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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:
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, Aidan here with etrailer.com. Today we're gonna be taking a look at the Rhino-Rack Vortex Aero Bar crossbar system here for your tonneau covers. We're gonna be taking a look at it on our 2019 Ram 1500 with our Mountain Top tonneau cover. Now we are going to be using this with the rails here. Any other tonneau cover that has a rail system like the Pace Edwards UltraGroove or the RetraxPRO XR, those are gonna work just fine. Same deal, it's just gonna slide in the tracks here, but it's basically going to give you a set of crossbars above the tonneau cover.
This is gonna be great for stuff like our tent like you see here, or maybe a bike rack, where we want it above the bed, we want it raised up like this, but we don't wanna reach all the way up like we would on something like a ladder rack. This is gonna have it way more accessible and offer all those same benefits that we might otherwise have at the ladder rack. Let's check it out. When I say all those same benefits as a ladder rack, I more mean for hauling your sports and rec accessories. Things like lumber, ladders, elongated loads maybe like a kayak, they're not gonna work really well on here just because we don't have that same space over the cab.
Anything elongated here is gonna eventually run into that back glass so just keep that in mind for what you're hauling. If you need something that's adjustable, Yakima does have the overhaul system that can be height adjusted, so you can mix and match it for different uses, but this is going to be more of a fixed system, low to the bed like this. And you also have a couple different options here. We're taking a look at the kits here that include the Vortex Aero Bars as well as the quick release legs. We can get these crossbars in two different lengths.
65 inch, like we have here, or a 71 inch crossbar, if we want a little more overhang. You can also choose to just get the quick release feat on their own. You can get them in pack of two, four, or six, so you can mix and match, get as many as you want. If you want to add a third crossbar to this system, you can. And then you can choose whatever crossbar you want.
Maybe you wanna go with Rhino-Rack's HD bars. You have that option and you can customize it to fit your needs. With whatever tonneau cover we're using this on, it's going to retain all of those normal functions, we just have something in the rails on top. So anything we wanna put in the bed, we can. We can open up the cover to get access to the things inside our bed, or we can just slide it out, have everything covered up underneath and have it all protected. These crossbars are gonna have a 220 pound weight capacity and that is a dynamic weight capacity, which means when the vehicle's moving. So if you do plan on putting a tent up here, don't worry you can still sleep in it. It'll be just fine because at that point your car will be static and still. So we don't have to worry about that moving weight capacity. These Vortex Aero bars are perfect for clamp around accessories. They're a very standard size and we haven't had any issues with the accessories we keep in the shop down here, or that we test on other vehicles fitting on these. And you also have the T-track up top. If you peel back the weather stripping and trim it to size, you can slide accessories in there as well. So you've got a variety of options for how you want to attach these accessories to the cross bars. Everything in the system is gonna lock. The end caps on our cross bars here require a special tool to twist open and unlock. So any T-track accessories inside will be safe. And the quick release legs have an actual lock core with key. All of them will have that lock core and key. So all these tabs inside are gonna be completely locked up and safe. So I'm not gonna fully release this with the tent on top, but if you push those tabs in, that's what allows us to lift this out of the quick release mounts right here. So we can quickly get the crossbars off of those bases, leave the bases installed, and it's ready for next time whenever we need to get this set up. I did mention everything is pretty low profile. From the top of our tonneau cover rails to the top of the crossbars, we're sitting at 4 3/4 of an inch. Very low profile. It's gonna not stick up too much. So if we are adding stuff to the top here, it's not gonna be that high of a lift. The tracks run the entire length of the rails on our tonneau cover here, so we can slide the bases here along any point and have any crossbar spread that we might need. We set these up specifically to work with our rooftop tent today, but maybe you have some bike racks that you're looking to carry or a cargo basket, and you know, I need a different crossbar spread. You can set that up, move it around however you see fit, and get it set up really quickly. Speaking of that setup, let's check out that install process right now. Starting off the installation, we're gonna take the base of our legs and we're gonna get some stuff assembled. We're gonna start off with our screw right there, a lock washer and a flat washer on top of that. And that's gonna drop through one of these outer holes right here, just like that on either side. Then underneath, I'm gonna grab the little plate loosely thread that on. And this is going to slide into the rails of our tonneau cover, or wherever else we're mounting this. For our Mountain Top tonneau cover today, we're gonna take off the end cap right there to expose the track system. And these T-bolts are rectangular, so just make sure they're going in the narrow side facing inward just so they fit properly. And depending on the system you're using it might