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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:
Specs:
These low-profile, aerodynamic Vortex Aero crossbars let you build a stylish aftermarket roof rack from scratch. The crossbars require 4 Rhino-Rack legs (manufactured in 2014 or later) and a custom fit kit to mount it to your roof. Each bar extends past the roof rack legs to maximize the space for mounting carriers and accessories. Rubberized Vortex strips in each crossbar's top channel disrupt airflow for a quiet ride, and the bars are constructed of aluminum so they won't rust. The crossbars also include Secure Core endcaps with plastic locks to help deter theft of channel-mounted accessories.
The rubberized Vortex strips in the top channel of each crossbar disrupt airflow with evenly spaced, wave-shaped grooves. This carefully controlled turbulence minimizes wind noise and whistling, so you won't need to add a fairing to your roof rack. And the slim, elliptical Vortex Aero crossbars cut through the air with minimal drag - even at highway speeds.
The Vortex Aero crossbars are made of structural-grade anodized aluminum with H-shaped internal extrusions. These extrusions strengthen the bars without adding a significant amount of weight. And the aluminum bars won't rust so you can leave them on your roof year-round.
Each crossbar has a channel in the bottom for mounting to Rhino-Rack roof rack legs (sold separately). Each end of the channel includes a rubber ruler to help you center the bar on your roof. Simply use the numbers and hash marks on the rulers to ensure the legs are spaced properly in the channel.
Each Vortex Aero crossbar has a built-in C-channel so you can carry channel-mounted accessories such as bike racks, watersport carriers, and ski racks. The Vortex strips in the top channels come in 3 pieces, so they're easier to adjust than a single long, continuous strip. You can remove, trim, and re-insert the Vortex strips around the mounting hardware of your accessories to keep the crossbar channel capped and quiet. Replacement strips (sold separately) are also available if you remove your accessories or switch to clamp-on accessories.
You can also attach most clamp-on accessories to the bars, and the Vortex strips provide a shock-absorbing, no-slip cushion for any accessories that rest on them.
Each crossbar includes 2 Secure Core locking endcaps made of durable polypropylene. These endcaps lock with a universal tubular key. The polypropylene locks secure the endcaps to the crossbars and help to secure channel-mounted accessories to the crossbars. For maximum security, you can upgrade to endcaps with all-metal lock cores (RRVA-LEC4 - sold separately).
Average Customer Rating: 4.7 out of 5 stars (3270 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.I shopped online retailers namely Amazon and EBAY looking for the cross bar setup I would need for my 2012 Toyota Camry LE. My Camry has a naked roof. The whole experience was confusing. None of the needed components were combined together. I found each component listed separately but nothing to indicate they were the correct components for my car. Then ETRAILER.COM popped up in my search. I simply entered my car’s year, make, and model, and answered the question about the car roof (being naked with no factory installed cargo bars) and suddenly I had a list of the available cross bars for my vehicle with all the necessary components to install them. One or two clicks put the whole thing in my cart for purchase. ETRAILER .COM is your one stop shop. As a side note I purchased Yakima ski racks on sale to install on these cross bars. Another customer asked if these ski racks would fit his car and I explained yes they will with the appropriate cross bars. I sent him to “ETRAILER.COM” so he could get the correct setup. Pictures forthcoming.
Jesse M.
3/1/2024
Hey Mike thanks for sharing. I am glad you like our website and we appreciate the referral. That is a nice looking ski rack! Looks like you have been getting some snow so you can put those skis to good use.
The Rhino Racks Vortex Aero are solid. My first drive with them was to Brighton Utah from Riverside California. They were not only secure throughout the drive and hard winds, they were also reasonably quiet. On top I attached a Thule Force L 628 roof box and it fits perfectly. The only complaints I have are how difficult it was to install the racks to my fixed points. It took several friends, a mechanic, and two days to get everything right.
Love the bars, I had gotten the other rack parts from different suppliers. I love the look and sleek design of the Rhino Rack. I did the 2500 vortex on a 2016 Subaru Impreza sedan and it fits great and looks even better.
Rio
6/4/2021
Amazing!!
