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This aerodynamic roof rack lets you carry gear and cargo on your vehicle. Full-length aluminum crossbars provide plenty of space for channel mount and clamp-on accessories. Installs to fixed mounting points on your vehicle's roof.
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Videos are provided as a guide only. Refer to manufacturer installation instructions and specs for complete information.
Hi, everyone. Aiden here with etrailer. Today, we're gonna be taking a look at and showing you how to install this Rhino Rack Roof Rack System on our 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee L. A roof rack is a really solid option for expanding your cargo space where if you wanna put a basket or a box on top of your vehicle to get some extra cargo in there or maybe you wanna get some larger items like a roof-mounted bike rack or a kayak carrier, it's a great way to get some of the extra stuff with you that you maybe don't have space for inside your vehicle. Maybe you've got that third row seats up and you've got passengers in the back and your cargo space is a little bit limited, this is a great place to go because the roof is very large and the roof rack is a really solid one too. And the reason it's so solid is because it mounts directly to the vehicle.
Rather than using something like clamps or wraparound bars, it's going to bolt directly into these raised rails on your roof. So it creates a really solid contact and it's probably my favorite way of attaching a roof rack because for one, you've got fixed mounting points. It makes the install really easy. But two, it's just a lot more stable and I trust it a lot more going down the road. Because these have fixed mounting points, you do wanna keep in mind your crossbar spread.
It's gonna be important when picking out our accessories. So from the center of one bar to the center of the other, it's gonna be 27 and one quarter of an inch. So when you're picking out different rooftop accessories, a lot of them are gonna have a range of crossbar spreads that they'll work with, whether it's a box that has adjustable clamps or a basket that only has so much room for those clamps to go apart. You wanna make sure that whatever you're picking out can work with that crossbar spread because these can't be moved. Some other measurements to keep in mind are gonna be the 49-inch length of the crossbars themselves.
They don't have a whole lot of overhang off the sides. So for something like a load-assist kayak carrier, it probably wouldn't work super well with this kit and you'd probably need to upgrade to longer bars because with those load-assist carriers, you need a little bit of overhang on your crossbars to get that load assist system far enough away from the side of your vehicle. But with the kit that it comes with, I think it's a pretty solid fit and it gives you a little bit of overhang the play with for certain accessories. As far as how tall it sticks up on top of your roof, from the roof to the top of the bar, it's gonna be four and a half inches. Now, from the roof to the bottom of the bar, that's gonna be two and 3/4 of an inch.
So that leaves plenty of room underneath for clamp-around accessories because if you do have a clamp-around accessory, especially one that has like a hand knob on the bottom, you need room for that so it doesn't hit your roof and so you can get your hand in there to tighten it down. But for this, it's a pretty good option, it leaves enough space, and it doesn't stick up too tall either. On top of the crossbars, there's a T-track system. So if you wanted to remove this rubber stripping, take off the end cap and slide your accessories into the slotted hole on the top of the bar, you can. The only thing I'd keep in mind is that Rhino Rack's method of doing this is probably my least favorite because you have to peel back the different sections of weather stripping and cut it to length to accommodate those or just remove it entirely, which is gonna create a lot of wind noise. Something like a Yakima bar would work a lot better because you don't have to cut that weather stripping to length. You can just slide into your accessory and it'll conform around that T bolt. To access that T-track, it uses a special tool that you get with your Rhino Rack kit. So that's gonna keep it protected if you do use a T-track accessory. And for the towers underneath, you're gonna have a key to lock that cover up. That cover is what secures our mounting bolt inside so that keeps the roof rack locked to your roof. The only other thing you need to consider is the weight capacity. The whole system can support 165 pounds and that's just, it's moving weight. So whenever you've got it loaded up driving down the road, your load must not exceed 165 pounds, which is pretty on par with most of our roof racks. Just keep in mind that if you throw a box on top of the roof, you have to factor in that weight as well. So if it's a 40-pound box, subtract that 40 pounds from the total roof rack weight capacity and go from there. And that's all