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This complete roof rack system mounts to your Subaru Forester with raised, factory side rails. Full-length square crossbars work with most clamp-on carriers and accessories. Vinyl-coated steel bars are corrosion resistant. Includes locks to deter theft.
Features:
Specs:
Note: Do not load weight on the section of crossbar that extends past the towers.
The Malone SteelTop roof rack lets you carry gear and accessories on the roof of your vehicle with raised, factory side rails. This complete roof rack system includes 2 steel, square crossbars and 4 towers. The bars are compatible with most universal, clamp-on accessories and carriers, and the towers have built-in locks to protect the rack from theft. The rack clamps onto your raised side rails and tightens down with the included tool, so it's easy to remove and install.
Strong, Steel Crossbars
The durable crossbars are made of steel and have a black vinyl coating to protect them from corrosion and keep them looking new. The bars also have plastic endcaps to protect the interiors from the elements and to give your roof rack a finished look.
Durable Towers with Built-In Security
The towers are made of molded nylon that won't fade or wear down when exposed to the elements. Each tower includes a nylon cover with a built-in lock to deter would-be thieves from removing the rack from your roof. The covers also protect the towers' interior and hardware from the elements.
Easy Installation with Rubber-Coated Steel Clamps
The towers attach to your vehicle's raised, factory side rails with rubber-coated steel clamps. The rubber coating provides a superior grip on your side rails and protects them from damage during installation and use.
To tighten, simply turn the bolt inside the tower assembly with the included installation tool until the clamps are snug.
Rubber spacer blocks are included to fit smaller side rails. If the clamps don't tighten enough to your side rails, just slide a spacer block onto the clamps before tightening them.
Once assembled, the towers and crossbars stay together as one unit, which makes removing, storing, and reinstalling the system a snap. To remove, simply remove the cover and loosen the bolts inside the towers with the installation tool.
California residents: click here
Average Customer Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars (469 Customer Reviews)
This complete roof rack system mounts to your vehicle with raised, factory side rails. Full-length square crossbars work with most clamp-on carriers and accessories. Vinyl-coated steel bars are corrosion resistant. Includes locks to deter theft.Crossbars and risers fit like a charm on factory roof rails of 2023 Honda ridgeline RTL-E. Much cheaper and studier than that of OEM Honda cross bars
I suppose this roof rack did what I needed. When I bought it I could not really afford one of the brands known for quality. But I needed to cartop a canoe, so I opted for this. I used it to car top a canoe on a Kia Sportage for probably 2-3 thousand miles? The square bars were pretty noisy at high speeds, so I usually removed them from the car when I did not need them. After maybe 6-8 times removing and remounting, the threads and bolts that lock the rack to the roof rails started to strip-out. The plastic protective sleeves and end caps also broke and started to fall off pretty soon too. Overall, if you just need a cheap roof rack to car top something a few times, yeah maybe this is the option for you. However, if you do a lot of car topping, and want to regularly remove and remount your roof rack easily and reliably, then look elsewhere (Yakima or Thule).
I had to delay this review because I was waiting for my new car. It went on no problem. Had to do some figuring to have the crossbars even on both sides but it was worth the effort. Nice sturdy roof rack.
Bradford
4/24/2024
The roof rack is now on the Subaru for another year of kayaking. It is easy to put on the car.
I was looking for a rack to mount my rooftop tent on my 4Runner without having to spend $xxx or more for a brand name like Yakima or Thule. This thing has been perfect. Easy to install, high enough to easily access tent mount hardware and holding up great so far. If it doesn’t last as long as a name brand, that’s ok with me…I can buy 3 of these for the price of one of those.
It was great! Popped a Yakima Skybox 21 on it and drove two trips - out to Rocky Mountain National Park and a trip to Florida - over 3000 miles total and had no problems whatsoever. It's works far superior than did my previous Thule rack and cost a fraction of the cost.