I purchased the complete 2500 Series system which included the crossbars, legs and fit kit for my 2018 Honda Fit so I could transport my kayak.. They were well packaged and their quality is quite evident. I did struggle a little following the assembly instructions but with some patience and watching a video it went well. Two items to be aware of. The front and rear leg clamps are of different lengths with the longer clamps going on the rear crossbar. The other issue was positioning the crossbars. After following the measurements for attaching the legs to the crossbars it was quite clear that the measurement for the rear crossbar was wrong. Placing the legs as instructed didn't allow the rear crossbars to be the 29 17/32 inches from the front crossbar but required me to move it back to 31 1/2 inches. There is a very faint whistle while driving around 30 to 35 mph but it's not annoying. I was so pleased with the fit and finish I went ahead and purchased the Rhino Rack S-loader to make it easier for me to lift my kayak onto the crossbars. I would definitely recommend both items.
This roof rack works great! At first I was skeptical about putting a rack on my IS250, but it couldn't have turned out better. Paired with the Yakima Highroad, I can easily transport my bikes around without worrying about anything coming loose while driving. The installation instructions for the legs and bars are pretty straightforward. Takes about 30-45 minutes total to install.
These are ALMOST a really good product... they're quiet, structurally solid, and work well with the legs/mounting system I ordered with them. The little plastic end pieces seem like they're gonna fall off though, and there's a stupid little rubber strip that snaps into a groove that runs across each bar... nice idea but if you actually try to load anything heavy (canoe, lumber) directly on the bars it's way too easy to damage that rubber strip. I have to mess with it every time I load something. If I was using a bike rack or other attachment I wouldn't even notice this issue and I'd be pleased with it, but I bought this rack primarily to load a canoe directly on the bars and I wish I'd bought the same round yakima bars I had 30 years ago.
These racks are great. I looked at so many and finally decided to go with these and very glad I did. The quality is great, not hard to put together, and not too loud. Although, sunroof open would cause bugs to fly in after bouncing off these so don’t do that.
Zeva K.
7/22/2020
5 stars. Use these every summer. Take them off and on by myself and have never had any issue with them. Still happy as ever with my purchase.
Installed the Rhinorack system on my 2018 Honda HR-V to replace my Thule Evo system which would whistle at 50mph+. Installation was very straight forward with easy to follow instructions. Rack fit great, feels solid and no whistling or wind noise at highway speed! Highly recommend!
Great bars - very quiet, solidly built, and nice looking. I put these on my Mercedes E350 Wagon. I can fit 4 bikes or a narrow Thule box and 2 bicycles (with pedals removed). Definitely would recommend Rhino Rack.
Choosing a system for transporting my new (to me, they're actually used) kayaks was TOUGH. I love my little 2017 Honda Fit, and I knew I would love my new kayaks when I got them. I don't want anything bad to happen to either! Also, my car is small and the kayaks are fairly large, comparatively. I've strapped a lot of things to a lot of vehicles, but this is going to be a long term relationship, so I wanted to get it right the first time.
I've been researching and reading reviews for months, but I got confirmation that the kayaks were ready for pickup, so I needed to make a decision! I ultimately pulled the trigger on the Rhino-Rack Vortex Aero Crossbars with the 2500 Series Legs and Custom DK Fit Kit for my naked roof car and the Rhino-Rack Nautic Stack Kayak Carrier w/ Tie-Downs.
I placed my order on 09/15/21 at 6 PM. The estimated delivery date was 09/23/21, which made me a little sad. I really wanted to pick up my boats on Sunday, 09/19/21, but I figured I'd waited THIS long, I could probably handle waiting another week. I was very pleasantly surprised to receive an email at 8 PM the same evening notifying me that my order had shipped. AND, even better, the UPS tracking was showing delivery on 09/18/21 by 7PM! I was beyond excited, but didn't get my hopes up because shipping has been pretty hit or miss since well before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, UPS delivered my package just before noon on Saturday, which was amazing!
I got everything unpacked and reviewed to ensure that I had all I would need to assemble the system - check. Nothing missing, which is always an auspicious start. Then I started reading the instructions - UGH. This is (so far) the ONLY thing I have to complain about. I have put together IKEA furniture that had clearer instructions. I probably should have gone to Google to find a YouTube video, but I powered through with the instructions provided. Since I've never put together or used a roof rack before, I didn't really know what the final outcome should look like, so that made interpreting the instructions very difficult - the pictures were not super clear, and the accompanying text did not improve the situation. Now that I know what it looks like assembled, I get it, but at the time it was rough. I estimated it took me about 2 hours to get the rack assembled and secured to my car, and towards the end my fiancé arrived and helped me to realize that the foot pads were not properly attached to the feet, which made a huge difference! The kayak carrier was much easier to install, taking maybe 15 additional minutes.
