Roof box on Tacoma or other truck

Thinking about putting a roof box on my Tacoma/Truck. I have a few questions:

1.) Cab or Cap?

2.) Low profile roof box suggestions?

3.) is the height a factor?

4.) How's the MPG affected for those with experience

Any and all input would be helpful...cheers

Dave Schultz wrote:I got a Thule box for mine. It's probably 140ish cm so not long enough for any skis. I think its about 14 or 16 cubic feet, so it's pretty large (fairly wide and reasonably tall). It does a great job of storing items I brought but probably won't need quickly or repeatedly. It also allows more volume in the cab for passengers (and getting your front seat to recline all the way to sleep). The MPG is certainly affected, but mine is not significant. I've got a F250 diesel and it's pretty consistent mileage no matter what I'm doing. A Tacoma, especially if it's an older one with a smaller engine, will have more a MPG loss. A newer with a more powerful engine will be somewhere in the middle. Overall, if your looking for more room, and you don't want to get a full bed enclosure the roof box is a good idea. Also, what are you doing with the bed? Do you have a cover? Does it lock and are you comfortable leaving gear in there? If you don't have anything, or just a soft cover, you could look into the various companies out there that produce a hard and lockable cover. I have a Roll N Lock and it was expensive four years ago when I got it, but it's been so nice to have. Hope it helps, Dave

Thanks for the reply.....The bed has a cap on it and the inside is built out for camping. I would like more storage for when I am traveling with 3 people. I don't like to put gear inside the Cab and there isn't room for seasonal gear inside the truck cap (plus it is too simple to break into the truck cap).

Overall, I can get a good deal on (thule) roof boxes with my job and would like the extra storage for items that I would like to always carry but may not use all year round.

Also the truck is a 2012 Access Cab Tacoma with the 4-cylinder engine/

any experience with 4 cylinder truck with roof box?

any experience with 4 cylinder truck with roof box?

I've put them on the cap of my Tundra a couple of times. Small mileage hit but it has the big V-8. When I put the side brackets (artificial gutters) on the cap I put bolt hangars on the inside to give me some additional storage options and places to clip lights when camping out of the back.

I had mine on top of my tacoma 6 cyl. truck cap and noticed a 1-2 mpg loss. This was never enough for me to worry about as all the extra space justified it. Mine is an older yakima box around 200cm long and probably 16" inches tall. About the same wide. Definitely worth it, but getting one of the newer style thule boxes with the easy to remove feet makes it so that you can take it off when you're just driving around near home. Also, my theory is that if you move it back onto the truck cap, then the wind comes up the windshield and blows over the box. Not positive this is the case, but it would seem to me you would push more air the further forward the box sticks. Have fun out there!

Thule Sonic is going to be the most fuel efficient of the larger boxes. There's also the Pulse Alpine which is designed for ski carry..more narrow but longer than the other boxes. That in itself will also save gas mileage.

Not too bad of a mpg hit on 4 cyl. Tacoma with tall Lear cap. Only put it on for road trips, rather have bikes inside.

Maybe 1-2 mpg loss.

I just put a Thule on our minivan. It handles beautifully.

I tracked mileage on a previous solo trip without any box and the trip we just did with box, but the other difference was overall weight. Solo trip had gear just for me and no roof box, this trip included my wife and her gear and our two dogs. I estimate probably about 300-320 lb more.

Solo without the box and running lighter, 25mpg

Initially with box and extra weight, 20.5 mpg

Then I noticed it protruded slighly forward of the natural curvature over windscreen to the roof, so shifted the box back a little so it lines up better. Saw about 1 mpg better performance. Now after that adjustment mileage went up. Now, 21-22mpg