Torza Baby!!!!

Just installed my new Torza Hard Hat premier last night after reading many posts and doing a lot of research. I must say that this is a fantastic bed cover and one of the better designs that I have seen. Put the rails on in about 10 minutes, and the rest of the unit is one piece and clamps right on to the rails. Installation appears to be water resistant. I coated the convertible top material with a special water repellent/conditioner that I use on my Z3 and it beads water like crazy. Although I did notice some minor material flapping while driving, it is a non-issue. Overall, I rate the top about a 9 out of ten for excellent fit, installation and overall appearance.

-Dane:)

How about some pics, don't think I have seen any of the Torza cover yet.

just out of curiosity do covers help with your gas milage at all?

no.it wont.

just out of curiosity do covers help with your gas milage at all?


The web site claims it will, I suspect minimally as I do mostly in town driving. I will keep an eye on it though as I only average 16.5 MPG.

:)

How about some pics, don't think I have seen any of the Torza cover yet.

Sure, I snap a few and post....:)

The web site claims it will, I suspect minimally as I do mostly in town driving. I will keep an eye on it though as I only average 16.5 MPG.
:)

I think they busted that myth a while back on Mythbusters. Doesn't help to leave the tailgate down either. ;)

dude i love mythbusters!! lol ok just wondering :D

and 16.mpg.....i've only filled up like 2 times but i haven't gotten that bad of milage and i only drive city.

I installed the regular Torza Advantage about 2 weeks ago on my new RL and I love it, too. It really is a nice design and a super-simple install.

I agree!! I have had my Torza Advantage for over 6 mos. I love it. It made it through a PA winter no problems. I love that in 1 min, I can remove it and have a full pick-up bed with no inference. It's also nice to quickly pop open to access the trunk fully (you can access the trunk with the cover on too). So far I've had only a trickle of water leak. Its great!!

Mythbusters! You can almost learn as much from that show as you can from ROC;)

How about some pics, don't think I have seen any of the Torza cover yet.

Sure, I snap a few and post....:)

What happened to the pics? If you posted them in another thread, sorry I missed them. I would like to see them, and know how you like the Torza now that you've had it a little while.

Thanks!

I second RRIDER's request for pictures, gr8daneh. Please post! In particular, I am interested to see how far the trunk lid will open. If you can sneak a tape measure in a photo, that would be very helpful.

Sorry folks, I've been extremely busy and in and out of town recently. I promise I will take some this weekend and post. Its been about 1.5 months and I am very happy with the product. It is virtually water tight and the design is very good. My biggest complaint would be that the material moves in the wind a bit, but with the hard cap underneath, it is not a functional issue.

:o

Dane

I want to once again set the record straight on the aero drag benefit of the tonneau cover. Based on actual testing in order of lowest (best) coefficient of drag are the following results:

1. Ridgeline with tonneau cover.
2. Ridgeline with the tailgate up
3. Ridgeline with the tailgate removed
4. Last place is Ridgeline with the tailgate down

I actually met with the Mythbusters and discussed their analysis. Episode #43 – season 3 was the show if you are interested (November 2005).

Their conclusion was as follows: driving with the tailgate down actually increased drag on the pick-up and caused it to consume fuel faster than the identical truck driven with the tailgate up. It was later revealed that the closed tailgate creates a locked vortex flow that created a smoother flow of air over the truck. With the tailgate down, the trapped vortex was dissipated and the drag increased.

Could you also measure the vertical distance from the bed to the underside of the Torza top. Please measure at both the front and rear of the bed. I keep all of our camping supplies in plastic totes that are 16" high and trying to find the cover that provides the most clearance.

Thanks!

As promised, here are some lousy pics, but pics nonetheless.

1 & 2. Mounting rail installed using existing bolt points.

3. Folded topper. Very nice and small package. Weighs about 25ish pounds.

4. Picture of the seal that snugs up against the cargo panel just below the window. Makes a pretty water tight seal believe it or not.