be a little bit different on yours. So you get those in. This one's being a little stubborn. If you find that it's getting a little bound up entering in, you can just loosen it a little bit. That's why we wanted to leave this loose from the start. So it can freely slide along the track. And we can get it set to our crossbar spread. That's gonna vary depending on what kind of accessories you plan on mounting. We're gonna be putting a tent up here, so I'm gonna be shooting for a 32 inch crossbar spread to work with our tent. So I'm just gonna be going from the center of one base to the center of the other. And once I've got it at that proper spread, I can go back to those bolts and tighten them down with the Allen wrench here. We can take our crossbars with the rest of our leg assembly and get those set up. We can take our key for our Aero bars here and pop that end cap off. Now if you went with the HD bars, that process will be slightly different. so just keep that in mind. We're gonna slide this little T-bolt into the track underneath. I'm just gonna pop on the end cap right now so I don't forget. And so, this doesn't slide out of the track accidentally. And then what I like to do is I actually like to come to the bolt underneath here. Right there, you can get a better look at it, and I'm actually going to tighten it up most of the way. Now the reason I'm doing this is so it's easier on us whenever getting it set up and spreading these out the appropriate amount. So I'm just gonna tighten it up, enough to where it won't move on its own, but I can still move it by hand pushing it with a little bit of force. This right here is perfect. One thing I'm gonna also do is push these locking tabs in and just push them into the leg there. That way they're just unlocked, ready to go, and drop into the bases. With those bases tighten down, everything should be good spacing wise from the front to the back. And now we just have to worry about our side to side. We can see everything locks in pretty well here. I can come to the back of the truck and get kind of a basic idea of how that crossbar spread is looking, or I can even get a little bit more precise and measure the overhang on either side make sure it's even. Once we're happy with the even overhang on both sides, we can just lift it out. Since we left it unlocked, it's easy to do. And since everything's mostly tight, these aren't gonna shift around on us. We can then take this opportunity to fully tighten them down. And at this point, everything should be lined up and tighten down. So it's as simple as dropping it back in and pulling out on those red locking tabs. Verify that they're all engaged. We don't want to forget to cover up the legs, lock them up. And then on our Mountain Top cover, install these caps on our rails. Get that lined up here. Lock up those legs just like that. That's gonna secure everything. And for our Mountain Top cover we can slide on those end caps to the rails, and everything's ready for our accessories. With our gear installed up top, we can close up our tonneau cover, get that latched in on both sides and we're good to go. And overall, I think this is going to be a very versatile system. The quick release legs are great because we can take them off really easily, put them on just as easily. We don't have to make any adjustments once it's all set. And the overall crossbar system is gonna be great for things like our tent here or for a bike rack. We don't have to lift it up all the way like we would on a ladder rack. It's just at a much more accessible height, while still leaving the whole bed and the tonneau cover open to use as we normally would. Thanks for watching..
Average Customer Rating: 4.8 out of 5 stars (112 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.Indeed they were the wrong parts in the box marked demo on them.
The new parts came and I was able to
Put it on my car with no problem!!
Thank you for listening to me and helping me problem solve. It looks great on my car and I'm ready to load the kayaks now!!
Kalie is a gal that sent me some return labels so I'm going to put that on the box and send it back to you guys!
Wow! It's a real well made and engineered product and was delivered fast. I got it so I could remove it due to garage door clearance... It is heavy duty enough to carry our boat and 2 kayaks. The key lock, pivot system and removal system were well thought out and so easy.
etrailer.com's videos and additional customer support made the purchase of a Rhino Rack system from them for our 2010 Malibu a no brainer. The rack fit the car perfectly, and with the videos and clear instructions that came with the kit, I got it installed on the car with only one misstep. The instructions came the the measurements in centimeters and inches. I didn't have a metric tape measure, and ended up messing up converting fractions to decimal.
My Daughter is going to college 500 miles away and is moving into an unfurnished apartment and needed to pick up some small furniture that wouldn't fit in her Malibu. She purchased several items from Facebook Marketplace and was able to transport a twin bed and mattress, a medium sized desk and some dining room chairs (in several trips) with no problems.
The only thing I can think of to improve the installation would be to have the Inches measurements in decimal or to include an inexpensive metric tape.
Rhino-Rack installed on my 2022 Jeep Cherokee. There was wind noise (whistling) when all the rubber spacers were not installed, now it’s very quiet. I also installed the Yakima fishing rod//Ski holder. I wound up deviating from the directions and using the third lot, so the clamps would close on the bar. So far so good, without the fishing rod holder it’s low profile enough to get into garages, etc. Fast delivery on the products.
