PrInSu Design Studio - 80 series roof rack

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zscott said:
Sorry for the late arrival here you guys, since I am not a cruiser owner myself I typically spend most of my time on the Tacoma forums. Since this is my first post I will make a few things clear and introduce myself as well. I am Zach, owner of PrInSu Design Studio. For the time being I am not here to sell or promote the buying of my product. Forums have strict rules about selling and "soft selling" and I don't want to overstep my boundaries until I can properly contribute to the forum as other vendors do. That being said, Adam is probably getting overwhelmed with all the questions thrown his direction. I really appreciate him taking on all the questions up till now and never expected such an enormous response to this rack. I will try to answer as many questions as I can on here but realize that I work full time outside of PrInSu so my responses may be delayed sometimes.

I got an email from jeffro109 with some questions so I will try and start there.

1. height of top of rack over roof line (say a few points like at sunroof, rear, etc)?

I will defer to Box Rocket for these measurements. Our goal was to leave about 1" of clearance from the tallest part of the roof. We hit that about perfect, maybe even a little less. That being said, other than looking at the tallest point I didn't take measurements elsewhere to see.

2. will it be offered in the prototype height or just the stated 1 inch higher profile?

The rack will likely be offered in only one height. The prototype model on Boxrockets truck might clear the factory luggage strips but it would be close. By adding a 1/2" you then have clearance without a noticeable difference in height. It also gives the wind deflector and the rear crossbar a bit more clearance which were both minor concerns I had on BR's rack.

3. can you drop tie downs in without taking the bars out? If not, can you fix that issue from the start or would we need to break out the grinder?

The current option requires you to undo the screws at the end and slide the tie downs in. Various types of tslot nuts can be purchased that drop in from the top. I haven't used those personally but my customers have with good success. It is possible to have the crossbars machined with an "access point" like boxrocket showed above. I have refrained from doing this because it adds to the cost, about $3-5 per crossbar which adds $50 to the entire rack. If enough people wanted this then I could make it an option, however my racks are built to provide the best solution at the lowest cost. Using a drill, grinder, or rotary tool could produce a similar function for those that want it without them having to spend the money. Again its really up to each person. I want to be able to save people money where I can though.

4. can the sides just be anodized vs powder coat?

The sides could be anodized, however unless done in large quantities it isn't cost effective. The extrusion crossbars are a standard industrial product. TSLOTS or 80/20 makes this profile standard and sell it all over the world. They have massive tanks to do the anodization and produce anodized versions in large quantities. I simply don't have the volume to do this with the side plates so powdercoating has been a better value. Personally I also think PC is a little better. It is a thicker coating so it holds up to dings and scratches a little better. Anodizing excels on the crossbars because it can be easily distributed into the small spaces of the extrusion. PC tends to go on uneven inside the TSLOTS and sometimes to thick which causes the tslots to be less useful.

5. is the hardware very corrosion resistant?

This is the best solution for hardware I have found. It is a black zinc finish. Essentially the same thing as normal zinc plated but with a darker coloring. Due to the weight and size of the machine screws they get a more tumbled look than the smooth washers and lock washers but that is my only complaint. Aside from powdercoating the screws or painting them this is the next best thing.

6. approximate weight?

I didn't stick this on the scale and haven't shipped any yet but my tacoma racks with similar build materials are ~40lbs boxed up to ship. 35-38 lbs installed. This rack is longer and has more crossbars and more mounting hardware so I would estimate the rack being ~60lbs give or take a few pounds.
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Thanks zscott. I can't wait to receive mine! Are you still looking good for a early April ship date even with my air dam cut for a light bar?
 
Guys: Thanks for answering all the questions! You have confirmed my thoughts on all these and we can each make our own decisions on what are deal-breakers. because you will never satisfy 100% of the people 100% of the time.

Your last round of questions and answers got everything I was looking for. NLXTACY's questions enhanced into a little more detail for what I was looking for and you were able to show pics of the areas in question.

I am not in the market for a rack YET, but this is definitely my favorite thus far and I really like the modular design. I still have my factory roof rack, so no work until that is gone.

Great design, excellent package-ability for shipping, and good price-point as far as I'm concerned. Thanks for your contribution to the 80's!
 
danadog said:
Thanks zscott. I can't wait to receive mine! Are you still looking good for a early April ship date even with my air dam cut for a light bar?
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Can you explain a little what you are thinking? Reason I ask is it seems there are perfect mounting mounts to attach a light bar already there. Do you already have a mounted light bar and you are just notching for it?
 