5. Top sitting on rail in first position.

6. Latch at head of topper unit. Has a security pin to prevent it from unlatching.

7. Top in second position. Clamps at head are locked.

8. Top in third position. Note that the material channels water down the rails and off. I recommend using a good waterproofing product for convertible tops. I used the same stuff I use on my Z3 and it works great. Beads water like a sun-of-a-gun...

9. Rear clamp

10. Seal between topper and tailgate piece. The seal is very good and does allow enough movement to open the gate in either fashion and properly seal again when closed.

11. Okay, last one of the topper from the rear.

12. Measure of trunk opening. From the top of the seal ridge around the opening.




Yeah, I know the truck was dirty. Just got back from getting my boys scuba certified. We dive in a desert spring-fed lake called Blue Lake out by Wendover, Nevada and it is all dirt road to get to it!

Hope this helps you all. I love the purchase and this is the hard cap model.

Dane.

:D

Nice I like it
Clean....

Very nice. Where can I go to get a decent deal on one?

Thanks for posting the photos! Everything looked great until I saw the photo of the trunk lid open. 13" is way too restrictive. The trunk was a big factor in my decision to purchase this truck and I realize that any bed cover with a rail system will restrict the amount it can open. I saw pics of another tonneau that allowed the trunk lid to open 21" so I will search that post out. The search continues.

Well, unless I can ever find a suitable hard top option that I like this is the way I am going; anyone got information on the best pricing?

Thanks for posting the photos! Everything looked great until I saw the photo of the trunk lid open. 13" is way too restrictive. The trunk was a big factor in my decision to purchase this truck and I realize that any bed cover with a rail system will restrict the amount it can open. I saw pics of another tonneau that allowed the trunk lid to open 21" so I will search that post out. The search continues.

I don't think 13" is all the trunk will open. It looks to me that he was measuring the distance from the bed to the bottom side of the tonneau cover. If the back panel was rolled forward, the trunk would open much further before hitting the rails.

If I'm wrong about this measurement, I hope gr8daneh clears this up.

13" is max open with the topper still in the closed position. With the topper folded at the first fold point, you may get another 4 inches of clearance due to the cutout in the rail. Look at the first pics of the rails and you can see where the rail is notched for trunk travel. Still limiting, but not awful. Picked mine up from Realtruck.com and they cut me a break for being an ROC member. You may check with Jason at Burtman industries as well (another board sponsor) to see if he'll beat their price. Remember, this is the hard cap version. (most of the torza's are convertible cloth based, but this one has the hard plastic underneath.)

-Dane:cool:

I bought my Torza Top about 8 months ago... so I haven't looked at pricing lately. Back then I had researched prices quite a bit and the best I could find was at RealTruck.com. They will offer a small discount to ROC members.

Thanks for all the info, and pics. I was considering the BAKflip, but have been reading too many complaints about them leaking very bad. In fact one member on the forum tried 2 BAKflip covers and finally sent them both back for a refund. I realize with the bed design of the RL no cover will be 100% leak free.

So I am back to square one looking for a Tonneau cover that I'd want to put on my truck, and will be as water tight as possible.

Anyone else wanting a torza, I can get them. Let me know.

gr8daneh: Any chance you could take a picture of the trunk open when the cover is folded back? For me, like many on here, the trunk was a big selling point and I don't want to make it useless by installing a tonneau.

So far I'm sold on the Torza. My only question left is with the trunk.

Jason B: What is the price for the soft Torza Top?

I can fo them for around $650, PM or email me if you want.

Yep, I'm on it...:)

I can fo them for around $650, PM or email me if you want.

Is that for the SOFT top?

Is that for the SOFT top?

Must be the hard top. I just purchased the Torza Premier Soft top and the cost was a little over $400 shipped from RealTruck. I can say this is the nicest fit of any cover I have seen and the install in my case was a bit more time consuming because the passenger side tie down was not at the same angle as the drivers side and required a little hacksaw work to get the bar to mount correctly. Overall however, an easy install and great product.