Jim
3/2/2024
Rack is still going strong a year later. You do need to tighten it up a bit once in awhile but this car is kept outside in Michigan and has all kinds of precipitation ped on it. I leave them on year around and their solid. Plan to do another Florida trip soon and not worried about my rack holding up. Great investment and again a lot better than my old Theule rack
These adjustable, removable rails are better than the OEM equipment. I have a Thule Atlantis XL cargo box and the fixed OEMs never fit correctly. Highly recommended this product!
These work really well and support everything that I want to put up there. Etrailer is the best company to work with.
I originally wanted another company to install my hitch but after delays and having to reschedule, I decided to go with Etrailer and install my own. It was much cheaper and with their videos very easy to install. It arrived in no time and was was cheaper. These guys are the best!!
Dave
12/15/2023
Great Etrailer is the best! Really helped with my roof rack and trailer hitch,
Easy to install and sturdy. Has held a yakima skybox throughout the year. Would buy again.
Bought this in hopes it would fit my gobi rack on my wrangler. Only thing I had to do was to get longer bolts and it works great. We paired it with the Malone kayak carrier.
Just opened box, everything appears to be solid. It's on the counter right now, she'll be put on tomorrow or this eve.
I bought this so I could transport two kayaks from the Philly area to Florida. The rack it's self is very tight, in someways difficult to attach. When I first got it I called tech to explain that it did not fit my car. I was assured it did. When I finally forced the rack on to my cross bars and tightened it, it was on not without effort. I put this rack on a 2017 Sienna, which does not have a great rail bar set up either. Which is another story in itself. Anyway 58" is too short for my kayaks. I had to fabricate extended bars made of steel pipe, and attach them to the roof rack system, so the kayaks can lay flat on the car. The whole arrangement is not ideal. Malone makes longer cross bars but won't sell them to you. they tell they will not fit your car. I have 2000 Odyssey, At the time I purchased the Malone rack I had another set Different brand on my Odyssey. After all this the Odyssey racks fit the Sienna.
So my fault for not checking in advance. Are the Malone racks good yes They are not sold in the size that works for me, for the car I have for the use I need. Does that mean they don't work, no not at all. If you have ever transported kayaks on their sides on a highway with large trucks and rvs then you know the feeling of your car moving around in the turbulence from these vehicles. A thousand miles of that is no fun.That is why I like to transport them flat.I did speak to the Malone people about this but they would not sell the longer cross bars to me saying they don't fit my car. If your are around town, or short jump on the highway kayaks on their sides is fine. By the way I have Jay hooks and have transported my kayaks on their sides on I95. Not fun.
Jenny N.
3/11/2022
You would want to measure the width between mirrors on a vehicle. This is typically the widest point on a vehicle and you do not want to use bars that are wider as this could be a safety problem or even illegal in some areas. You also do not want to load weight on the section of crossbar that extends past the towers.
William
3/3/2023
Nothing has changed as for the cross bars I bought Etrailer. Although I see Jenny has made a comment about the size of cross bars allowed on my car, or stating limitations of the cross bars. I added 72 steel pipes to my cross bars. Which in relation to the car, they do not extend past the sides of the body of my van. Jenny states that you should not extend past the distance to the outside of each mirror. Well I have measured that distance and it is 90 that is 38 larger the the rack they would sell me. And 18 larger then the bars I added. Again I am not saying there is anything wrong with the rack they sold me, other then being short for what I need.
Directions were easy to understand and the product was high quality. I’m very confident in the security of the rack to the car.
Can't beat it for the price! works great on my Subaru Forester.Clamps are better design the the broken big name model they replaced.
I chose this cross bar system mainly for the reasonable price and the good reviews. They were very easy to install and I love that they include locks. They attach very tightly to the factory side rails of my 2009 Subaru Forester. I purchased some J style kayak mounts that I attached to the rails. They went on easily and are very solid. I will likely leave the mounts attached to the rails and take the rails on and off as needed. Overall I think these were a great buy.
Aaron C.
6/24/2019
After using these cross bars for a year, I can easily say that I am very pleased with them. I am confident that they will continue to perform without issue for years to come.
