I recently bought a new 2002 Ram 1500 4 door 4WD truck, and I love it.

Questions though...

What are the options re: tonneau covers?  I'd love to have a cover, (keep rifle cases and such dry and out of view) but it has to be something I can remove fairly easily to haul big stuff when I want to.  Is fabric snap-down the only option?

I'd also like a box in the back to keep things secure.  This could be either in addition to, or in lieu of the tonneau cover.  My truck is graphite gray, and I don't think shiny diamond plate would look good.  Other options?  This may be a dumb question but are those boxes screwer into the siderails?

Also, I see people that change the exhaust systems on their trucks.  Does this serve a PURPOSE other than looking and sounding cool?  As you can tell, I'm not a "car guy" so I don't need to bolt anything on just to impress the girls.

Does it affect gas mileage, warranty, etc.?

Thanks very much for any help you can render.  Pics and links would be great too!

dd

Most exhaust systems are installed just to make their car sound cooler.  In fact alot of people actually tune the exhaust till it sounds like they want it to sound.  Of course most rice rockets with them installed just sound like really loud blenders, can't stand it.  

There are some you can get good ones that will increase tourque along with the sound.  If you really want to soup it up, get a dual exhaust system and a better catalytic converter.

Pace Edwards ( http://www.paceedwards.com ) and Roll-N-Lock ( http://www.roll-n-lock.com ) make some nice retractable hard-top bed covers. They don't take up much space in the front of the bed when they're retracted.

Your local Tractor Supply Co. ( http://www.tractorsupplyco.com ) store is a good place to check out a  decent selection of toolboxes. Unlike on some other items they sell, their toolbox prices are pretty reasonable, too.

Personally, I'm not a huge fan of cutting off and throwing away an almost-new exhaust system, just to (hopefully) get a more pleasing tone and maybe a couple of extra horsepower . On an older vehicle that already NEEDS a new exhaust system, it makes more sense. Flowmaster and Borla tend to be very overpriced for the materials and construction quality they use, while Dynomax has a good reputation for quality at a reasonable price.

(edited, since this board doesn't seem to like hot links today!)

[url]www.paceedwards.com[/url]

[url]www.roll-n-lock.com[/url]

[url]www.tractorsupplyco.com[/url]