Yes. If you can get me the part # for the soft top I'm sure I can work you guys a great deal! If anyone has it, let me know :)

Yes. If you can get me the part # for the soft top I'm sure I can work you guys a great deal! If anyone has it, let me know :)

The part number on the Premier Torza soft top is 88901 shown on the packing list from Advantage.

BTW...the opening with this cover for the trunk is 15 7/8". It is less if you allow the rear clamp handles to protrude into the bed cavity but easy to fix that by moving them back. GL

gr8daneh: Any chance you could take a picture of the trunk open when the cover is folded back? For me, like many on here, the trunk was a big selling point and I don't want to make it useless by installing a tonneau.

So far I'm sold on the Torza. My only question left is with the trunk.

Jason B: What is the price for the soft Torza Top?

Here are two shots. One with the cover down and the other with one section folded over allowing full opening. Not much difference.

Great pics, Thanks!

It looks like the trunk opens up to a good height with the cover folded back.

Jason: Let me know when you have a price for the soft top.

Just installed mine yesterday. I have to say the install was easy, but man were those screws at the front of cab hard as hell to screw in tight. It looks great.

I have a set of rails for sale. They are for a Torza cover. If interested Pm me .

I have had a Torza had hat cover for just about a year and have really loved it. I can put it on and remove it in about a minute, and while it is on I can just flip up the back third to get nearly full access to the trunk and stuff in the front of the bed. I got it from Real Truck with the ROC discount as part of a group buy, and they provided great service and quick shipping.

I have just purchased a Leer topper since for my family of 4, the tonneau cover just barely allowed enough room to put all our camping and mountain biking gear. We needed a tad more room for long road and camping trips and the Leer fits the bill.

If anyone is interested in my year old Torza HardHat cover, please let me know and we'll see what kind of deal we can work out. With the Leer topper on, I will not be using the Tonneau cover so would like it to go to a good home ;) .

When I purchased my RTS 2 weeks ago, it had the Torza basic cloth top already installed by the dealer. Can't find a part/model number on it anywhere and there was no paperwork. The one with the furry fabric. Paid way too much for it but they were the only dealer with the color I wanted and I still got a great price. So far I like it. It went through a horrendous 5.5" rainstorm last weekend and was totally dry inside. The trunk opens plenty wide enough for my usage. Folds up easily and removes quickly. Only thing I don't like is the fabric flapping at highway speeds. Would love to be able to sew on something like velcro strapping to help hold the cover to the aluminum cross bars. Wish I could see the hard top version to compare. Would be nice to have a cover that offered more security but with the trunk and the huge back seat space it is not critical.
Pete

I have had a Torza had hat cover for just about a year and have really loved it. I can put it on and remove it in about a minute, and while it is on I can just flip up the back third to get nearly full access to the trunk and stuff in the front of the bed. I got it from Real Truck with the ROC discount as part of a group buy, and they provided great service and quick shipping.

I have just purchased a Leer topper since for my family of 4, the tonneau cover just barely allowed enough room to put all our camping and mountain biking gear. We needed a tad more room for long road and camping trips and the Leer fits the bill.

If anyone is interested in my year old Torza HardHat cover, please let me know and we'll see what kind of deal we can work out. With the Leer topper on, I will not be using the Tonneau cover so would like it to go to a good home ;) .Do you have any pics of what an installed Hardhat looks like? I like the versatility, but a hardhat cost almost as much as a roll-n-lock or a jackrabbit.

I have had a Torza had hat cover for just about a year and have really loved it. I can put it on and remove it in about a minute, and while it is on I can just flip up the back third to get nearly full access to the trunk and stuff in the front of the bed. I got it from Real Truck with the ROC discount as part of a group buy, and they provided great service and quick shipping.

I have just purchased a Leer topper since for my family of 4, the tonneau cover just barely allowed enough room to put all our camping and mountain biking gear. We needed a tad more room for long road and camping trips and the Leer fits the bill.

