Roof Rack Showdown - Prinsu vs Southern Style Offroad

[Agent_Outside]

How do you find the noise level with the SSO?

I'd be lying if I said it was silent, you do hear a small bit of turbulence but it doesn't whistle or howl or anything like that. If the sunroof shade is closed it pretty much completely blocks the noise. Granted it's winter so I have not been on the highway with the windows down yet, but all in all in my opinion the noise is a non issue. It also passed the wife test, she didn't complain or notice a difference.

 

[TwistedJake]

Only input I can give is on my Prinsu I just installed. Full length no drill option.

I received back in December and just got to installing last week. I had all the hardware in individually labeled bags. A couple extra of everything which was nice. Went together super easily. Slapped it on top of the rig without much issue. Spent a little time centering because I wanted it perfect. Everything went super smooth with my Prinsu from order, shipping, and install. Maybe I'm the anomaly but I'm super happy with how it all went and would order again.

 

[tacoyota]

Thanks for this review. This is what i suspected from all the research. Prinsu is affordable but QC might be off here and there. SSO beefier, better QC, less sleek and slightly more expensive.

 

[maxp0wer]

Good review and comparison of two similar racks. I've had the Prinsu 7/8 rack for about 6 months now, and didn't have any of the quality control issues you experienced. Maybe instructions would be a nice touch, but the install is pretty straightforward. Plus there's videos on Youtube. Personally, I think the Prinsu rack looks better and it costs less. I like the way the rails follow the contour of the roof line, while still giving you a flat platform on top. The SSO rack resembles a flat top haircut too much for my taste. Plus the Prinsu comes with lock washers for the cross bars (assuming you get the correct hardware, that is). LOL.

 

[Kenstaroni]

I'm a fan of SSO's products but Rhino Rack is where it's at when it comes to roof racks. Zero issues with any of them I've owned or helped install for other's. You could install one faster than it would take to read this thread:dancin:

 

[choochoo]

Update on the Southern Style Offroad rack.


It took 16 WEEKS!!! from the time of ordering to finally get a rack 100% complete with the proper parts (correctly tapped crossbars) that I ordered it with from the beginning. They did offer to give me a free upgrade to the black bars and hardware because they could get the bars to me quicker but I declined. I prefer the silver and black look. However the optional shipping insurance they offer, I bought it and there was some shipping damage. That is still unresolved and without any sort of status update.



On a more positive note the Southern Style Offroad roof rack with C4 ladder are a perfect paring in my opinion. Black with silver, angular, exposed bolt heads, there is clearance between them, both the rack and the ladder are easy to install solo.


I do feel like the C4 ladder is overpriced for what you get, the fitment is adequate, the quality is pretty good, the bottom mounting setup I’m not a fan off. The sharp lines, black with silver buttonhead bolts, rubber on the steps, it's very sturdy. Overall I like it, but the vlaue isn't there. I wouldn’t (and didn’t) pay full price for it. Wait for a group buy or holiday sale or something.

Ha we have the same exact ladder and rack setup (and classic silver 4R). I’m also waiting to hear back from SSO regarding an insurance claim for damage during shipping. Hopefully we both hear back soon... it has been almost 4 weeks since filing the claim. Their insurer is supposed to review claims within 7-10 days (based on their website) but haven’t heard anything back... and the insurer won’t tell me anything.

 

[CheesesteakJake]

Thanks for taking the time to write this up. Great information!

 

[Jebsmith2112]

I like these racks, but I don't like the lead time. Anyone know of a slimline/low profile rack that would be in stock?

 

[2flyfishin]

I bought my 7/8'sd Prinsu right before the SSO came out and was kind of upset when I saw the SSO. Afterwards I ran into someone who had the SSO and after seeing his I became quite happy with my purchase. He showed me where his powder coating rubbed off from him sliding his Pelican case onto his rack the first time he put it up there so I think some problems may happen from both companies. He said he had to make custom brackets to mount his snowboard attachments for his rack because off the three inch crossbars (Prinsu has two inch crossbars which will accept Thule and Yakima). I do have my dislikes which many go for both racks though. The mounting pillars being a big one and is I think is cheap on both companies. I can't understand why both don't make a one piece design which I think would look much cleaner and have a larger footprint to help distribute loads. I also think both should machine drop slots in the crossbars for ease of getting carriage bolts in for mounting to the racks. Personally I like the look of the SSO better except for the very rear of the rack but for usability I think the Prinsu was a better way to go after seeing them side by side and usability is more important to me than looks as I do use my rack. If I'm not mistaken, the OP bought his during the change over from Prinsu to CBI if I remember form the Prinsu thread which may explain some of his problems but none the less they shouldn't have happened. The gentleman who had the SSO I talked to said he already had a Gobi Stealth no rise on order and a friend of his was going to buy his SSO off him. If I had all of he problems the OP had, I didn't, I would be down on Prinsu too.

