Roof rack/basket/cargo box suggestions?

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bigbadpoppa

New member
Hi all, been going back on forth on what to get. There are so many options and setup and I just want to make sure I get it right the first time.

I'm looking for:
1. A very low lying roof rack setup, so I can clear underground parkades
2. 3/4 or full is an option but needs to be readily available parts (not like a 6+ mth gobi wait)
3. Roof basket prefer (so I can put items up there and tie them down against the basket/ledge)
4. Cross bars build it on add on, that can hold a cargo box.
*I have also a moon roof. 2016 4runner Trail.
5. No drilling required, I don't trust myself drilling my roof.

Purpose of this is camping, off roading, and bush shooting. I don't plan to haul kayak's or anything long or wide.

I saw the prinsu 3/4, but it doesn't seem a cargo box will fit on top (I haven't seen any pics). The Rhino rack option with pioneer rack and side and front/back rails is hell expensive, gobi would be perfect since it sits very low and has a basket and cross bar but the 6+ wait and shipping will kill me to have it deliver to Canada. Baja rack is too high but a inch or two. Southern rack looks decent but doesn't s seem I can mount a cargo box plus there is no lips around the frame like a basket.

Any other options? Been reading this forum religiously.

My fall back plan is to just go with the Thule cross bars and call it a day, but it would be nice to have a platform/basket as part of this setup with my cargo box if feasible. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
 
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Try the Rhino Rack Steel Mesh Platform (small). It is easy to take on and off to access the crossbars if you need to, but does not have sides, but you mentioned wanting something low profile. You have a very specific list of wants from this, so I don't think you'll be able to get one thing to do everything.
 
Front Runner 3/4 is a great option. It's light and all the slats are oriented across the roof so you can affix a roof box to it with no issues. I attach my Thule Force L to its crossbars as it is with no additional brackets.
 
how high does the front runner 3/4 sit without cargo box?

How is the wind noise? I notice most people don't sport a wind fairing / deflector.

At the moment, I have <6 inches from the roof of the 4runner to work with for tray/crossbars.
 
bigbadpoppa said:
how high does the front runner 3/4 sit without cargo box?

How is the wind noise? I notice most people don't sport a wind fairing / deflector.

At the moment, I have <6 inches from the roof of the 4runner to work with for tray/crossbars.
Click to expand...

The Frontrunner sits just under 5” above the roof line. I’m at about 75” of total height with stock suspension. You definitely want the wind deflector on, it may not look like much but makes a world of difference in wind noise. With the deflector and empty rack the wind noise is just slightly above that with the OEM rack/crossbars and about the same as the Thule Aerobars I had on previously.

Edit: Just FYI, the wind deflector on the Frontrunner actually mounts below the front crossbar of the rack giving the appearance of no deflector.
 

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Baja Racks roof rack

I have the Baja Racks flat utility rack with cross bars, not the mesh. No moonroof so no opening for it either. It sits very low, just about 1/2" above the shark fin and maybe two inches above the center high point of the roof. It barely clears my garage door now that I've installed a 3" lift. If I'd gotten a basket style it wouldn't clear.

It's easy for me to tie things down to the side rails or the cross bars which occur at about 4" oc. Ratchet straps work well on the rack too.

I had a custom rack made for $50 more without the u-shaped loop around the shark fin. It is easier to load and tie stuff down without the loop. I don't plan on paying for satellite radio so interference from a roof rack didn't matter to me.
 

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Cymon said:
The Frontrunner sits just under 5” above the roof line. I’m at about 75” of total height with stock suspension. You definitely want the wind deflector on, it may not look like much but makes a world of difference in wind noise. With the deflector and empty rack the wind noise is just slightly above that with the OEM rack/crossbars and about the same as the Thule Aerobars I had on previously.

Edit: Just FYI, the wind deflector on the Frontrunner actually mounts below the front crossbar of the rack giving the appearance of no deflector.
Click to expand...

Awesome thx for the pics and measurements
 
DesertCanyons said:
I have the Baja Racks flat utility rack with cross bars, not the mesh. No moonroof so no opening for it either. It sits very low, just about 1/2" above the shark fin and maybe two inches above the center high point of the roof. It barely clears my garage door now that I've installed a 3" lift. If I'd gotten a basket style it wouldn't clear.

It's easy for me to tie things down to the side rails or the cross bars which occur at about 4" oc. Ratchet straps work well on the rack too.

I had a custom rack made for $50 more without the u-shaped loop around the shark fin. It is easier to load and tie stuff down without the loop. I don't plan on paying for satellite radio so interference from a roof rack didn't matter to me.
Click to expand...
Good options. Ill look into this also.
 
I just installed the often overlooked N-Fab rack. It bolts onto/around your stock rails and is a basket style as you said you want. It’s a 1/2-3-4 rack. It’s made very well and also a lot cheaper then a lot of them out there. If you look at yearly rankings it’s normally on the smhigh side for the “budget”/non full length rack. I went with it due to it being lower then a traditional basket and it has the design of a full tail Change out rack.
 
I just added a second set of cross bars

Stock with 4 crossbars...I don’t really like the look of any of the racks. I had a Thule loadwarrior with an extension and did not like the look
And the added height kept me out of parking garages. I could easily get 1-2 more cross bars on there for more coverage and they are cheap. 100 on eBay or 60 bucks a set in the classifieds. It is harder to tie down vs a basket though.
 

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Jay's T4R said:
Happen to have any pictures of the wind deflector setup?
Click to expand...

Check the pictures in my thread. Post #2 for has some, you can see the black deflector hanging below. Also posts 87, 116 & 122 have decent pictures where you could get a perspective of it (there are a ton of other pictures throughout my thread). If you need any other pics, let me know and I'll try and get some tonight.

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-gen-t4rs/222282-cymons-weekend-warrior-mfd-thread.html
 
I’ve debated this myself. My T4R is the family ride and we only need the rack for trips and I will probably never use a roof top tent. Stock with a basket is the route I’ve decided on. Take the basket off and adjust the crossbars. No wind noise or MPG hit and it keeps it trim.
 
i had a thule moab with extension on the thule 450 crossbars its pretty high. almost took out a parking garage door in philly not fun because we got stuck. easy to get in got stuck going out and had to remove the whole rack.
now i run the bajarack flat rack. i believe its lower than stock. i love it.
yes there is wind noise even with the fairing but any rack will have some noise.
the MOAB basket did mount to the oem crossbars also but not perfectly because they are bowed and hit the middle of the basket.
 
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