Roof Rack Poll

OME, it's awesome cause it flips back when not in use. Cuts down on noise and looks nice. Only thing I've ever had up there is my sea kayak and once the kayak and a raft. Holding up great after about 3 years.

 

Custom! The strongest way to go in my opinion.

 

I would definitely go OEM. I had a Yakima rack on my Accord going up the canyon to go skiing at Park City and the wind caught it and ripped it off my roof. To all the haters yes it was installed correctly. The Accord was a coupe so there wasn’t a lot of space between the bars but regardless I would steer clear of the racks that hook into the door jams, not to mention where the posts rest on the roof can scratch the paint. Yakima / Thule accessories are awesome I’d recommend them 100%.
Skis and snowboard were fine, we still went skiing that day.

 

True, I had a Yakima rack damage the paint on my Accord and my brother had a Thule rack damage the paint on his Mazda were the fairing rubbed. The fairing rubbed all the way down to bare metal.

Go OEM - Others may have good experiences but as for me I would only recommend the Thule / Yakima accessories.

 

I put my yakima in over BED!!!!

 

I know this thread is about "Roof Racks", of which I have had both Yakima and Thule on sedans and trucks to haul bicycles or kayaks - long sea or racing style kayaks that are from 17 to 20 feet in length. I have a Tacoma Access Cab (2 wheel drive, 4 cyclinder) PreRunner that I haul my canoe (16 ft, about 70 lbs) or two or three sea kayaks on - about 180 pounds for all three of them (60 lbs each). For this use I put a Thule truck bed rack on my Tacoma.
It's rated for up to a 450 load. The top sections of all four "post" come off so you can easily and quickly remove most of the rack if you are going to be on a long road trip and don't need the rack - or the wind drag it creates. I am sure most of you don't need or want this type rack on your Tacoma but maybe there's someone else out there that hauls stuff like I do.

 

I voted other for the simple fact that I don't like roof racks on pickup trucks. I was a Yakima fan for years until I got my Tacoma and got crap customer service from them. Switched to Thule for the simple fact that they were able to help me out and provide the information I needed. I run Thule bike trays with the Toyota factory bed cross bars with no modifications and stuff. I'm thinking about adding a basket as well.

 

I just installed an OEM rack, today! Haven't had anything on it yet, but it looks great! Hope to carry my kayak up there, soon.

 

was it a very hard install? I have to put mine on eventually. I had it since Christmas.

 

I'm also curious to know how the OEM installs - does it require drilling or is a bolt up application? Also, about how much does an OEM rack cost?

 

I don't have one on my Tacoma but I have a Thule on my Camry. I use it to take our surfboards to the beach and also sometimes use it for a kayak. I take mine off every so often to wash under the rubber pads for the door mounts. Well, last time I took it off I noticed that under the right rear pad the paint started to bubble a little bit. I guess that moisture gets under there, along with dirt and salt and caused it to start rusting. Bottom line is I like the rack cause it serves it's purpose. It is quiet and easy to use, you just have to take extra good care of the paint under and around all of the door mounts.

 

Some quick Googling indicated that the OEM rack might only be available for the DC Taco, is that correct??

 

No drilling at all and I'm pretty sure its only for the Double Cabs.
The insturctions look pretty basic, hopefully its not too hard. I never got around to putting them on yet. But yeah its just a bolt on application with no drilling. You have to remove those black weather stripping on the roof and the holes are underneath

 

Thanks! At least for the DC owners who like the OEM rack, that's good news.

 

Pretty simple to install. No drilling, at all. You just need a torque wrench and and a torx head bit (T-30 I believe). The dealer wanted $450 when I bought my truck. I told them to get lost, and got it online for $230.

http://www.tacomapartsstore.com/product_info.php?cPath=33&products_id=793

 

Yep. I have only seen a DC roof OEM roof rack. I don't believe they make them for the Access Cab.

 

I picked up a Con-Ferr rack the other day (craigs list find). It came with a High-Lift jack and jack mount and 4 KC Daylighters. It was a 5' wide job, but with a little cutting and welding it is now 4' wide. It is 6.5' long and will cantilever over cab, to approximately the midway point of the back doors. It has four mounting "feet" which I plan to simply bolt to the top of the camper shell. I think this will give it a very low profile appearance.

Does anyone have a suggestion on the best material to use as a gasket between the mount and paint?

 

sold it to AZtacoma05

 

Roof racks, especially the OEM one look too cheap imo

 

I disagree