Roof Rack Clearance With Sunroof on 2018 Chevy Traverse
Question:
I am looking for a roof rack for a 2018 Chevy Traverse. It does have a sun roof and raised factory rails. Will a lower profile style still clear a sunroof?
asked by: Patrick L
Expert Reply:
Thule, Yakima, Inno and the other roof rack manufacturers all use a blanket statement saying that it isn't recommended to vent, open or retract any sunroof while a roof rack is in place. In most cases it isn't the rack itself that would interfere, but usually the attachment hardware for crossbar mounted accessories that would cause interference that could possibly damage a sunroof.
The Thule Edge roof rack you'd looked at which consists of # TH7503B and # TH7504B is pretty low-profile as far as roof racks go. The underside of the crossbars would sit about 1-1/2 inches above the top of the roof side rails. You can get a good idea of where the underside of the crossbars will sit by placing a flat piece of lumber like a 2x4 across the roof side rails, and drawing a line about 1-1/2 inches up from the bottom of the board. This would represent the approximate location of the underside of the crossbar.
I'll typically tell folks that due to the cost of replacement for a sun roof, it's best to simply not use them with the roof rack in place. The AeroBlade Edge crossbars are pretty easy to remove, once you're familiar with the process it should take just a few minutes so taking the crossbars off when they're not needed will be simple and quick.
