To see if this custom-fit item will work for you please tell us what vehicle you'll use it with.
Aerodynamic, aluminum crossbars let you build an aftermarket roof rack for your vehicle. Full-length bars provide plenty of space for carriers and accessories. Vortex strips in C-channels reduce wind noise. Theft-deterring plastic locks included.
Features:
Rhino-Rack Vortex Aero Crossbars - Black - Qty 2:Videos are provided as a guide only. Refer to manufacturer installation instructions and specs for complete information.
Hi, everyone. It's Evangeline here at etrailer and today we'll be taking a look at our Rhino-Rack Gutter Mount Legs which are 8 1/4 inches tall here at etrailer. So these are going to be ideal If you have a Jeep, if you have a van, if you have a vehicle with either factory mounted gutters or if you install those gutters yourself but you also want a way to build or make a Rhino-Rack system. So these are your slightly taller than average gutter mount legs and that's gonna be ideal if you need a little extra height or clearance. Maybe you're carrying around skis with extra large bindings and you need that clearance underneath. Or maybe the way you have your gutters mounted is a little bit below the roof level compared to other vehicles.
Whatever situation you're in, let's see if this video will help you out with figuring if these are the right legs for you. So the towers themselves are made of nylon so that is a little bit more lightweight than let's say the steel towers you would see on your more traditional, let's say naked roof towers or the ones that clamp onto your roof. So this nylon again is lightweight but it's also UV resistant. So as you have this on your roof, as you have this on your gutter, it is gonna be exposed to the elements. It is going to be exposed to the sun and that's where their UV resistance comes in handy because you don't want it deteriorating underneath the sunlight.
With this being lightweight though, there is a glass reinforcement on the inside and that adds to its weight capacity as well as its durability. So the actual height measurement of this is going to be 8 1/4 inches tall. So that height is going to be from the channel of your gutter to right where your crossbar is attached. So it's not the total height but the usable height of your tower. So from there, you can then estimate from the underneath your crossbar, whether it be your Vortex crossbar or your square crossbar, that's gonna be the clearance you have from your roof to your crossbar.
So measure your own gutter mount or your own channel to see if this will work with your vehicle. Now, this is not using lock and key to secure it. What it does use is its own hex tool or hex key. It has its own special shape from Rhino-Rack and this is what is used to either tighten down or loosen the bolts holding the clamp into place. So if someone does not have this special hex tool, they won't be able to undo it.
So not the same as having your own key and your own lock keyed to or keyed to itself but it's still a form of security measure. Now the install process is really simple for these. All you need is a gutter to mount these towers to. You need the kit itself, you need your crossbars and you need some tools. So my final thoughts about these gutter mounts is that they give you a pretty decent height or clearance above your roof. So whether you have certain vehicles where you need access to the sunroof and you're worried about those really low profile bars that don't give you enough, if you have, let's say cargo or items that you are carrying that require a little bit more clearance like your skis with large bindings. Or if you have, let's say a solar panel on top of your roof and you just wanna get above that, this might be a great option for you. If you're just using a roof rack as a roof rack and you're not concerned about clearance but maybe a little bit more about looks, check out our recommended fit for your vehicle. Those are usually a little bit more low profile, look a little bit more factory like. They'll give you as much clearance but again, there's pros and cons, it does depend on you and your situation but I hope this video helped you out with that decision making. And that was a look here at our Rhino-Rack Gutter Mounted Legs which are 8 1/4 inches tall here at etrailer. My name is Evangeline and I hope this helps you out. Enjoy the journey..
Average Customer Rating: 4.6 out of 5 stars (40 Customer Reviews)
Aerodynamic, aluminum crossbars let you build an aftermarket roof rack for your vehicle. Full-length bars provide plenty of space for carriers and accessories. Vortex strips in C-channels reduce wind noise. Theft-deterring plastic locks included.Great addition to the bed track of my 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz! I got these for my rhino rack rod holder since they made such noise on the oem roof rack. So happy I went with rhino rack. You can't beat the price and the quality is as good if not better than Thule or Yakima. Highly reccomend.
The selection process that etrailer uses is top-notch. This really helped narrow down the choices for my 2019 RAM Quad cab. I bought this all kitted together. The assembly process is very straightforward and well-documented. I would highly recommend etrailer as a source for vehicle accessories. I have Yakima bike racks on our Subaru and this is as good if not better.
Service from ETrailer was excellent. Personal and very helpful service (kudos to Michele S.) . Prompt shipping and items exactly as described. The installation videos on their website were helpful but I still needed to follow the written instructions. Without hurrying it took me about an hour and a half to assemble and install the rack on my Tundra. It fit very well and feels very secure. Still need to take it out onto the road. If anything bad shows up I'll post an updated review but I really don't expect any problems. I've used racks like these before (not from Rhino) and this looks like a pretty solid piece of equipment.
These aero crossbars compliment the other accessories I've rated previously. It all cam together to be a great roof rack for my new Nissan NV200. The crossbars are oversize to accommodate my Thule Hulavator kayak racks.
The instructions and how-to videos on etrailer helped me do it myself. Thanks.
I have been using etrailer for many years and have never had a bad purchase. We are about to start traveling quite a bit with our 5th wheel. Putting our kayaks on the back of the trailer was not an option. I researched several roof top carriers and this package was by far the best value and quality. The Rhino rack is awesome, works extremely well with kayak "J" carriers and installed relatively easy. There was an issue with the measurements for the underside channel covers. For my Ram, they were short. But I always use the old adage of measure 2, 3 or 4 times. Cut once. Saved me a few problems here. As alway7s with etrailer, we are very pleased with the product, the serv ice and the information before purchasing.
