Any downsides to roof racks other than obvious extra weight?

[rob_dixon]

I'm in consideration of a roof rack but for my reality it's not essential for most of my trips. I travel light and the 4Runner has massive amount of space even for three of us.

Any unforeseen issues you guys have encountered?
For instance specifically for the Gobi stealth are you able to ever get in under there in order to wax the paint to protect it?

noise gas mileage clearance these kind of things What has your experience been?

 

[brtnstrns]

If you don't need one it's a huge waste of money and hassle. It looks cool as shit but it would be a gigantic pain in the ass to try to wax underneath it.

With the wind fairing it's not too bad noise-wise but I'm sure you'd take a hit on your gas mileage. I didn't have my Gobi Stealth long enough to do an empirical MPG test.

For nearly $2000, if you say "for my reality it's not essential for most of my trips," I'd say it's not worth the scratch or hassle unless you just do it for aesthetics, because the Gobi Stealth does look bad ass.

 

[rob_dixon]

If you don't need one it's a huge waste of money and hassle. It looks cool as shit but it would be a gigantic pain in the ass to try to wax underneath it.

With the wind fairing it's not too bad noise-wise but I'm sure you'd take a hit on your gas mileage. I didn't have my Gobi Stealth long enough to do an empirical MPG test.

For nearly $2000, if you say "for my reality it's not essential for most of my trips," I'd say it's not worth the scratch or hassle unless you just do it for aesthetics, because the Gobi Stealth does look bad ass.

Indeed I would put my gun case up there and use it on bigger trips, and it certainly looks awesome, but yeah mostly not going to use haha. So here is the funny/fortunate story why i am inquiring.... I saw a LOCAL guy selling his 4runner PRIOR to receiving his Gobi Stealth. The damn thing took so long to come in (6 months he said), by the time they notified him it was on his way, he was already in full on sale mode.

Always the opportunist, I PMed him and snapped it up upon delivery and it is now sitting in my garage. I literally went from not even thinking about the rack to having a brand new Gobi stealth in my garage in a week. ;-) Minus the cost of the home depot rental....$35.

 

[mrblah]

gas mileage, weight, and noise.

 

[leftyguns21]

If I did not have a RTT I would have no need for a roof rack. when I use it though I am sure glad I have one. for camping I put as much as possible up there to free up room inside. I load all of my tables/chairs/totes whatever I can fit up there. I have used it for hauling lumber too on occasion.

the Front Runner rack does not weigh much at all, I have not noticed any major decrease in MPGs, noise isn't bad either other than when the sunroof is open. It is also very easy to remove if not in use. I am able to install/remove it by myself.

like others have said though, if you are not using on a regular basis it could be considered a waste of money.

 

[brtnstrns]

Indeed I would put my gun case up there and use it on bigger trips, and it certainly looks awesome, but yeah mostly not going to use haha. So here is the funny/fortunate story why i am inquiring.... I saw a LOCAL guy selling his 4runner PRIOR to receiving his Gobi Stealth. The damn thing took so long to come in (6 months he said), by the time they notified him it was on his way, he was already in full on sale mode.

Always the opportunist, I PMed him and snapped it up upon delivery and it is now sitting in my garage. I literally went from not even thinking about the rack to having a brand new Gobi stealth in my garage in a week. ;-) Minus the cost of the home depot rental....$35.

Oh wow, well if you have it already, that changes the consideration.

 

[Lost-Again]

gas mileage, weight, and noise.

What he said. I made a rack to hold my jack, shovel, tracks and gas container. I keep the the tracks inside with the empty gas container unless in use. But it's mostly just me so I have the luxury of space.

 

[tcbaklash]

Roof baskets and platform racks look cool but you can do a lot of stuff with a lighter, regular Yakima or Thule rack. I use mine mostly for tying down my cargo bag and carrying canoes. You can reduce noise with a deflector/fairing and wrap paracord in a spiral around the bars to disrupt the laminar airflow

 

[Tahoe_Natl_Forest]

Any feedback on why not to use a thule and instead get the other racks? Does it bounce around too much? sorry, noob here..

 

[leftyguns21]

Any feedback on why not to use a thule and instead get the other racks? Does it bounce around too much? sorry, noob here..

depends on your usage. the thule and other baskets are cheaper and lighter than other racks such as front runner or gobi. but they do not support as much weight and not as large to hold other items. front runner and gobi racks are quite expensive and can be heavy, but you can do a lot more with them. and they look cooler :naughty:

 

[dktxt4r]

I have the SSO full length roof rack and all you have to do to clean and wax the roof is to take off the aluminum cross rails. You could also just leave cross rails in the rear, middle, and front only for structual rigidity when not utilizing the roof rack to reduce the weight. I have a RTT and like to have additional storage options so for me it's worth it.

 

[jbjones85]

+'s --- looks awesome, holds crap, can sit on it
-'s --- $$$, weight, MPG's, depending on the type additional wind noise

 

[snivilous]

My girlfriend has a $300 Rocky Mounts shorty rack on her 4th gen. Initially had some wind fairing noise which we fixed. Gas mileage went down by a bit. It's not a fancy rack, but we didn't want to spend thousands of dollars for $80 of extrusion and $50 of side panels so this worked for us. It's nice for carrying firewood and water/gas on longer trips, paddle boards, chairs, etc. Stuff we could jam in the 4runner, but is nice to get out if it smells bad or is dirty and awkward.

 

[Tampa Bay TRD-ORP]

I’m not an engineer or an off roading expert, but I’d think it also affects the vehicle’s center of gravity, making it more “top heavy”. I’d also imagine the higher the rack is from your roof (and thus farther from the center of mass), and the more it weighs, the more this would be affected. Granted the Gobi Stealth is one of the “shortest” racks out there.

I suppose most would argue that as long as you won’t be participating at Willow Springs or Sebring any time soon, this may be a moot point. But then again if you were ever in a situation where you had to abruptly swerve (say sudden brakes on the interstate), these physics may come into play. Just thought it may be worth throwing out there.

 

[Tejas]

I am guilty of adding one before I needed it, but it's surprising how quickly you can grow into using it. I now try to put as much as possible on the rack in order to free up more room inside for myself and the dogs.

 

[MityMax96]

My girlfriend has a $300 Rocky Mounts shorty rack on her 4th gen. Initially had some wind fairing noise which we fixed. Gas mileage went down by a bit. It's not a fancy rack, but we didn't want to spend thousands of dollars for $80 of extrusion and $50 of side panels so this worked for us. It's nice for carrying firewood and water/gas on longer trips, paddle boards, chairs, etc. Stuff we could jam in the 4runner, but is nice to get out if it smells bad or is dirty and awkward.

Man I like your rig.
Looks good

 

[Trek11]

Weight

 

[GripT4R]

Rack + Lift= May not fit in the garage.