Roof Rack Cross Bars – My Review and Recommendations

Everyone wants to drive a pretty car with optimal look and as much functional pluses as it could be. And there are plenty possibilities to change the appearance and also find other options of your vehicle using. Today I propose you my own review of roof rack cross bars. These are wonderful additional features to invest into your vehicle.

First thing to remember here is that roof racks appear to be quite stylish. Lots of cars get great outlook after mounting such additional parts. Of course, any functional pluses depend hugely on the producer and quality of the thing you use. You need to find the best things and install them wisely.

Let's assume, you want to change the style of your car and get some extra space for your luggage when going to ski resorts, camping and transporting some big and light things. In this situation roof rack cross bars seem to be wonderful and will help you achieve what you want. Of course, it's not so easy to choose the needed option.

Why should I buy roof racks for my vehicle?

There are plenty of things you may get from such simple thing on your car. Some buyers use it purely for design changing. But it actually has wonderful options to add to your car functional range. So, first thing to mention is masculine design of SUV or truck or even a small hatchback. You can meet on the road loads of small cars with such things on the roof. These are features you can get in your vehicle:

1. Stylish black or chrome polished things to mount on your car and make it look higher, modern and masculine.
2. Possibility to put up to 150 pounds (the figure may vary) on the top of your vehicle when transporting things.
3. More functional during camping, no need to put the tent and such big things into the trunk.
4. It's possible in this way to transport kayaks or rubber boats for fishing and water sport challenges.
5. You may put there ski equipment and make it more comfortable to invite more people in the car to travel.
6. The roof racks may be variable and you can set them in any place on the roof to make it even more comfortable.

So, there are lots of pluses which can convince you that such things onto the roof of the vehicle are needed. You could also find negative opinions of car owners. These are actually rare but there are plenty of people who bought bad racks and now can't take all advantages of these options. Let's check if there are some really worthwhile minuses to look at.

By the way, check also my review of Silverstar Ultra lights for your head optics. Change the way you see the road at night.

Are there real minuses in using the roof rack bars?

Everything has both sides - good and bad, pluses and minuses. So, you might want to find these good or bad features of roof bars for your car. Someone would say that these spoil the view. Maybe, you won't need to install them on some small car, but even in such way a lot of options will be possible. And one more thing - this is still the thing of your taste.

Another popular con of roof rack cross bars is the need to drill something while installing. If you are afraid of that, don't panic and just read description of up-to-date products. It will let you know, that there aren't any drill procedures in the installing process.

You could have also heard about such minus as low weight possibilities. You just need to find out best variant of the bars and get them. Anyway, your car sets some restriction in the amount of weight you put on it - read instructions.

TOP 5 best roof rack cross bars in my view

Well, it's time to speak about models. I won't tell you which type to choose if you want some specific option for your model of the vehicle. But I can reveal TOP 5 things I really like and suppose they are best on the market. Of course, it's only my own view which can't be seen as objective truth.

When choosing things for my TOP, I used customers' reviews and lots of other factors to understand all pluses and prospective minuses of the things. Also I did some price comparison and removed some options which seem to be too expensive or very cheap and of bad quality.

5. Rage Powersports - best aluminum option

On the fifth place of my rating I put Aluminum Locking Roof Cargo Bar made by Rage Powersports. These are very high quality bars which can give you everything you want. They are very simple and have quite a lot of positive responds. Buyers usually agree that you can get a lot for the small price out of this option.

Rage Powersports also offers other variants but I would stop our attention exactly on these ones. Key lockable knobs as the mounting system help to prevent robs. The capacity is quite high, so you can use these options in any car you want. And also they will serve you long time because the bars are made of light and long lasting alloy with aluminum base.

4. CargoLoc Roof Bars - practical and affordable

Another option to think of is CargoLoc production which is quite effective in all methods of using. This product is also lockable so you can lock it up and be sure that no one will take it from your car. These are also aluminum bars with optimal possibilities to install on any car you want. They are quite durable.

But actually you may find some differences between first proposition and this one. The quality is a little bit worse. And you may reasonably ask why I put this model on the better place in my TOP 5. The answer is actually simple - price. This one costs twice less than the previous proposition. And I see it as a good reason to shorten your bill.

3. SportRack Roof Rail System - easy and efficient

You get absolutely ready to install kit for optimal usage. Look at the affordable price, very high popularity and quite a lot of wonderful options and features. The responds aren't as great as in remained two variants but they're still quite good. It actually fits a lot of modern cars, so I can call it one of the most universal products in my review.

It also fulfills quite good work and can adapt to a lot of accessories and units to hold up on your car. But before you buy it, be sure to read manual guide. It can tell you a lot about mounting system and product correspondence with your vehicle. But let's also look at two best variants in my opinion.

2. Yakima Whispbar Flush Bar - universal system

This wonderful set is really optimal for a lot of vehicles and it can suit nearly any of the cars. It's quite compact and enhances the car's look, makes it modern and quite effective. If you've ever used the bars of such nature, you might have noticed some noise when driving on 60 and more mph. With this purchase you get a lot of pros:

• noise reduction up to 70% according to other models in the competition range;
• very easy technology to fix the bar onto your vehicle, no troubles with removing;
• the bars hold up to 165 pounds for pair of cross bars installed on the roof;
• the Yakima Company gives quite a good warranty for all parts of the set;
• it's very long lasting and quite light which gives more pros in active using.

Of course, there are quite a lot of optional features to look at and to find the pros and cons. But experts and drivers say that you won't regret buying such thing. Actually, nearly all responds are positive. But read the instructions and manual. Producer says a lot about compatibility with different kinds and models of transport.

1. Yakima RailGrab Kit - less money more functions

The producer says there is a warranty which might be called 'Love it till you leave it'. So, you get lifetime warranty and can use the set for as many years and times as you want. All materials are quite long lasting and don't bend, don't change their form. It's a low profile option to fit smaller cars and five more functional pluses to the whole construction.

It's also sold with the whole set needed to install on your vehicle. If you need to transport heavy things, than it's only for your car restrictions than for bars. If your vehicle is in the compatibility list, you probably won't find any better option. Well, if I needed to buy the roof cross bars right now, I would probably choose exactly this set.

So, let's make a short summary about roof cross bars

Any bars which are on the market can be optimal for you. But don't think that you won't need good quality if you buy the thing only for good car look. Appearance may be spoilt a lot when the bar will get rusty or the paint will disappear. Better choose high quality and popular options even if you will pay a little bit more money for the product.

The best options for my taste are Yakima propositions which last long enough and can serve you really for years. The things are really wonderful and of good quality. And you really get what you need to get. But the other side is that you need to pay quite a lot.