My Cybertruck experience after 2 Weeks, +6400 Miles and over-landing adventure in Utah

[tbuck]

I have two things that interest me the most. I was able to set my brand new Starlink High Performance dish on the Cybertruck dashboard as a test and I live-streamed several drives from the road and it was fantastic. But I want to install it on the roof using the wedge it comes with (similar to the way Tesla had them on the RC prototypes), which happens to make the dish be perfectly leveled. But the problem is that I can't find a way to leverage the roof rack mounting points. The studs are too short for anything other than the Tesla-branded racks which are out of stock. So I want to make my own. If anyone here has done a custom rack-like installation, let me know which stud extenders you used. I can't find any that fit.

I also need to leverage the frunk and roof wires for electric mods, and I don't know where to find a step-down device for the 48V wires. All the accessories I found that I want to use are 12V and the converters I have found so far, fall short. I will fry them as soon as I turn the power on. Anyone with details on how to use those electrical connections, please let me know. The information on the Cybertruck manual is vague to say the least.

One more thing if anyone has already purchased the following three things from Tesla (together). I want to make sure they all fit at the same time. The Tesla tent, the spare tire kit and a set of three storage bins (out of stock at the moment).

Sounds like a great time!

For the Starlink option, Unplugged Performance has their own set of cross bars. They list them as a set of four - but you may ask about a single or double pack. Once you have something to mount it to, I don't think it would be that big of an issue.
Tesla Cybertruck UP INVINCIBLE® HD Roof Rack Set (unpluggedperformance.com)

For the step-down from 48V to 12V - it really comes down to the power/amps the feed device will pull. TSports Line found that they shutdown when exceeding 400W. If you need something larger thn that, you probably want to look at a 120V power supply supplying 12Vs as that would give you access to more power/amps. You would need to (of course) use one of the outlets.

Finally, for the tent/bins/tire deal - I do not think I have seen anyone install the spare. However, it is just a tire/wheel in a cover strapped to the D-Rings in the bed. If you measure your new tires and check two things: 1) Does it rise above the L-Track when in the bed 2) does it take up more than 36" in the bed.

The reason is this. The bins can fit three wide and two deep. The bed is six feet (72") So, if your tire is 36", you should still fit both.

The L-track question is due to the tent design. The tent sits on top of the L-Track - as long as things do not go above the L-Track, you should be able to fit all three.

I know two forum members posted on the tent and the bins. Perhaps he can add his perspective.
- @TownBiz did a great review of his tent (107) Basecamp Tent Follow-Up Review / Recommendation ?️ | Tesla Cybertruck Forum - News, Discussions, Community - Cybertruckownersclub.com

- @Almost Mars did a post of the bins he acquired and may also help. I think he posted they were 33" on the length. If that is correct, you have a bit of extra room for that spare.
(107) Accessories installed: Molle Vault Cargo Divider + Vault Cargo Bins (Dimensions Inside) + Wheel Center Caps | Tesla Cybertruck Forum - News, Discussions, Community - Cybertruckownersclub.com

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[QuantumGlen]

Hey there. Glad to hear you made it to StarBase. Here is a photo of you charging in Moab, and then a size comparison to my 3 in Farmington!

 

[Gigahorse]

Great writeup. I only have 1700 miles on my truck but can attest to all the things you mentioned. Death Valley, Sequoia, Borrego, all great rides with tons of attention. Quick charging at superchargers too. At home, the biggest surprise was ot being able to charge from 20 to 80% in six hours (low cost period from midnight to six am.) I guess I need to up the CB from 50 to 60 amps.

I too am looking for a good camp setup and can't wait to see what you come up with.

1,700 miles is nothing to scoff at!
You happen to take any pictures of the truck at Sequoia? I think my first big road trip may be there.
Careful if you make the jump from 50-60 amps. Breaker, wire gauge and sheathing, etc all need to be sized up accordingly as oversizing one portion but not the other can be dangerous, especially if your charging it late at night.
Assume you are running 42amp as the limit in the truck?

 

[Gigahorse]

Hey there. Glad to hear you made it to StarBase. Here is a photo of you charging in Moab, and then a size comparison to my 3 in Farmington!

NGL if they sold tires that looked like that in the aftermarket, I might buy them

 

[SONNYDUT]

Nice! I just got CT last week and will take to Moab trails soon.

