Advice on roof rack for new Jeep owner

[markdm]

Just bought a new 2024 Wrangler Sport S 4 door with a hard top. It’s our first Jeep, bought partly as a mid-life crisis ride for me. We’re replacing a 2015 Subaru Outback, which has been a great car but was getting a bit long in the tooth.

Current issue I’m grappling with is how best to get a roof rack on the Jeep. For the Outback, we used the integrated factory bars to mount a thin Yakima Skybox 12 for skis and stuff on the roof, along with two parallel bike mounts up top. It was quite the set up, especially when I put three more bikes on a rear bike rack, and I don’t envision replicating that on the Jeep. Instead, mainly looking to get the box on the roof in a way that I can load up with skis and associated gear without worrying about weight. Don’t want to drill into roof or anything like that, and don’t care about wind noise.

I’ve seen the Mopar model and a Thule one, both of which connect to the rain gutters and both rated to 150 pounds. That’s right at the edge of what I might prefer (and yes, I know that I was pushing the Subaru’s weight limit), and tbh, the Thule one is pricey and kinda ugly. I’m leaning towards the Mopar one, but I found this one on Amazon rated to 330 lbs, although I’m skeptical of that weight rating and the quality overall.

https://www.amazon.com/Wrangler-Gladiator-2007-2023-Aluminum-Crossbars/

Any advice re: roof racks for a new Jeep owner would be greatly appreciated (and apologies if I screw up any board etiquette - new here as well.)

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[OminousSkitter]

Basically you're going to hear two groups of people chime in:
+ First, the people that will say the 150# rating is for the gutters and not the rack itself, so anything claiming otherwise is lying to you
+ Second, the people talking about the rack they use that supports their roof top tent just fine even bouncing offroad

Both groups are correct. The top and the gutters are just fiberglass, and it isn't designed to be weight-bearing. Some gutter-mounted bars have feet under the bottom to help distribute some of the weight to the roof itself and off of the gutters. But, the gutters seem to be stronger than most people—including the owner's manual—give them credit for. Kinda like the tailgate isn't supposed to hold that much weight, yet people put 37s and cook on a tailgate table without issue.

Personally, I went with a Maximus-3 mount for a pioneer platform. The platforms can be a bit of a pain if you want to put any accessory up there, as you typically have to either drill and bolt to the platform itself or add yet more crossbars to it to accept common accessories like bike/kayak mounts/cargo boxes/ski mounts. But that platform (or the Rhino Rack backbone + Pioneer Platform) will be able to hold 300lbs without any issues, but you'll have to drill through the hard top for them.

For a no-drill, gutter-mount rack, I've heard good things out of the DeeZee one, but I have never even seen one in person yet alone used one.

 

[Ratbert]

Pay attention to dynamic versus static weight ratings.

At some point you'll need to consider either something that bolts to the roll bar through the roof or an exoskeleton (see Adventure Rack Systems for the beefiest).

 

[Valpo Jeep]

We added a Rhino Rack to support our roof rack.

https://www.rhinorack.com/en-us/

 

[Reinen]

Basically you're going to hear two groups of people chime in:
+ First, the people that will say the 150# rating is for the gutters and not the rack itself, so anything claiming otherwise is lying to you
+ Second, the people talking about the rack they use that supports their roof top tent just fine even bouncing offroad

Both groups are correct. The top and the gutters are just fiberglass, and it isn't designed to be weight-bearing. Some gutter-mounted bars have feet under the bottom to help distribute some of the weight to the roof itself and off of the gutters. But, the gutters seem to be stronger than most people—including the owner's manual—give them credit for. Kinda like the tailgate isn't supposed to hold that much weight, yet people put 37s and cook on a tailgate table without issue.

Personally, I went with a Maximus-3 mount for a pioneer platform. The platforms can be a bit of a pain if you want to put any accessory up there, as you typically have to either drill and bolt to the platform itself or add yet more crossbars to it to accept common accessories like bike/kayak mounts/cargo boxes/ski mounts. But that platform (or the Rhino Rack backbone + Pioneer Platform) will be able to hold 300lbs without any issues, but you'll have to drill through the hard top for them.

For a no-drill, gutter-mount rack, I've heard good things out of the DeeZee one, but I have never even seen one in person yet alone used one.

Right on par, even selecting a Maximus-3 RR because of its high load limits and versatility.

Except you should never have to drill through the Rhino Rack platform. There are many accessories that attach to the platform via the T slots which are completely reconfigurable with no permanent modifications. That's why the Pioneer Platform is so good. Drilling through a Rhino Rack is just doing it wrong.

 

[OminousSkitter]

Right on par, even selecting a Maximus-3 RR because of its high load limits and versatility.

Except you should never have to drill through the Rhino Rack platform. There are many accessories that attach to the platform via the T slots which are completely reconfigurable with no permanent modifications. That's why the Pioneer Platform is so good. Drilling through a Rhino Rack is just doing it wrong.

Oh? I’ve found most accessories from any company other than rhino rack assume you have bars (e.g. Thule, Yakima, etc) and don’t mount directly to the t-track nicely. Several RTT manufacturers say to drill through the platform to attach it, as again, they assume crossbars. I’ve never drilled through mine, but I have had to get creative a few times and mount the crossbars to the platform for a couple things.

 

[Reinen]

Oh? I’ve found most accessories from any company other than rhino rack assume you have bars (e.g. Thule, Yakima, etc) and don’t mount directly to the t-track nicely. Several RTT manufacturers say to drill through the platform to attach it, as again, they assume crossbars. I’ve never drilled through mine, but I have had to get creative a few times and mount the crossbars to the platform for a couple things.