The foot pads rest in the groove on the edge of the roof, I assume over the frame of the car. There's absolutely no flex in the roof where the feet sit. The hook part of the clamp rests against the metal of the car, under the rubber seal, so I don't foresee any potential issues with the seal as a result of the rack. The doors close as normal, and the rack has no movement whatsoever once tightened down. I've now used it as a handle to pull myself up towards the roof a few times (I'm about 190 lbs), and I feel totally confident that it's not going anywhere. I now have ideas about how to use the rack to haul around the larger stuff that won't fit INSIDE my car (which isn't much - I HIGHLY recommend this car!).
So, the big question - how'd it go with the kayaks?
In short - perfection! I was slightly concerned about the boats overhanging the front or back of my car, as they're 12.5 ft long and my car is just over 13 ft long. Eeeeek! I needn't have worried. They fit like a dream, and even without bow or stern tie downs were very secure during our trip home. We took local roads instead of the highway because we didn't tie down the bow and stern, so we probably didn't go over 40 ish MPH, but I saw absolutely no lift (I can see the ends of the boats out of the front windshield). I will be using those tie downs in the future, and anticipate no issues with highway speeds under those conditions.
Obviously, only time will tell how everything holds up/works out, but at this stage, I am extremely pleased with my decision and am looking forward to many kayaking adventures to come! I only have one picture at this point, but may take a few more and add them so anyone else considering a similar setup knows what they'll be getting.
First off, ordering and delivery couldn’t have been simpler. The flaps on one end of the box were open but luckily it was on the packing paper end of the box so nothing was lost.
As for installation, I’m a computer guy and while I can get a job done with instructions, it normally takes me well longer than estimated. Not true with this rack... after an initial read through of the instructions it took less than 35 minutes to get it installed by myself.
My ‘21 Toyota C-HR has drill outs for the feet to connect to so no measuring front/back was required which I believe saved a ton of time.
Overall I couldn’t be happier... I head out to pick up m,y kayak next week for the maiden haul!
Ordered these based on this shop having what I needed for my Juke at a good price. Items arrived intact and with complete parts and good instructions. Items were high quality. Customer service was personal and AMAZING and followed up immediately. One year later items have remained solid and in good condition after installation.
These work perfectly and are very quiet on our 2011 Prius. Make sure to watch the videos provided by etrailer and installation will go just fine.
I was looking at buying a more expensive brand, and am so glad I didn't. These perform perfectly.
Exactly what I needed to replace the factory cross bars to make it easier to take off my roof top tent. Easy to install and secured nicely to the factory rails.
Great rack and great deal, I've been able to use the rack on more than one car by replacing just some parts.
Well worth the money! Vortex 2500 kit is perfect for naked roof vehicles!
Awesome rack system, many add on accessories available for different applications.
Oh ya. awesome low profile rack. Making it look real nice, just order a wind fairing to lower the wind noises.
Its been one year since I installed the Rhino Rack crossbars and I have absolutely no issues. The main use is to carry my Kayaks on my 2013 Subaru Impreza utilizing Yakima JayLow kayak carriers. The only caveat is to be sure to properly cut and install the plastic channel inserts (underside) or you will experience an annoying whistling sound. If you're looking for high quality crossbars, I highly recommend these.
High quality rack kit. Put this on a 2018 Honda Fit. Fts well, and looks great. Only 4 stars because the instructions are a bit tricky. Pay attention to pad numbers, lefts, rights, fronts, etc. You have to hunt the instructions and parts to line everything up. Take your time and it should go well. Also, one piece of hardware was missing, but I notified etrailer and they shipped it off right away.
Great product - do remember to inside the rails! LOL
Purchased these bars for my 2017 VW Tiguan because they had the highest load rating. I hope to carry a Tepui Car Top tent on these, and they should be able to handle the load just fine since they are very well built.
Easy to install
I am getting a bit of whistling at around 15-20 mph, but it doesn't happen all the time and can only hear it if sunroof is open. Do not notice any additional noise compared to no roof rack if my sunroof is closed, even if windows are open. Feels very strong once installed and install is pretty straightforward. Still feel it deserves 5 stars as I believe some noise is expected.
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Brooke M.
1/31/2024
Awesome pics, Mike! Thanks for spreading the word about us. Looks like you got some snow where you are - the hills are ready for you! Where are your go-to places for skiing?