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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.
Hey, everybody, Cooper here at etrailer. Today we're going to be taking a look at the Rhino-Rack Vortex Aero Roof Rack System on our 2020 Toyota RAV4. Now, why would you need a roof rack system Well, if you wanna carry around some of those bigger items like kayaks, snowboards, maybe even skis, or need some extra storage space in case our car is full of people, something like a rooftop basket or rooftop box would all be excellent accessories to carry around. But before you get any of those accessories, the first thing we're going to need is a roof rack system like we have here today. Our RAV4 today is going to have flush rails which means that we are going to have the kit that includes three pieces. First off, we're gonna have an adapter from our rails to form the base.
Then we're gonna have a leg that's going to secure down to the base. And then finally, we're going to have our crossbar that secures into our leg. Has this nice aero shape to it here, which really just helps cut down on some of that wind noise that you're gonna have when putting something on top of your roof. In conjunction, we do also have a weather strip here on the top which again just helps cut down some of that wind noise. With this type of weather strip though, if you want to mount any T-track accessories, we are going to have to pull it up and cut out the holes for our T-track accessory feet.
In order to access that T-channel, we actually come here to the front of it where there is this lock with our included key. Our roof rack system is weight rated for 165 pounds, but do keep in mind that our rails and our roof will have separate weight ratings and that we wanna make sure we are accommodating for the lowest component of all three. That way, we're not overloading any of the systems and causing damage to anything on our vehicle or our roof rack. Since this is a fixed point roof rack, we are going to have a crossbar spread of about 31 1/2 inches. And since these cannot move around on our roof at all, that is fixed, and that's going to be the number every single time, but that is more than enough of a crossbar spread to accommodate all sorts of accessories.
The system we have on today does use 49 inch crossbars, which I think is the perfect number for our RAV4 here today because there is a little bit of overhang on each crossbar, which will allow us to use some of those clamping accessories, but there's not enough overhang that you start endangering your head getting in and out of your vehicle. Now our install process is pretty straightforward. The only real snag in it is the fact that there is a bolt on your leg that you're going to have to tighten down, that is on the bottom, so just a little harder to access. Thankfully, we're going to show you the install process and what we found to use as a workaround. Now to start our install process, I like to take all our components and lay them out on the table in front of us.
As you can see, we've already installed our rear crossbar. For the front crossbar, steps are very similar, so the steps are gonna be applicable for both. A couple additional tools that I would highly recommend having is something like a shop towel because we're gonna see later, we're doing some very close work on near our roof, a screwdriver, 'cause we're gonna have to pop the plates up on our flush rails, a tape measure for a couple measurements that we're going to need earlier, and then the instruction book actually requires that you get a ratcheting tool to secure one of our parts down later. But coming to our crossbar, we're going to determine the direction using the Rhino-Rack logo here, making that the front of our crossbar. We're gonna go ahead and just roll that over after we install the weather strip. We've already done so because this is not a permanent fixture on the car, so not a step that we have to be too concerned about. Whenever you get the legs for your Rhino-Rack system, they're going to come like this straight out of the box. So the first step we're going to need to do is go ahead and unlock it using our included key so we can expose all the inner workings here that we're going to need later, doing that for both. And then in order to stall the fixed mounting point for our leg, we're going to come down to the bottom where there's a hole here, and then there is a included bolt with some washers that we're going to need to go ahead and feed through the top of that and then take our metal plate right here and screw that down into place. But you don't want to have it too tight because we are going to need to feed it through our crossbar here in a moment. So just doing that for both of our legs here means that they will be ready to install. Your kit is going to come with a measurement strip like this one that we are going to simply go ahead and install into the bottom of our crossbar. And then on your instruction manual, you will receive a certain measurement that will tell you what number that our legs are supposed to sit at and you would go ahead and cut that to leave only that section revealed. Since this is our demo kit, we're not gonna cut that today. We are just going to go ahead and install the feet through onto our crossbar, and I'm going to tighten them down a little bit right now because we'll see later on in our installation that accessing this once we put it onto the roof of our vehicle does get a little tricky, so it's nice to have it semi tightened right now. This space loose enough that we could still move it but tight enough that it's not just totally loose would make it a lot easier for us down the road. Now with our crossbar ready, there is going to be some prep work that we have to do on our flush rails. That's where these are going to come in. There are four different ones in total, each with a unique code. For instance, this one is 2030, this one is 2029, and those have corresponding points on the vehicle that