If anyone is interested in my year old Torza HardHat cover, please let me know and we'll see what kind of deal we can work out. With the Leer topper on, I will not be using the Tonneau cover so would like it to go to a good home ;) .

I would be interested in the hard hat, let me know what you are thinking with respect to pricing. :D

I would be interested in the hard hat, let me know what you are thinking with respect to pricing. :D

I think he has already sold it. Several days ago he posted in the Trading Post that he had a sale pending. He told Keith he would let him know if the sale fell through....IMHO he should let people know for sure if it has sold.

Thanks for the "heads-up" RRider. :o

Sorry I have been so busy lately that I have not had time to see how this posting was doing!

I have been working a sale with a person in Nova Scotia, the challenge was finding affordable shipping. I thought I had found a solution using the US Post Office. Long story shortened - just yesterday I found out the USPS would not sent it - after hauling the 54 pound big box into the PO - so am working with the buyer to see if he can figure out a way to ship it that is cost effective. If we cannot figure out a way, I will definitely let this board know!

Just an fyi: I was quoted $76 by the USPS to ship from Seattle area to Nova Scotia, Canada (before they told me they could not do it). I then checked with the local mailboxes store and the lowest price was slightly over $200 and that was with UPS.

I am asking $500 for it. Attached is a photo of it on my RL.

Again, please accept my apologies for not keeping my post up to date, I will also go in and update the posting on the trading post section.

Here is the link to my posting in the trading post area: http://www.ridgelineownersclub.com/forums/showthread.php?p=208766#post208766

My HardTop is now SOLD. Thanks to all of you for your interest and patience with me! - Larry

I had crappy service with Torza.

It took for ever to talk to someone about why the left rail would not fit. Nobody returned calls and when they did they were clueless. They told me to drill it, I told them to send me a new one since it does not fit correctly. I get the package, it's the wrong rails. I gave up and drilled it. They seem like bozos there, but I do like the product.

After installing my torza (cloth), I noticed some flapping at highwat speed so I took some velcro and mounted it on the aluminum railing and attached it to the topside of the top and presto no flapping. It only took small pieces; 1"x2".

Based on comments here, and on reported problems with the Retrax and Bakflip, I ordered a Torza Premier from Realtruck.com. The photographs in the instructions are lousy. I actually put the rails on wrong and couldn't figure out why it didn't fit right. I looked at the great photos on this forum and figured out what I'd done wrong. Once I got the rails right, it was easy. It looks great! I'm taking a daughter to college in the morning, so it will be nice to protect her stuff as we head down the highway.

The Torza just seemed to make the most sense for me. I didn't care about being able to lock it. (That's why I have the trunk!) None of the tonneaus seem to be waterproof. I just want to protect camping and kayaking gear. I want to be able to get the tonneau completely off if I need to. I didn't want to lose any of the cargo space in the bed. The Torza comes off easily and goes back on easily once you get the clamps set.

I'll see how it does on the road, but so far I like it!

just out of curiosity do covers help with your gas milage at all?

Definitely NOT! :(

I purchased the Hard Hat and have been very satisfied. Real Truck was very friendly and easy to deal with. Shipping was extremely fast. The product was not labeled except for the shipping label. The instructions were adequate. The screws for the rails were difficult to put in but overall it was a pretty easy installation.

There was minor leaking at the front corners during highway driving in a downpour. The luggage stayed dry and I was impressed. There was more leakage at the same spots during a car wash. The luggage would have been wet.

Trunk opening went from about 30" to 21". I thought it would cause issues but I have yet had any problems getting anything in. I need to remember there is a stop when throwing the door open.

Before installation...

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e211/Hammertoe6566/IMG_1819-1.jpg


After installation...

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e211/Hammertoe6566/IMG_1821-1.jpg

Greetings, I purchased the Torza Premier soft tonneau from Jason @ Burtman and overall am very pleased. First off the order / receiving part of the deal went very well. I ordered it on 8/24 and it arrived yesterday at 4 PM and was installed complete by 5:30. I did have some help ( see attached pics ). I agree with the comments about the instructions. It took me a bit of time to figure out it was necessary to remove the forward upper tiedowns ( middle picture shows hole will not line up ) ..... otherwise it went well.

