

 

My cap weights 160lbs. If you get one consider a mid rise like a leer 180, the extra headroom is great if you use it for camping.

 

I have a removable toneau cover-XTANG trifold because I actually use the truck as a truck and fill the bed on occasion with "stuff". In short, if you are going to fill your bed with material, don't get a cap.

 

even though you probably can't get Snugtops in Ohio, you still might want to check out this thread: http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2nd-gen-tacomas/258264-snugtop-vs-leer-vs-r-e-verdict.html

 

cap it! i hated the look of caps... then my truck came with one. I will now never have a truck without a shell on it

 

Northern Ohio here too. I have an ARE and like it. I do remove it frequently (4 or 5 times a year. The truck looks better with out but the advantages are worth the cost in looks. Plus I never realized before I got it how nice it would be not to have to strap everything in to the bed.
Yes it does sit lower. If your near by your welcome to come take a look.
Dave

 

It does sit a little lower, but not by much. My OR felt a little stiff and the extra weight in the bed did seem towel the ride a bit

Really nice to have locking storage, no need to strap everything and my dogs have a place go when they are wet and muddy

No effect on mileage

Consider the height of the cap. I have an are, don't remember the model but it is the height of the cab and a bunch of stuff is to talk to fit easily. Just the other day I had to lay a dryer on its side to fit

A few inches taller would be nice

 

I got the chance to look at leer, are max fit, and century side by side. They all do the same function, some are a little more refined than others... I think the century crown model is gonna win thanks to the almighty dollar. It is IDENTICAL in every way to the leer as well as the century ultra. The big difference... Warranty
Crown $999
Ultra $1299
Leer $1350
Are $1350

Options cost the same.... I added a tip down slider & put the thule tracks on it
$1400 otd installed. I hope that this helps others with their decision. I wish I had a snug top dealer to look at theirs, but none anywhere near. Now the quest for floor mats begins!!!

 

Congrats on the cap!

Are you talking bed mat or interior floor mats? If the latter, you might check out this. I've had mine for over 4 yrs now and I love them.

 

Post up pics. Still on the fence........

 

I bought my truck with intention of putting cap on. I hate the fact that i have to look through 3 windows to use my rear view mirror but that's the trade off. I'm looking for larger side mirror options but the only thing I've found as a solution is Convex stick on spots. Thank god for back up camera.

 

Smart move on the tilt front window. I did not purchase one for my LEER 100R until it was about 5 years old, then I added it. Sure was nice to have a clean back window again! I bought it with my LEER 100XL when I purchased it new.

You will now see that your cab noise will increase, the OEM rubber bed mat helps quite a bit. You will also now find that closed of not, everything gets dusty and dirty in the back, nature of the beast. Don't count on your bed storage bins keeping anything clean or dry either. They are open to the elements through the fingers that clip in on the bottom. Be careful, I'm not familiar with the Crown, but rear corner vision is a bit limited between the over sized rear head rests and the front corner of the cap.