You Guys Pick My Roof Rack Or Tell Me To Stay Naked (1 Viewer)

[Mezeno]

I have a 2021 White Heritage Edition with the following build:
Stage 6 Icon Suspension presently lifted 2 inches and Spidertrax Spacers on Heritage Rims
Dissent LC200 Full Replacement Modular Front Bumper With 3x3 Rigid Flush White LEDs and Hidden Come Up Winch
Dissent LC200 Modular Rear Bumper with Rigid Ingnite Reverse Light Kit (Ordered and being built) No wheel carrier or other bumper accessories added.

I wanted to go with a Dissent Roof Rack, but they are sold out. After reading all of the LC200 Roof Rack Threads and doing a lot of google research I have settled on 3 other options. Sherpa, Prinsu, and Westcott Designs. Look, low profile, and minimal wind noise is more important than total carry load or accessories. I have no intension of ever adding a rooftop tent and the rack will be empty 99% of the time. The Westcott Designs would be the Heritage Edition that has the bronze sides and fairing. I would not be adding the floor inserts. Unfortunately, Westcott doesn't have any pictures of a White Heritage with the Heritage Roof Rack, so knowing how the bronze will look is somewhat of a crap shoot.

I look forward to any questions and/or insight.

 

[eatSleepWoof]

Sounds like you don’t need a rack, so I’d save the money and not add unnecessary weight and complications.

 

[bloc]

Find two more stock cross bars for more load capacity when you need it. Any of the listed racks will negatively impact mileage every minute you drive the vehicle, on top of what your front bumper has already done. Quite the sacrifice unless absolutely necessary.

 

[GatorBait1551]

Dissent will have 200 series roof racks available for purchase hopefully by the end of next month.

 

[pcut]

I put a Rhino Rack on my old 100 series- loved the look and only used it to stand on to be able to see farther away and sleep on when I was too lazy to set up a cot. I say go naked and get a couple of stock bars for if you ever need to carry anything.

 

[AZCRSR]

I've got a similar set up with Dissent front and rear bumpers. I didn't go with their roof rack because of aesthetics. Didn't care for how the rack comes over the sides of the roof. Probably very functional but the rack was more of a want then a need.
Very happy with my full rack from Westcott. The additional weight isn't noticable. Especially with bumpers and BB sliders.

 

[barcelona4x4]

If you're not really carrying 99% of the time, I'd go slick top or possibly some sherpa/rhino rack feet and rails if I ever need to mount something. However, if the goals are overland aesthetics, then it's all subjective and entirely up to you on what look you're going for. In my opinion, I don't really see the value of the Westcott, especially if you're not getting the floor and only looking for the bronze accents. The Dissent is overkill if you're not planning to use it. Sherpa and Prinsu have a similar look but I personally prefer the built in drop in points that Prinsu offers in their 80/20 bars. However, there's pros and cons to every roof rack on the market.

 

[AZCRSR]

A better pic before the bumpers.

 

[AZCRSR]

If you're not really carrying 99% of the time, I'd go slick top or possibly some sherpa/rhino rack feet and rails if I ever need to mount something. However, if the goals are overland aesthetics, then it's all subjective and entirely up to you on what look you're going for. In my opinion, I don't really see the value of the Westscott, especially if you're not getting the floor and only looking for the bronze accents. The Dissent is overkill if you're not planning to use it. Sherpa and Prinsu have a similar look but I personally prefer the built in drop in points that Prinsu offers in their 80/20 bars. However, there's pros and cons to every roof rack on the market.

You're forgetting that the Westcott racks come with a bottle opener...

 

[2021 LC200]

Not voting, just sharing a picture of my Rhino Rack and self made wind fairing. I love it for moving our Hobie Tandem Island sailing kayak and stand alone it looks good as well. Also prepares me for future plans to lift, enjoy offroad trails in Colorado or other areas and carry any spare tire/fuel/tracks on top of the same.

Wind fairing has cut roof rack noise down by about 90%, so happy with putting the effort in.