NLXTACY said:
Can you explain a little what you are thinking? Reason I ask is it seems there are perfect mounting mounts to attach a light bar already there. Do you already have a mounted light bar and you are just notching for it?
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probably something like what Zach has done on his own Tacoma. You can see his deflector notched to set the lightbar back a bit and protect it more.
IMG_5560_zps821aa9bb.jpg
 
Oh nice.

I see another advantage to this design and that is for wire routing. You can conceal most of it along the rack and then run it down thru the Snorkel without much of a gap. I've always prevented myself from drilling in the roof (no real reason not to, just haven't want to).
 
NLXTACY said:
Can you explain a little what you are thinking? Reason I ask is it seems there are perfect mounting mounts to attach a light bar already there. Do you already have a mounted light bar and you are just notching for it?
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NLXTACY, Boxrocket hit the nail on the head. I asked Zachary if he could notch the fzj80 wind defector like he has done for his tacoma. He said he can do it but the notch won't be as deep as there isn't the same dimensions avilable to work with. I plan to add a 30" light bar in the future. I would have done it right now but I lost 30% in the currency conversion securing my place in line for a roof rack. That money should have gone to Land Crusher toys, not currency conversions.
 
This is the most innovative design I have seen in a roof rack in quite some time. I have been looking at racks for a few months and hadn't seen one that I was willing to spend money on. There are plenty of nice racks out there but just didn't think they were all that special. This one is.

Now, if PrinSu Design Studio only made cup holders... :flipoff2:
 
@zscott if there is a group buy, please let me know, if not, please PM me or email back for expected times on rack builds. Ready to purchase.

From the latest pictures, the rack looks shorter or about the same as my current Yakima bars and I can get in the garage with them on.


is this small vendor redemption hour???:hmm:
 
I wish I hadn't dropped nearly 1200 on an underdawg rack. I may just have to eat that as a loss as I want one of these.
 
@zscott I think this was asked already, but I did not see an answer. Appologies if I missed it.

Can the TEQ logo cut out be included as part of the design. I personally, and I am sure most on here really like that design element. Not a deal breaker if it can't, but it does add to the appeal.

I too would like to understand what the lead time is for shipping once payment is made.
 
Couple of responses.

With the light bar wiring, on the Tacomas we have actually been tucking the wire into the small gap between the windshield and the A pillar. No drilling required and you can't even tell it is there. I didn't look close at the cruiser to see if a similar option is available but if it is then that is definitely the way to go.

As far as the TEQ logo goes, I would love to be able to offer it on a large scale but since I didn't create it and have heard other horror stories about using Toyota logos, TRD logos, etc. on commercial products. Showing support for Toyota is awesome and the old logo is classy but I didn't create it, and toyota didn't create the racks so I am going to stay clear of it on production models. Sorry!

I am going to be contacting the mods today to see more about rules for vendors here on the site and what I need to do to properly advertise and sell. If all goes well I am open to the option of a group buy. I can't promise when it will happen since I in the middle of a massive group buy on Tacomaworld but we can work something out.

Right now I am about 3 weeks out on getting production models in. I do have a few sets of rails cut at my house with logos backwards but still need 3 weeks to get the mounting brackets. By the end of april I will likely start keeping a small quantity of these racks in stock and ready to go.
 
Makes sense on the TEQ copyright concerns. Not a deal breaker. Please put me on the list for a group buy if one happens soon.
 
@zscott A U.S. trademark generally lasts as long as the trademark is used in commerce and defended against infringement. There is little ambiguity there, for good reason. That being said, I would really like to hear/read/see about where Toyota has defended against the TEQ logo in particular. Its a mark that is closing in on 100 years and its generally enthusiasts that keep the logo in the public forum.
 
NLXTACY said:
@zscott A U.S. trademark generally lasts as long as the trademark is used in commerce and defended against infringement. There is little ambiguity there, for good reason. That being said, I would really like to hear/read/see about where Toyota has defended against the TEQ logo in particular. Its a mark that is closing in on 100 years and its generally enthusiasts that keep the logo in the public forum.
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I am not saying Toyota even cares about the TEQ logo or would do anything if I actually used it on the racks. They likely don't even care and like you mentioned, the enthusiasts are the primary reason that logo even exists in most places. Bottom line is that it isn't something that is worth it for me to risk or deal with at this point.
 
zscott said:
I am not saying Toyota even cares about the TEQ logo or would do anything if I actually used it on the racks. They likely don't even care and like you mentioned, the enthusiasts are the primary reason that logo even exists in most places. Bottom line is that it isn't something that is worth it for me to risk or deal with at this point.
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Agree. :cheers:
 
zscott said:
Bottom line is that it isn't something that is worth it for me to risk or deal with at this point.
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Soooo, you're saying there's a chance... ;)
 
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