there is to it for the Rhino Rack Roof Rack system on top of our Jeep Grand Cherokee L. Overall, I think it's a really solid system. It fits well, the install process is very straightforward, and in general, I'm just a big fan of Rhino Rack's Roof Racks. I think it looks really good on top of the Jeep here and I've been using them personally on my own vehicle for a long time now and they've always worked really well for me, so I trust it going down the road. Like I mentioned before, that install process is very easy. So let's jump up to the roof and get that started now. The install process is gonna be really straightforward. Up on the roof, there's gonna be a few fixed mounting points that we're gonna utilize for our installation. You can find them by just looking on the inside of your rails and there's gonna be these two plastic caps that are next to each other. That's one point. There's gonna be point at the front, middle, and rear of these rails. We're gonna be focusing on the middle and the front one for our crossbars. I've already got the middle one installed, and we're gonna be taking these plastic caps off of each of those mounting holes for the front together. So you can use a flat blade screwdriver for this, but I prefer a plastic trim tool just because then it's going to be plastic on plastic rather than having metal on plastic and potentially damaging some of these components. With those removed, we're gonna turn our attention to the fit kit. This is gonna be the box that comes with four metal plates, four of these rubber sleeves, and then all of your hardware. Each of these metal plates is going to have an L or an R on them. L for driver's side, R for passenger side. And then all of those rubber sleeves are gonna be exact same. There's four tabs that will line up with tabs on the top of our plate. So we just wanna nest these two together, kind of getting that metal plate underneath the lip and getting those tabs to pop through the top. They can be a bit stubborn, but once you get those pop through, the two will be joined together. To secure this piece of the rails, turn our attention to the Allen bolts that are included in our kit, slide on a lock washer and a flat washer, and we'll do two of these for each of our plates. Getting that lined up with the threaded holes on the rail and just starting them by hand. Now, I've got a towel laid down for all of this just to make sure none of these metal components end up falling and scratching our roof up and it just helps keep everything straight and from rolling around. Once they're both loosely installed, we can take our included Allen key and tighten them down fully. Back down on the ground, we can get our crossbar assembled. The crossbar itself is going to house our towers. Now, with these, we're gonna have a block with a bolt on the bottom. We want this nice and loose right now because what we'll do is come to the end of our bar on the bottom side of it and slide that bolt or that block into the track underneath to lock it in place, but still loose enough to move around. We then want to get the right positioning. This measurement can be found in your instructions or by measuring from the center of one mounting location on the fit kit to the center of the other. And I'm just going to measure for ours from the mounting locations on the towers. And after I get that measurement where I want it, I wanna make sure everything is also centered up so that we have even crossbar spread on either side. That's gonna be the overhang on either side just so it looks nice and even. And once I'm happy with that, I can take that same included Allen Key that we used earlier, come right over to those feet, and tighten up that bolt underneath. That will snug down that block inside the track and immobilize the tower. Just like that. Then we can repeat that for the other tower. We can take the whole crossbar assembly up to the roof with everything tightened down, and just set it on top of the fit kit. If you measured everything right, it should just slot right in. We can go back down to the ground, grab our remaining hardware, and secure it right in there into the threaded holes on the fit kit. That remaining hardware will be a 10-millimeter bolt, lock washer and flat washer, and it's gonna be kind of tough to get it in there at first by hand just because you do have limited space for your fingers, but start it by hand and run it down the rest of the way with a 10 millimeter wrench that isn't included in the kit. So you will need to go and grab your own. A ratcheting one makes this a lot easier because now we can just run it down. With everything tightened down, you can secure your end caps. So you can use the key and the cap for the towers to secure that mounting bolt so no one can mess with it when you're not around. And then use the special tool from Rhino Rack to secure the end caps on your crossbar and secure up that T track inside. After that, you're good to go. And that'll do it for our look at the Rhino Rack Roof Rack System on our 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee L.
