Using Longer Crossbars for Roof Rack on 2021 Toyota RAV4 with Flush Roof Rails

Question:

I am looking at getting a Thule roof rack for my 2021 RAV4. I want longer bars than the system you show on your website, so have put together TH711420, THKIT3177 and TH460R as a 53 bar system. Two questions: Do you agree that this will work for a 2021 RAV4 Hybrid XLE, and what is the weight capacity of this system? I see that the bars are good for 220 lbs, but when I looked at the specs for TH460R it says 165 lbs, so will this system only support 165 lbs, or is this 165 lbs per tower, meaning the bars are the limiting factor?

asked by: Steve O

Expert Reply:

Great questions. I have a solution for you to use longer bars, but the Thule WingBar Evo crossbars only have a limited amount of space for the T-Slot on the underside where they connect to the legs and there isn't enough space for you to go with longer bars. So instead I recommend going with the Yakima JetStream system as the T-Slot on the underside for this system runs the length of the crossbar so there is no limiting factor.

50" JetStream Crossbars - # Y00425 OR 60" - # Y00426
SkyLine Towers - # Y53TR
Landing Pad 23 - # Y98FR
Lock Kit - # Y07204 (optional)

The Thule roof rack is limited to 165 lbs which is just the same as this Yakima system. For the longest time 165 lbs was the standard rating all across the board since most vehicles typically aren't rated for over that. Roof Rack crossbars are starting to be utilized for a variety of applications now like at the back of trucks so some companies have been testing and coming out with higher ratings for the crossbars, but the legs and fit kits for a roof rack will still be the limiting factor at 165 lbs.