SMART CAP EVO SPORT

[RotorHead695]

I’m thinking of getting this same setup. I have a Decked drawer system too, so I’d be 450lbs in the bed before adding my dog, his kennel, hunting and recovery crap, cooler, and me. Seems like new springs are in my future.

Curious how the heat is inside the bed? My understanding is these steel caps run notably hotter than fiberglass ones, but do you have any opinion on that?

It's black and metal with no insulation, so yeah, I could see it running hotter than fiberglass in direct sun. I live in the Pac NW so we don't get too many really hot days. You could possibly line it with solar insulation to help reflect heat.

@K9 EXPERT - It's called a positive pressure air vent. I've never been back there with the truck in motion to see how much air it actually moves, but it did make a difference on the amount of dust that got in my canopy in desert environments from previous experiences. It also helps clear up any moisture on the interior of the windows. That being said....visibility through the rear window is worse with this canopy than any other I've ever owned because how RSI designed the window to the cab. Pretty much side mirrors only.

 

[K9 EXPERT]

It's black and metal with no insulation, so yeah, I could see it running hotter than fiberglass in direct sun. I live in the Pac NW so we don't get too many really hot days. You could possibly line it with solar insulation to help reflect heat.

@K9 EXPERT - It's called a positive pressure air vent. I've never been back there with the truck in motion to see how much air it actually moves, but it did make a difference on the amount of dust that got in my canopy in desert environments from previous experiences. It also helps clear up any moisture on the interior of the windows. That being said....visibility through the rear window is worse with this canopy than any other I've ever owned because how RSI designed the window to the cab. Pretty much side mirrors only.

Rotorhead, do you actually own a truck with a Smart Cap installed? What you said about heat makes perfect sense and I never thought of it like you described when compared to fiberglass. However, the Snugtop I current have gets way too hot inside to keep a dog, moving or not. Because the Smart Cap will allow a person to fully open both side windows and well as the read door, when stopped the Smart Cap will have better ventilation. Essentially the side windows are about the same size as the rear door. I also have two fans https://www.prairielogic.com/products/9-kooler-fan inside the shell that that will help move the air. On a side note, I called Smart Cap this morning and was told if ordered within the next week, it will arrive during the “second quarter”. A new factory is due to come on line in Texas in March.

 

[RotorHead695]

Rotorhead, do you actually own a truck with a Smart Cap installed? What you said about heat makes perfect sense and I never thought of it like you described when compared to fiberglass. However, the Snugtop I current have gets way too hot inside to keep a dog, moving or not. Because the Smart Cap will allow a person to fully open both side windows and well as the read door, when stopped the Smart Cap will have better ventilation. Essentially the side windows are about the same size as the rear door. I also have two fans https://www.prairielogic.com/products/9-kooler-fan inside the shell that that will help move the air. On a side note, I called Smart Cap this morning and was told if ordered within the next week, it will arrive during the “second quarter”. A new factory is due to come on line in Texas in March.

Yes, I do have one on my truck, for about a year now. The side doors are about the same size as the rear hatch. I would agree, I would not leave my dog in there sealed up. I think you'd be fine with the side doors opened while at a stop, they are literally almost the size of the side of the canopy. Here are a bunch of random pictures...sorry I don't have any with the side doors opened.

 

[K9 EXPERT]

Thanks for sharing and I like it! The Smart Cap has more interior space than my Snugtop. The Snugtop has a 3-4 inch thick roof and the Smart Cap does not…again many thanks! Now I just need the orange Raptor I ordered in July to arrive!

 

[Ox3721]

I didn't do it for leveling, I did it for the improved ride and stability. Have you actually driven a Raptor with the springs changed out or are you just making assumptions, because it's night and day difference. Replacing springs will always be in my "new truck budget" from now on. Regardless of the front springs, the rear leafs in the Gen 2 are trash. Just search for the pictures of flat leaf springs on the Gen 2s...haha.

Sorry if my comments confused you. Or maybe you didn’t read it all.

Anyway, I didn’t mean to say that changing rear springs and leveling were the same or even related.

I agree there may be benefits to using other than OE rear coils for specific applications.

With all due respect, I’m not the one making assumptions. You are. You are assuming the OE rear coils on the G3 Raptor are trash like you claim the leafs are on the G2.

I’m hopeful that Ford and Fox spent some time on development to come up with a best compromise calibration for the “average” user.

To answer your question, no I have not driven a G3 Raptor with different rear springs, nor do I know of anyone who has.

 

[RotorHead695]

Sorry if my comments confused you. Or maybe you didn’t read it all.

Anyway, I didn’t mean to say that changing rear springs and leveling were the same or even related.

I agree there may be benefits to using other than OE rear coils for specific applications.

With all due respect, I’m not the one making assumptions. You are. You are assuming the OE rear coils on the G3 Raptor are trash like you claim the leafs are on the G2.

I’m hopeful that Ford and Fox spent some time on development to come up with a best compromise calibration for the “average” user.

To answer your question, no I have not driven a G3 Raptor with different rear springs, nor do I know of anyone who has.