I purchased two Vortex Aero crossbars as part of a complete roof rack system for my kayak. My vehicle is a 2013 Ford F-150 FX4 with sunroof. The sunroof is no problem with the Rhino Rack 2500 system
I am very pleased with the Rhino Rack 2500 system. It is very strong, easily handling my 42 lb kayak, which is 19’ long.
I recommend mounting the kayak carriers to their final position on the crossbars prior to cutting the plastic strips. The plastic strips prevent wind from causing whistling noises at highway speeds. These plastic strips can be inserted into the tracks on the top side of the crossbars with the kayak carriers premounted. Simply cut the strips to filt all empty track sections and carefully press the plastic strips into their respective track sections. Note that the bottom side of the crossbars also have tracks. The empty track spaces on the bottom side use a different type of plastic strip. The bottom plastic strips look like a plastic ruler, with graduations in millimeters. This is described in the user direction guide. It took me a while to figure that out!
My crossbars do not whistle at all at any speed up to the max I have tried at 75MPH.
It didn’t feel secure on the rain gutters of the Jeep as the tightening mechanism forced the clamps to move outward from the gutters. I used it only a couple of times. Wouldn’t recommend.
Just what I was looking for for my 2021 MB Metris Cargo Van with Raised Rails, for hauling a 14-foot SUP. I wanted as low profile as possible and the Rhino Rack SX Series Legs and Aero Crossbars looked best. Relatively easy to set up.
Have used the roof rack on our Ford F350 to carry 2 kayaks while towing our 5th wheel. It has worked well and allowed us to bring our kayaks with us while we RV around the country.
Worked well. Some time to install but worked well for my lightweight canoe.
Well built. Just not a good fit for my f150 roof. It makes a lot of vibrating noise in the cab from wind. I got them for the snowboard rack and for 16 ft canoe. Hope this helps anyone who is planning on using them for similar uses. Maybe look for something else.
Worked great for our 12 ft kayaks. No issues after 16,000 mile trip with high speeds, adverse weather, and high crosswinds.
This kit provided everything I needed to install on my 2011 Ford Flex. Instructions were on point and very easy to understand. Very sturdy roof rack and looks great. Thanks etrailer.com for the awesome kit! Very happy!
Ordering was very easy, as was the installation, the directions are very easy to follow. This will make for an easy way to carry kayaks while pulling the fifth wheel. Very solid rack.
Great addition to my roof rack. Super strong and sturdy.
I just finished the install of the Rhino Rack 2500 with the Vortex Bars. It looks fantastic on my 2020 Silverado. It's solid and very well built. I'm a surfcaster on Long Island and I use 1 piece fishing rods up to 11ft long so the easiest and best way to transport them is on top of my vehicle. I selected this rack because it's aerodynamic and with the accessory channel I was able to easily attach them by sliding a 1inch stainless bolt and stainless washer in the channel. This hides the attachment and makes it impossible to remove unless you have the keys to access my rod rack which has a padlock.
Works great use the rack to haul Kayaks.
TLDR: It's a good product with (literal) strength, and some weaknesses. Its cheaper than the competitors, and its in stock now. I mainly bought this due to inventory issues from the other main competitors. That it costs about 100 bucks less is nice, but the reasons for the cost difference is noticeable if you've ever used Thule or Yakima products before.
Installation was not more or less irritating than any other roof rack (I've installed MANY over the years).
Materials are similar, but the plastic parts feel cheaper than Thule or Yakima, and they towers have exposed innards on the inside faces that make it look cheap, and may create more noise. The fit kit feet are good, but the hooks are 2 pieces pinned together instead of formed and cut to custom lengths. This makes them bulkier than the competition.
Apparently they are rated for 33% more weight than the others, and that's cool if you need to haul heavy stuff on top.
All said, I'd probably buy their stuff again in a pinch, or if I was trying to save money, but for fit and finish I would go with Thule or Yakima
Amazing. Easy to put on a 2022 Subaru Outback Wilderness. Never shifted with my 123lbs RTT for continuous use in offroad and highway speeds for 10 months. Held up in every weather and temp from -8F to 100+F. Getting a good deal with the rubber dampeners is critical to making these bars quiet (no gaps). The dampeners were difficult to install but absolutely worth it. I chose these bars to get a little bit of extra overhang and it was the perfect length. I could hang extras from it for camping but it never got in the way or hit my head on it. Strong and sturdy. Highly recommended bars.
Using these and other Rhino components, I installed a roof rack for a 2021 Jeep Wrangler with a retractable roof. So far this set-up has worked as exactly as expected.
I installed the rack on a 2018 F150 SuperCab. These racks are really nice medium load racks, well built and easy to install. If I followed the instructions the pads on the front cross bar would not sit down in the drip channels. I narrowed the front leg locations by 5mm per side or a total of 10mm or approximately .4". I sent the pics to Rhino Racks Engineering Department but have not heard back to see if they liked my fix. I like it! I recommend getting Rhino Racks approval before making these mods but that's what it took for mine to fit.
The staff at etrailer are knowledgable of which product was needed for application. Very pleasurable on the phone. The rhino rack system was shipped in days.
Great customer service with James on the front end. Arrived sooner than expected! Fairly easy setup. It took me a little over an hour.
We will be using it to haul paddle boards as well as a tandem road bike. One of our next purchases will be the batwing awning and possibly the Tag-a-long tent if we don’t get a roof top tent
Needed a third Vortex bar and Etrailer had the best price. One end of the box was not taped and had come open during shipping. The plastic end got a little scraped up, but not too bad. Luckily none of the parts fell out. I suggest taping both end of boxes before shipping.
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