 

[mcgaskins]

I outlined in this post why I personally don't like roof racks after running them in the past, but the Cliff Notes are that I personally see little point in an aftermarket rack unless you are heavily using lots of accessories that only belong on the roof which is exceptionally rare. Racks add weight where you don't want it, noise and wind buffeting leading to NVH and MPG issues, and installs very often are botched leading to issues like dropping nuts in the headliner and leaks. The vast majority of the racks I see even on the trail don't even have anything loaded besides Maxtrax which can easily be added to the stock rack for about $50:

Builds - mcgaskins' 2013 build thread - Palladium

@mcgaskins Very entertaining and informative thread at the same time :) Quick question. In this photograph does the vehicle have a lift or on stock suspension? If stock, any rubbing for daily usage?

forum.ih8mud.com

 

[Idaho Savage]

FWIW, everything I’m hearing is that Prinsu has really s*** the bed since CBI acquired them. I’ve seen numerous threads about poor paint application and cheap and/or missing hardware in other forums. I have an OG Prinsu and it’s fine but I’d stay away from the newer ones.

 

[sleepycruiser]

I have LFD crossbars on my OEM side rails right now and they are super beefy. I’ll be ordering the full side rails from them soon.

200 Series Land Cruiser

LFD Off Road manufactures roof racks, bumpers, skid plates, and more overlanding and off road accessories. Made in North Carolina.

lfdoffroad.com

 

[Cr33dler89]

Similar to Wescott, you could also consider the Victory 4x4 rack. It has the rear rail which I like creating a “finished” look.

Land Cruiser Roof Rack | 200 Series & LX570 (08-21) - Victory 4x4

Offering quality steel and aluminum goods for Toyota and Lexus 4x4s.

www.victory4x4.com

 

[biff44]

Find two more stock cross bars for more load capacity when you need it. Any of the listed racks will negatively impact mileage every minute you drive the vehicle, on top of what your front bumper has already done. Quite the sacrifice unless absolutely necessary.

i tried that on my LX570. what i did not notice was there is a crown in the roof, and therefore a crown in the rails. so if i try to carry something, like a 10' piece of wood, it only rests on TWO of the crossbars, and there is a gap between the wood and the 3rd corssbar. You need to pad the back crossbar to take up the gap.

so...not very practical unless your roof is flat front to back

 

[bloc]

i tried that on my LX570. what i did not notice was there is a crown in the roof, and therefore a crown in the rails. so if i try to carry something, like a 10' piece of wood, it only rests on TWO of the crossbars, and there is a gap between the wood and the 3rd corssbar. You need to pad the back crossbar to take up the gap.

so...not very practical unless your roof is flat front to back

First I’ve heard of this, but it makes sense. Thanks for the info.

 

[Mezeno]

Guys,
I really appreciate all of your comments and insight. I was a bit surprised at the number of comments and votes for leaving the roof as is, but it makes a lot of sense. With my build I felt the need to add a roof rack. After the Slee Rock Sliders, Dissent Bumpers, Icon Stage 6, Mangnaflow Exhaust, Wheel Spacers, Come Up Winch, etc., I feel like I am leaving the rig unfinished if I don't have a proper roof rack.

After reading the comments, I am coming back to earth and need to look at the roof rack like other items I decided against even though they are cool. I had the same debate regarding a drawer system, wheel carrier, and aftermarket car play. My conclusion was that the minimal need and use of those items outweighed the cost and time to obtain and install them.

Thanks again for everyone's insight.

 

[Heckraiser]

I have never put shjt on my roof and would only do it as a last resort (i.e. a buddy's rig breaks down and I need to haul his valuables out of the woods). In fact, I'm currently gearing up to remove my factory rails and crossbars for a fully naked roof because I think it looks better and should give me back a solid 0.004 mpg lol

 

[Heritage 2020]

My HE came with a Prinsu.

It is quiet/unobtrusive, solid, looks good with the other accessories, and no issues. We’ve only used it for strapping our kayaks to it which could be done with the stock roof rack I suppose.

I cannot compare the MPGs to stock, but suspect that speed of driving, terrain, plus city/hwy use probably makes as big a difference as anything when it comes to a rolling brick with a 3UZ-FE.

 

[scanavera]

Similar to SleepyCruiser, I have the LFD crossbars and kept the original factory rails. No noise, looks a little more sleek than the standard bars due the wind fairing, doesn't obstruct the sunroof, and it gives you the flexibility to put items up there via the T-nuts if you want to. I really like the simple set up and install was a breeze.