You Guys Pick My Roof Rack Or Tell Me To Stay Naked

[bloc]

For the record Yakima mighty mount 23H will let you mount things to the stock cross bars. Those and some quick fist clamps hold my shovel securely for off-roading trips.

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

I like the look also but keep mine for a shovel on trips, and the possibility that I might need to strap a couple bundles of firewood up there. Otherwise it would be gone. I should probably sell my rooftop box given how much it impacted mileage on the one trip I used it for.

 

[sherman]

It depends on your need and what you're carrying. I have a family of four, so roof rack space is critical. I appreciate that the Rhino-Rack is flat, with no lips or bolts to poke or interfere with any gear. I love the Dissent stuff but would shy away from their rack due to the bolts.

 

[Tex68w]

My only real use for the roof rack is for the occasional kayak and the factory bars work fine for this. I have added two aftermarket crossbars for a total of (4) four and I wrap the crossbars with Dakine pads when I plan to carry a kayak in order to give it that extra little bump in height. I really should consider the LFD crossbars to improve upon the setup but I am not sure that the juice is worth the squeeze when a proper rack can be had for $500 more.

I've had flat racks in the past and I did mount things up there simply because I had the ability to do so but so far with the 200 I haven't found the need so it remains stock. If I weren't carrying the kayak from time to time I would definitely go the slick roof route, I think it looks clean, especially if you have the roof wrapped in a satin black. My wife disagrees however, she likes the rack and the ability to mount an awning, boxes, etc.

 

[biff44]

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

just to be clear, that is a 2018 lx570.
not sure if the toyota land cruiser has that same "feature"

 

[TeCKis300]

Stock rack may not look expo, but when it comes to

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

Yes, this is true. It's also true of the OEM LC rack which I swapped to.

I have 4 total cross bars in my setup. It can help to co-locate the bars in pairs at the extents rather locating a cross bar in the middle as that'll have the most delta across the crown. Here's what mine looks like. I also use this setup to support a RTT but there was still enough crown that I made 3.5mm spacers for the end cross bars.

More here - RTT Picture Thread - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/rtt-picture-thread.1290119/post-14704679

 

[MCtree]

I too am surprised at how many of us voted with the “leave it be” option.

I kind of want a roof rack because they look cool. But I don’t know if I would use it enough to warrant all of the drawbacks others have listed supra.

For those of you on the pro-side, can you tell us how you use yours?
(I mean where a rack is necessary when compared to the regular cross bars or even an additional cross bar or two.)

A roof top tent is the main reason I can think of, and I don’t want that since I camp with a dog and don’t feel like lugging him up and down a ladder.

 

[TLC2013]

I went from the OEM rack with 2 cross bars to 5 cross bars then to the Sherpa rack. The main reason for going with an aftermarket roof rack was to add a larger/heavier 180 degree awning and to have a longer/wider and flat mounting surface. Adding an extra large roof top box doesn't leave much room to play with on the factory rack.

I am happy with the Sherpa so far. Been solid, no leaks and I like their rubber mounting hardware, so no messing around with globs of gasket sealer.
For me it was between Dissent, Frontrunner and Sherpa. Unfortunately Dissent is still out of stock as that was my top choice. Then from there I settled on Sherpa over Frontrunner mainly due to the weight savings (about 30lbs) and the fact that no silicon/gasket maker is needed.

 

[barcelona4x4]

Funnily enough, I have a brand new unopened prinsu sitting in my garage. I purchased it when they were 15% off (Spring Sale) but haven't installed. I prefer the slick look and am not ready to commit to the mpg/noise hit albeit minimal. I do plan to start introducing my toddler son to camping, fishing, and light hiking and having a platform rack would come in handy. I have an awning, waterport, cargo box, and other misc items i want out of the truck so there's room to sleep inside.

 

[2021 LC200]

My only real use for the roof rack is for the occasional kayak and the factory bars work fine for this. I have added two aftermarket crossbars for a total of (4) four and I wrap the crossbars with Dakine pads when I plan to carry a kayak in order to give it that extra little bump in height. I really should consider the LFD crossbars to improve upon the setup but I am not sure that the juice is worth the squeeze when a proper rack can be had for $500 more.

I've had flat racks in the past and I did mount things up there simply because I had the ability to do so but so far with the 200 I haven't found the need so it remains stock. If I weren't carrying the kayak from time to time I would definitely go the slick roof route, I think it looks clean, especially if you have the roof wrapped in a satin black. My wife disagrees however, she likes the rack and the ability to mount an awning, boxes, etc.

Looks like it worked out great Tex68w, happy to see!

