[JTDTacoma]

It came with my new Extang Trifecta tonneau but the Tacoma's tailgate already shuts pretty tight. Is it worth using?

 

[Splicer]

The tailgate shuts snugly but I don't think it seals out dust or water very well. We had a tailgate seal kit (weatherstripping) installed when we bought our hard tonneau, and the bed area stays clean & dry. I can't say for sure how much the seal kit helped since we never had the tonneau on without it.

How's that for a not-so-helpful reply? :lol:

 

[6shooter]

you can see daylight for days through the corners of the tail gate. i say use it if you want it to stay dry.

 

[Jarhead57]

I used to get heavy dust/moisture thru the gate into my shell until I put one on mine, made a world of difference.

 

[05Moose]

I've had the Leer Tonneau on for a couple of years now and have hauled boxes (cardboard here) in both pouring rain and snow on the freeway. I've never put the seal around the tailgate because I wanted to see if I ever got water in through the "gaping" gap. Never have, so I've never needed the seal. But, what gets in there a lot is dust when driving on dirt roads! So, put it on/keep it on if you don't want dust in the bed.

One area I had to seal to keep water out is the front corners at the seams where the sides meet the front. There's a gaping hole on each side under the top lip of the bed. Tons of silicone to seal.

 

[UVA Dad]

I installed the tailgate seal kit but then the tailgate was real hard to close. There was too much rubber being pinched, so I removed the bottom strip. I get very little water in the bed.

 

[brohloff]

Put an Access Cover on my '07. Didn't use the tailgate seal either. Too tight, didn't want to stay in place.
The openings around the tailgate don't seem to let water in as the bed is always dry. But when driving a lot on gravel or dusty roads the bed does pick up a lot of dust.

 

[JTDTacoma]

You're right UVA Dad, I just put mine on and couldn't shut the tailgate with the bottom strip in a place it would do any good so I just did the sides. There is still a place in each bottom corner that shows light through but couldn't figure out a way to plug em. Got the sides though and it shuts fine.