you'll see in the instruction manual. Or you can just go ahead and look at the letters under them. This one is FR or front right, means going to be on our front crossbar on the passenger side, right And this one is FL or front left, means going to be on our front crossbar, left side, or our driver's. So we are going to go ahead and take our screwdriver, pop out the plates and get these settled down into place. Now we just need to go ahead and take our screwdriver and very carefully, pop out these plates, setting that down to the side. You can go ahead and take our block and it does just nestle in here with that arrow facing towards the front of our vehicle, and we're going to take the included nut and tool and just go ahead and tighten this down. After you go ahead and repeat that step on your driver's side, that means our roof's all prepped and we're ready to install our crossbar. Now on our crossbar, we do have these neat little tabs here that are going to nestle into those that we just go ahead and set up. So we're just gonna go ahead and come to the front of our vehicle, reach to the other side until those fall into those holes, and then go ahead and set this down in there. And now we're going to take the steps to secure this down into here. Now you're gonna see one of the reasons that we left our legs here a little bit on the looser side 'cause as we push our crossbar over, we need that to kind of expose the point where our leg is going to sit into our face. So we're just going to simply drop our bolt in there and grab our ratcheting tool, putting that in there and securing this down to the base. Then after you get this tightened down completely, you gotta go ahead and repeat this process on the other side. We can make sure that our crossbar is even between our driver and passenger side. In a situation like this, what I find really helpful to do is to actually bring all of your crossbar to one side, take your tape measure, put it up against your crossbar, and we can see that sitting about at 6 1/2 inches. So we're actually going to pat this side down till it reaches about 3.25 inches and then double check the other side to make sure that it's also at that measurement. Now with our crossbar measurements confirmed, we're going to tighten down our crossbar to the leg. And that bolt is actually on the bottom side of our leg now, that's where our shop towel is going to come in just to make sure we don't deal any additional damage to our roof. Now for this, you can use the included Allen key if you want, or if you have the correct head size for that ratcheting tool that we had to use earlier, you can just go ahead and swap that out and this makes it a lot easier. And this is another reason that we kept those legs tightened down earlier just so that we are not starting from a completely loose point when doing this. It makes it a little bit easier to get into that groove and tighten it down. Last thing we need to do is put all our end caps on. The end cap for our crossbars are going to be this plastic lock core here that use this unique blue key to lock them into place, while our leg crossbar is going to be this end cap which comes with a metal lock core that uses a metal key. Now, if you did want to use a same key system for these, Rhino-Rack does offer a option to swap out these plastic cores for a keyed alike system so you could have one metal key instead of carrying around these two different keys for our crossbar system. After that, we're just gonna go ahead and give it a little bit of a shake test to make sure everything's down and in place. And it seems like everything is pretty sturdy, so that means we're all good to go. And overall, I think on our 2020 Toyota RAV4, it has a really nice clean and sleek look. And we saw it here at etrailer.com. Thanks for watching.
Average Customer Rating: 4.7 out of 5 stars (136 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 wanted to share the items I used to be able to haul two Wilderness Systems Tsunami 145 kayaks on my 2006 Scion xB. This may help others who struggle with deciding what to use. I am pleased with my purchase and hope this helps. I originally thought I wanted the Thule Hull-A-Port Aero, but they discontinued making the fit kit for their roof rack systems and I ended up going with the Kuats. I am glad that they didn’t make the fit kit for approximately $[XX] and so they missed out on the rest of my business. Here are the items I used for anyone interested – pictures included. Custom DK Fit Kit for 4 Rhino-Rack 2500 Series Roof Rack Legs - Naked Roof #DK138, Kuat Class 4 V2 Kayak Carrier w/ Tie-Downs - J-Style - Folding - 1 Kayak - Black #KU53VR and these are really cool, Rhino-Rack 2500 Series Legs for Vortex Aero Crossbars - Naked Roofs or Fixed Mounting Points - Qty 4 #RRRLKVA, Rhino-Rack Vortex Aero Crossbars - Aluminum - Black - 54" Long - Qty 2 #RRVA137-B2. The 54” crossbars fit really well and the perfect length in my opinion and it doesn’t stick out like the longer ones would. Also purchased two sets of these Malone QuickLash T-Style Hood Loops for Bow and Stern Tie-Downs - Qty 2 #MPG308.
Look great, and function great. Just make sure you find all the parts packaged inside the rails themselves after you open the box!
Great strength and look. I love em. About to put on the kayak racks and get some fishing going.
I own a 2013 Honda CRV I purchased a couple months ago. It has a naked roof and no rack or side bars, and I wanted to be able to carry up to three kayaks. I didn't really want to buy and install the side bars, and then the cross bars also. I also needed the cross bars to be a little wider than the vehicle itself, as I own two Ocean Kayak Scupper Pros, and a Venus.
This Rhino Rack package looked like a great option for my needs. Weight wise, the three boats come right to the limit. Other racks had lower weight limits, and wouldn't work.
I had a couple issues with the initial package, but etrailer took care of the problem right away, and sent out what I needed.