The piece you're missing is RR Accessory Bars. They are a Thule/Yakima compatible crossbar track which can be mounted anywhere on top of the pioneer platform. You can also cut them down to be the exact size you need. They do not need to go across the entire width, just across at least two of the RR's T tracks.

 

[OminousSkitter]

The piece you're missing is RR Accessory Bars. They are a Thule/Yakima compatible crossbar track which can be mounted anywhere on top of the pioneer platform. You can also cut them down to be the exact size you need. They do not need to go across the entire width, just across at least two of the RR's T tracks.

Yep, got those. Thats what I was saying by needing additional crossbars.

 

[markdm]

This is all incredibly helpful - thanks to all of you for the perspectives and advice. My simple takeaways are that the 330lb limit for that one on Amazon is bogus and, more importantly, that I’ll need a more advanced system, like that Maximus setup, if I want to do anything ambitious. Which it sounds like is definitely doable with a Jeep (even if I don’t yet understand all of the nuances y’all are pointing out).

 

[VKSheridan]

Once you install your rack, low hanging branches become more destructive. Don’t ask me how I removed mine once……

 

[OminousSkitter]

My best guess on the amazon one is that they're talking static weight and the mopar one is talking dynamic weight, but I am honestly not sure. The general rule of thumb is that dynamic weight is ~1/3rd static; that brings the Chinazon one back to where it should be (~110lbs limit). I've always assumed the Mopar limit is dynamic to keep things simple, but that's an assumption.

For your use, I'd focus on dynamic weight. Static weight is more useful if you're looking at a roof top tent, because when you're parked and the tent is out, it needs to support everyone inside the tent. (E.g. 150lbs limit dynamic, ~450lbs static, tent at 120 lbs, 2 people is dangerously close to or exceeding the 450lbs static limit—not even counting any sexy sleep time (dynamic)). Dynamic weight is your typical driving/hitting some bumps/cornering/etc.

If you're only going to put ~150lbs in it (so 140-160 roughly), I'd consider a gutter-mount with the little load distribution feet under it, and AVOID ATTACHING THEM TO THE FREEDOM PANELS! You're flirting with the limit, but people on this forum have had success with that (and worse). This setup should be fine unless you plan on overlanding down rough terrain and take some hits off rocks (you'd want to remove any weight up top then). Same advice if you've leased rather than bought (though I think you said bought).

(DeeZee)

(SMS Exposed Racks)

I can't personally recommend either of these racks, as I have no experience with them.

 

[JP52]

I have a DeeZee rack and am very happy with. I have used it to hold 2 big fishing kayaks without problem. It has slots for T bolts so it is very versatile. It comes with 4 cross bars two of which can go on a small rack on the freedom panels. I did not use the rack on the freedom panels and instead put all 4 bars on the main rack.

 

[onepoundjeepjl]

i got deezee rack on my 2door. i really like it, ive only strapped 4'x8' panels and 12' long boards to it to get stuff home from lowes, and mounted my ski rack to it. i think it may work well for what you want. reason why i got it is cuz its low profile, no drill, very versitle to add attachments cuz of tslot, and its separate piece for freedom panels. i actually take my freedom panels off all at once and leave rack attached when i want to take top off.

 

[John VonJeep]

Sounds like you need to muster up the courage to drill your roof. It’s not that bad after you make the first hole.

I had a Teraflex rack on my JK and it required me to drill like 47 holes. Only leaked once, in an absolutely torrential rainstorm, and even then only barely. You can do it, bud. You really don’t want to be relying on those thin little fiberglass drain rails not to fail.

 

[Tjax]

Just bought a new 2024 Wrangler Sport S 4 door with a hard top. It’s our first Jeep, bought partly as a mid-life crisis ride for me. We’re replacing a 2015 Subaru Outback, which has been a great car but was getting a bit long in the tooth.

Current issue I’m grappling with is how best to get a roof rack on the Jeep. For the Outback, we used the integrated factory bars to mount a thin Yakima Skybox 12 for skis and stuff on the roof, along with two parallel bike mounts up top. It was quite the set up, especially when I put three more bikes on a rear bike rack, and I don’t envision replicating that on the Jeep. Instead, mainly looking to get the box on the roof in a way that I can load up with skis and associated gear without worrying about weight. Don’t want to drill into roof or anything like that, and don’t care about wind noise.

I’ve seen the Mopar model and a Thule one, both of which connect to the rain gutters and both rated to 150 pounds. That’s right at the edge of what I might prefer (and yes, I know that I was pushing the Subaru’s weight limit), and tbh, the Thule one is pricey and kinda ugly. I’m leaning towards the Mopar one, but I found this one on Amazon rated to 330 lbs, although I’m skeptical of that weight rating and the quality overall.

https://www.amazon.com/Wrangler-Gladiator-2007-2023-Aluminum-Crossbars/

Any advice re: roof racks for a new Jeep owner would be greatly appreciated (and apologies if I screw up any board etiquette - new here as well.)

I have a 2023 Willys 2 door JL and have this rack. It has served me well. I load it with 250-300 lbs with no issues. There is wind noise when unloaded > 40 mph, but not obnoxious. Wind noise is lower when loaded. There are also kits to install support brackets (drilling through hard top required) to roll bar To support additional weight (rooftop tent?). I’m real happy with it.

https://a.co/d/5zkCPbR

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