 

[FL370]

1,700 miles is nothing to scoff at!
You happen to take any pictures of the truck at Sequoia? I think my first big road trip may be there.
Careful if you make the jump from 50-60 amps. Breaker, wire gauge and sheathing, etc all need to be sized up accordingly as oversizing one portion but not the other can be dangerous, especially if your charging it late at night.
Assume you are running 42amp as the limit in the truck.

Thanks, yes, I used 6 gauge wiring in metal sheeting when installing the chargers. All good up to 60 Amps.

 

[Cyber Man]

Love everything you are doing and sharing. ?

I hope Tesla comes up with some accessories to install Star link on the roof, or even better, a factory installed Starlink roof for the CT. That’ll be epic. ?

 

[Gigahorse]

Thanks, yes, I used 6 gauge wiring in metal sheeting when installing the chargers. All good up to 60 Amps.

Beautiful pics, especially the lower one, thanks for sharing.
You using an MC or Teck 90 cable with 6 gauge you should be fine as long as there is nothing else on the circuit.

 

[g7bupw9z]

Hello everyone,

I picked up my Cybertruck on March 4, and here are some of my thoughts.

After 15 days and driving 6,465 miles (drove it locally in the Miami area for about 300 miles and three days later I was on my way to Utah for an overlanding adventure) and with fresh BFG K02 tires, I had an unforgettable experience. The Cybertruck is both a large vehicle and nimble. It drives extremely comfortable but it is also very capable crawling over harsh terrain including very rugged rocky trails, dirt, mud, and sand.

Unfortunately for some people, if you are bothered by having others looking at you and approaching you to ask questions, you're in for a surprise. While we were in public transited areas, the attention was constant. We were only not getting photographed or recorded while we were out in the desert, forests or canyons. In the city the Cybertruck is a constant attention magnet. Even on the highway we noticed most people that had passengers and even some single drivers were constantly capturing images of the truck.

In our case, because of the things we do, this is ok. I am the founder and president of our local officially partnered Tesla owners club, and one of my main goals is to help educate people about all things EV and Tesla. So the attention demanded by the Cybertruck just makes our mission easier.

While on the trails, the truck demonstrated a lot of capability. We did green, blue and even some red trails in Moab. It was impressive to say the least. I would compare it gladly to my old 80s Jeep days without hesitation.

We also drove from Utah to Texas to visit friends near Starbase and did one round of driving around the rocket building facilities.

Overall it was a fantastic trip. But now I need to upgrade a few things to make my next trip even better. So I am seeking for some help or advice from someone that has already done the things I am trying to figure out.

I have two things that interest me the most. I was able to set my brand new Starlink High Performance dish on the Cybertruck dashboard as a test and I live-streamed several drives from the road and it was fantastic. But I want to install it on the roof using the wedge it comes with (similar to the way Tesla had them on the RC prototypes), which happens to make the dish be perfectly leveled. But the problem is that I can't find a way to leverage the roof rack mounting points. The studs are too short for anything other than the Tesla-branded racks which are out of stock. So I want to make my own. If anyone here has done a custom rack-like installation, let me know which stud extenders you used. I can't find any that fit.

I also need to leverage the frunk and roof wires for electric mods, and I don't know where to find a step-down device for the 48V wires. All the accessories I found that I want to use are 12V and the converters I have found so far, fall short. I will fry them as soon as I turn the power on. Anyone with details on how to use those electrical connections, please let me know. The information on the Cybertruck manual is vague to say the least.

One more thing if anyone has already purchased the following three things from Tesla (together). I want to make sure they all fit at the same time. The Tesla tent, the spare tire kit and a set of three storage bins (out of stock at the moment).

I may not get the tent and build my own camper kit, similar to what Space Campers is working on, but I am undecided. We did travel adventures even before having all our EVs (Teslas) so I have a lot of experience adventuring across the country. But the level of fun we have now has been multiplied. It's amazing, and I look forward to many years ahead of fun.

More details will be provided online as I download all the footage captured during this trip. Not sure if it is ok to mention my content channels here, but some of you may already know where I publish my content. If anyone that wants to know, asks, I can respond. But my handle is the same almost everywhere.

Cheers!

Your friend,

Rafael

Updated with spotted photos by @QuantumGlen

I'd love to meet up once I get mine from West Palm Beach! Thanks for sharing!

 

[FL370]

Beautiful pics, especially the lower one, thanks for sharing.
You using an MC or Teck 90 cable with 6 gauge you should be fine as long as there is nothing else on the circuit.

Beautiful pics, especially the lower one, thanks for sharing.
You using an MC or Teck 90 cable with 6 gauge you should be fine as long as there is nothing else on the circuit.