Installation was pretty smooth. I recommend reading and rereading the instructions, before you cut anything. The videos on the etrailer website or directly on YouTube are very helpful to see all the steps. I'd like to see more personalized instructions added in the future, just to to make everything even smoother. Make sure you identify your vehicle and the bar you received on the kit instructions before you start.
These bars are so wonderful. The aero bars make no noise when driving and no whistling that I can tell. They don't seem to effect my gas mileage. I made sure the top rubber strips and bottom measurement strips were cut perfectly with no gaps, as this is important to prevent whistling.
They look so stylish. I get complements on them, and people can't believe they are after market, and that I installed them myself. They really complement the vehicle. Once installed the first time, I can take them off or put then back on in about 12 minutes. I don't really plan to take them off though. I don't use car washes, and I like the look of them on my vehicle.
I made sure to not overtighten them, and then tightened them a few times over the next week and with a couple kayaking trips. These babies are strong and I can't make them move when I test them. I still check them regularly to make sure they are secure, for safety purposes.
I highly recommend this Rhino Rack package. They know how to make the perfect roof rack and you can tell the quality and thought that went into them. Look at my photos I have included.
Thank you to etrailer for such great service. You made the whole process so pleasant and easy.
I give all 5 stars for the product and service, but...I prefer the parts to be all in one carboard, also I was a little panicking looking for blue plastic key...It was inside of cross-bar ??not falling out with strips. Anyway,
I"m owner of Honda cr-v 2022 with bare roof ,and I just installed the rack. Was it simple enough? Yes,so I can share this:
First, rubber pads are all the same, and after placements to plastic legs should be placed with arrow*out*-that is it(a lot of info regarding vertical parts, that they are all different)??
Second, on other hand, in video we informed that clamps are same -they are not. Bigger "hooks" are for rear bar, smaller ones-for the front one.
Third, do not expect precision in rubber pads position(especially on rear bar)regarding plastic rail strips on bare roof.it is not achievable, just try to make same look on both sides.
I was worried about rain and water gets inside. Well, let us see.
What I plan to care on rack? Just a small 6ft step ladder. Believe me or no CR-V is my business vehicle ,and ladder carry was the goal of rack purchase. And only question I have if I can get to underground parking with no problems to cross the front entries usually limited with 6 ft in heights I will find out soon, but rack height plus ladder on it makes me worry.??The review will be update soon. regards.
Holds two kayaks on the roof rock steady. Did some highway miles, back roads, bumpy roads, all locked in place. The problem is that when there are no kayaks up there, the wind creates a very loud whistle sound that grows with the speed. Its gotten so bad that we tend to avoid using the car these are on for anything but driving kayaks around. Probably going to have to remove them for daily driving and put them on again when its kayaking time.
These crossbars are perfect! I have a Pelican Cargo Box that I put on the rack when I'm traveling and it is 100% secure. They are pretty noisy, especially when driving perpendicular to the wind direction, but I expected that considering they are sitting on top of a tall truck. The rubber pieces that fit into the tracks are still in good shape and haven't cracked or loosened. They look good on my all black truck, too.
These Aero Racks are perfect on my Scion XB, stylish cool look & importantly Quiet with absolutely no wind noise! Also bought the Rocky Mount Cargo Basket & it comes WITH a full bunji net cover. It is also quiet with no wind noise & you can tie surf gear on top like racks (use padded rack pads) & or put things inside for more carrying space. Also a cool stylish look on the Scion XB or any other compact car like my wifes Toyota Yaris... We move it back & forth to who ever needs the Cargo Basket for the days Adventure.
I purchased a full kit for my 2017 Ford explorer, connectors, Feet and these cross bars. I will use them for hauling my roof top box on trips as well as other things that will not fit in my vehicle. The install is farily simple however some of the tools provided for tightening are not the best. Luckily I had a number of other tools to get this complete. The main thing I feel is needed is a socket allen key to tighten down the cross bars nice and tight. The allen key provided is difficult to work with and get the leverage you need to snug the bars down.
Another tip is to be sure to use the excess measuring closure to close off the inside of underside of the bars. Use a box cutter to cut the excess and fit it to the inside. I read some reviews about noise and I have zero noticeable noise. Do not tighten the bars down until you have this all inserted in and slid under the feet. Then snug it all down. If you do these things and close all the gaps the bars are almost silent.
The bars look great on the vehicle and seem very sturdy and solid. I would have no reservations hauling ladders, lumber and all of the typical stuff you see on roof racks. The rubber strips are heavy duty and add a nice non slip feel to the top of the bars.
