With a roof rack, your car becomes an all-purpose, trip-taking machine for your active family. Even while basic roof racks are a common feature on many vehicles and SUVs, if your vehicle doesn’t already have one, you can install one yourself.
Whatever your car’s starting configuration—bare roof (no rack at all), roof rails (no crossbars), or complete rack—with these suggestions, you’ll quickly have your gear loaded and prepared for your next family vacation.
In This Article...
What distinguishes roof rails from roof racks?
You’ve probably thought about acquiring roof rails or roof racks if you want to expand your car’s cargo space. The best, safest method to transport luggage, bicycles, kayaks, and a variety of other items that simply won’t fit inside your car is using roof rails and roof racks. To support a roof basket, baggage box, ski rack, bike carrier, or kayak carrier, even a basic roof rail rack foundation may accommodate a wide variety of attachments and accessories.
Roof rails are another easy method to give your car a distinctive appearance and flair while also allowing you to secure cargo to the roof. The information provided here should assist you in choosing between roof rails and roof racks if you want to improve the load carrying capacity of your automobile but aren’t sure which option will work best.
Both roof rails and roof racks let you carry things safely on top of your automobile. This makes them extremely comparable. The direction in which these are positioned on top of your vehicles’ roofs is the key distinction between the two. For instance, roof racks are fitted across the roof and roof rails run the length of the car’s roof attached by feet or other installations.
Roof rails offer points of attachment for crossbars or other add-ons like a cargo box, a ski rack, or a cargo carrier. When necessary, it is simple to add and remove these baggage attachments. Vehicle roofs with flush-mounted roof rails lie flat with no gap between the rail and the roof.
Another distinction between the two is that roof racks are more durable and made to support heavier loads. It is crucial to have roof racks properly fitted since they can select the appropriate kind of roof rack for your requirements. They will also discuss the risks associated with loading the roof rack beyond its capacity.
Surprisingly, most people are unaware of the risks posed by a vehicle top that is overloaded. In addition to endangering the safety of the vehicle and its occupants, an overloaded roof rack can invalidate auto insurance claims in the event that the automobile is involved in an accident and its overloaded roof is found to be the cause.
Does It Fit My Car?
Although most roof rack systems contain some modular parts, your specific options will depend on the year, make, and model of your car. For the majority of vehicles, brands like Yakima and Thule currently provide one or more solutions, but at ReRack, we are able to offer a wide range of options, from now-discontinued designs to the most cutting-edge racks. Contact us if you’re unsure about the parts your car needs! We are glad to assist. See this section of our guide for a description of the common roof rack types.
How Much Is It Going To Cost?
For our clients, price is typically the most crucial consideration. We attempt to stock as many return and used things as we can because you’ll save money and it’s better for the environment (the majority of a rack’s carbon lifecycle occurs during original construction). We also provide a wide selection of brand-new roof racks, of course!
At ReRack, we only offer racks and accessories made by reputable companies like Yakima, Thule, and Rhino-Rack. These roof racks often have greater weight and gear capacities than stock manufacturing racks. The cost of a base roof rack will vary depending on if you want new components, an aerodynamic profile, and the year, make, and model of your car. Complete roof rack systems range in price from about $150 for a secondhand rack on older vehicles to more than $500 for a brand-new, top-of-the-line arrangement that is aerodynamic.
What Do I Want To Carry?
The majority of the time, people purchase a roof rack so they may attach specialized mounts (such as bike racks, kayak carriers, cargo boxes, etc.) to them or because they already have roof mounts. Purchasing a roof rack and roof rack mounts from the same brand is the easiest and least expensive option.
While some goods can be used with several crossbar types, others need additional adapters that must be bought separately or simply won’t function with particular crossbars.
Consider your needs and whether a certain brand is best suited for the equipment you plan to place on your roof rack.
What’s Going To Look Good?
Everyone has own tastes, right? You might choose square or round crossbars; you might need more height; you might prefer silver or black; you might prefer round crossbars or square ones. Before making a choice, compare a few different rack manufacturers because they all have slightly distinct designs.
How long does installing roof bars take?
All of our roof bars include installation instructions, and we also offer some installation tips here. Normally, it takes 15 to 30 minutes to install bars for the first time. After the distances are set correctly, it takes 5 to 10 minutes to install bars again. When bars won’t be used for a while, we advise removing them. Both the amount of gasoline used and wind noise will be reduced.