 

[afgman786]

Leave it be like others have mentioned. Don't be

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

Have you tried the 80/20 bars? They are flat, I've got 3 of em and it's level surface front to back, not like the stock bars with the bow in them

 

[AZCRSR]

I too am surprised at how many of us voted with the “leave it be” option.

I kind of want a roof rack because they look cool. But I don’t know if I would use it enough to warrant all of the drawbacks others have listed supra.

For those of you on the pro-side, can you tell us how you use yours?
(I mean where a rack is necessary when compared to the regular cross bars or even an additional cross bar or two.)

A roof top tent is the main reason I can think of, and I don’t want that since I camp with a dog and don’t feel like lugging him up and down a ladder.

I wanted to be able to keep my Maxtrax and ski rack on my roof at the same time. I wasn't able to do that with the stock bars.

 

[biff44]

Leave it be like others have mentioned. Don't be

Have you tried the 80/20 bars? They are flat, I've got 3 of em and it's level surface front to back, not like the stock bars with the bow in them

that would def help!
but my lx has the flush rails. if i understand, the 80/20 bars only work with raised rails

 

[TimCFJ40]

Most of those platform racks really only serve to look cool for most people. Depending on what you want to carry there are many less intrusive and cheaper/better options.

I run two 80/20 crossbars on my factory rack all the time, and they work great for a low profile mounting spot for my awning and roof box if that is all I am carrying.

When I need to carry kayaks, canoes, or other large items, I have a yakima rack that clamps to the factory rails with extra wide bars, and it can carry way more than a platform rack since the bars hang outside of the width of the roof. I can install and remove the Yakima rack in about 5 minutes (longer if I am adding/removing accessories).

So, I vote for none, but really say buy the best rack for the stuff you need to carry.

 

[biff44]

Most of those platform racks really only serve to look cool for most people. Depending on what you want to carry there are many less intrusive and cheaper/better options.

I run two 80/20 crossbars on my factory rack all the time, and they work great for a low profile mounting spot for my awning and roof box if that is all I am carrying.

When I need to carry kayaks, canoes, or other large items, I have a yakima rack that clamps to the factory rails with extra wide bars, and it can carry way more than a platform rack since the bars hang outside of the width of the roof. I can install and remove the Yakima rack in about 5 minutes (longer if I am adding/removing accessories).

So, I vote for none, but really say buy the best rack for the stuff you need to carry.View attachment 3313720

yes many things carry fine on a crossbar.
but just last week i was in KY, and bought an empty whiskey barrel. i was GOING to put it up on the roof, where i have three crossbars. but i realized its belly would be resting on the roof the entire trip home, scratching up the paint. this is because there is a fair space between the crossbars still. while i was trying to figure out some sort of padding to gin up, the wife emptied out the back, and we found the barrel fit fine (on top of my wood shelf) with the luggage all around it.
so there is one case where having a metal basket on the roof would have saved me a fair amount of work!

 

[bloc]

yes many things carry fine on a crossbar.
but just last week i was in KY, and bought an empty whiskey barrel. i was GOING to put it up on the roof, where i have three crossbars. but i realized its belly would be resting on the roof the entire trip home, scratcing up the paint. this is because there is a fair space between the crossbars still. while i was trying to figure out some sort of padding to gin up, the wife emptied out the back, and we found the barrel fit fine (on top of my wood shelf) with the luggage all around it.
so there is one case where having a metal basket on the roof would have saved me a fair amount of work!

I keep an old tent ground fly in my tool bag for trips to avoid getting dirty if I need to do work on the truck. This can also be used to provide a barrier against scratching the roof if I need to put firewood or many other things up there..

 

[Tex68w]

I keep an old tent ground fly in my tool bag for trips to avoid getting dirty if I need to do work on the truck. This can also be used to provide a barrier against scratching the roof if I need to put firewood or many other things up there..

Great idea! I have a tent I am about to throw out after 14 years of use, I'll be sure to keep the rain fly now for this very use/reason.

 

[bloc]

Great idea! I have a tent I am about to throw out after 14 years of use, I'll be sure to keep the rain fly now for this very use/reason.

I actually meant to type footprint.. works well and folds easily being totally flat. But if that’s not available the rain fly could work too.

 

[Tex68w]

I actually meant to type footprint.. works well and folds easily being totally flat. But if that’s not available the rain fly could work too.

I could cut the tub out of this one and achieve the same.

 

[bloc]

I could cut the tub out of this one and achieve the same.

Also the perfect size to use as a liner in the rear of the rig if hauling something messy.

Basically an expensive tarp.. but if you’re throwing it away..

 

[biff44]

i have an old movers blanket too somewhere. just, not in the car!
those things are helpful

a small roll of fleece fabric, doubled up, might be something to carry. waterproof, tough, springy enough