roof rack - worth it?

Thinking about upgrading from Hooke Road to a Sherpa roof rack.
From what I understand, it started when the founder bought a Prinsu, and was disappointed in the weakness of it. So he made his own version that is better, and stronger. For minimal additional cost. Built-in handles.
Or so I've heard.

I saw one, and it looked sick. IMO, it's the best. Every other one looks ugly.
Is a roof rack worth it?
My Hooke Road has wind noise, and it's annoying. I've heard you can fill the side gaps which helps, but still.
I don't know if that's something that adding insulation mat to the roof would resolve.

Or is that just a pain that comes with every roof rack - going deaf and unable to have conversation or peace during driving?
Are racks even worth it?
Pros:
-looks cool
-I moved a mattress on mine once
-sometimes I grab onto it, like climbing out of the truck off road, or reaching up to wash it

Cons:
-adds weight
-wind noise
-less aerodynamic/mpg
-actually harder to wash the roof/get in between the rails
-maybe not that useful. They have both static and dynamic weight rating. Truck weight rating can only handle so much weight both moving itself, as well as during towing. By adding things to the truck (rack) increasing weight, it lowers the amount of weight it can pull in total
-roof may not even be strong enough; not a German car with strong roof and pillars built with safety in mind
-plenty of other spaces to mount things; if mounting stuff on rack like traction boards, can worsen aero/noise even more

Looks kind of either way.
Regular tacos look better with a rack.
But hardshelled tacos seem to look fine without one. And I've never seen anyone with a full rack (roof + shell) carry long pieces of lumber
For the money, one could get Archive Hammer Hangers (useful mod) instead and actually have a better feeling ride

They look great.
Even though I've only used my roof rack maybe 3 times this year, it makes sure to show up every day to accomplish the mission of creating wind noise and reducing mpg
I know some of my other mods can do that, but those I would never give up because they're useful. Like rock sliders. Adds weight? Sure. Also gives a step surface, off road protection, + door ding, shopping cart, collision protection

 

Your own pros & cons list says it all bro

 

Was wondering if anyone with better brands of roof rack has experienced less wind noise w/ insulation

If yes, then maybe it's worth the 1mpg drop

 

I have the Victory roof rack. I don't notice much wind noise that the radio volume can't handle

 

I got the martin offroad foundation rack and with front trim there was no additional noise. As for to get a roofrack or not thats up to you, I only got one cause we bring kayaks camping. I'll probably make something up to get the fishing rods out of the bed to and put them up there.

 

I bought a Prinsu a little bit after I got my truck to use for transporting kayaks. I took it off within a month because of the wind noise and terrible drop in MPGs. I didn’t realize how bad both would be.

I switched to a set up with BillieBars and there’s no wind noise and I’m still getting decent MPGs which is helpful on long trips.

For me, the roof rack wasn’t worth it. But that 100% depends on the person. I’m sure it is worth it for a lot of people. Just depends on how much you use it.

 

What type of MPG drops were you seeing? Obviously enough to where you noticed it, over 1mpg? I’ve got a mid height shell so I’m thinking the rack will level out the top and I may not notice an mpg loss.

 

The OEM roof rack doesn't really make noise at all, but it only has an 150 lb weight limit.

 

No wind noise noticed from this one (surprisingly) and you missed an important pro: Christmas light tie-off point.

 

I had to modify my hooke roof rack...it weighs more than other brand but cost less..usefully for ..maxtraks/rotopax...like acessories kayaks n long lumber...if you don't have a use for it ..better to ditch it .n save some mpg's

 

Martin Roof rack (and shell rack). No noise under 70 mph, above that there's some wind noise but nothing the radio or a conversation won't overcome.



As far as usefulness? Mount all the things!



Plus hauling full length items is a breeze.

