SyneticUSA retractable tonneau

[$Bill]

I purchased a SyneticUSA MB tonneau cover and it arrived Friday. I paid $800 on sale through Amazon. MSRP is $1k. Obviously, I have no long term details on reliability but initial impressions are extremely positive. This seems really well built.

I believe they did a redesign as the online instruction manual and video are very different than the printed instructions that came with it. Overall, they are very thorough and well written which is different from what online reviews have said. The box had a build date of 1/31/2026.

One thing that really impressed me was the clamp down system. All the other covers I have installed use a C type clamp that grabs on the back of groves on the cover rail and then grabs onto the bed. This cover also must fit 2019 to 2023 Rangers as well, as it included four of those clamps. For the 2024 and up, this has three custom fit clamps on each side, and the back two fasten directly into existing bed holes with two screws each. The front clamp attaches to the cover and then goes under the inside and up the outside. This makes for very easy alignment front to rear and provides for an extremely secure mount. I can’t see it moving anywhere with the truck bouncing off-road.

There’s no such thing as a perfect cover for everyone. This is my first roller shutter cover (as they say down under) and was significantly less expensive than the competition.

No affiliation with SyneticUSA, YMMV, yada, yada, yada. Happy to answer any questions.

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[riseboi]

Thanks for posting! I just picked up my 26 RR less than two weeks ago, and I decided to go with the MR tonneau. Scheduled to be delivered tomorrow. A couple youtube installs and the price convinced me to give it a try.

 

[$Bill]

Thanks for posting! I just picked up my 26 RR less than two weeks ago, and I decided to go with the MR tonneau. Scheduled to be delivered tomorrow. A couple youtube installs and the price convinced me to give it a try.

You’re welcome! Good luck with the install. But it’s very straight forward.

 

[jrRaptor]

Looks nice! Is that a double latch and lock system on each side? The latch covers look exactly like the Retrax, except just on the driver side. Can you use either one or do you have to use/lock/unlock both?

How is the seal at the tailgate with the offset on top of the tailgate on the 2024-2025's? The Retrax doesn't compensate for the offset so there's a huge gap and the rubber seal is virtually pointless.

 

[alrashid2]

Wow this actually looks awesome! The only thing that would keep me away is the double lock requiring a key... I'm in and out of my bed too much to have to deal with that.

My RealTruck MX4 hard trifold is nowhere near waterproof, but it locks with the tailgate since the way to open it is inside the bed. I rather have a wet bed that is secure than this I think. But it looks like a solid design and of good quality despite being much cheaper than realtruck!

 

[BC_Blue]

I got a "free upgrade" to the auto retractable (AR Pro) with the T-slots since they had a stocking issue for the Canadian branch - have to drop the tailgate to get to the lock mechanism but maybe a bit more secure. Retractable has one locking spot midway.. I think the MR you can lock in at any position.

I did RTV silicone the stake pockets but I've had no issues with water intrusion. Seals up quite well - tailgate seal seems good - water drains through the clamp pockets vs down the inside. Front+rear drain tubes seem to do the trick but I did have 1 tube clog up a bit with pine needles.

Once the 2026 rail cap changes were discovered I sent Synetic an email with the forum thread. Looks like they have 2026 as a separate SKU now for most of the models. Admittedly, the new Retrax EZ-Off looks awesome for anyone concerned about losing bed space with the canister.. but triple the price here.

 

[$Bill]

Looks nice! Is that a double latch and lock system on each side? The latch covers look exactly like the Retrax, except just on the driver side. Can you use either one or do you have to use/lock/unlock both?

How is the seal at the tailgate with the offset on top of the tailgate on the 2024-2025's? The Retrax doesn't compensate for the offset so there's a huge gap and the rubber seal is virtually pointless.

It is a double lock and latch on each side. That's the only thing that I don't like so far. You can see in the photo below how the latching/locking mechanism works - that's why there is one on each side.

The seal on the top of the tailgate and the sides of the bed look really good. Of course, Ford didn't do a great job of sealing around the tailgate (or any of the bed) but that can be solved. It doesn't rain much where I live and I haven't washed the truck yet. I'm sure it's going to leak around the tailgate where the cover isn't.

 

[$Bill]

I think the MR you can lock in at any position.

Admittedly, the new Retrax EZ-Off looks awesome for anyone concerned about losing bed space with the canister.. but triple the price here.

The MR can be secured in any position. I hadn't seen the EZ-Off was available for the Ranger when I was looking - but I also didn't want to pay that much. I don't see the canister space being an issue for me.

 

[jrRaptor]

Does look like much better fitment and seal than the Retrax MX Pro. But that double latch does look annoying. Trade offs...

Had this been available (the T-slot version) when I got mine I think it would have been worth the cost savings.

 

[$Bill]

An added potential bonus. I’ve never checked the mileage on this drive without the cover and I don’t make it too often. But this was pretty impressive with the hills involved. First two miles were mostly downhill but slow until I got to the expressway. Truck was in Normal and cruise set at 5 over the speed limit - so it was at 70 then 75 for maybe 15 miles.

 

[jrRaptor]

Does look like much better fitment and seal than the Retrax MX Pro. But that double latch does look annoying. Trade offs...

Had this been available (the T-slot version) when I got mine I think it would have been worth the cost savings.

Sorry RT! No shade to the Retrax MX Pro! I do love it, just with one drawback, 2 if you're on a tight budget. The gap at the tailgate lets so much water through. 1st year product fitment issues. Nothing nonfactual about that. I haven't used this one so I can't personally compare the quality, but it looks nice, fits nice and matches the coutour of the bed rails almost perfectly, and seems to seal better at less cost. Maybe that cost is also reflected in the quality. I'm sure OP will keep us updated. End of the day, the only issue I have is that rear gap, which allows too much water intrusion for my useage. I make do with water proof cases and bags. Not ideal but the Ford Ranger bed is difficult to seal with any cover.

Again, no shade with either cover.

 

[riseboi]

Don't want to hijack OP's thread, buy I got my MR on yesterday, and I'm pretty happy with it. Although, I did have a problem with one of the screws for one of the rail covers. I'm going to contact Synetic about it. In the mean time, I put on spare M6 screw on to secure the cover.

 

[RealTruck]

Sorry RT! No shade to the Retrax MX Pro! I do love it, just with one drawback, 2 if you're on a tight budget. The gap at the tailgate lets so much water through. 1st year product fitment issues. Nothing nonfactual about that. I haven't used this one so I can't personally compare the quality, but it looks nice, fits nice and matches the coutour of the bed rails almost perfectly, and seems to seal better at less cost. Maybe that cost is also reflected in the quality. I'm sure OP will keep us updated. End of the day, the only issue I have is that rear gap, which allows too much water intrusion for my useage. I make do with water proof cases and bags. Not ideal but the Ford Ranger bed is difficult to seal with any cover.

Again, no shade with either cover.

No shade taken at all! Totally understand where you’re coming from, especially with the Ranger tailgate design on these newer trucks making water management a little tougher.

Retrax is definitely a premium cover and the overall build quality is excellent, but your point is still fair.

Appreciate the honest feedback and comparison. That’s exactly what these forums are good for.

Michael
RealTruck Forums Team

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