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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 - 49" Long - Qty 2:Videos are provided as a guide only. Refer to manufacturer installation instructions and specs for complete information.
Speaker 1: Today on our 2018 Toyota Highlander, we're going to be doing a test spin on the Rhino Rack Vortex Aero Crossbar roof rack system. We'll be using part numbers RRVA 137B-2 for the aluminum, black, 54 inch cross bars. They're also available in silver with part number RRVA 137S-2. We'll also be using part numbers RRRCH4 for the RCH legs for the Rhino Rack cross bars, and part number RRRCP31-BK for the custom RCP fit kit. This Rhino Rack roof rack system is going to allow us to carry roof mount accessories on our Toyota Highlander. Things like bike racks, kayak carriers, cargo boxes, and much more.
It's a fix mounted system.It's designed specifically to work with your Toyota Highlanders flush-mounted rails. That way you're going to have that smooth, sleek look. You're not going to have to worry about any clamps latching on or sticking out like a sore thumb. It uses elliptical style bars. These are going to be a lot more aerodynamic than your traditional round or square bars.
They're going to create less wind noise and less drag. They're going to work with your standard clamp on accessories. They'll also accommodate your t-slot accessories. You simply remove the end cap, remove and trim the rubber strip, and replace it around those accessories.When using those t-slot accessories, if you'd like to increase security, you could pick up the Rhino Rack locking end caps sold separately with part number RRVA-LEC4. Each leg has a locking cover, that way it cannot be removed from our flush-mounted rails.
All of the legs attached to the RCP fit kit. The fit kit is what attaches to our flush-mounted rails. It features a pad, that way it won't harm or scratch our finish. This system has a weight capacity of 165 pounds. You will want to check with your Highlanders owners manual to see if your roof can support that much weight.
But, since we're up here, I'll go ahead and give you some clearance measurements. From the top of the roof to the underside of the bar is going to be about two and a half inches. From the top of the roof to the top of the bar is about four inches.I'd also like to point out that our roof rack system is not going to interfere with our sunroof. So, we can still enjoy the fresh air. When not in use, you have the option to remove your crossbars and leave the pads in place. It features these caps that we can put in place, that way it gives it that finished look. Now that we got all the features. I'll go ahead and show you how to get them installed. I've already got the front crossbar in position within the flush-mounted rails. It's ready to go. Let's do the rear one together. For my rear crossbar, I've got one leg already installed. Let's install the other side.We'll go ahead and turn our crossbar over and remove the end cap. We'll take the included key, and unlock it, and remove it. From here we can grab our leg. It already has the nut pre-installed. We'll just need to make sure that there's enough space so we can easily slide it on within the channel. So, we're going to turn it upside down, get it lined up, and then slide it on like so. Now, what I like to do is go ahead and grab my included tool and tighten that up just a little bit, that way it doesn't have all that play. We still want to be able to move it. Now let's go ahead and replace our end cap. We're all done with this part.With our rear cross bar set up and ready to go, now let's grab a flathead screw driver and head over to the flush mounted rails of our Highlander. Now, we'll need to remove the factory cap within our flush mount rails. We'll need to do both sides. So, let's take your screwdriver and gently pry up on both sides until it pops out. From here, this is the point in time where you want to grab your included seal, this goes down over the center hole. For demonstration purposes, we will not be using this. But, this is just going to help keep some of that water or moisture from getting inside the hole. So, we'll set that aside. We can grab our fit kit. We've got the pad and the plastic portion.Now the key thing about these two, is that we need to make sure, per our instructions, that we have the correct side. So, we're working with the passenger side. We've got the correct numbers, and that the arrows are facing towards the front of the vehicle. So, we'll take the plastic portion here and put it over the pad. And it should line up perfectly. Then, we're going to drop it down through the opening and line up that center hole. Then for our hardware, we'll take the allen bolt, a lock washer, and a flat washer, and put that down through the center, take our included tool and tighten that down. Now, there's no need to over tighten, just tighten it down to where that lock washer is flattened out, and then we're all set. I've already got the other side done.Now all we have to do is grab our cross bar and set it in place. Now, the leg on each side simply fits down into the fit kit here. With it in place, before we tighten anything down, we'll need to make sure we have even bar overhang. So, what I like to do is I like to grab a tape measure, measure out to the end of the crossbar on each side, and make sure it's the same number. Now that we have even bar overhang, let's go ahead and take it back off. And we want to do it gently, that way we don't move the bar, and finish tightening down the legs. So here, you can see underneath the leg, this is the that bolt we need to tighten down. We can do that for both sides. With both legs tightened down, let's go ahead and set it back in place and make sure we've got it. If it fits back in, we did it correctly.If you haven't already, go ahead and remove your cover. And this is how we're going to tighten down our legs to our fit kit. So we'll need to grab the bolt, make sure that we have a lock washer on there and then a flat washer. Then we're going to go down through the hole here. Go ahead and hand tighten that down until you can't anymore. Then, we'll take a 10 millimeter socket or wrench and tighten it down the rest of the way. And you will provide your own. Then, we can take that cover and replace it. Repeat that same process on the other side. With this roof rack system installed, we're ready to load up our favorite roof mounted accessory and head down the road. And that's going to complete our test fit of the Rhino Rack Vortex aero cross bar roof rack system on our 2018 Toyota Highlander.
Average Customer Rating: 4.7 out of 5 stars (125 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!
I bought this kit because I already owned a pair of Thule “square “ crossbars. When in place the rack is super solid. However, it has some issues. It is quite difficult to attach the legs to the base plate on the factory rails. It doesn’t click on and off. Quite annoying. A fiddly two person job. Also the wind noise is very noticeable. Also annoying.
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.
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.
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 love it works amazing on my 2017 Hyundai sonata sport 2.0T
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
These were the only mounts I could find to fit a 2019 Toyota Highlander LE factory roof bolts. Have never used Rhino Racks before but was very happy to find their sturdy mounts for aero bar legs.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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!!
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.
Looks a great and we’re super easy to install.
2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee L 4x4 Limited
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
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.
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