I love it works amazing on my 2017 Hyundai sonata sport 2.0T
Great sturdy rack. I put it together myself and have already started using it. I was concerned that it would cause leaks in the door the way it has to mount..but its Florida and its rainfall in the past few days and no leak! The weak link would be the end caps..two do not lock on and im concerned the will fly off at some point.
I bought the complete set (mounting points, mounts and aero cross bars) looking for a less expensive approach for a rack to carry my sea kayak. The equipment shipped quickly from or via etrailer. The instructions that came with the whole kit leave a little bit to be desired and a little bit of mechanical interpretation is needed to figure out what parts you need and which you don't. The whole set went together relatively easily in an hour or so. I remove the bars, mounts and mounting points when not in use which is a bit time consuming and fiddly. I had to replace the mazda 3's roof moulding which was continuous with one that had the necessary pop out pieces to accept the rack but this was not costly nor a big job. Overall, I am pleased with the rhino rack and it looks just fine. The one area it could be improved is wind noise - at some speeds there can be quite a heavy drone either off the bars or mounts. The bars do have rubber inserts to smooth out the surface across the width of the car. I suspect it might be the mounts which have the inboard side of them completely open so the air flowing along the car goes over this open space like you would have happen when you blow across the top of a bottle. I am going to try to cover the sides with gorilla tape to see if this makes a difference. Apart from that, I am quite happy with the etrailer ordering, delivery and the Rhino rack in general.
You have to order the cross bars and connector hardware separately. I also ordered the end cap locks.
I consider myself a pretty good DYI person and it took longer than I expected according to other reviews on here to get everything installed and overlapping the same on both sides.
Once installed the crossbars are very solid. I do get noticeable wind noise at say 70+MPH.
I installed these on a 2020 Jeep GC Overland and they look and function great! Was a bit concerned about the sun roof retraction with the bars, but there is plenty of clearance. No issue.
I for sure recommend the Rhino Rail crossbars. Etrailer is a great site to get the bars. Given the COVID issues and supply chain breakdowns retailers are facing, they still had everything I ordered to me in a very reasonable time frame.
I bought this rack for my son who is a rower so he could take his single shell and oars to regattas using his new Chevy Cruz. First trip from Wyandotte, Michigan to Boston, Massachusetts and back was great. A learning curve to get in the right spot on roof but very sturdy & strong. He is looking forward to many regattas with this car and roof rack. Very Satisfied with etrailer and the rack itself and thank you for the quick shipping.
Used the cross bars once with a kayak. Black paint easily scratched showing the metal underneath. Was told this was normal wear and tear. The product was bought less than a week ago. Would not buy again.
These crossbars were easy to install, are sturdy when installed and look great on my factory side rails when installed with the SX Series legs. The standard end caps are an all-plastic affair and use a little key to engage a cam lock. That plus the distance from the end of the crossbar to the nut that tightens the foot onto the rail keeps things relatively secure. Most people probably want to opt for proper locking end caps, though.
The rubber vortex strips look nice and give items something grippy to rest on. I haven't tried a load test yet but did drive around in moderate wind on the highway in multiple directions. Other than a slight whistle at 70 mph, you'd never know they were there. Overall, real happy with the product and looking forward to hauling some stuff around with them.
My inital thought of these crossbars were that they were going to be too small. Two of the other big makers call for 53" min and 60" recommended. However after installing, 49" is a perfect fit for the Cayenne I feel. The rack is extremely quiet (make sure you use the channel rubber on top and bottom) The Cayenne is fairly quiet car inside and it was one of my big concerns but I only hear what sounds like a slight rush of air, no buzzing or whistling at all.
The downside to this rack is I think the black paint is too thin. Just laying it on the pavement while setting up caused scratches to appear. Silver would be the way to go if your getting these, or spray them plastic.
Easy to install. The pins on the legs clamp perfectly into the fixed points on the car's flush rails. This is a nice low profile set up. The top of the crossbar is about 4" above the roof glass and does not interfere with opening the sunroof. This is a very sturdy setup for our Thule Motion XT XL. etrailer shipped extremely fast. Very pleased with my purchase.
Love these aero bars. Perfect for on my 2018 Grand Cherokee Trailhawk. Run fairly quiet and perform as expected. As always the customer service from etrailer was top notch.
