Installed my RSI Smartcap EVO (Review)

[HeyYoSchmitty]

True. I figured they may have just labeled them all for worst-case (in case of table, side-kitchen, etc). Mine was just the cap though and they still labeled it like that. I doubt I had a 130 pound pallet haha, but who knows!

Same. It's very noticeable with the tent on the rear and the bed loaded down too. I may look in to beefing up the suspension sooner than I originally anticipated. Perhaps with sumo springs or helper bags as a stopgap to level the load in the meantime. I'll be out of town for a while for work here soon so I'll have time to plan out some adjustments while the Jeep sits.

Yeah, I’ve been shopping. Probably the most entry level suspension to deal with our situation is the AEV kit. Even if you pay someone to install it you’re under $2k. But, it’s based on Bilstein’s, which I’ve had on another rig and I hated the ride. I think I may just bite the bullet and jump up to the Clayton Overland Plus and go with Fox 2.0’s. At least then the shock performance should be close to my experience with the stock Rubicon?
Probably just ramblings of a guy who’s tired of driving something that handles like a bathtub.

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[doc-ketamine]

Looks like briandmiles beat me to it on the weight. Like he said, RSI came out and confirmed 170 pounds. My bill of lading showed 300 pounds, if I recall, so don't let that throw you off if you order one and yours also says something crazy.

Thanks to you and @briandmiles for letting me know. #170 doesn’t sound like much in the grand scheme of things, and should be manageable to winch on and off with a little ceiling hook action in the garage. I’ve ordered the MetalCloak GameChanger 3.5” lift and hopefully those springs will be able to handle the weight.

 

[zprovo]

Yeah, I’ve been shopping. Probably the most entry level suspension to deal with our situation is the AEV kit. Even if you pay someone to install it you’re under $2k. But, it’s based on Bilstein’s, which I’ve had on another rig and I hated the ride. I think I may just bite the bullet and jump up to the Clayton Overland Plus and go with Fox 2.0’s. At least then the shock performance should be close to my experience with the stock Rubicon?
Probably just ramblings of a guy who’s tired of driving something that handles like a bathtub.

We took atrip last summer with a month's worth of gear, bikes and 300 lbs of lego in the bed. The truck was SUPER uncomfortable to drive at speed on the highway. It wallowed over bumps and around curves. I know this thing isn't a sportscar, but it was just stressfull. we had a similar trip planned this past december so I put a set of airlift bags on the back. NIGHT and DAY. The truck drove so much better. Best $100 I've spent. I keep them at 15 psi with the smartcap on the back and it's just right when the truck is empty.

 

[TheHops]

We took atrip last summer with a month's worth of gear, bikes and 300 lbs of lego in the bed. The truck was SUPER uncomfortable to drive at speed on the highway. It wallowed over bumps and around curves. I know this thing isn't a sportscar, but it was just stressfull. we had a similar trip planned this past december so I put a set of airlift bags on the back. NIGHT and DAY. The truck drove so much better. Best $100 I've spent. I keep them at 15 psi with the smartcap on the back and it's just right when the truck is empty.

Same exact experience I had. I can't recall where I mentioned it, but at highway speeds I would hit a bump, and the entire vehicle would rock side to side for the next half a mile, gradually increasing in intensity if I didn't let off of the accelerator. It was...annoying, to say the least, considering I was driving from Colorado to Tennessee. It was a long night lol. The soft Rubicon springs are not up to the task of holding a notable amount of extra weight.

Good to know the air bags fixed the issue. I was debating on going with either Sumo Springs, or bags, but I'm just glad to know it's fixable without a full suspension upgrade (which I will eventually be doing anyway).

 

[HeyYoSchmitty]

Same exact experience I had. I can't recall where I mentioned it, but at highway speeds I would hit a bump, and the entire vehicle would rock side to side for the next half a mile, gradually increasing in intensity if I didn't let off of the accelerator. It was...annoying, to say the least, considering I was driving from Colorado to Tennessee. It was a long night lol. The soft Rubicon springs are not up to the task of holding a notable amount of extra weight.

Good to know the air bags fixed the issue. I was debating on going with either Sumo Springs, or bags, but I'm just glad to know it's fixable without a full suspension upgrade (which I will eventually be doing anyway).

Super glad I’m not alone. My wife refuses to drive my truck because she feels it’s unsafe. I wouldn’t go that far but it’s definitely not fun anymore.