Wirenco 6/3 Metal Clad (MC) Cable with Ground, Aluminum Armored, Stranded Copper Conductors (50Ft Cut) https://a.co/d/g8ocTbN

Only circuit on 50 amps.

 

[Gigahorse]

Wirenco 6/3 Metal Clad (MC) Cable with Ground, Aluminum Armored, Stranded Copper Conductors (50Ft Cut) https://a.co/d/g8ocTbN

Only circuit on 50 amps.

Ah good to go then, crank it up!!!

 

[kpanda17]

Hello everyone,

I picked up my Cybertruck on March 4, and here are some of my thoughts.

After 15 days and driving 6,465 miles (drove it locally in the Miami area for about 300 miles and three days later I was on my way to Utah for an overlanding adventure) and with fresh BFG K02 tires, I had an unforgettable experience. The Cybertruck is both a large vehicle and nimble. It drives extremely comfortable but it is also very capable crawling over harsh terrain including very rugged rocky trails, dirt, mud, and sand.

Unfortunately for some people, if you are bothered by having others looking at you and approaching you to ask questions, you're in for a surprise. While we were in public transited areas, the attention was constant. We were only not getting photographed or recorded while we were out in the desert, forests or canyons. In the city the Cybertruck is a constant attention magnet. Even on the highway we noticed most people that had passengers and even some single drivers were constantly capturing images of the truck.

In our case, because of the things we do, this is ok. I am the founder and president of our local officially partnered Tesla owners club, and one of my main goals is to help educate people about all things EV and Tesla. So the attention demanded by the Cybertruck just makes our mission easier.

While on the trails, the truck demonstrated a lot of capability. We did green, blue and even some red trails in Moab. It was impressive to say the least. I would compare it gladly to my old 80s Jeep days without hesitation.

We also drove from Utah to Texas to visit friends near Starbase and did one round of driving around the rocket building facilities.

Overall it was a fantastic trip. But now I need to upgrade a few things to make my next trip even better. So I am seeking for some help or advice from someone that has already done the things I am trying to figure out.

I have two things that interest me the most. I was able to set my brand new Starlink High Performance dish on the Cybertruck dashboard as a test and I live-streamed several drives from the road and it was fantastic. But I want to install it on the roof using the wedge it comes with (similar to the way Tesla had them on the RC prototypes), which happens to make the dish be perfectly leveled. But the problem is that I can't find a way to leverage the roof rack mounting points. The studs are too short for anything other than the Tesla-branded racks which are out of stock. So I want to make my own. If anyone here has done a custom rack-like installation, let me know which stud extenders you used. I can't find any that fit.

I also need to leverage the frunk and roof wires for electric mods, and I don't know where to find a step-down device for the 48V wires. All the accessories I found that I want to use are 12V and the converters I have found so far, fall short. I will fry them as soon as I turn the power on. Anyone with details on how to use those electrical connections, please let me know. The information on the Cybertruck manual is vague to say the least.

One more thing if anyone has already purchased the following three things from Tesla (together). I want to make sure they all fit at the same time. The Tesla tent, the spare tire kit and a set of three storage bins (out of stock at the moment).

I may not get the tent and build my own camper kit, similar to what Space Campers is working on, but I am undecided. We did travel adventures even before having all our EVs (Teslas) so I have a lot of experience adventuring across the country. But the level of fun we have now has been multiplied. It's amazing, and I look forward to many years ahead of fun.

More details will be provided online as I download all the footage captured during this trip. Not sure if it is ok to mention my content channels here, but some of you may already know where I publish my content. If anyone that wants to know, asks, I can respond. But my handle is the same almost everywhere.

Cheers!

Your friend,

Rafael

Updated with spotted photos by @QuantumGlen

thanks for sharing, great experience report
you are a pioneer, not worthy...
keep posting, im right behind you, good luck

 

[kpanda17]

how confident are we that the Tourneau cover keeps the back dry?

 

[ColonelZ]

I’m also experiencing the constant attention thing. It’s ok but there are sometimes i wish I had more tinted windows.

question; I’ve been really struggling with how to think about cleaning vs. not cleaning the truck. I’d love to not clean it constantly or worry about rain, bugs etc. How do you balance enjoying your life and vehicle versus the anxiety of worrying about damaging the stainless exterior because you didn’t towel it dry after a rain or immediately washed bugs away?

 

[Sjohnson20]

The attention is no joke. Never seen anything like this. Seems like the truck is blonde with a huge set of boobs. People just stare.

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