Average Customer Rating: 4.6 out of 5 stars (182 Customer Reviews)
This aerodynamic roof rack lets you carry gear and cargo on your vehicle. Full-length aluminum crossbars provide plenty of space for channel mount and clamp-on accessories. Installs to fixed mounting points on your vehicle's roof.I shopped online retailers namely Amazon and EBAY looking for the cross bar setup I would need for my 2012 Toyota Camry LE. My Camry has a naked roof. The whole experience was confusing. None of the needed components were combined together. I found each component listed separately but nothing to indicate they were the correct components for my car. Then ETRAILER.COM popped up in my search. I simply entered my car’s year, make, and model, and answered the question about the car roof (being naked with no factory installed cargo bars) and suddenly I had a list of the available cross bars for my vehicle with all the necessary components to install them. One or two clicks put the whole thing in my cart for purchase. ETRAILER .COM is your one stop shop. As a side note I purchased Yakima ski racks on sale to install on these cross bars. Another customer asked if these ski racks would fit his car and I explained yes they will with the appropriate cross bars. I sent him to “ETRAILER.COM” so he could get the correct setup. Pictures forthcoming.
The Rhino Racks Vortex Aero are solid. My first drive with them was to Brighton Utah from Riverside California. They were not only secure throughout the drive and hard winds, they were also reasonably quiet. On top I attached a Thule Force L 628 roof box and it fits perfectly. The only complaints I have are how difficult it was to install the racks to my fixed points. It took several friends, a mechanic, and two days to get everything right.
Bought and installed on my 2019 Honda Fit. I’ve driven from Chicago to Big Bend in TX and to the Black Hills in SD with a cargo box attached and have had zero issues.
Installation is simple enough and are easy to take off when needed.
Love the bars, I had gotten the other rack parts from different suppliers. I love the look and sleek design of the Rhino Rack. I did the 2500 vortex on a 2016 Subaru Impreza sedan and it fits great and looks even better.
Got this for a 2015 Prius. High quality works great. Use their measurements included as a guide and measure everything out yourself before cutting the spacers and when installing. I had to make minor adjustments to make it perfect.
I purchased the complete 2500 Series system which included the crossbars, legs and fit kit for my 2018 Honda Fit so I could transport my kayak.. They were well packaged and their quality is quite evident. I did struggle a little following the assembly instructions but with some patience and watching a video it went well. Two items to be aware of. The front and rear leg clamps are of different lengths with the longer clamps going on the rear crossbar. The other issue was positioning the crossbars. After following the measurements for attaching the legs to the crossbars it was quite clear that the measurement for the rear crossbar was wrong. Placing the legs as instructed didn't allow the rear crossbars to be the 29 17/32 inches from the front crossbar but required me to move it back to 31 1/2 inches. There is a very faint whistle while driving around 30 to 35 mph but it's not annoying. I was so pleased with the fit and finish I went ahead and purchased the Rhino Rack S-loader to make it easier for me to lift my kayak onto the crossbars. I would definitely recommend both items.
This roof rack works great! At first I was skeptical about putting a rack on my IS250, but it couldn't have turned out better. Paired with the Yakima Highroad, I can easily transport my bikes around without worrying about anything coming loose while driving. The installation instructions for the legs and bars are pretty straightforward. Takes about 30-45 minutes total to install.
Great bars. It's my second pair. Both on jeep Grand cherokee. The pair I put on my 2015 overland didn't whistle at all. This pair I put on my 2020 trailhawk whistled starting at 20mph and changed pitch throughout the acceleration process and while causing. I bought a fairing and the problem is solved. At least for now. I put the fairing on wit the label in. Looks better and Rhino Rack isn't paying me to advertise. The fairing they recommended seemed small but works so go with whatever they recommend.