 

I have a prinsu rack and a black truck. My biggest issue with it is cleaning. I end up taking off the bars because they collect so much water that’s hard to get out, drips for hours after. Design wise I wish there were holes in the bottom that would help the rack drain. Not to mention I could tell instantly the wind drag and 1-2mpg drop

 

I'm running the full Prinsu rack on my 3rd Gen. Wind noise sucks, but you can cut it down with t-slot covers and adjustment or removal of the first cross bar. I also found that installing Taco Marine weather stripping around door seals improved wind noise significantly. I mostly use the rack for my Grumman and kayaks, which of course are noisy as hell at highway speeds. If you're planning on carrying roto cans/roam case/recovery boards/etc., the easiest noise-reduction solution I've found is just leaving them in the bed (if you have the space) for highway travel, and mounting them on the rack when you actually need them. Also, take all that with a grain of salt--I'm running ditch lights and am half-deaf in my right ear (still waiting on my $23 settlement from that 3M class action), so its hard for me to actually determine the source of wind noise.

If you're into more extreme measures, there's always the sound deadening route--I took down the headliner and installed poor man's Dynamat (I think it was Kilmat 80mm butyl and Siless 150mm MLV foam, both cheap on Amazon and well reviewed). Honestly, dropping and reinstalling the headliner was a terrible bitch. I would absolutely recommend trying the cheaper, faster noise-reduction mods before doing it.

Washing is more difficult, but not that much of an inconvenience. It's hot as shit here in Central Texas, and my truck is metallic grey, so I've thought about doing white vinyl skin on the roof, but have been dissuaded by the prospect of removing and reinstalling the rack.

I got a good deal on the Prinsu, and at the time, the only other racks of similar design were Chinese knock-offs. Sherpa looks very similar and about the same price point--also lighter, though not sure if it's capacity differs. Looks like there are a lot of very similar racks available from reputable brands at this point, many going for less dough.

As for MPGs, who knows. Rack went on around the same time as a bunch of other weight--including bigger, heavier tires which kills MPG faster than anything. Will say that my MPGs ain't great, but hoping it improves with OV tune. I'm too dumb to comment on the aero affects.

 

I'll give you my list of pros and cons after a year w/ one.

Pros:
-Was able to more efficiently carry camping gear. I put my small pelican case w/ bike tools up there, 2 camp chairs and a long rifle case for misc camp equipment. That freed up space in the back seat, mostly.
-I use it often to get in and out. I installed kayak grab handles.
-I now use it to tie my longboard on to. This unknowingly became my favorite aspect. I no longer have it hanging out of the back of the bed w/ the tailgate pad. Best part.

Cons:
-mpg drop.
-Looks! I very much prefer the look of our trucks w/o the roof rack

I don't hear wind noise. Would that be a positive? Since most expect to?

 

Have the opportunity to buy a prinsu at 550, but I’m on the fence after reading this. Is the gas mileage drop a shared experience?? Makes sense that it would add drag, but 1-2 is significant for a truck that at best gets 16-17. (damn fat tires, but they look/work so good!)

 

I built my own roof rack so it's not exactly equivalent to the Prinsu, Sherpa, Martin etc. but it's fairly similar. I didn't get any wind noise after I added my own wind fairing which is much larger than these other companies versions. I added my roof rack 4/25/2020 so I have about a year without it and 2+ with it.

Pre Roof Rack 41 Fill Ups: 15.50 MPG. 20 Fill ups with old BFG K02 before switching to new Wildpeak AT3Ws

Post Roof Rack 77 Fill Ups: 15.55 MPG. All with Wildpeak AT3Ws

Edit* Used the wrong metrics when calculating MPGs previously. Updated now and shows pretty much no difference.

 

Does anybody have pics of their rack with these t-slot covers installed? I think I get it but want to make sure I don't buy the wrong thing. I'm ready to pull my rack off after my wife pointed out, loudly, that driving 80 on the interstate sounded like being in a plane. I would prefer to keep it and this sounds like it might be the move

 

My Caliraise Premium roof rack with 360 lights. With wind, fairing or deflector is up.

When the Wind fairing or deflector is down.

Sorry for the low-resolution picture quality. I strap my OZ Tent at my roof rack when we are camping.

 

Thing is hideous!

 

Sherpa just came out with cheaper Sport.

How important is the highest dynamic and static load ratings of the Grand Teton compared to all other racks?

I plan on regular use. Gear. Moving. Stand on it.
The one exception being no roof top tent