Sorry...if I wasn't clear, but the front coil change is also a night and day difference for handling and stability. Have you ever put yours through any hide speed runs on rough terrain or technical off-roading yet? I have with mine and would never go back to stock. My personal belief is that Ford could have spent more on the springs, but know a large portion of the Raptor customer base don't actually off-road their truck on anything but service roads, if at all. Let's face it...a majority of Raptor owner have mallcrawlers and Starbucks getters.

 

[K9 EXPERT]

I had it installed yesterday and took it to the car wash. It leaked significantly from the top air vent. I contacted the company and below is the copied and pasted response. Needles to say I’m not happy.

Thank you for completing the claim for us and apologies for the hassle with the vent leak. Let's see if we can get to the bottom of this for you and get it sorted.

Would you kindly let me know when the leaking occurs? is this during normal operation or while going through a car wash? Does your truck park with the nose facing downhill? A couple of pics of the leaking would be great as well. With this info, I can open an incident for record purposes and report back to the plant.

If the vent leaks during normal operation - We would need to check the vent filter is installed all the way to the ends. This can be checked from the inside of your cap looking out of the vent. Light will be visible in the corners. If this is the case, the vent cover and filter foam will need to be removed. The filter foam then reinstalled, working from the centre of the vent towards the outsides. The access foam then pushed into the corners to close up the gaps. The image below shows filter foam not installed correctly.



If the vent only leaks at the car wash - The high-pressure dyer is forcing the water lying on the roof back through the filter foam and into your truck bed. This is unfortunate accordance and cannot be prevented at this time. The design team have investigated adding a filter foam that is denser than the current which has 20 pores per inch. If the filter is changed to have fewer pores per inch, then there will be no airflow through while driving which will then create a dust issue. As such, it was decided to keep the filter as is.

If the truck is parked with its nose downhill - This will allow water to build up against the raised lip of the vent and spill over into the truck bed. this is another issue that does not have a solution other than parking on level ground.

Once you have let me know when the leaking happens and sent some pics, we can work from there.


I replied that I would rather deal with water than dust and asked for recommendations to plug the vent!

 

[RotorHead695]

I had it installed yesterday and took it to the car wash. It leaked significantly from the top air vent. I contacted the company and below is the copied and pasted response. Needles to say I’m not happy.

Thank you for completing the claim for us and apologies for the hassle with the vent leak. Let's see if we can get to the bottom of this for you and get it sorted.

Would you kindly let me know when the leaking occurs? is this during normal operation or while going through a car wash? Does your truck park with the nose facing downhill? A couple of pics of the leaking would be great as well. With this info, I can open an incident for record purposes and report back to the plant.

If the vent leaks during normal operation - We would need to check the vent filter is installed all the way to the ends. This can be checked from the inside of your cap looking out of the vent. Light will be visible in the corners. If this is the case, the vent cover and filter foam will need to be removed. The filter foam then reinstalled, working from the centre of the vent towards the outsides. The access foam then pushed into the corners to close up the gaps. The image below shows filter foam not installed correctly.

View attachment 340039

If the vent only leaks at the car wash - The high-pressure dyer is forcing the water lying on the roof back through the filter foam and into your truck bed. This is unfortunate accordance and cannot be prevented at this time. The design team have investigated adding a filter foam that is denser than the current which has 20 pores per inch. If the filter is changed to have fewer pores per inch, then there will be no airflow through while driving which will then create a dust issue. As such, it was decided to keep the filter as is.

If the truck is parked with its nose downhill - This will allow water to build up against the raised lip of the vent and spill over into the truck bed. this is another issue that does not have a solution other than parking on level ground.

Once you have let me know when the leaking happens and sent some pics, we can work from there.


I replied that I would rather deal with water than dust and asked for recommendations to plug the vent!

How much water you getting in?

I get some when going through car washes too, but it's not much and I expected it given the design. I even went through a wash with my battery powered chainsaw sitting underneath it the other day and wasn't worried by the amount I knew would get through.

Pretty much every canopy I've even owned get some water inside when going through washes, so doesn't bother me. At least the airflow dries it out when my previous ones didn't. I don't get any leaking parking nose down. In comparison we have to park our Jeep nose up so it doesn't fill up with water....at least this is in the bed....lol.

 

[K9 EXPERT]

How much water you getting in?

I get some when going through car washes too, but it's not much and I expected it given the design. I even went through a wash with my battery powered chainsaw sitting underneath it the other day and wasn't worried by the amount I knew would get through.

Pretty much every canopy I've even owned get some water inside when going through washes, so doesn't bother me. At least the airflow dries it out when my previous ones didn't. I don't get any leaking parking nose down. In comparison we have to park our Jeep nose up so it doesn't fill up with water....at least this is in the bed....lol.

There was enough water to ensure clothes inside luggage would not be useable. I train dogs and if my bite suit was in the bed, I would need to wait for it to dry before taking hits. That said, Smart Cap did get back to me quickly and are looking for a fix. I was also contacted by the place I purchased it, Custom Trucks in Garden City. The owner said, if requested, he would refund my money. However, after I told him I care more about water than dust, he suggested I seal the vent with butyl tape. Actually he offered to do it, but I bought some tape and just finished, hopefully it works! I think the cap looks awesome, but it needs to work.

 

[K9 EXPERT]

Butyl tape worked like a charm, it is now watertight, even in a car wash!