Prinsu vs Victory 4x4

I wired these to be controlled by the cargo light switch so they'll come on based on whatever settings the factory cargo light switch is on. (Off / Door / On Contstant). I wired them to an aux fuse panel that I made. They pull power from a power bus bar and then gets wired through a fuse and to a relay. I tapped into the signal wire from the cargo light switch and sent that to the signal location on the relay, then its just a power and ground wire up to the lights. The power and ground wires run up the side of the windshield tucked in behind the moulding in a weatherproof shielding. I did wire them in series which can cause a dimmer light output but they are still very bright.

Anyhow, here's a link to a build thread I started. It details a lot of the wiring etc. https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/motofish84s-3rd-gen-sr-build.633960/#post-22473127

Good luck to you or anyone else.

 

Has anyone tracked the change in MPG by adding a roof rack?

Obviously we didn't buy these for the MPG but I'm wondering if the change is negligible (like 1MPG) or significant (like >3MPG).

 

Not worth worrying about. If you're armoring and putting tires and lift and racks .... You're gona lose mpg.

 

I have a roof rack/basket on my 4runner and would say any loss is negligible... and definitely not anything close to 3 or more! I don't even see that big of losses when it's loaded full of gear headed out camping with duffle bags and awnings, chairs, etc. Sticking out from the top. There may be some difference between my setup and a Tacoma however because my basket is not right up to the front windshield. It sits just behind the sunroof area.

I'll be putting a rack on my Tacoma. I'm not expecting to see much of a mpg loss on it either...

 

I can get over 22 MPG if i'm careful and the conditions are right with my racked and lifted truck. YMMV.

 

Where does everyone's back piece rest on the truck? For a while mine was kind of sitting on the cab light but recently I adjusted so it actually sits on the truck itself. Took some effort though. And now it sits higher than the crossbars.

 

Designed to sit here.

 

Hey has anyone used a kayak attachment with their victory rack? If so can you please share? Pics? And 1 or 2 kayaks? Thanks

 

712

I'm setup for 2 kayaks but have yet to purchase them.

 

3 kayaks

 

Did this last weekend. Installed my Victory roof rack.

 

Nice set-up. What are your tie-downs on the front?

 

Got a Victory topper rack a few weeks ago to go on my Leer 100XR. My tracks were installed by LEER and had to be rotated 180* to eliminate the 20* surface angle so the brackets would sit flat. Also the tracks were installed at 39.75" on center and the Victory topper rack can only be installed on tracks that are 42.375" apart because of the way their mounting brackets attach to the side rails instead of the extrusions. I only found this out after trying to install on my topper. I scratched the brand new $2800 topper. It's my fault. The first thing the instructions say is to measure the spread on the tracks. Though, I think the bracket should be a little more universal. I know the Prinsu top rack bracket is. I contacted Victory and offered my 3 options. One of which was using their RTT bracket set on the bottom of the front and rear extrusions was the best way to go. Though these brackets are only 7/8" tall and I knew that would put the topper rack lower than the cab rack. I wanted it as level as possible, Also they wanted another $70 for the bracket set. I think the topper rack is too expensive as it is. It's more than I paid for the cab rack which has many more cutouts, features and bends etc and has a lot more metal. Not sure why this is...supply and demand?

All in all, I still think the Victory rack is better looking than the competitor racks and it looks and feels stronger. The Prinsu rack has narrower side rails than the Victory and just didn't look beefy enough. Victory 4x4 they has always been willing work with me to resolve any issues though I would just rather not have any issues. But I understand that stuff happens and there are bigger problems in the world than my whining.

In the end I decided to knock up my own brackets out of 1 1/4" x 1/8" wall square alum. tubing, something similar to what I saw another member do. I have a mill in my shop and was able to make these pretty quickly. I primed, painted and clear coated them too.

 

That's some good looking work right there man. Looks like it's pretty level with your cab rack too

 

I just used the recovery and tie down points below the bumper.

 

After much research on the good old inter web I finally made a roof rack decision. I purchased a Prinsu copy (Martin) and am very pleased with the rack.

The roof mounting system is identical to Prinsu (round 1" risers) but I ended up going with a competitors 3/4" thick rubber mounts and some 1/4" aluminum stock so I could cut the roof mounting square for a cleaner look. I don't understand why Prinsu doesn't use square aluminum 1" risers to achieve a much cleaner look when cutting and reinstalling the roof mounting. I sent Prinsu an email and made a product improvement suggestion regarding the aluminum risers.

 

Awesome, easy solution for this
We use the side rail mounting bracket method because it offers more strength since the side rails and mounts take the whole rack load as a unit.

We do have an "off-instruction" method of mounting the racks with these RTT mounts as you mentioned, but then the full load on the rack is transferred to just two extrusion rails and their bolts, if that makes sense. As long as you keep those bolts tight it'll be fine. Also we recommend any heavy loads (like a RTT) be mounted to the rails that mount to the truck. Just wanted to mention our thinking.

 

Got it, Thanks for that info. It makes sense about the load distribution. I thought if I ever needed a lot of weight up there I might need to make two brackets for each cross bar. For now I'll be running fishing rods and the occasional kayak or two so I should be good for now.

 

What light bar r you running? any trimming?

 

I want to apologize to @victory4x4. I don't mean to slam you guys about your bracket design etc. I was a little harsh in my previous post. I do really like your products and want you guys to continue to be successful. I was of course a little aggravated with the combination of problems I ran into in getting the topper rack fitted. None of which were really on you guys. You made it perfectly clear the tracks need to be spaced 42.375" apart for your brackets to mount. And, after more thought and Daryl's explanation of why your design is the way it is (load distribution) I get it.

Now that I have had a few days to relax and stare at how great the truck looks all racked out I am really happy with it.