Roof Rack: Prinsu vs eezi awn K9 vs Gobi

[Timberlinhvo]

I think Gobi looks the best out of all that was mentioned. I actually tried to buy the Gobi but the customer service and wait time was horrendous. I live somewhat near the Frontrunner store, so I opted for that. Showed up on a Saturday and 3 hours later I was done. The rack isn't as low as I would like, but I love it nonetheless. My brother got a customized frontrunner rack for his tundra (roof and bed shell) and we share accessories (awning, Rotopak, etc). Options for accessories is by far the best out of them all (imo). Quality is top notch.

 

[Tejas]

I have an original Prinsu so it has a much better fit/finish/build detail than the recent ones since the CBI buyout, but it's still not perfect. Gobi has a classic look, but they are the least usable, heavy, overpriced, and they tend to rust. The Eezi-Awn is very similar to a Frontrunner but they don't weather/age as well over time. Frontrunner is well, the frontrunner of the group at the moment. They have great accessories, age well, and the side rails look good but I hate how high they sit off of the roof, it is a glaring drawback in my opinion both from a looks standpoint and aerodynamically.

Lots of guys are happy with the offerings from SSO, LFD and Ecotechne as well. If I had it to do over again, I would consider the Frontrunner if they made a lower version and I would look into the LFD rack as well.

 

[Xhado]

I had a K9, I sold it off.

If I needed another rack I would go with Front Runner. (you can install without drilling)

The side rails on the K9 are thinner and will deform when you hang awnings or equipment off the side. Equipt wasn't very helpful when I brought it up to them.

 

[kumes12688]

I had a K9, I sold it off.

If I needed another rack I would go with Front Runner. (you can install without drilling)

The side rails on the K9 are thinner and will deform when you hang awnings or equipment off the side. Equipt wasn't very helpful when I brought it up to them.

Interesting. Thanks for the input. I’ll have to search on here how to install without drilling. I’m assuming there’s a write up on here?

 

[MountainGirlFun]

I reached out to K9 , thanks to forum posts, because wanted to mount Jetstream crossbars on top, but need to change from Timberline towers. Pondering...

 

[YellowSnow]

Yea I'd get the front runner if you didn't have to drill...

I thought they had a no drill option out like Prinsu...I’m still confused how exactly you attach gear to the Front Runner?

 

[JohnTheLuck]

I love my K9- full length/2.2M- We've had a really good experience and would buy it again, no question.

The K9 is a high quality product, the fit and finish is spot on, plus being aluminum it wont rust out like powder coated steel. The rack is low profile and doesn't create a lot of wind noise.

The no drill install is great, no chance leaks and its plenty strong. I have a 230lbs RTT plus another 100lbs of gear on it. The rack is solid, we wheeled the shit out of our rig on a 30 day camping trip in Moab and SW Colorado and nothing shifted or needed adjustment. That's impressive as that is a lot of weight up there getting rocked around. In addition to that we've done numerous other off-road trips totaling about 120 nights camping which usually involves some kinda 4x4 action. In short the rack is holding up to everything we've thrown at it.

The rack has slots for bolts that run the length of each slat and also on the outer rails, so you can literally bolt on anything, in addition to the options offered by K9. We use the shovel mount and hi-lift attachments, plus we modded the left over parts from the hi-lift mount to hold maxtrax too, which makes for a decent fairing.

Ohh and when I ordered mine from Equipt in Utah, it arrived 5 days later at my house. So bonus for having product on hand and no unreasonably long lead times. Which ironically steered me to looking into other options, as originally I was angling towards a Gobi. But 6 months was not gonna work. Wise man once say "We're not here for a long time, We're here for a good time!"

Good luck on your search.



IMG_E3462 by todd wilson, on Flickr

How tall are the K9 foot on this picture, the 65mm or the 40mm?

 

[macscac]

opinions are assh*les right??? everyone has one.
like asking whats the best tire.
its pointless to ask.
just get what you like and seems the most functional to you for the money.

personally, i love my prinsu. couldnt be happier and i did not give a crap about drilling into my roof. its no biggie
but thats just me and i am an assh*le with lots of opinions...

 

[Soccer13]

I personally love my Eezi awn Equipt K9 rack. I went with the shorter 40mm legs and have not noticed any deforming of any kind with maxtrax, awning and shovel attached. I don’t plan to ever mount a RTT though which might be what the other poster was referring to?

 

[jthoms1]

I’m on my 3rd 5th Gen and had the Baja and Gobi Stealth. I’ve never had a Prinsu or SSO, so I can only speak for the Gobi. I’m not sure where the feedback about the runner feeling top heavy comes from. I didn’t notice any appreciable difference after installing at all. The Gobi was a more refined version of the Baja. I just ordered another Gobi for my most recent 4Runner. So i’ve now bought two Gobi Stealth’s if that means anything. The only other rack I considered seriously was the FrontRunner. Gobi’s wait time and customer service suck, but their racks are great and they offer great bundles. My two cents for you.

 

[sn_85]

I personally love my Eezi awn Equipt K9 rack. I went with the shorter 40mm legs and have not noticed any deforming of any kind with maxtrax, awning and shovel attached. I don’t plan to ever mount a RTT though which might be what the other poster was referring to?

Same here. I have the Eezi-Awn K9 and have not noticed any deforming. I have their Eezi-Awn 2000 series awning mounted and have mounted a waterport to the side rails without issue. No deforming or bending. I have mounted a RTT to it as well without issue, no deforming of any kind. The finish could be a bit better.

Best of all, I live in SLC and Equipt installed mine for free. Otherwise no major qualms here.

 

[kumes12688]

I personally love my Eezi awn Equipt K9 rack. I went with the shorter 40mm legs and have not noticed any deforming of any kind with maxtrax, awning and shovel attached. I don’t plan to ever mount a RTT though which might be what the other poster was referring to?

Can I ask what brackets you used to mount the awning? I decided to go with this roof rack and I'm trying to keep the overall height down so I still fit in my garage. It looks like yours is pretty low profile.