 

[WemoVealot]

Yeah, I’ve been shopping. Probably the most entry level suspension to deal with our situation is the AEV kit. Even if you pay someone to install it you’re under $2k. But, it’s based on Bilstein’s, which I’ve had on another rig and I hated the ride. I think I may just bite the bullet and jump up to the Clayton Overland Plus and go with Fox 2.0’s. At least then the shock performance should be close to my experience with the stock Rubicon?
Probably just ramblings of a guy who’s tired of driving something that handles like a bathtub.

For what it's worth, I have the COR Overland Plus and Fox 2.0s ... rides just great ... in fact the comfort increased after I put some weight on.

 

[TheHops]

For what it's worth, I have the COR Overland Plus and Fox 2.0s ... rides just great ... in fact the comfort increased after I put some weight on.

I have a lot of research to do over the next several months to find the optimal route that I want to take for suspension. The amount of choices out there borders on overwhelming.

Super glad I’m not alone. My wife refuses to drive my truck because she feels it’s unsafe. I wouldn’t go that far but it’s definitely not fun anymore.

Unloaded (with just the cap) it rides great still. The suspension feels a bit soft, but it's still very much in control (after the steering box TSB). In "expedition mode" however, that's when it gets a little uncontrollable at higher speeds.

 

[HeyYoSchmitty]

I have a lot of research to do over the next several months to find the optimal route that I want to take for suspension. The amount of choices out there borders on overwhelming.



Unloaded (with just the cap) it rides great still. The suspension feels a bit soft, but it's still very much in control (after the steering box TSB). In "expedition mode" however, that's when it gets a little uncontrollable at higher speeds.

I keep my truck in GO “expedition mode” all the time. So squirrelly is her middle name. Lol.

 

[HeyYoSchmitty]

For what it's worth, I have the COR Overland Plus and Fox 2.0s ... rides just great ... in fact the comfort increased after I put some weight on.

Are you riding on 35’s?

 

[WemoVealot]

Are you riding on 35’s?

34s. Working my way up

 

[HeyYoSchmitty]

34s. Working my way up

That’s awesome. I planned on keeping my tires till they wear out. You’re truck looks great.

 

[Bwitherel]

After about three and a half months of waiting for them to launch the product, my RSI Smartcap EVO finally arrived!

I'm blown away by the quality, and I'm glad that I waited for this one instead of settling for a different option. This checks every box that I had, and I can't wait to get my racks and tent mounted up so that I can take it out.

Check out the video below on my fledgling channel for a walkaround and my impressions. Let me know here or on my build thread if you have any questions.

Yours is one of the videos that sold me on the EVO SmartCap. I just placed order yesterday. Can’t wait to get it. Are you still happy with it? I think you said you lifted it onto bed with just one other person. Any feedback on how you made that happen?

 

[TheHops]

Yours is one of the videos that sold me on the EVO SmartCap. I just placed order yesterday. Can’t wait to get it. Are you still happy with it? I think you said you lifted it onto bed with just one other person. Any feedback on how you made that happen?

Glad that it helped you out!

I'm still very happy with it overall, and the build wouldn't be the same without it. With that being said, I do have a few gripes:

1. I wish that RSI had announced the EVOa at the same time, because I would have rather gone that route. When I purchased the EVO Sport, they said that the EVO Sport and the EVOc were going to be the only offerings.

2. The latches/locks function poorly in cold weather. They freeze in place very easily and take some "convincing" to function. I recommend keeping a small can of lock de-ice handy, or just leaving the rear latches undone if you expect ice/snow.

3. Tight fitment between the tailgate and rear hatch without modification. With that being said, how inconvenient that is is a matter of your own personal tolerance. I personally don't care much, and I simply solve the issue by opening both the tailgate and the rear hatch at the same time. I have seen some people throwing absolute fits about it though, so your mileage may vary.

4. I've had to re-tighten hardware a couple of times. Not a huge deal, and I kind of expected it since the cap is modular. I recommend checking the hardware in the cap every once in a while, or using some light-duty loctite.

It's an absolutely fantastic cap, and RSI seems to have fixed the shipping damage issues that they had previously. They changed up their packaging quite a bit, and may have also changed to a new distributor, but either way I haven't seen a report of a damaged cap showing up in quite some time.

