Rola GTX vs Rhino RVP27 vs Aeroblade Edge on 2015 Grand Cherokee with Chrome Rails

Question:

Hi, Feel free to split this question up, as needed, to post onto your site. Im ready to do some business on some roof crossbars. Ive done what research I can comparing the Rola GTX vs RVP27 vs Aeroblade Edge. As a long time cargo box user, mounter, etc, I have much experience with different solutions and thus have several questions. It appears as though the RVP27 and really the Aeroblade Edge fit kit #3142 both bolt down into the holes that hold the chrome roof rails down obviously after removing existing bolts. To me, this means that their position fore/aft is fixed, meaning it cannot be moved. However, the Rola appears to have a clip that gripsinch the underside of the chrome track. Will this allow the bars to be placed anywhere along the chrome track? In other words, with the Rola, can the rear bar be placed all the way back and the front bar absolutely all the way forward? My opinion is that one ALWAYS wants the maximum possible spread between the bars for stability. Regardless, Id like to know the center-center bar distance for RVP27, Aeroblade Edge w/ #3142, and GTX should be a range as it ought to be adjustable. Along the same lines, Im trying to evaluate the rigid bolting vs clip gripping in terms of strength/stability. It seems as though the RVP27 has 2 throughinch bolts for each end of the front bar and 1 throughinch bolt for each end of the rear bar. This differs from the Aeroblade Edge in that only one bolt is at all corners. Am I wrong the think that the RVP27 would be stronger or more secure than the Aeroblade? Or how about each of these fair versus the Rola GTX? At first blush, my thought would be that rigid bolting would be better than any clip gripping scenario. Finally, the usable width bar dimensions. The RVP27 shows 35.75inch and the Aeroblade Edge 35.25. What is the value with the Rola GTX? Reason Im asking here is some cargo boxes are quite wide, for example, Skybox 21, and might barely fit within the noted width. Thanks,

asked by: Troy D

Expert Reply:

You are correct in that only the Rola GTX # 59967 (now discontinued) attaches to the railing and could be installed in varying spreads. The other racks attach to the factory fixed points that are in the railing which are separated by 32 inches on center. If you are wanting the absolute max spread capabilities the Rola wins in that regard.

That said the Rola bars tend to flex more than the other ones do so if rigidity is a priority the Rola loses in that category. The most rigid bar is going to be the Rhino Rack roof rack part number # RRRVP27 as it's overall height is the tallest which adds to it's strength. This is by far the best value of all options and would be what I would go with if it was me making the decision. The Thule Aeroblade Edge rack part number # TH7602B-TH7602B and # THKIT3142 is a fantastic choice and would work well for you, but the price is much higher and the usable bar space is the smallest.

I attached review videos for the racks for you to check out as well.

expert reply by: Jameson C