Question about gear mounted on roof and wind noise.

[Something_Awesome]

I have a Pelican V730 (long cargo box) on the way as well as the LFD crossbar bundle that includes the wind fairing. My question is, how forward should the box be mounted so as to reduce wind noise? Should it be before the wind fairing? On the wind fairing? Just barely kissing the wind fairing? My guess is the third option. I'm asking because I plan to drill.

Here is a pic online for reference:



The guy in the referenced pic has the front of the box (the front being the right side of the picture) mounted just before the wind fairing, so there is space. I was the box would be better mounted more forward so that the box is just barely on top of the wind fairing (but it won't be forward it enough where I could bolt it on there. I think for sure the box should not pass over the fairing.

Thoughts?

 

[Humble Leader]

I have the LFD bars with faring and a pelican protector case on them. actually 2 pelican cases up there. they are on there almost all the time

I have it so that the front of the case is just behind the faring. there's a slight skew rearward but I wanted to fit them as centred as possible without being over the faring, makes it easy to access

at the end of the day you are putting a box on the roof, wind noise will not be zero, BUT I find if you put it within the width of the faring (so not over the side rails, if that makes sense) and behind the faring, wind noise is minimal. it's there but it's not obnoxious. and when I mean it's there, I mean I can hear it driving solo, through headwinds and crosswinds at 90+mph with no radio on. it's very slight and very reasonable, and that's with 2 cases mounted up there

Just IMO, I actually don't like how that pic is set up. its not possible to reach the bolts from the underside of the case when it's on the roof and tighten. IIRC that pic is from trail4r where the author of the article somehow was able to bolt from the inside of the case without requiring a wrench on the underside. I wouldn't be comfortable with this, even using carriage bolts. I have 4 studs per case mounted on the crossbars to allow for quick detachment of the case if I need the roof for other things. case goes on and off in less than a couple minutes, only need one wrench. I also reinforced the drilled mounting holes on the cases with an aluminum flat on the exterior of the case (1/8" thick) so the plastic case mounting holes don't get stretched or worn

if you want I can take some pictures. just lmk anything specific

 

[Something_Awesome]

I have the LFD bars with faring and a pelican protector case on them. actually 2 pelican cases up there. they are on there almost all the time

I have it so that the front of the case is just behind the faring. there's a slight skew rearward but I wanted to fit them as centred as possible without being over the faring, makes it easy to access

at the end of the day you are putting a box on the roof, wind noise will not be zero, BUT I find if you put it within the width of the faring (so not over the side rails, if that makes sense) and behind the faring, wind noise is minimal. it's there but it's not obnoxious. and when I mean it's there, I mean I can hear it driving solo, through headwinds and crosswinds at 90+mph with no radio on. it's very slight and very reasonable, and that's with 2 cases mounted up there

Just IMO, I actually don't like how that pic is set up. its not possible to reach the bolts from the underside of the case when it's on the roof and tighten. IIRC that pic is from trail4r where the author of the article somehow was able to bolt from the inside of the case without requiring a wrench on the underside. I wouldn't be comfortable with this, even using carriage bolts. I have 4 studs per case mounted on the crossbars to allow for quick detachment of the case if I need the roof for other things. case goes on and off in less than a couple minutes, only need one wrench. I also reinforced the drilled mounting holes on the cases with an aluminum flat on the exterior of the case (1/8" thick) so the plastic case mounting holes don't get stretched or worn

if you want I can take some pictures. just lmk anything specific

Thanks for the info. And you are right about the 4Runner owner you identified. I will follow your advisement though on how to bolt the case on to the bars. Do you think you can provide a side profile pic of your vehicle to show how close the case is to the faring? It sounds like you have the case positioned right at the edge of the faring, right where the bar slopes downward toward the roof of the vehicle?

 

[Humble Leader]

Thanks for the info. And you are right about the 4Runner owner you identified. I will follow your advisement though on how to bolt the case on to the bars. Do you think you can provide a side profile pic of your vehicle to show how close the case is to the faring? It sounds like you have the case positioned right at the edge of the faring, right where the bar slopes downward toward the roof of the vehicle?

let me get some pics this afternoon. I'll get a couple pics from different angles and report back

 

[Humble Leader]

her are some pics. from bottom to top this is how I secured:

m8 x 40mm bolt, m8 fender washer, crossbar, m8 fender washer, lock washer, nut, 1/8" aluminum flat attached to case, case plastic, EPDM washer, nut. when I remove the case I have the tops of the m8 bolts which I use those plastic screw covers to protect the threads

if the cases are perfectly centred the 1720s are about the exact length of the side rails. I had to slightly move to the rear so the front edge didn't pass over the back edge of the faring. this also doesn't cover the mounting slots in the faring in case I want to use them. if you get anything longer than the 1720 you will lose your slots in the front faring

 

[Something_Awesome]

her are some pics. from bottom to top this is how I secured:

m8 x 40mm bolt, m8 fender washer, crossbar, m8 fender washer, lock washer, nut, 1/8" aluminum flat attached to case, case plastic, EPDM washer, nut. when I remove the case I have the tops of the m8 bolts which I use those plastic screw covers to protect the threads

if the cases are perfectly centred the 1720s are about the exact length of the side rails. I had to slightly move to the rear so the front edge didn't pass over the back edge of the faring. this also doesn't cover the mounting slots in the faring in case I want to use them. if you get anything longer than the 1720 you will lose your slots in the front faring

You are the man! I will probably go without the aluminum. In which case I think an m8 x 35mm bolt should do the trick. Though I will also have to take in to account our differences in box thickness.

