Roof Racks - any good ones

I think he means the fact that they have a plethora of mounts and accessories all in one place that you know will work with your rack. With mine there is plenty of already made stuff out there that fits but you have to do a little research and try some things out to get there.

 

Oh , I C

With the T slots , it's all pretty modular

 

Assuming this a rhetorical question but you saw my pictures.

 

I'm not positive, but if the Prinsu cross-member slats have the same t-slot channel dimensions then most of the Front Runner accessories should work fine...

 

Was thinking of getting the OEM roof rack, but am not interested if they whistle in the wind. Thoughts?

 

Mine never whistled on my 2011 in the wind and the cross bars are oval shaped when you have them opened. One thing I did notice was with them open it messed with my XM signal a lot. Believe me... there are much better options out there. The OEM rack is "mostly" just for looks. They have very little in the "utility" dept and are limited to 100lbs which doesn't allow for much.

 

Yeah I never had whistling either with my OEM. There is a little turbulence with the crossbars deployed but its not unbearable.

 

I've been toying around with the roof rack idea myself for a while now, so I feel what you're thinking about. A good roof rack gives you options to mount lights, jack, tools and carry extra gear, which is a great idea. It also gives you a stand out look from "most" other non-Tacoma or off-road enthusiast owned Tacomas running around everywhere. If you look good, you feel good, and if you feel good, you look good!

I do believe, generally, you get what you pay for, but damn, some of these aftermarket roof racks are steeply priced! I personally love the look and functionality of Front Runner, PrinSu, and Gobi racks, but by the time you buy it, pay for shipping, and get it installed on your truck you'll be in it anywhere from $500 to over $1000!

So for me, since I have "some" mechanical skill, I'll be trying my hand at the DIY route. I have seen where a guy modified a FJ Cruiser factory roof rack to a DC Tacoma. It wasn't a bad look, I thought it was pretty cool actually, and the rack seem fairly heavy duty. Since the FJ rack is mostly tubing it should be fairly easy to clamp just about anything to it. I have my eye on one right now. If I acquire it I'm jumping knee deep in that DIY project.

, don't mean to , but I thought I'd throw out another option for you DIY types out there.

And, yes, I like Smilies!

 

I definitely am an advocate of DIY stuff. That being said I usually go through about 3-4 iterations of the DIY version before I get a product I am happy with. Not every time but the times I do sure make it a costly process. I will be interested to see the FJ rack converted for the Tacoma. Be sure to post pictures!

 

Im thinking this is the way to go. I like Zack's but they don't have the advantage of round stock construction. Any comments? I also suspect the Gobi is the strongest attachment to the stock roof rails?

 

Will do!

 

My favorite would be to have one of Zack's Prinsu constructed with round stock on the top access surfaces. I'd also like it in pure unfinished alloy. That would be so beautiful on my black truck. I'll pay extra!

 

True. It doesn't matter how "heavy duty" the rack is. It's the attaching points that can limit it. Isn't the Frontrunner and the Prinsu attached at the factory mounting points? Seems like the stronger option would be to bolt through the roof with larger top and backing plates to disperse the load across a wider area. I guess it still comes down to what you're planning on carrying up there, small odds and ends, spare tire, tent, or another truck.

 

I believe Zack may have some custom options and some alternatives to compatibility with Yakima 1' round accessories. So I am just going to wait and see his solutions.

L

 

The PrInSu rack would be worth the price IMO

 

I love that picture

 

My wife and I were just talking about all the stuff I'm gonna do to the truck just for that reason (albeit not California). She's in love with the CVT and we're in the design phase of how I want to outfit the bed of the truck. It will be for back country camping in Colorado and Utah (and around here in the spring and fall).

 

bajarack, frontrunner, or PrInSu.

would've got a frontrunner but im not ballin' like that.



also....had my bajarack a few years now and have had no leaks. period.

 

Haven't gotten that far yet. Still trying to decide on what mid mount rack I want for the bed (most likely Pelfreybilt since they are building my bumper and sliders) but I'm still looking at other options also. I really like Chris's set up (Idaho's) and would like a plate to mount a couple of rotopacks on the side.

I also like this for the action packers in the middle but with a RTT I'm not sure it would block the way or not.



So I'm still very much in the designing phase now. The rack will dictate the size of the tent but it will have to be big enough for all three of us which shouldn't be too much of a issue since my wife is only 5' tall and weighs maybe 98lbs.

Summer in the back country in the San Juan's is a very nice place to camp and I can't imagine many places I would rather go other than up to Washington state or Northern California. The nice thing is my wife shares the same passion for this project so money is no object when it comes to this build. I'm going to go all out and make it exactly like "I" want it to be.

I talk a lot of shit about this state but in reality there are some very nice places up in the Northern part that are really nice areas. Buffalo River comes to mind.

 

Nothing wrong with a Bajarack. I seriously considered one. I really did like the low profile design.

The last couple of weeks was a good test for leaking on my Frontrunner since it has done nothing but rain for almost a solid 2 weeks straight. No leaks so far but I made sure to seal it off extremely well. Still extremely happy with the purchase and have no regrets.