Got UPS notification that they were delivered today, on time and in great condition. Never before have I messed with luggage racks. Didn't bother reading directions, just went off memory from the etrailer video. Install couldn't have been any easier, seriously. They were centered, tightened down and locked in no more than 20 minutes. Super sturdy and clean looking. Then I bolted on my kayak racks, threw on the kayaks and went for a test drive. I'm ??% satisfied. The Malone racks got the competition beat big time, especially in price.
Jim
6/29/2019
Got an email today telling me its been about a year since we got the roof racks. I still have to say Im completely satisfied with these bars. Very sturdy. They hold both our 10 kayaks with no problems at all at highway speeds. I removed them for the winter and put them back on a couple months back. I still say these bars are the way to go just based on price compared to the competition, then after using them you really realize how valuable they are.
This turned out to be much better than I had originally thought. Before purchasing the Malone crossbars, I had originally installed the Thule crossbar system on my car. However, the towers began to deteriorate over time and lost their durability and functionality.
This is when I began looking at an alternative that provided the same service but at a better price. I came across the Malone Crossbar plus locking towers and although at first I was sceptical of their quality, they have performed great. As you can see in the photo I have provided, this product allows me to continue carrying my Kayak, Roof Cargo Box, and my ARB 6' Awning. They are very durable and the towers have never shifted out of place, even when I drove through high wind or when my car was tilting to the side on a trail. I do highly recommend them.
My roof rack bars are excellent. I especially like the 58" length, something I could not find anywhere else. They were dead easy to install, and they look good. They will be used to carry - with a carry platform I will make myself - everything from my canoes to lumber to bales of hay, and god knows what else besides. I am very pleased with my purchase; the bars are very well worth the price.
Snd thank you very much for your prompt, efficient service.
Bernard B.
6/15/2020
Its working out absolutely beautifully. I built a special wooden rack to go on top of your two bars to handle my canoe, lumber, bales of hay It will take 14, etc. I am totally pleased with your product. I am also impressed with this kind of customer follow-up.
Basic crossbar roof rack.
Lock system rather flimsy.
Installation process somewhat cumbersome.
Seems solidly built.
Bill
8/27/2023
works fine
Arrived very promptly. Packaging in good condition. Installation instructions could be better. Hard to install. Had to use a mallet to force into place. Road test good minimum wind noise.
Fit perfectly on my 2007 FJ Cruiser with factory roof rails
I was sent a previously returned item. They rails were all scratched up and the keys were missing. The ends of the box were not even there (it was wide open). I will be sending it back. In the future if I order a new item please send a new fully boxed and complete item. This was a ZERO and I will be returning the item.
Jenny N.
8/8/2022
I sincerely apologize that the roof rack arrived this way. I will have our customer service team reach out as quickly as possible.
We used this on our cross country trip last year. The price was right and it is a quality product. Looking forward to putting it back on my Jeep for our next adventure!
Very satisfied with the product on installation and initial use. Was very easy to mount to my 2007 4Runner. Used right away for a kayak fishing and camping trip. My fishing buddy has a 14' tandem Jackson Big Tuna which was carried flat, and my little 10' Lifetime Tamarack Angler was held in a set of J-bar mounts. No issues on the trip, the bars are rock solid.
I really don't notice much wind noise which I know is sometimes a complaint with a rectangular bar vs an aero bar. Maybe because 4Runners are noisier than more car-like SUVs and that's covering some of the wind noise. Regardless, at the price for these compared to the aero-style bars, great value.
Easy install, I had to shim up rack on rails to keep base of attachments from coming in contact with car top. Looks great!
Do you have a question about this Roof Rack?
Condition: Badly Dinged
Notes: Item has a cosmetic ding on one of the bars.
Malone Accessories
Fit to this rack on your 2016 Subaru Forester
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Dham D.
5/17/2024
This Rack has been a great addition to my 2023 Ridgeline. Since the bed is short - I use the rack to haul 2x4s up to 12 and other longer objects that I do not want hanging off the tail gate. I like the fact that rack is easy to adjust with only an allen wrench to match load dimensions. I did end up purchasing a yakima wind fairing from eTrailer because I didnt care for wind noise driving at high speeds.