The product info on your website led me to believe that the vortex strips were included with the bars. They were not. I have always bought Yakima in the past and will in the future.
My Rhino-Rack Aero 2500 roof racks fit solidly on my 2007 Honda Civic EX. I was really impressed with the construction and strength of the rack system. Also the versatility of the 'legs' with a swivel pad allow them to fit any roof pitch perfectly. The clamps are so solid, nothing could knock these racks off. I added a paddleboard attachment and went surfing today. The black racks also look great with the black trim on my silver Honda. Great product at a much better price than Yakima or Thule.
Received the roof rack on the date promised, it was well packaged and all parts required were included. Everything fit together very well and the instructions were easy to follow. The rack looks good on the car. Once the rack is installed and the included decals in place it only takes a few minutes to remove it and reinstall. This is important for me because we will only use the racks to transport our kayaks the rest of the time they will be removed and stored.
There are two small items that can be improved. First the legs are different lengths yet nowhere in the instructions does it tell you where each size goes. Second I own 10 tape measure and not one of them is in meters and I do not care how good your eyesight is you are not going to be able to measure to 53/64". If the measurements are critical you should ensure customers in the US have measurements they can use or include a MM tape measure.
Overall this is a very good product that I would purchase again and recommend to friends.
Easy to read instructions, easy to install. Watched the install video a few times just to be sure! They do whistle a bit at highway speeds, but certainly not unbearable. In fact, I was surprised as to how quiet they are. It's to be expected, especially when paired with kayak j-racks. So happy with this purchase and I would definitely recommend them!
Product itself is fantastic, I strongly recommend.
I have had these on for more than a year. Most common use case is carrying a 60lb, 16' long canoe.
I installed with rivets into the roof sheet metal. No issues at all with any rivets coming loose, and zero leakage. I use it with a Yakima crossbars with the quick release mounts. The feet are bolted to the tracks. The crossbars just click into the feet. They take literally less than a minute to attach or remove. I've had a few roof rack systems and this is by far the best.
I used the etrailer videos for the installation and they were more than enough. The riveting was nerve-wracking on the first one, but actually very simple. I suggest really taking your time to assure parallel. This can be tricky depending on your roofline. I marked a centerline down my roof and set the tracks based on that.
The only downside I have run into is not at all a fault in the tracks. Because they rivet into the roof sheet metal, it's susceptible to a bit of flex. I see this under the front of the tracks when I crank down on the bowline of the boat. That's a very large lever pulling down on the rack into the roof sheet metal. No lasting issues, I can just see the metal move.
Another small thing to note is that if your roof is curved where the front or real of the rail lands, the plastic end cap might have a small gap under it. It's not itself held down to the roof, it just slots into the track. I have a small gap on mine and it's not a functional issue at all.
These are cross bars ONLY and are useless without other hardware. This could be presented in a more clear way. I will be returning and buying a complete cross bar set elsewhere
The quality is very good. Ordering was easy and installation using the video made the process so simple. Glad I order them from here instead of somewhere else.
I spent a week reading reviews and forums to find the right one for my 2019 Jeep Cherokee that I just bought a few weeks ago. I just have to overthink everything but it paid off. I just received them this morning and installed them myself! First time for everything! It was really easy. The only part that was frustrating was the very first part... sliding the rubber pieces into the crossbars. They would not slide very well so I ended up using a bit of oil to make them slide better. Other than that, installation was easy and quick. I LOVE the looks of them. Very gorgeous!!! Thank you so much!! Very happy with the end result!!
Looks a great and we’re super easy to install.
2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee L 4x4 Limited
I haven't extensively used this rack yet, but so far, it is excellent.
Avoid my mistake and buy this rack first... Last summer, I purchased a much cheaper off-brand roof rack that was supposed to fit my car. I figured the off-brand rack couldn't be that different from the more common brands, such as Rhino Rack. Long story short, I was wildly wrong. It was nearly impossible to install, and once installed, I didn't trust it with my wind surfboard on it. This rack, however, was easy to assemble and install and is rock solid. I have zero fear of my board or the rack leaving the party before we get there.
The bars look and feel great. They have such a tough presence while still being aerodynamic. I love the look of the rubber grip strip on top and I like how the rubber strip on the bottom ends have graduations so you can easily match the overhang with the other side. They feel incredible strong, no bend in the them at all. If the platforms were a bit more robust this thing would outshine all the competition. However, it competes with every other system at a much lower price point so that gets 5 stars in my book.
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