What is a Tonneau Cover?
What is a Tonneau Cover?
The definition of a Tonneau cover as defined by Wikipedia is:
A hard or soft cover used to protect unoccupied passenger seats in a convertible or roadster, or the cargo bed in a pickup truck. Hard tonneau covers open by a hinging or folding mechanism while soft covers open by rolling up.
The tonneau cover is used to conceal and or cover cargo. When the cover is pulled out, it keeps items out of the sun and provides extra security by keeping personal items out of sight.
What Do Tonneau Covers Do?
It is necessary to add a tonneau cover to your truck. This is due to the fact that it gives you an organized storage for no matter what you transport. Tonneau cover also gives coverage from weather conditions such as snow, rain as well as extreme sun.
Tonneau Covers Explained
As you know truck beds are normally exposed to the weather. Tonneau covers will protect the cargo in the truck bed. They will turn your open air bed into a sheltered, weatherproof compartment. There are many different styles of tonneau covers which will be discussed in depth further down.
Tonneau Covers History
Tonneau covers go by many different names; truck bed covers, truck toppers, roll-up covers. They have evolved from a cover that was used to protect the rear seats of first cars. Since that original cover they have evolved into many styles and versions but all have the same general purpose today. Soft covers gained become renowned on major speedways. Sport truck racers utilized soft tonneau covers in order to enhance aerodynamics and lessen or reduce drag. Hard top tonneau covers on the other hand rose in fame as a choice to camper shells. These highly-customized truck bed lids are changed in order to suit the various demands of truck drivers. The term tonneau comes from the French word meaning rear seating compartment of a car. While your truck bed is not a seating compartment, the word is still suitable. Every so often tonneau is spelled tonno. Although tonneau is still the best known distinction of the cover's name.
Storage Basics of the Tonneau Covers
If you have cargo or gear you want to keep in your truck bed and out of site tonneau covers will do the trick. The cover will shield the items from view, in most cases protect it from weather and damage that can happen from driving with it unprotected. Modern tonneau covers use strategically-placed weather seals which channel the moisture and dust away from the truck bed and your cargo. Having a cover will give you peace of mind that whatever you have in the bed of your truck will be adequately protected.
Additional Security and Safety
If you cannot see it, you cannot take it. The fact that these covers hide your stuffs from sight, potential thieves will most likely pass over your truck when looking for a potential victim. Some models offer additional security, locks, interlocking panels that cannot be cut which make stealing from them much more difficult.
It Saves Gas!
Tonneau covers save gas by improving your gas mileage. Having your truck bed covered will lower air resistance. Less drag means you’ll be driving a more aerodynamic and more energy efficient truck that uses less gas to drive the same distance. Here is a study that explains just how a tonneau cover reduces drag. This will easily add miles to each tank of gas, getting your further for less money! Using a properly designed tonneau cover can extend gas mileage by about 10 percent.
Various Types of Tonneau Covers Available and their Benefits
Tonneau covers offer additional cargo storage and make your truck look better at the same time, that sounds like a good deal to me. When you are starting to look for the cover that is right for you, start with the main types and go from there.
The Roll-Up style is just what the name implies, it is made of a vinyl or fabric and can either snap or Velcro to the sides of the bed. In recent years there have been roll-up covers that offer additional security by having interlocking panels underneath the fabric so they cannot be cut to gain access to the bed. The rollup style is very easy to install. It normally consists of attaching rails to each side of the truck bed and then simply snapping in place the cover. Typical installation can be done at home in under an hour.
The other major style of Tonneau is the Folding Cover. These covers generally are a hard top that folds in two or three spots for quick access to your bed. They provide better security for your truck bed than most roll-ups since folding covers are a hard top variety.
Tonneau covers also aid to increase the mileage of your truck and at the same time protect your belongings. All of these features have made these truck accessories very popular truck frills. There has been a boost in the manufacture of tonneau covers because of the increasing demand. There are now extensive varieties of tonneau covers on hand for all types of trucks. On the other hand, you should watch for all the varieties but only select the cover that best suits your needs.
Easy Maintenance
If cleaning your tonneau cover, wash it in the same way as the rest of the truck, on the other hand always keep in mind not to utilize dashboard-cleaning agent. This can damage the fabric that is used. If you want to add or protectant to the cover most manufactures make cleaners and protectants designed to keep covers looking great and protect them as well. Just read the guides in the owner’s manual on how to maintain your cover.