I am starting to think I want to return my V730 for a Pelican 1720 in tan. Amazon has free returns. I will. I am thinking the slightly lower profile 1720 still has enough height for me.

 

[Humble Leader]

You are the man! I will probably go without the aluminum. In which case I think an m8 x 35mm bolt should do the trick. Though I will also have to take in to account our differences in box thickness.

I am starting to think I want to return my V730 for a Pelican 1720 in tan. Amazon has free returns. I will. I am thinking the slightly lower profile 1720 still has enough height for me.

I would recommend the 1720 or the larger 1750. there is good height in the 1720, I use the foam insert in the top in case I hit some big bumps and to keep things firm in there. if I start adding too much stuff up there I'll lose the foam to make more room

ya m8 35mm will be more than enough. I could have ran m8 35mm with the aluminum but that would have left zero threads exposed at the top. I like to keep 2-3 threads protruding past the nut as a matter of good practice

if you are going to do an easy on/off set up like I have think about reinforcing the bottom of the case. you could use some large 24mm fender washers over the nut before placing the case on instead of the aluminum. the aluminum reinforcement attached to the case is a bit overkill but I wanted to test it out. I also have a habit of using the side handles on the case to pull myself up to get to the roof. what you don't want is the case bending around the mount holes from it resting on just the bolts. the plastic is good quality and pretty thick but still I just wanted to be safe

 

[USStrongman]

My advice. Use a few tiedowns and test what position works best then decide what is the best for you. If you are by yourself most of the time the box will be up, my advice is to put it on the passenger side, not the middle. Reduces noise for you regularly. There is nothing to be gained mpg or anything else by putting it in the middle.

 

[Something_Awesome]

My advice. Use a few tiedowns and test what position works best then decide what is the best for you. If you are by yourself most of the time the box will be up, my advice is to put it on the passenger side, not the middle. Reduces noise for you regularly. There is nothing to be gained mpg or anything else by putting it in the middle.

Good advice on the tie downs. Also, I planned to put it on the passenger side because I want the box’s wheels facing to the rear of the vehicle and for better weight distribution.

 

[Captain Spalding]

My memory is failing me. Isn’t there a company that makes aftermarket cross bars, that work with the stock roof rails, that are also slotted for T-nuts? That would make attaching boxes a lot easier.

 

[sandbuster]

That would be the LFDs...

 

[Humble Leader]

My memory is failing me. Isn’t there a company that makes aftermarket cross bars, that work with the stock roof rails, that are also slotted for T-nuts? That would make attaching boxes a lot easier.

I don't think so. at least not one of the more popular brands you hear about.

rago, victory, LFD, greenlane all have factory rail fitting crossbars but no t slot feature

 

[TRD PANTHER]

My memory is failing me. Isn’t there a company that makes aftermarket cross bars, that work with the stock roof rails, that are also slotted for T-nuts? That would make attaching boxes a lot easier.

I don't think so. at least not one of the more popular brands you hear about.

rago, victory, LFD, greenlane all have factory rail fitting crossbars but no t slot feature

That would be: 4Runner Roof Rack | NiseRack.com

 

[auspilot]

That would be: 4Runner Roof Rack | NiseRack.com

Or these guys:
Extrusion Crossbar Mounts for Stock Racks
– Go Xplore Basecamp

 

[TRD PANTHER]

Or these guys:
Extrusion Crossbar Mounts for Stock Racks
– Go Xplore Basecamp

Does the upper T-slots on these type of crossbars have drainage holes? Otherwise water and dirt can settle in them. I went with 4 wide LFD crossbars and fairing. No removal of the side rails and can be used with their longer 7/8 rack.

 

[Humble Leader]

That would be: 4Runner Roof Rack | NiseRack.com

I've heard about them but figured they weren't in business anymore or just not producing product frequently. their website has the below message. I ordered my LFD in the spring of this year and I'm pretty sure the same message was there lol

Attn. NiseRack is on vacation. Any orders purchased will not be shipped until the third week of July. Sorry for the inconvenience.

 

[auspilot]

Does the upper T-slots on these type of crossbars have drainage holes? Otherwise water and dirt can settle in them. I went with 4 wide LFD crossbars and fairing. No removal of the side rails and can be used with their longer 7/8 rack.

I don't have them but I'm pretty sure the extrusion rails are solid with no through holes. I think the advantage of these kind of cross-bars is just that they are a lower-cost non-corrosive alternative to stainless steel bars from LFD. The disadvantage is that no one seems to offer a wind fairing for them. How is the wind noise on your LFD bars with the fairing?

 

[TRD PANTHER]

I don't have them but I'm pretty sure the extrusion rails are solid with no through holes. I think the advantage of these kind of cross-bars is just that they are a lower-cost non-corrosive alternative to stainless steel bars from LFD. The disadvantage is that no one seems to offer a wind fairing for them. How is the wind noise on your LFD bars with the fairing?

The wind noise is very minimal, almost unnoticeable with the fairing.

 

[Humble Leader]

How is the wind noise on your LFD bars with the fairing?

unloaded basically zero. loaded with gear, minimal but that depends on the gear. I have two storage boxes up there and don't even notice anything unless I'm in a strong cross wind and fast on the highway - even then it's minimal.

 

[nglayton]

There is a knob on the dash. It controls the volume of the radio.......
The higher numbers = less wind noise.

But honestly, I hear more road/tire noise and engine noise than wind noise.