I purchased Rhino-Rack Vortex Aero Crossbars with Rhino-Rack 2500 Series Legs (RRRLKVA) and Fit Kit (DK284) for my 2020 Honda CR-V EX Hybrid. The rack was easy to assemble and took about an hour. The only tool not supplied that you need is a sharp knife or scissors to cut the rubber strips to length. Once assembled, the installation took about 30 minutes, making sure to measure accurately for placement. I used blue painter's tape to initially mark the locations. I then placed the white marking arrows (supplied) to align with the marks on the tape. I then removed the tape, placed the racks aligned with the arrows, and tightened the clamps.
This product seems well made and engineered (I'm a retired mechanical engineer). Kudos to Rhino-Rack and to etrailer for selling it.
I liked doing business with you. I like the products I ordered. I did have trouble with part of the shipping. It was not your fault, but the part of the shipping you used The USPS did not work. I neverrnecieved the item from them and you had to ship me another via UPS. Over the last 10 years I have had a number of problems with the USPS with packages and mail. They are especially difficult to get information from when something seems to be lost. I would recommend not using the USPS for your shipping needs. Again, I am very happy with you and the products I bought from you.
Very nice bars that I mounted on a 2019 Highlander. I have owned multiple vehicles with Thule square and Yakima round bars that were noisy. These are so quiet I don’t know they are there. Very sturdy, and the rubber insert helps to keep load from sliding.
Good sturdy product. Only reason I don't give 5 stars is that the lockable plastic cover on each ends of the bars, some don't lock, seems like a little lack of adjustment. Other than that, very satisfied.
Fairly easy to install onto my 2017 Honda CR-V. The crossbars feel very sturdy and are securely attached to the vehicle. Took me about 30 minutes to get it installed and could be done even quicker if you get help from another person. The bars themselves are a little fat so my Thule ski rack has a super tight fit. There is very minimal wind noise, so I'll probably be getting a fairing for that. The instructions felt a bit jumbled but with just the measurements alone, you can install it with a bit of common sense.
I used this rack to mount two 65lbs kayaks to my vehicle and travel. One of many trips was over a thousand miles (round trip) and they moved maybe half a centimeter a piece during. I was extremely pleased with how easily I could adjust them. The original shipment had everything that was supposed to be in it and the directions were realitively clear. I had them together and on in roughly an hour. Also, they look great. When they are off the roof the only issue I have arises. The rubber feet that sit directly on the roof tend to fall off easily. Not a big deal.
The crossbars are great, but the rubber strip in the middle gets bunched up or comes out when loading heavy items across the bar. But the rubber provides grip, and the grip is amazing. I am not worried about kayaks or rafts sliding around. I do need longer ones though...
This is Thai Khuu ,Thanks I got packaged ,and I already installed, It just take about 1 and 1/2 hour,but I just take time to do carefully,so it is took me 2 hours, It is great ,me and my wife like it,and I my order the other package exactly like this for my second acura mdx 2016, I enclosed the pictures installed roof rack , Thanks
Exactly what I was looking for but listed as 'not verified for my vehicle' used with the SX009 on my 2024 Seltos S. Looks right to me.
We love these racks! They were easy to install with the website videos. They whistle a bit but honestly it’s not terrible. The racks we got for our kayaks fit perfectly. Bonus - I can still open the panoramic roof!
Very straight forward to install. Took about a half hour in total. No whistling whatsoever. They look awesome on my 2016 Ford Explorer Sport! Especially with my running boards and tires...
Waiting on my Rhino basket to get here to install that next!
Solid platform for all your gear. Easy to install and adjust, great looking as well. Initially I was frustrated because I failed to insert the plastic ruler under the cross bar. If you don't cover all the gaps they will whistle like crazy!
The instructions don't tell you that...I had to call Rhino tech support. They are quiet now at any speed.
I'd buy them again for sure!
Great design and surprisingly quiet on my Avalanche.
AERO BARS HAGING IN THERE.THE ONLY THING THAT I DIDNT LIKE ABOUT THE AREO BARS IS PUTTING ON A ROOF RACK. ONCE FITTED AND ADJUSTED THE RUBBER ON TOP OF BARS IMPRESS INTO THE BAR. FIXING THAT I CUT SOME RUBBER PIECES TO COVER THE IMPRESSIONS. STILL A GOOD PRODUCT.
Extremely sturdy and well made. I also like the locking endcap design. Only thing I dodnt like is the rubber channel strip is 4 separate pieces instead of one long strip. Maybe they do that so you can remove a section for installing accessories, but id prefer to simply cut it where needed.
The Rhino Rack BLOCKS my SUNROOF. It was recommended for my 2018 Highlander on the etrailer website. A 2018 Highlander with a sunroof is shown on etrailer in the install video. Even though the rail came in with damage, due to poor packaging for shipment, I installed it because I did not have time to exchange it. Now, I can not open my sunroof! etrailer refuses to refund or exchange it and have no options for fixing this issue!
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