Roof Rack questions

[AfroWookie]

I am in no rush to buy a rack, but one is in my future plans. I was curious about 2 things..

I have a factory roof rack, do you guys take that off and bolt the aftermarket rack to the roof, or does it go onto the factory rack?

I know about Baja, Rola, and Perkins. What do you guys recommend? I've looked at the picture thread and they all look comparable to each other. Have you bought one and then switched to another for one reason or another?

 

[gaterose]

I originally had the yakima megawarrior (which sits on the factory rack) but eventually switched to the Gobi for the added carrying capacity and lower profile.

Of the racks you listed above the rola (and bajarack minimule) mount to the OEM roof rack.

The perkins and bajarack 4th gen rack (as well as my gobi, and the new whitson metalworks [WMW] rack) remove the OEM bars and mount in the OEM rack bolt holes.

 

[ARK_SWAMP_RIDER]

I am in no rush to buy a rack, but one is in my future plans. I was curious about 2 things..

I have a factory roof rack, do you guys take that off and bolt the aftermarket rack to the roof, or does it go onto the factory rack?

I know about Baja, Rola, and Perkins. What do you guys recommend? I've looked at the picture thread and they all look comparable to each other. Have you bought one and then switched to another for one reason or another?

The cheaper racks are a universal fit and mount on top of the stock rack. These are good for casual use, but you can't haul a lot up there. When you consider the weight of the rack, it doesn't take much to push the limits of the OEM cross bars.

The more expensive racks are a custom fit that will replace the OEM rack. These will have a much higher weight capacity and are a better choice if you can afford it. I'd look into the WMW racks, see this thread for pics and details.

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/4th-gen-t4rs/137751-wmw-full-length-rack-4th-gen-toyota-4runner-s.html

 

[absolute yota]

I climbed on top of my rola rack yesterday to try to find the rattle thats been driving me crazy. The factory bars flexed a bit but it held me. The rack seems pretty strond for a cheapo but I think Im going to make some custon crossbars to lower, strenghten it this summer. I am planning on leaving the factory rails running front to rear and using some square stock / and brackets to bolt to them. Oh, I found the rattle, seems to be the front passenger factory mount to the roof. It was prob already loose but the added weight of the rolla rack makes it noticeable. The other rattle is my sunroof... again.