Wind noise and drag

Updated 4/3/17: Initially, I was quite frustrated at the loud roar and drag I was getting once I installed my Cabrac on my 3rd gen. With some work, I have now been able to dramatically reduce the wind noise to the extent I barely can tell the rack is there in most conditions (except for high winds).

Here are some things to try if you install your rack and find the wind noise a problem.

-Ensure the wind deflector is in the lowest position (bottom two holes)
-Make sure you have the rubber weather strip that goes on the bottom of the deflector and that it is flush with your cab
-Move your first bar behind the deflector back a few inches (or in my case, I removed the first bar as the remaining bars are plenty for my needs)
-Triple check that your rack in squared up properly, and that your wind deflector is completely flush with it's bar - failure to do this may result in whistling.
-Buy up to 30 t-slot covers from Amazon and cut to 47". I initially bought a few, and then ended up ordering more to cover up all unused T-slots on my rack. Pay special attention to the bar holding the deflector and cover all 3 sides - a lot of air catches this bar even with the deflector on the lowest position. With the wind deflector in the lowest position, it does allow for some air to hit the bars in the rear and, for me, this still caused a bit of vibration. By covering the t-slots on the front, top, and bottom of all bars, this vibration has disappeared altogether.
-Cover up any unused holes in the front such as top two unused holes for the deflector. These caused some whistling / howling for me until covered.

My wind noise now is 75% reduced from when I initially installed by rack and is now in line with the small amount of wind I would expect to hear from any rack solution. Hopefully this edit helps some others to ensure a clean install with a quiet ride in your Taco!

 

Not what I wanted to hear. Lol. Following along.

 

I will be responding to your email later when I have time to do a full response but the first things to do are shift the wind deflector down to the lowest position, and try shifting the front crossbar back a few inches. Those two things should make a pretty drastic difference.

Yesterday was the first time I have had bad wind noise on my rack for a long time and there were 50 MPH head winds. I had all sorts of crazy noises coming from all over the place but there isn't anyway around it in bad winds. Normal driving conditions and you should hear much.

 

Thanks Zach - will try and report back. i don't expect it to be silent by any means but figured there was something that needed to be tweaked since I hear so many great reports on here from other 3rd gen cabrac owners. Thanks again for your help

 

UPDATE: Moving the wind deflector down to the lowest position such that the weather strip is extremely snug + moving the first bar back about 5-6" made a significant difference in wind drag and noise. I haven't had it above 65 or so just yet so can't speak for 75-80mph highway speeds, but can already tell a huge difference. Have ordered the T-Slot covers as well to further help with any wind noise and vibration that may be encountered at higher speeds.

Solid rack. Just needs a bit of fine tuning

 

Where are you getting the t-slot covers?

 

These are the ones I ordered - and bought quite blindly based on a recommendation of someone I saw on the Prinsu BS thread. Should have them in a couple of days and will confirm fit / function, but they are cheap so worth a shot

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EZVOZYC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

Thanks, let me know how they fit. Don't want them blowing out as you go down the road.

 

received the t-slot covers today. haven't had a chance to get out and test the impact on noise yet, but I can tell you they are the perfect size. They snap in very tight - you'd need to pry them back out with a flathead or something. I only bought 10 of them, and probably should have gotten 15 though so buy more than you think you need. Each strip fits one t-slot so if you're looking to cover the front-facing and the 2 top t-slots, you'll use several of them. They cut easily though and look seamless once snapped together. And this way you still have the rear t-slots free which I'll use for some anchor points for gear.

 

Thanks.

 

Definitely worth looking into. They fit snug and definitely have reduced vibrations at higher speeds. I ordered more to cover up all the slots I'm not planning to use to secure gear and will see how it plays out.

 

Great I'm gonna order a bunch, they will keep trash out of the grooves as well. All that pollen and crap from the trees.

 

Curious if anyone has a photo of where they put that first bar to fix the wind drag? Noticed big decrease in fuel economy with this, but I also have the light bar wind deflector (ignor the tent, its not on the truck anymore at the moment)

 

Just curious if a windshield deflector may help wind noise with the rack? I think these things move the wind/airstream higher across the hood and then above the windshield? It would be an easy test - low cost. And it makes the truck look mo' bettah!

Scott

 

I've definitely thought about that but then hear many folks say that unless you get a high profile one (that would hurt your visibility over the hood) that really all they do is aesthetics and maybe protect dings on your hood. Good thing to try out though! After all the tinkering I did though unless winds are high (and this time of year that's frequently) the noise isn't unmanageable.

 

A cheap way to fill the slots on the rack, 3/8 foam backer rod. Takes about 150ft to fill all slots on a un-used rack. Can buy 200ft for less than $20 on Amazon.

 

Hmm. I didn't get that weather strip for the deflector. What does it look like?

 

Link didn't work

 

$11 CR Laurence CRL 3/8" Closed Cell Backer Rod - 100' Roll

https://www.amazon.com/Closed-Cell-Backer-Rod-Roll/dp/B001OC1ITU

This forum auto links to Amazon once you type it.

 

With summer here in the south, I broke down and bought the Weathertech deflector and completely forgot about the potential impact on wind noise, but it's definitely reduced a fair amount with the deflector in place! ...and I get far fewer bugs on the windshield which is nice since cleaning these windshields with even the softest of towels scratches the heck out of them!

...I don't really like the looks of it honestly, but that's because all of the other black on my truck (steps, racks, flares, etc.,) are all a powder coated finish so the glossy finish looks out of place. I just wonder how much of the wind deflection I lose if I make it matte with some paint, but that question is for a different forum I guess