Greetings, I purchased the Torza Premier soft tonneau from Jason @ Burtman and overall am very pleased. First off the order / receiving part of the deal went very well. I ordered it on 8/24 and it arrived yesterday at 4 PM and was installed complete by 5:30. I did have some help ( see attached pics ). I agree with the comments about the instructions. It took me a bit of time to figure out it was necessary to remove the forward upper tiedowns ( middle picture shows hole will not line up ) ..... otherwise it went well.

Glad you like it :) I do try to ship items asap to get them to you guys fast. If anyone else wants this same cover, shoot an email or call the # from the site as it's not listed yet. I have thousands of items for just about any car, but they will never all be listed on the site. www.burtmanindustries.com

I see some posts that say they are water tight and other that it really isn't. Which is it? For $700 I would like to have a dry bed that I can put all the stuff that my baby boy requires if we go anywere.

It took me a bit of time to figure out it was necessary to remove the forward upper tiedowns ( middle picture shows hole will not line up ) ..... otherwise it went well.

Really... This should not be... Call the company... you require a new set of rails. I don't have the actual top, but use the rails for my homemade tonneau...

Really... This should not be... Call the company... you require a new set of rails. I don't have the actual top, but use the rails for my homemade tonneau...

Greetings xridgelinex, I believe you .... if you look at the middle photo in my post you can see with the tie-down installed the bolt hole is too low and would need to be "enlarged" or I would need another set of "correct" rails. Since the cover would hide those anyway I decided to remove them and the install went smoothly as I mentioned. I'll live with it as the whole thing would come off quickly and I could reinstall them if necessary.

Really... This should not be... Call the company... you require a new set of rails. I don't have the actual top, but use the rails for my homemade tonneau...

Greetings xridgelinex, I believe you .... if you look at the middle photo in my post you can see with the tie-down installed the bolt hole is too low and would need to be "enlarged" or I would need another set of "correct" rails. Since the cover would hide those anyway I decided to remove them and the install went smoothly as I mentioned. I'll live with it as the whole thing would come off quickly and I could reinstall them if necessary.

You may have gotten a hold of some old stock.... There was a post that stated there were some changes in the manufacturing because of this very problem with the holes not lining up correctly... http://www.ridgelineownersclub.com/forums/showpost.php?p=96933&postcount=143 (http://www.ridgelineownersclub.com/forums/showpost.php?p=96933&postcount=143)

What you may not realize is one day you will want to remove the top quickly and use the bed and will wish for those upper tie downs.

Wanted to add a few things about making the bed more water resistant.

I sealed the cracks near the front top of the bed with black silicone.
I'll try and add photo later...

And added a tail gate seal... that made a lot of difference.
thread...http://www.ridgelineownersclub.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1994

Also here are two more photos to show how much the top will open with the Torza Rails
http://www.forumpictureprocessor.com/pictureprocessor/images/DSC01808_1.jpg
http://www.forumpictureprocessor.com/pictureprocessor/images/DSC01809.jpg

Just wanted to share my install of the Torza Hard Hat. Purchased from Realtruck.com for $600 with their 12% off Halloween coupon. Delivered in about 8 days direct from Advantage. The top has a handwritten date in white marker underneath that says 10-18-07, I assume this is the manufacture date, so they must be selling nicely.

The install pretty much went the same as others have stated, so I'll only point out my "difficulties" and comments.

The middle bolts in my bed were very hard to remove with the supplied "allen wrench" torx, I thought I'd have to run out and buy Torx sockets, but managed to get some Visegrips on the wrenchs and they broke loose. The curvature of the bed from front to back made me question if the rails were straight, but they were. I put a stainless washer with a neoprene washer against the rails since I thought I was going to have to really tighten down on the middle bolts to "bend" the rails to fit the bed. When I really tightened them down, I heard a couple "creaks" behind the bed, and I still couldn't get the gasket against the rails between the middle bolts and back of the bed, so I backed the bolts out some. It looks like the gasketing is pretty close against the bed, but not touching everywhere. I think it may be touching lower down, near the bottom of the rail where I can't see, I'll find out when it rains!