I had to return these because across their length they are not level, have about a 1/2'' bow upwards in the middle. So not useful for hauling sheetrock, plywood, shelving lumber or other items that need flat support. Otherwise look like a good product. Unlike some other arched brands these look level in photos, so wish the description included the lengthwise arch.
These suck. When these are installed my vehicle doors leak. The Rhino attachments do not seal and so my carpet gets wet.
Choosing a system for transporting my new (to me, they're actually used) kayaks was TOUGH. I love my little 2017 Honda Fit, and I knew I would love my new kayaks when I got them. I don't want anything bad to happen to either! Also, my car is small and the kayaks are fairly large, comparatively. I've strapped a lot of things to a lot of vehicles, but this is going to be a long term relationship, so I wanted to get it right the first time.
I've been researching and reading reviews for months, but I got confirmation that the kayaks were ready for pickup, so I needed to make a decision! I ultimately pulled the trigger on the Rhino-Rack Vortex Aero Crossbars with the 2500 Series Legs and Custom DK Fit Kit for my naked roof car and the Rhino-Rack Nautic Stack Kayak Carrier w/ Tie-Downs.
I placed my order on 09/15/21 at 6 PM. The estimated delivery date was 09/23/21, which made me a little sad. I really wanted to pick up my boats on Sunday, 09/19/21, but I figured I'd waited THIS long, I could probably handle waiting another week. I was very pleasantly surprised to receive an email at 8 PM the same evening notifying me that my order had shipped. AND, even better, the UPS tracking was showing delivery on 09/18/21 by 7PM! I was beyond excited, but didn't get my hopes up because shipping has been pretty hit or miss since well before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, UPS delivered my package just before noon on Saturday, which was amazing!
I got everything unpacked and reviewed to ensure that I had all I would need to assemble the system - check. Nothing missing, which is always an auspicious start. Then I started reading the instructions - UGH. This is (so far) the ONLY thing I have to complain about. I have put together IKEA furniture that had clearer instructions. I probably should have gone to Google to find a YouTube video, but I powered through with the instructions provided. Since I've never put together or used a roof rack before, I didn't really know what the final outcome should look like, so that made interpreting the instructions very difficult - the pictures were not super clear, and the accompanying text did not improve the situation. Now that I know what it looks like assembled, I get it, but at the time it was rough. I estimated it took me about 2 hours to get the rack assembled and secured to my car, and towards the end my fiancé arrived and helped me to realize that the foot pads were not properly attached to the feet, which made a huge difference! The kayak carrier was much easier to install, taking maybe 15 additional minutes.
The foot pads rest in the groove on the edge of the roof, I assume over the frame of the car. There's absolutely no flex in the roof where the feet sit. The hook part of the clamp rests against the metal of the car, under the rubber seal, so I don't foresee any potential issues with the seal as a result of the rack. The doors close as normal, and the rack has no movement whatsoever once tightened down. I've now used it as a handle to pull myself up towards the roof a few times (I'm about 190 lbs), and I feel totally confident that it's not going anywhere. I now have ideas about how to use the rack to haul around the larger stuff that won't fit INSIDE my car (which isn't much - I HIGHLY recommend this car!).
So, the big question - how'd it go with the kayaks?
In short - perfection! I was slightly concerned about the boats overhanging the front or back of my car, as they're 12.5 ft long and my car is just over 13 ft long. Eeeeek! I needn't have worried. They fit like a dream, and even without bow or stern tie downs were very secure during our trip home. We took local roads instead of the highway because we didn't tie down the bow and stern, so we probably didn't go over 40 ish MPH, but I saw absolutely no lift (I can see the ends of the boats out of the front windshield). I will be using those tie downs in the future, and anticipate no issues with highway speeds under those conditions.
Obviously, only time will tell how everything holds up/works out, but at this stage, I am extremely pleased with my decision and am looking forward to many kayaking adventures to come! I only have one picture at this point, but may take a few more and add them so anyone else considering a similar setup knows what they'll be getting.
