New Version Hooke Road Roof Rack (Install/Tips/Review)

(not sure if this a faux-pas or not...but this was my response to a larger thread. since there isnt much out there on this one, i wanted to make it its own thread for visibility in case it can help anyone out with their decision/install)

Decided to take the risk on the new version with the integrated light bar. just got it installed and ive got to say, im happy i rolled the dice! very solid and they seem to have corrected a lot of issues people were having with the old version. the package did come slightly damaged, but their customer support was actually great. under 24 hour response time (they are in china, so usually middle of the night) they ended up refunding me $40 for the damages and elbow grease of touching them up etc. and sent me the missing hardware that fell out due to damage. for $250, you really cant beat it.

there is not a lot out there on this version, so here's a quick list of a couple things I've noticed thus far (hopefully it'll save someone some headache/confusion). I'm still tweaking a couple things, so ill report back with any meaningful developments.

so far:

• its chonky. listing says 55lbs, but that's way off...closer to 70lbs.
• the mounting brackets are not universal. the straight ones are for the back and angled ones up front. also, the mounting plate should be closest to the outside of the roof (itll make sense when you get it, but took me a couple beers to figure out placement/orientation)
• i didn't follow the directions. started with brackets>side rails>deflector>cross beams front to back. (its been mentioned before, but the widest ones go up front and get smaller towards the back (also noted before, but the small cutout on the crossbeams goes towards the back to prevent wind noise)) a little bit of "dry fitting" and measuring is a good idea to make sure you get a good fit of the side rails and wind deflector prior to adding the cross rails.
• for the love of god, put a heavy blanket down on the roof during install.
• the clearance between the side rail and roof is tight...almost too tight. the brackets/rails are slotted for adjustment and getting the front as low as possible helps seal the front weather strip on the deflector, but gets it uncomfortable close to the painted bits. (more on this later)
• no issues with shark fin clearance.
• the light is plenty bright, but how long it holds up is TBD. cant really complain at this price point.
• obviously preference, but i really like the way it looks.
• only took it up to 60 so far en route to the depot of home, and the wind noise is not terrible, but definitely present. (with some tweaking im confident this can be greatly improved)

whats next:

• the front and center of the side rails follow the roof line pretty well, but lowering them all the way is not possible without getting danger close to painted bits...if not into them. taking body flex into account, i still have it higher than id like and cant get the wind deflector perfectly snug with the weather stripping. with some not-so-gentle coaxing, i think i can get them formed to they can follow the weather stripping and almost sit flush, tucked into the channel. gonna put a big old pipe clamp across and give er the squeeze treatment.
• tucked some pipe insulation under the deflector and that certainly helped, but i still think it can be improved with the aforementioned fixins. also goint to tuck them under each cross rail out of an abundance of caution to prevent flex/vibrations into the roof.
• seen some pretty satisfying fitment of solar panels in the old one posted here...hoping mine does as well. TBD
• of course all the staples of having a rack to follow. harbor freight pelican cases, water/shower to keep the wife happy, and diesel heater mounted so it can be almost directly into the RTT (also to keep the wife happy)

i think that just about covers it, but let me know if there's anything else.

Okay...Pictures:
Pain getting them off my phone, but i dont wanna get one of these so here ya go ya wild hyenas
(yes, roast away about the stock rims/tires... but im cheap and wanna beat the piss out of these before i get new ones. they're on the list)

 

Not a fan of the roof racks, but LOVE the way that one looks!!! If I needed one I would def consider... As for the wheels.. AGREE! Bought a 2020 Sport in Jan. Nothings happening till I go through those tires....

 

Thanks man. I tried to resist it also, but the drug of offroad/overlanding got me and the utility aspect became apparent. I know there's much nicer options out there, but that's a perpetual rabbit hole one can chase eternity. I really enjoy finding thrifty, budget friendly options (for non-critical components) so I can drop the money where it counts. (Shitty way of justifying what I paid for armor and those BP-51's...worth it)

The sharp AZ rocks are super unforgiving on tires and having just bought the truck 5 months ago and they don't resell for shit. I decided to leave them for the shake out/adjustment of suspension so i can get the right ones for the job. I'm about 8k on the stock Wrangler A/T and they're damn near trashed, so new ones have to happen soon.

 

Looks like a great fitment and holds close to the body lines too!

 

Great tips! I got the same roof rack back in January, pain to install by myself, realized I should have assembled it on the truck rather than on the floor then mounting the whole thing on the truck. Light bar looks good! I never connected mine, plan to hook it up this weekend while I’m installing some cameras. Any info on wiring up the light bar?