I had seen the previously posted problem of the front holes in the rail being drilled too lowand I had this problem, the upper anchor prevented the rail from going high enough to get the bolt in. I made the holes bigger on both sides, probably 1/8" on one side, 3/16" on the other. I guess this problem hasn't been corrected as past posts indicate.

Everything else went fine, the directions were somewhat confusing, since the printing was so dark you couldn't read the pictures to go along with the words. The install is easy, you really don't need directions, other than to understand how the latches work. I'm really happy with the quality of the cover and the fact it can be opened quickly for trunk access and totally removed quickly.

It looks like it will not be waterproof as with all covers. Obvious not sealed areas are around the upper tie downs in front. Everywhere else looks pretty tight. That front tie down area looks not so easy to do a nice (cosmetically) seal job. If you were never to take off the top, you could do silicone, but I think with some additional weather stripping material, I could tighten the front up a little, but I think the water that gets in will be minimal, unless I am parked down hill, in that case I would think a lot of water off the top would run to the cab and down in this area. Overall, I think the water that will get in will be negligable, after all, most things that you would worry about getting wet will be in a plastic storage bin, suitcase, plastic bag etc. It's not like I will throwing loose clothing or computers back there!

A question for all, the extra 61" of sealing material they provide is listed on the bag of parts, but not on the instructions. I did not see anywhere that it looked like this needed to be used. I thought about maybe applying it to the across the front of the bed under the windows, but the rubber seal on the top seems to seal pretty well against the bed by itself. Is this seal supposed to be used anywhere in particular or it just for you to work on those "loose spots"? Where did you put that seal?

I think most of the previous poster's pictures pretty much cover everything, but if anyone wants a picture of anything or has a question, I'd be glad to help.

I think it's for repairs.

I think it's for repairs.

Thanks shovelhd, sometimes when you get so involved in doing these projects, you think you missed something, or you miss the obvious. Like when I had all my body side mouldings organized and lined up and double and tripled checked, but still managed to almost put a lower moulding in place of an upper moulding.

Sure, I understand. I had the same question when I installed mine, but the Torza comes out of the box with weatherstripping all around, even on the inside of the rails. I figured it had to be for repairs.

I love this top. It's the best tonneau I've owned. Thank you Perry Lynch for showing me yours. I wouldn't own one otherwise.

IIRC, the extra weatherstripping was to use if you were trying to make it completely watherproof. I didn't and the leakage is very minimal. I have used some of it for replacement pieces as the weatherstripping "creeps" due to vibration on the rear section of the top.

I finally received my soft top.

I also found the "extra foam tape" and have no idea where it goes ?
Additionally, I must not have received the "new and improved rails" . I had to remove the the top tied down as well ?
It took long enought to get the rails, I almost to hate to ask for additional ones ???

The overall install and top are pretty good.

VTX

We had our first rain last night/this morning with the Torza installed. Only had some water come in at the front tie down areas, which I expected since this area is not sealed. There wasn't that much water and, since I have the Protecta bedmat, the little bit of water went under the mat anyway.

Some time in the future I'll try to seal up those front tie down areas with some gasketing, but since there is so little water, I'm not going to go crazy over it.

I just installed my torza hard hat premiere. pretty straight forward. however, if you go to the torza site http://www.advantagetruckaccessories.com/ the video shows a locking mechanism on the clamp to prevent it from swingling back out for release.. my clamps do not have these. i obviously had the new rails because the holes matched up. my cover was built in november '07.

what do other have for clamps? thanks!

My soft top has locking clamps for the front and non-locking clamps for the rear.

My soft top has locking clamps for the front and non-locking clamps for the rear.

thank you shovelhd, my partner told he didn't see any locks. they are now locked!