Tacoma and Project M thoughts

[rbdudeman]

I would love to add a Project M or competitor's topper to my '21 Tacoma. The Tacoma is a 4x4 and has about a 1200lb payload. For those who have a PM or equivalent, can you share your thoughts good and bad. I've done some forum research but would love to hear anymore thoughts. One big concern is I would llike to hear what it did to your daily drive, meaning how much does it drag on the engine.? Does it seem like it's not there or do you notice you have to overcome its weight and profile by stepping hard on the accelerator, otherwise it's bogging down the engine? Also my gas is somewhere between 15 city and 20 highway as long as I'm ddriving conservatively. What did you notice to your mpg drop...? Thanks in advance for any responses!

 

[rubberlegs]

We have a heavier camper than the "M" on our '18 Tacoma. Gas mileage drop is about 25% -- from about 22 down to 17-ish. But we drive slowly. Our last trip we needed to rush a bit more, and there were headwinds, so our mileage was more like 14-15 mpg, and one tank was 13. Ouch. Since when I drive at about 60 mph, we've averaged 18 over the life of the combination. But when my wife drives...!! We won't talk about it!

It's not a very aerodynamic setup, plus the weight is a factor.

 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

My son-in-law just put a Super Pacific topper on his Dodge 1/2 ton. They’re very light, and perhaps more aerodynamic. My guess is it’s not more than 400 pounds. IMO, it’s one of the better wedge style toppers.