Mossyoakglock

Did you ever decide and pull the trigger on a cover?

I have a 22.5 1500 LTZ with the Trail Boss suspension and toying with the idea of going with coilovers but also using the DSSV. For those that have had DSSV shocks on their non-ZR2 truck for some time now, how do you like them? Did they reduce bodyroll a significant amount? I'm trying to find a used set which could prove tough but I'm in no hurry so I can look for bit. One thing I also want to do is level the truck so looking to add about 1" up front. Do you think there would be an issue using a small strut spacer with the DSSV struts? Was it ever confirmed if the 1500 ZR2 uses a different UCA than the standard or Trail Boss/AT4 suspension to account for the increased angles? If there is a different, I would consider using a factory UCA vs aftermarket for warranty purposes.

Another thing on Retrax. You cannot easily take the canister cover off of the Retrax if you need to clean anything. The cover sits inside grooves of the rails so you actually have to remove the clamps, lift the rail assembly and then slide the canister cover towards the window. Might be hard to explain but you could probably see what I mean when watching an install video. There's a seal/brush on the front edge of the RNL cover which will keep most debris out, but you will get some stuff in the canister. I get those helicopter seeds and other small leaves but nothing major. I'll get sand when we go down to Florida to see family but I'll just take a hose a rinse it out.

No flapping/rattling or noise here when driving either. As for the water on the cover. In addition to the rake of the truck (or probably even leveled), with how the cover is under tension and uses a spring to retract, most of the water will probably be thrown off the cover as it retracts into the canister. If there is any residual water on the underside, it's very minimal and might not be enough to even drip down into the bed.

From what I found in my searching was there is only one retractable cover that can be opened from underneath and that's the Rough Country cover. It operates similarly to the RNL. It does not have an external latch and it does not lock. So with the RNL, you can open the cover with both the tailgate closed and/or open but the the RC, you have to open the tailgate. With the Multi-pro, you probably can just open the center section. As for the vinyl, I had a Pace Edwards on my 2008 for about 9 years before going to the Retrax. The cover was still in great shape when I sold it but the truck was garage-kept as well. I just washed it when I washed the truck and applied a protectant once a month or so. Here is a link to the RC Rough Country Cover

I keep one key in the truck and the second key in my toolbox in the garage. Being able to open the cover without opening the tailgate was another feature that I wanted. There are some retractable covers that do not have an external knob/latch. They have the latch like a tri-fold cover. I definitely like the look of the aluminum cover but with my past experience with the Retrax, I couldn't make myself go with the A-Series.

Yea, the only reason for the key is to lock/unlock the cover. I don't think there is a need to be able to open the cover from underneath since the knob is in the center of the cover. There isn't a good way to grab the mechanism to easily open the cover that way. One other thing, if you have the cover partially opened and want to have it fully opened, you would need to pull the cover all the way closed, turn the knob/latch and then let it open all the way. I don't have the in-bed grab handle, just the handles on the bedrails so I'm not sure if the cover requires that to be removed. If I remember right, I think it does come with a bracket that you use if you do have that handle.

You can open the tailgate with the cover closed/locked but once it's locked, it's locked. And no, the rails don't cover the stake pockets. You still have full access to rear stake pocket as a handle.

They told me that out of the box there should be roughly 9/16" adjustment left on the collar which if needed would be able to give me the additional 1". But, they did say that since all trucks are a little different, they couldn't be 100% certain if any adjustment would be needed. Thanks for confirming though. It's good to get a real world update as well. I'm also checking with them if they advise on using a small lower spacer too. When I had the Halo coilovers (rebranded Elka's) on my previous 2008, they actually sent lower spacers with the kit.

No, you don't have to use the key for any of the open positions. They key is only needed if you want to lock the cover. Either turn the latch to open the cover, let it slide all the way open (the canister cover will kick the latch back to the close position automatically) and then pull the cove to your desired closed position. Or, you can open the cover and then immediately turn the latch manually and the cover will stop in the first open/close position. I've probably only used the key on the cover a handful of times in the 1.5 years I've had it. Typically I only lock the cover when traveling. Around town it's mainly to keep things dry or from flying out of the bed. I don’t keep anything of major value in the bed at all times.

Do you think there is enough adjustment to go up another 1 inch or possibly a little more?

Just to clarify, you installed the Eibach's? About how much lift did you gain and did you have to make any adjustments? Do you think there is any more room for adjustment? In the instructions, it says you cannot exceed 137 mm from the bottom of the collar to the base so I'd have to be mindful of that. Do you think there would be anything wrong with using a 1/4" lower spacer on a coilover to get 1/2"? Lets say I can get the full 1" to level by cranking the collar but by adding preload I'm stiffening up the ride. Could I back the collar down for 1/2" of lift, install the small spacer to get the 1" and reduce some stiffness of the ride at the same time? **Edit - I forgot I had emailed ICON about their spring weight and they said they use a 700lb spring on my specific model. So with that, it won't take a much preload but with the digressive valving might be pretty firm, maybe too firm?

I'll take a look at the Dirt Kings as well. I checked Elka's website and it looks like they use a 550lb spring so it looks like Dirt King replaces that one with a little heavier spring. Eibach came back and said they use a 600lb coil. In a perfect world, what is the best combination? Heavier spring with linear valving or maybe a lighter spring with digressive valving?

I'll check out that video. For Fox, I was looking at the 985-02-134 coilover since it's more in my budget. On Fox's website it says they are 0-2" but according to Cognito with their Trail Boss kit, they will give 1". I'm thinking they maybe increase pre-load for that additional 1"? Kings would be nice but I think they would be a little overkill for what I need/want. Plus I don't think I really need an external reservoir either. I can't seem to find anybody that has installed either the ICON or the Eibach coilovers on the new generation trucks. The most popular seems to be the Fox kit. I did hear from Eibach and theirs are Digressive and waiting to hear back on their spring rate.

They did not but I also didn't ask but I can. So based on the spring rates you mentioned, ICON is going to be the most firm with Fox being the softest?