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How Tight Should A Tonneau Cover Be?

Edited ByAhnaf Hours Updated onJuly 3, 2022 Categories Guides

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Covering your truck with a Tonneau cover is the easiest and least expensive way to make it look better. When installing it, people often ask, “ how tight should a Tonneau cover be?”

It’s a problem when you can’t get the covers to fit right and the Tonneau covers start flapping. So, you must know the proper fitting of the cover.

The article will answer your question as well as help you to get the proper tightness of your Tonneau cover.

Jump To Right Section
  • How Tight Should A Tonneau Cover Be?
  • How To Maintain The Tightness Of Your Tonneau Cover?
    • Using rubber seals
    • Using Clamps
    • Using adjustable tension
    • Utilizing rail
    • Checking the cover arrangement
    • Using Weather sealing
    • Cleaning and examining
  • FAQs about the tightness of your Tonneau cover
    • What Should I Do If My Tonneau Cover Is Too Tight Or Too Loose?
    • Why The Tightness During Installing Tonneau Cover Is Important? 
    • Why The Flapping Of The Tonneau Cover Is Bad?
  • Final Words

How Tight Should A Tonneau Cover Be?

It’s a tricky question to answer. But to generalize, a Tonneau cover should be as tight as it can be closely fitted to your truck. 

How Tight Should A Tonneau Cover Be?

You should maintain the tightness of your Tonneau cover subtly so that it doesn’t flap in the windy environment.

To maintain this level of tightness, you have to adopt some method we have decided on below.

How To Maintain The Tightness Of Your Tonneau Cover?

Using rubber seals

The soft Tonneau cover can either be rolled up or folded into a trifold configuration; however, it must be properly fitted. These two varieties have a greater propensity to lose their shape and sag in the central section.

Rubber seals are one option for ensuring a watertight fit between the aluminum frame and the sides. The seal must be fitted correctly along each and every edge of the truck.

They will stop the cover from flapping and hold it in place while they are working. Seals made of rubber or any other material can be utilized in this application.

>> Can You Use A Truck Tent With A Tonneau Cover?

Using Clamps

Make use of aluminum clamps in order to provide stability and make trunks more easily accessible. The cover will remain in place and will be held tightly by the clamps. They give the Tonneau cover more support and steadiness.

Adjust the tension on the clamps. When opening or closing the cover, it is necessary to tighten the clamps in order to maintain the cover in place. Making the bracing to become loose and eventually break is possible if the clamps are overly tightened. 

When the lid is held down by clamps, over-tightening the clamps can easily cause the clamps to break or lose their grip on the cover.

Using adjustable tension

Tension is provided in order to maintain a cover in the appropriate state of tightness so that a cover can have greater stability throughout time. 

To ensure that the cover maintains its tautness, the tension adjuster can be mounted on the vehicle, where it will be easily accessible and able to be rolled. 

To secure the lid in place, adjustable tensions can be rolled in either the clockwise or counter clockwise direction.

Take care to maintain an equal level of tension on both sides of the adjustable knob. Both the starting position and the adjustment need to be the same.

How Much Weight Can A Tonneau Cover Hold?

Utilizing rail

Rails can be utilized in order to maintain a stable and secure middle section. Railing requires a significant investment of time and effort. The railings need to be set up correctly and in their respective positions.

This ensures that the cover will remain tight and reduces any pouting that may occur. In addition, we are checking the railings of the seats to ensure that there is no leak. 

It is necessary to lower the seats down in order to conceal any exposed edges.

>> Tri Fold Vs Roll Up Tonneau Cover

Checking the cover arrangement

The cover has a mechanism that allows it to be adjusted so that it can be pulled and lined up from the edges. By implementing this procedure, you will be able to successfully fight and achieve the right fitting.

Taking this procedure will prevent the cover from flapping and sulking in the wind, as well as preventing it from making any noise.

 To verify this, begin adjusting your cover by moving from the top side to the corner sides and working your way down.

First, uniformly pull the sides, and then, using clamps, put it where it should be. When necessary, add additional quantities of the clamps.

Using Weather sealing

If you get a Tonneau cover made of high-quality material, it will maintain its excellent looks and functionality for a longer amount of time. Because some soft Tonneau covers do not come with sealants, you need to make sure that the cover you install has one.

It is possible that leaving the cover in place will help decrease the amount of damage caused by water. If you have a Tonneau cover, the various weather conditions won’t be able to do much damage to your vehicle, and it will be more durable as a result.

>> 7 Best Weather Stripping For Tonneau Cover

Cleaning and examining

In order for the new truck cover to maintain its quality, it needs to be cleaned. ensuring that the components, including the seat and the clamps, are checked regularly and cleaned when necessary. 

Apply a cleaning treatment to the cover, and then dry the surface with a clean towel. The surface will be protected from dust and damage if you do this step.

FAQs about the tightness of your Tonneau cover

What Should I Do If My Tonneau Cover Is Too Tight Or Too Loose?

Adjust the tension with the tension adjusters if your cover is either too tight or too loose. These are hand-tight enable screws which are located on the cover or rail and are of a tiny size.

Why The Tightness During Installing Tonneau Cover Is Important? 

During the process of installation, the cover needs to have an even amount of tension and tightness applied to each screw.
The fluctuating temperature has the potential to cause the cap to become strained if it is not secured securely and loose the desired tightness. 
 This stretch is what ultimately causes the Tonneau cover to flap and deteriorate over time.

Why The Flapping Of The Tonneau Cover Is Bad?

If the flapping starts to deteriorate the quality of the truck, then it needs to be removed as soon as possible. It is possible for the Tonneau cover’s flaps to cause damage to the contents of the cargo when they move. 
If you find that your luggage has become damp while it was stored inside, this may indicate that there is a leak in the system. A new solid cover or a replacement model for the one you already have would be a considerable improvement.

Final Words

We hope you have got the answer to the question, “ how tight should a Tonneau cover be?” At the end of the day, the cover should remain in place and not cause flapping.

Put only the amount of tightness required, no more. Follow the tips we have given above, these points must assist the Tonneau cover in remaining properly tight.

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Ahnaf

Chief Editor @Tonneau Cover Guide (or, in plain English, I'm the guy responsible for ensuring that every blog post we publish on our site is helpful for our readers.

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Save Upto 15% on your Tonneau Cover order!

As we know in this era tonneau cover is a must have tool for every truck owner, that’s why we came up with upto 15% discount for our readers on Amazon. If you click on the button below, we will take you to their exclusive discount page.

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