ARE Canopies

[BajaTaco]

Hey Baja...Would you think it would be to late to upgrade to the win-doors...or do they even sell those for a DC shell??

Sorry, I didn't catch this when you posted it Wil. I have no idea if you could upgrade to windoors or not, but it would be worth calling up ARE to find out if they would send you a set. You could install them yourself or have a local dealer do it.

 

[mountainpete]

A.R.E. the cheapest? Here in GA, the A.R.E MX I think is $400 more than the Leer 180!!!!

Not the cheapest by any stretch. But you do get what you pay for - especially when it comes to the color matched paint.

 

[The Swiss]

Not the cheapest by any stretch. But you do get what you pay for - especially when it comes to the color matched paint.

A lot of things it comes down to personal preferance. Leer is a pretty well known manufacturer of tops. What makes ARE so much better in y'alls opinion?

 

[Nullifier]

A lot of things it comes down to personal preferance. Leer is a pretty well known manufacturer of tops. What makes ARE so much better in y'alls opinion?

Leer and ARE are owned by the same parent company. So i guess allies in the topper world. I think both are good units. Personally when I bought mine I called both factories and got into some nuts and bolts coversations about the lamination and I felt ARE was using a better core material then leer. This may have changed in the past 9 years but i do not know.

 

[mountainpete]

A lot of things it comes down to personal preferance. Leer is a pretty well known manufacturer of tops. What makes ARE so much better in y'alls opinion?

For me it's the options that are available with ARE versus Leer. Things like win-doors, Yakima racks, extra lights, etc, are designed better from ARE then Leer. Again, just my opinion :smilies27

I have also seen 3 year old Leers age less gracefully then ARE's, especially with the way the paint has faded. Can't comment on the strength aspect though - I have a feeling that most manufacturers are pretty similar at that price range.

 

[robert]

I looked at Leers and AREs before buying my ARE- the difference in quality was very apparent. Supposedly there is more than one plant making the Leers and quality varies, but the ones I looked at had noticible flaws and thinner construction. On the other hand, I have a Leer tonneau cover that appears very well made (and I need to get it out the yard if you are interested eepwall: )- not just saying that, it does seem very nicely made.

I wish I had gotten the fold down front glass and side windows now but I was being cheap at the time. I did install a Yakima rack with tracks that I like (excepting the Hulley Rollers which rotate when pushing a sea kayak forward- PITA).

 

[The Swiss]

I noticed that hardly anybody here has a mid-raise top on their truck. Everybody seams to prefer the low roof line. Why?
I'm looking at the Leer 180 and the ARE MX thinking that some extra head room or cargo volume might be welcome. Any major draw-backs?

 

[BajaTaco]

I noticed that hardly anybody here has a mid-raise top on their truck. Everybody seams to prefer the low roof line. Why?
I'm looking at the Leer 180 and the ARE MX thinking that some extra head room or cargo volume might be welcome. Any major draw-backs?

For me, it was due to the added height. That is because I added a fairly tall roof rack configuration with a spare tire. On top of that, I sometimes haul a canoe. If you are not concerned with the final height (and added wind drag) using the taller campers, then they are definitely an advantage where more interior space (and headroom if you sleep inside) are concerned. Like most of the stuff we do, there are trade-offs for both versions.

 

[The Swiss]

For me, it was due to the added height. That is because I added a fairly tall roof rack configuration with a spare tire. On top of that, I sometimes haul a canoe. If you are not concerned with the final height (and added wind drag) using the taller campers, then they are definitely an advantage where more interior space (and headroom if you sleep inside) are concerned. Like most of the stuff we do, there are trade-offs for both versions.

Thanks for your reply. Happy to hear that in your opinion over all hight and wind drag are the only issues as I was aware of those disadvantages. (I actually wonder how much difference on the mpg a mid raise roof really makes) Just hoped there would not be anything else I overlooked, top too heavy for composit bead or whatever.

The final hight might just become a concern if I decided to move my Maggiolina from the trailer back to the vehicle. Other than that, I'm trying to keep my roof as "clean" as possible, for wind drag, wind noise and over all hight issues ...

 

[robert]

I had a higher roofline shell on my old Taco. It had better headroom for camping in, but I carry boats on top and it looks cleaner. The new Tacos gas mileage is already crappy enough so I didn't want to lower that either.

and that trucks untimely demise (the shell held up though)- I basically walked away from that wreck

 

[The Swiss]

Robert,

Ouch, that hurts. What happened to your old Taco? Back on subject: Do you remember how much mpg you lost with your old Taco after installing the high top?

(BTW, gas consumption on my '06 is about where I expected it. I average about 19mpgs right now on mixed small town, interstate and Atlanta traffic)

 

[robert]

A 17 year old kid (who had numerous run-ins with the law for crimes including alcohol and drug issues and should have been locked up at the time- stupid judges ) crossed the double yellow lines while speeding on a two lane road and hit me- I basically walked away; he died on scene still wearing his seatbelt.

I don't think I really lost any mileage with that 19995 Taco; it got around 18mpg around town and 20-21 on the highway. The new Taco got around 18 mixed driving (very low end of 18) with the tonneau cover and now gets right at 16mpg. The dealer says everything looks good and that's normal for the 4.0. I like the truck, but hate the gas mileage- ridiculous for a newer vehicle to get such poor numbers. :violent-smiley-031:

 

[salsataco]

Robert, do you have any side views of your cap set up. I used to run a set of racks on the truck and another on the cap(on my 02), which allowed for a great configuration for carrying multiple boats, bikes, and a box. It looks like with the new body style it would not sit too level??? Also what make of ARE is that. I have in my fleet 2 14' rec kayaks, 5 whitewater boats, 3 mtn bikes, 15' canoe, and a Thule Evolution Box. I use YAKIMA racks because I like em! My other thought would be to go with the raised MX cap and try to put a basket on the front to level out the whole rack system. I could use soem help so if anyone has any ideas feel free to chime in. Thanks.

 

[robert]

These are the only pictures I have handy; I can take some more if you need them. The shell is their CX series- it's not listed for the Tacoma on their website, but they do make it for them. I got the half sliding windows for better ventilation when camping or carrying the dogs. I really wish I had gotten the fold down front window and the hinged side windows.

The only thing I don't like about it so far is the cheesy light in the rear; it's battery operated (4AA batteries). I keep meaning to convert it to 12v but haven't gotten around to it. The bars are the 66" versions, any longer and they stick out enough to catch on stuff. You have to plan what you are carrying obviously; my biggest complaint about the whole thing is my Space Booster only opens on the right side and I would rather carry it on the left and put the kayak on the right.

 

[kcowyo]

Wow Robert, I hadn't seen the pics of your old truck. You are one lucky, lucky guy! And the HiPo always say they never have to unbuckle a dead guy....

So the Great State of Denial is in Tarheelia? Those two overlook pics are on the Blue Ridge Parkway for sure. Is the first one Lake Junaluska?

I think those are the first pics I've seen of your Tacoma, nice looking outfit!