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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:
Specs:
These low-profile, aerodynamic Vortex Aero crossbars let you build a stylish aftermarket roof rack from scratch. The crossbars require 4 Rhino-Rack legs (manufactured in 2014 or later) and a custom fit kit to mount it to your roof. Each bar extends past the roof rack legs to maximize the space for mounting carriers and accessories. Rubberized Vortex strips in each crossbar's top channel disrupt airflow for a quiet ride, and the bars are constructed of aluminum so they won't rust. The crossbars also include Secure Core endcaps with plastic locks to help deter theft of channel-mounted accessories.
The rubberized Vortex strips in the top channel of each crossbar disrupt airflow with evenly spaced, wave-shaped grooves. This carefully controlled turbulence minimizes wind noise and whistling, so you won't need to add a fairing to your roof rack. And the slim, elliptical Vortex Aero crossbars cut through the air with minimal drag - even at highway speeds.
The Vortex Aero crossbars are made of structural-grade anodized aluminum with H-shaped internal extrusions. These extrusions strengthen the bars without adding a significant amount of weight. And the aluminum bars won't rust so you can leave them on your roof year-round.
Each crossbar has a channel in the bottom for mounting to Rhino-Rack roof rack legs (sold separately). Each end of the channel includes a rubber ruler to help you center the bar on your roof. Simply use the numbers and hash marks on the rulers to ensure the legs are spaced properly in the channel.
Each Vortex Aero crossbar has a built-in C-channel so you can carry channel-mounted accessories such as bike racks, watersport carriers, and ski racks. The Vortex strips in the top channels come in 3 pieces, so they're easier to adjust than a single long, continuous strip. You can remove, trim, and re-insert the Vortex strips around the mounting hardware of your accessories to keep the crossbar channel capped and quiet. Replacement strips (sold separately) are also available if you remove your accessories or switch to clamp-on accessories.
You can also attach most clamp-on accessories to the bars, and the Vortex strips provide a shock-absorbing, no-slip cushion for any accessories that rest on them.
Each crossbar includes 2 Secure Core locking endcaps made of durable polypropylene. These endcaps lock with a universal tubular key. The polypropylene locks secure the endcaps to the crossbars and help to secure channel-mounted accessories to the crossbars. For maximum security, you can upgrade to endcaps with all-metal lock cores (RRVA-LEC4 - sold separately).
Average Customer Rating: 4.7 out of 5 stars (1945 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.Excellent system. Little to no wind noise. Measurements to mount the rear bar to the 2020 Equinox are incorrect in the instructions but easy to adjust to an exact fit.
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.
I purchased this kit along with the aero bars for my 2012 BMW X3. Great product and appears solid. I relied heavily on the you tube install video that saved me a considerable amount of time. Would definitely purchase again for future vehicles.
Dean - 05/20/2022I wish the vortex strip came pre installed. Kind of a pain to take the additional time to install it yourself. Had a hard time getting it in the rails at certain points.
Sierra K - 05/11/2022etrailer.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.
Mark - 08/20/2020
Function perfect minus one small problem. There all some plastic pieces that pop into the bottom when you're done installing. If I had to guess one of them popped out during a drive-thru car wash. For about two weeks we kept hearing a low whistle noise at higher speeds or windy days. Finally figured out the plastic pieces prevent that wind whistle noise. Luckily the crossbars come with a some extras. Installed those back in and haven't had an issue since. 2018 Kia Niro.
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.
Awesome product, worth the extra money, safely transport two kayaks on the roof on the interstate no problem.
Nicholas - 06/06/2022 Nicholas - 06/06/2022Excellent product! I installed this roof rack on my brand new 2020 Honda Civic Sport. Since my car has dual center exhaust, a hitch mount was not an option. I paired it with the RockyMounts Brass knuckles wheel on bike carrier. It was straight forward to install and for over a year everything has worked flawlessly. Obviously I take a hit on fuel economy especially at highway speeds with 2 bikes on the roof. I recently took a road trip and averaged about 31 mpg (would be about 38 mpg with no racks or bikes). However without bikes, I was averaged about 35 mpg which isn't too much impact. The Rhino Racks were a little bit less expensive than the competition but no compromises at all. Definitely recommend these Rhino Racks and RockyMounts Brass knuckles bike carrier.
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.
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.
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.
Roseanne - 08/12/2015These 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.
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.
These whistle when I drive, solved problem with tape on the entire underside of both crossbars. The rubber strip on the top is pushed into the bar when the canoe is strapped tight. I should have gone with different style.
Brooke M - 07/21/2021Received 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.
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 are sturdy, look great, and were easy to install with the complete kit. Jaquan B at eTrailer gave great, right on the spot, advice. Thank you!
I ordered the complete Rhino-Rack with legs for my 2009 Subaru Forester. I watch a couple of videos prior to installation. Followed instructions and installation was completed without any issues. Product was delivered promptly and Natalie helped me with my order and she followed up to inform me of the status of my order. Thanks for the help and thanks for a product.
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!
This roof rack is much louder than the only other one I'e had in the past. The noise it makes in my car is not fun to listen to while driving the to my destination and back home.
Brooke M - 08/16/2021This rack has been perfect. Adjusted a couple I times to make sure the latches secured to the side door frame properly. But have driven multiple times with 2 kayaks and had no issues even when pushing the weight limit.
The folks at etrailer are great. Part of my order was backordered and they went out of their way to try and speed up delivery, even with the backorder delivery was very fast.
Installation (2017 Mazda hatchback) was easy but I must have misunderstood the directions because both front and rear spacing was too short (1 1/2"). No problem though as a slight adjustment that only took ten extra minutes at the most to resolve with no effect on the installation. I didn't time it but I bet the whole installation from unboxing to being done took less than an hour and it fits the car, both physically and aesthetically perfect. Pleased customer planning to buy some accessories real soon.
Wonderful roof rack. Used it to haul bikes, camping gear, a windsurfer and more! I have it on a 2017 Honda Civic Hatch and the only problem was actually with the car! The door seal on the car had become not so flexible, so when I'd close the door, it wouldnt seal around the hooks that grip the frame. I'd get leaking every time it rained.
SO! In conclusion, great roof rack, make sure your car door seals / weather stripping is up to the task.
Huge flaw in how the Vortex strips are installed. They come in a number of small odd shaped pieces. Very hard to install so they are flat - constant noise. And it looks awful with all of the bumps and gaps. Ostensibly they are small to allow attachments to connect to the rack without cutting BUT most people don't do this - so why not give us a single long piece (Preinstalled maybe?) and let the attachment people cut to fit. No way this is worth what I paid. I ended up cutting the pieces incorrectly and had to replace them as well. I shouldn't have to custom cut ANYTHING.
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