OE Roof Rack Cross Rails Question?

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Outdoorsman73

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Maybe more of an observation than a question... I was surprised after searching for hours online that I didn't come across this complaint. I recently bought a used OE set of cross rails for my 2015 Tahoe in order to install a set of SportRack Mooring Kayak Carrier (J type). It was not obvious until I installed the cross rails to the vehicle that the top face of the cross rail is not "flat" or even remotely parallel with the roof. I am not talking about the bowed shape but the profile of the actual extrusion is more like an airfoil shape with a slightly thicker leading edge and tapered trailing edge. The issue is further compounded by the fact that the top face of the rail slopes backwards (imagine an airplane wing with flaps deployed). The only reason I can think of for this design is aesthetics or a creative way to minimize wind noise with no consideration for ever having to attach something to it. It complicates the installation of any accessories that require a perpendicular installation like my Kayak brackets. The kayak brackets do accommodate various rack profiles and widths of cross rails but there is no adjustment to "straighten" the bracket so it is perpendicular to the ground. The implication is that it does not support my kayak adequately.

Has anyone else encountered this or know of the actual design logic behind it? In the short term I will have to add a shim to level out the mounting surface but this is not an ideal long-term solution nor does it address the underside where the clamp is only hitting in one spot. I suspect that some accessories like cargo carriers are a bit more forgiving in how they clamp up to the cross rail but purely from a practical perspective any accessory that is designed to attach to a level mounting surface would have problems. If you have a creative solution to this problem please let me know!
 

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Joseph Garcia

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My guess is that the design was to reduce air-related noise while driving at speed.

Surely, other folks on this Forum have kayak rack setups on their trucks, and they will chime in with their experiences.
 
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Outdoorsman73

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My guess is that the design was to reduce air-related noise while driving at speed.

Surely, other folks on this Forum have kayak rack setups on their trucks, and they will chime in with their experiences.
Thanks Joseph! I agree with your theory. Ironically there are a lot of complaints about rattling noise with the OE cross rails due to how they fit in the bracket so looks like they focused on the wrong failure mode. I took a photo from the side with a level across both rails. It actually does not look as bad when viewed this way so perhaps for cargo carriers or accessories that span across both rails the issue is negligible but you can see how the trailing edge sweeps back. I would definitely like to hear from others who mounted kayak racks. I did look at the simple foam rooftop carriers which obviously are far more conformant to a variety of shapes but I eventually plan to get two kayaks up top so the vertical mooring style is still my best option.
 

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Ghost10

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Lol and this is why I uninstalled my roof rack after noticing that aweful curve! After a trip to South Lake Tahoe and back to Los Angeles. It held up well.

I think I could have a friend make something out of the brackets and replace those bent bars with something flat
 

Oh Kee Pah

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I couldn't agree more with ALL the points you've made - the OE cross bars do look odd, seem to install backwards due to their airplane wing design, and have significant height (approx. 3"+) above roof level.
I have absolutely zero idea as to the engineering design/benefits behind this design. IMO, they would be tough to install backwards because there is an arrow showing "FRONT" of the vehicle.

My family does a fair amount of kayaking/outdoors adventure and I have used several different setups on the rooftop depending on our plans.
I've had the following up on the OE roof rails:
- Long cargo carry box
- 15' tandem kayak (60lbs)
- Long cargo carry box + 15' tandem kayak
- 15' tandem kayak + 12' kayak
- Long cargo carry box + 12' kayak
- 12' kayak
- 12' kayak + 11' kayak
- Long cargo carry box + 11' kayak
- Ski carrier rack (2 pair)
- Ski carrier rack (2 pair) + long cargo carry box

I would suggest adding some type of light padding when you are loading your gear. Good for the gear and this would also take your leveling concerns away.
Kayak Foam Pads for roof rack crossbars are great in my experience. Just make sure you get a pair that has a design similar to our "unique" airplane wing crossbars.
Kayak FOAM_block.png
Also available in the plumbing aisles at hardware store are foam insulation pieces for different size pipe. I've used these for ALL SORTS of applications, particularly with the kayaks.
They are cheap and easily available, easy to cut and already cut for easy wrapping.

61rR3CiEeIL._AC_SL1000_.jpg HH-pipe-insulation.jpg

Not in my budget, but I really like the looks of the Rhino Roof Rack platform system.
Leaning towards a DIY attempt, similar to what @Ghost10 suggested...


Safe Travels!
 

phottomatt

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WOW, rhino sure is proud of those crossbars, that is ridiculous. I read another post about the Rhino bars, if you look close at the top of the bar it has a rubber strip. Apparently that is just for wind noise and if you put a load on it the strip gets pressed in to the bar. :hmm:
 

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