 

[T4R_KAI]

Only input I can give is on my Prinsu I just installed. Full length no drill option.

I received back in December and just got to installing last week. I had all the hardware in individually labeled bags. A couple extra of everything which was nice. Went together super easily. Slapped it on top of the rig without much issue. Spent a little time centering because I wanted it perfect. Everything went super smooth with my Prinsu from order, shipping, and install. Maybe I'm the anomaly but I'm super happy with how it all went and would order again.

Do you happen to know if the accessories from Frontrunner work with the Prinsu rack?

 

[macscac]

you are not an anomaly.. my experience is/was the same. i am more than happy with my Prinsu and have had zero issues moving forward.
opinions are like *******s tho... everyone has one...

Only input I can give is on my Prinsu I just installed. Full length no drill option.

I received back in December and just got to installing last week. I had all the hardware in individually labeled bags. A couple extra of everything which was nice. Went together super easily. Slapped it on top of the rig without much issue. Spent a little time centering because I wanted it perfect. Everything went super smooth with my Prinsu from order, shipping, and install. Maybe I'm the anomaly but I'm super happy with how it all went and would order again.

 

[Agent_Outside]

Plenty of people were also happy with Geo Metros... :wink2:

 

[Caveman_Yota_13]

people with SSO, did you guys order additional cross bars, or did you feel the standard amount was sufficient for normal loads ie pelican cases, plywood..

 

[Gooutsideandplay]

Additional load bearing points in 4th Gen roof rack?

Hey all! Done a lot of research on racks for 4th gens. Everything I've found only utilizes the existing 8 bolts in the 4 corners of the stock rack. I'm used to rigs with protruding rain gutters that and have 3 or 4 attachment feet per side to really distribute the load of the roof rack.

Has anyone found of built a rack with additional points or contact to the truck? More anchor points under rain cutter cover? Perhaps just a foot that touches down on roof or in rain gutter that doesnt bolt down? Other ideas?

Thanks!

 

[silverslug]

I've had my SSO rack for about 2 months now and overall I'm quite happy with it. I ordered the extra rails and everything on mine is black - crossbars, hardware, etc. The grinding could have been better in some places on the frame pieces; quite sharp if you aren't careful when grabbing on. I have also found it difficult to get additional hardware that's compatible with their crossbars, but I've ordered the rotopax mount, eyebolts and extra hardware SSO sells to solve that issue. You just can't find these pieces at your local hardware store. I do have some additional wind noise now vs. the stock rack with 2 crossbars. But I think that's probably the case with any full-length roof rack. I really like how low profile the SSO is. Overall, I'm very happy with the SSO. So far, I have an ARB awning on the driver side, a solar panel on the rear, with 1 3-gallon Rotopax and a Pelican in front of that. Working on how to mount the FrontRunner camp table at the front. I do sometimes wish I got the FrontRunner Slimline and could mount the camp table below the rack, but the SSO rack looks much better in my opinion. One possible improvement SSO could make would be to route out the ends of the crossbars like FrontRunner does so that you could add/remove connectors without having to remove the crossbar one side. I have also found SSO's customer service to be great. Overall, I would definitely recommend the SSO rack.

 

[El Dusty]

For anyone interested in current Prinsu lead times, I ordered a Full Length Non-Drill (8/30). Received Order confirmation today (9/3) that it should ship 9/10. Pretty happy so far with everyone Ive dealt with. Will update when possible.

Hey all! Done a lot of research on racks for 4th gens. Everything I've found only utilizes the existing 8 bolts in the 4 corners of the stock rack. I'm used to rigs with protruding rain gutters that and have 3 or 4 attachment feet per side to really distribute the load of the roof rack.

Has anyone found of built a rack with additional points or contact to the truck? More anchor points under rain cutter cover? Perhaps just a foot that touches down on roof or in rain gutter that doesnt bolt down? Other ideas?

Thanks!

Try posting in the 4th gen section friend. Better yet use the search feature before you start. "4th Gen Roof Racks" Best of luck.