I lifted it pretty much solo. My girlfriend helped support it, but she's barely as tall as the side of the truck bed, so yeah...lol. To be honest, I have like a 6'8" wingspan and am fairly strong, so I'm definitely in the minority as far as this kind of stuff goes. I regularly remove/install my hard top solo, and install/remove my rooftop tent as well. As far as the SmartCap though: I moved it to the side of the bed, and sat it on the ground in position on its side. Then I climbed in the bed, sat on the edge of the bed rail, and gradually lifted it up while she supported it and kept it from hitting the side of the bed until it cleared the bed rail, then I let it roll on to my back and I basically wore it like a turtle shell, kneeling in the bed, while I inched it in to place. Not optimal at all, but I made sure everything was padded with spare sheets/blankets I use in the garage. Nothing was scratched or damaged in the process. With that being said, I'd recommend at least two people that are capable of lifting in order to make it easier. Between two people, it's only about 85 pounds a piece.

You'll love the cap. In my opinion, it's still the best one out there.

 

[Bwitherel]

Glad that it helped you out!

I'm still very happy with it overall, and the build wouldn't be the same without it. With that being said, I do have a few gripes:

1. I wish that RSI had announced the EVOa at the same time, because I would have rather gone that route. When I purchased the EVO Sport, they said that the EVO Sport and the EVOc were going to be the only offerings.

2. The latches/locks function poorly in cold weather. They freeze in place very easily and take some "convincing" to function. I recommend keeping a small can of lock de-ice handy, or just leaving the rear latches undone if you expect ice/snow.

3. Tight fitment between the tailgate and rear hatch without modification. With that being said, how inconvenient that is is a matter of your own personal tolerance. I personally don't care much, and I simply solve the issue by opening both the tailgate and the rear hatch at the same time. I have seen some people throwing absolute fits about it though, so your mileage may vary.

4. I've had to re-tighten hardware a couple of times. Not a huge deal, and I kind of expected it since the cap is modular. I recommend checking the hardware in the cap every once in a while, or using some light-duty loctite.

It's an absolutely fantastic cap, and RSI seems to have fixed the shipping damage issues that they had previously. They changed up their packaging quite a bit, and may have also changed to a new distributor, but either way I haven't seen a report of a damaged cap showing up in quite some time.

I did lift it solo. To be honest, I have like a 6'8" wingspan and am fairly strong, so I'm definitely in the minority as far as this kind of stuff goes. I regularly remove/install my hard top solo, and install/remove my rooftop tent as well. As far as the SmartCap though: I moved it to the side of the bed, and sat it on the ground in position on its side. Then I climbed in the bed, sat on the edge of the bed rail, and gradually lifted it up until it cleared the bed rail, then I let it roll on to my back and I basically wore it like a turtle shell, kneeling in the bed, while I inched it in to place. Not optimal at all, but I made sure everything was padded with spare sheets/blankets I use in the garage. Nothing was scratched or damaged in the process. With that being said, I'd recommend at least two people to make it easier.

You'll love the cap. In my opinion, it's still the best one out there.

Great feedback. I was aware of the shipping damage early on, but I read that RSi solved that problem. I also read recently that they solved for the thickness of the rubber shims to provide better clearance at tailgate - calling a regional person at RSI tomorrow to confirm. I live in a warmer climate, so no freeze issues. I can appreciate you wanting the EVOa, but to be honest, I prefer the Sport...either way it is the best looking cap on the market. I wouldn’t get a cap at all if I couldn’t get this one - that is how much I like the look of this cap on the JT. Thanks for all the info!

 

[TheHops]

Great feedback. I was aware of the shipping damage early on, but I read that RSi solved that problem. I also read recently that they solved for the thickness of the rubber shims to provide better clearance at tailgate - calling a regional person at RSI tomorrow to confirm. I live in a warmer climate, so no freeze issues. I can appreciate you wanting the EVOa, but to be honest, I prefer the Sport...either way it is the best looking cap on the market. I wouldn’t get a cap at all if I couldn’t get this one - that is how much I like the look of this cap on the JT. Thanks for all the info!

As far as the EVOa, I just personally have no need for windows. I could utilize the extra storage space, and the EVOa is $500 cheaper I believe, last I looked. I was just a little bummed they announced it so quickly after launching the Sport, after saying that they had no plans for anything else. That's not a ding on the product itself though of course.

I thought about the ARE HD, but you have to use their own crossbar system in order to achieve the advertised load capacity, which would have interfered with my plans for a full rack, so it wasn't an option. RSI was the best all-around for me.

No problem at all. Glad I could help!

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