Can every automobile have a roof rack?
Unfortunately, not all roof racks will fit every car because every car has a different roof profile and requires a roof rack that is specifically tailored to that roof profile. Your car may have a variety of roof designs, including the following:
- And frequently, automobiles devoid of any of the aforementioned
- fabricated rails
- fabricated elevated rails
- Default mounting points
- Gutter systems
Our engineers create and develop legs and fit kits particularly to suit every mounting method to suit the style of roof on your car, not only to look excellent but also to fulfill industry regulations.
Simply visit the Rhino-Rack website, select the Fit My Vehicle page, enter the make, model, and year of your car, and it will show you the roof rack systems and mounting options that are available to you.
What position should roof bars be in?
The bars should be spaced between 24 and 36 inches apart, measured from the same position on each crossbar, unless otherwise specified in the construction instructions. The most support for Thule products mounted on roofs is offered at this distance.
How much space between crossbars is ideal?
The crossbars must have a weight rating at least as great as the weight of the Roofnest and be at least 30 inches apart.
A roof rack: Is it worth it?
Roof racks that span east to west over the roof of your car, like our Whispbar HD and LocknLoad Bars, give you a more secure load. Roof racks are made to support heavier loads of stuff. To prevent the risk of an overloaded vehicle, it is crucial to follow the weight restrictions and not overload the roof rack. It’s important to keep in mind that the majority of insurance companies won’t pay for accidents if your load is greater than the advised maximum.
A vehicle’s roof rails are attached in a north-south direction, parallel to the length of the automobile. Additionally, they give your car an aerodynamic appearance and give you the option to secure goods to the roof that would not otherwise fit in your car. The fact that roof rails are frequently factory fitted means that the rails cannot be used independently. However, a variety of various roof rail additions are available to enhance your stability and load capacity. It’s very simple to attach roof racks to your car’s roof rails. To precisely and safely attach the racks to the rails, make sure to follow the instructions and have a measuring tape on available.
In conclusion, roof rails work well for bigger lighter loads if the proper attachments are used. On their own, roof rails serve as a transporter for bulky objects. Roof racks are the way to go if you want a car roof transport option that offers you the most cargo weight, stability, and safety.
What purpose do car roof rails serve?
A more secure load may be carried on your car’s roof with the help of roof racks like our LocknLoad Bars. Roof racks are made to support heavier loads of stuff. To prevent the risk of an overloaded vehicle, it is crucial to follow the weight restrictions and not overload the roof rack. It’s important to keep in mind that the majority of insurance companies won’t pay for accidents if your load is greater than the advised maximum.
A vehicle’s roof rails are attached in a north-south direction, parallel to the length of the automobile. Additionally, they give your car an aerodynamic appearance and give you the option to secure goods to the roof that would not otherwise fit in your car. The fact that roof rails are frequently factory fitted means that the rails cannot be used independently. However, a variety of various roof rail additions are available to enhance your stability and load capacity. It’s very simple to attach roof racks to your car’s roof rails. To precisely and safely attach the racks to the rails, make sure to follow the instructions and have a measuring tape on available.
For additional information on roof racks, rails, and other advice, visit Yakima’s other blog postings!
How should a roof rack be measured for crossbars?
Crossbar spread is measured from the back of the front bar to the front of the rear bar, not center to center.
Expert Reaction:
The crossbar spread, which is frequently used in conjunction with accessories like roof boxes like # TH6359B, is calculated from center to center. You can determine the crossbar spread needed for a roof box by measuring from center to center of the bar. The majority of roof boxes will tell you the lowest weight the box needs to be supported at and the largest opening it can accommodate. To help, I’ve included the size of this roof box.
A flush roof rail: what is it?
Choose from the roof rack packages listed below if your car has flush side rails on the roof. The side rails on your car that stretch from front to rear and have no room between them and the car are called flush side rails. These kinds of rails frequently contain mounting holes or a ridge where the clip can be fastened. Roof rack bundles from Thule, Yakima, Rhino-Rack, and more brands are available from us.
Once you’ve decided which roof rack you want to buy, input some details about your car, put it in your shopping basket, and proceed to the checkout. Our team will check the fit and give you the proper parts for your particular car.