Installed the Rhinorack system on my 2018 Honda HR-V to replace my Thule Evo system which would whistle at 50mph+. Installation was very straight forward with easy to follow instructions. Rack fit great, feels solid and no whistling or wind noise at highway speed! Highly recommend!
Great bars - very quiet, solidly built, and nice looking. I put these on my Mercedes E350 Wagon. I can fit 4 bikes or a narrow Thule box and 2 bicycles (with pedals removed). Definitely would recommend Rhino Rack.
First off, ordering and delivery couldn’t have been simpler. The flaps on one end of the box were open but luckily it was on the packing paper end of the box so nothing was lost.
As for installation, I’m a computer guy and while I can get a job done with instructions, it normally takes me well longer than estimated. Not true with this rack... after an initial read through of the instructions it took less than 35 minutes to get it installed by myself.
My ‘21 Toyota C-HR has drill outs for the feet to connect to so no measuring front/back was required which I believe saved a ton of time.
Overall I couldn’t be happier... I head out to pick up m,y kayak next week for the maiden haul!
Love the low profile
These racks are great. I looked at so many and finally decided to go with these and very glad I did. The quality is great, not hard to put together, and not too loud. Although, sunroof open would cause bugs to fly in after bouncing off these so don’t do that.
Exactly what I needed to replace the factory cross bars to make it easier to take off my roof top tent. Easy to install and secured nicely to the factory rails.
Ordered these based on this shop having what I needed for my Juke at a good price. Items arrived intact and with complete parts and good instructions. Items were high quality. Customer service was personal and AMAZING and followed up immediately. One year later items have remained solid and in good condition after installation.
I am getting a bit of whistling at around 15-20 mph, but it doesn't happen all the time and can only hear it if sunroof is open. Do not notice any additional noise compared to no roof rack if my sunroof is closed, even if windows are open. Feels very strong once installed and install is pretty straightforward. Still feel it deserves 5 stars as I believe some noise is expected.
Well worth the money! Vortex 2500 kit is perfect for naked roof vehicles!
Oh ya. awesome low profile rack. Making it look real nice, just order a wind fairing to lower the wind noises.
Its been one year since I installed the Rhino Rack crossbars and I have absolutely no issues. The main use is to carry my Kayaks on my 2013 Subaru Impreza utilizing Yakima JayLow kayak carriers. The only caveat is to be sure to properly cut and install the plastic channel inserts (underside) or you will experience an annoying whistling sound. If you're looking for high quality crossbars, I highly recommend these.
These are ALMOST a really good product... they're quiet, structurally solid, and work well with the legs/mounting system I ordered with them. The little plastic end pieces seem like they're gonna fall off though, and there's a stupid little rubber strip that snaps into a groove that runs across each bar... nice idea but if you actually try to load anything heavy (canoe, lumber) directly on the bars it's way too easy to damage that rubber strip. I have to mess with it every time I load something. If I was using a bike rack or other attachment I wouldn't even notice this issue and I'd be pleased with it, but I bought this rack primarily to load a canoe directly on the bars and I wish I'd bought the same round yakima bars I had 30 years ago.
Installed on a 2014 Chevy Volt. So far I am unsure how the racks will affect the electric range on the car, however they look great, and produce minimal noise when driving up to 55 mph (I have not tested it at higher speeds). They were simple to put on, the instructions were easy enough (although I did find I had to add a few millimeters of spacing to make the racks fit correctly). Primary use will be a bike rack, although they will be used for skis and a canoe as well. I would recommend as an affordable option for a Volt, as there are not many options to begin with.
One piece of advice: The feet can easily slip over the measuring strips, and at first this made me believe that the provided measurements were incorrect. Make sure that the feet and the strips do not overlap.
Installed Rhino Rack platform on a Hyundai Kona. This kit made the transition from factory rails. Nice fit!
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