A roof rack is truly a friend to your car in your journey. When your car is full of heavy stuff, you might find it hard to breathe, less than enjoy your trip. However, with a roof rack on your car, you can put bulky items on it and enjoy “empty” comfort in your car.
Well, how to use a roof rack on your car? It’s easy to buy one roof rack online or at the store near your neighborhood. But many people don’t know how to use it. If you are planning to buy one or already have one but don’t know how to use it, you might waste your money and do improper operations that will do harm to your car.
But don’t worry! Today, we’ll help you on how to use a roof rack on a car.
Let’s dive right in:
What Is a Roof Rack?
You might want to buy a roof rack if you feel like your car is too jammed. But before the buying, let’s figure out what is a roof rack.
Well, you can think of it as a set of bars secured to the roof of a vehicle. You can find side rails on most cars. However, the crossbars are the thing that makes a roof rack a real and complete roof rack.
If you are looking for a practical one, check our roof rack with integrated crossbars.
What Can Roof Racks Do for You?
A roof rack is absolutely a great addition to your car. You can put extra luggage on the roof rack if you need to bring heavy items on your trip,
Also, you can also put skis, kayaks, canoes, bicycles, and various carriers you like on the roof rack if you are an outdoor enthusiast,
What Roof Racks Fit Your Car?
You can find many types of roof racks on the market, and they are designed for certain roofs. And different vehicles are equipped with different types of roofs. For example, there are naked roofs, raised rails, flush rails, and fixed mounting points.
What type of roof is your vehicle? Facing a variety of roof racks, you must be feeling dazzled. When choosing a roof rack, you could think of buying one with the whole system and components included. However, that’s not the case.
So, for your roof rack, first thing is the crossbar, the foot pack and then lastly, you’re going to have your carrier for whatever you’re deciding to carry.
Usually, you don’t need to have a fit kit. but if you don't have the raised rails to clamp onto, you’re going to have a fit kit too that’s going to clamp onto the door jamb of your vehicle.
How to Put a Roof Rack on Your Car?
After finding the right rack for your car, it’s time to put a roof rack on your car. How? Keep reading.
Step 1: Read the instructions
You can start your journey of installation by familiarizing yourself with the instructions that come with your roof rack. These invaluable guides will provide you with insights into the required components and the installation process. Don’t skip this step, for it’s your roadmap to success.
Step 2: Remember to measure and mark
We advise you to use a tape measure to determine the precise location where your roof rack needs to be mounted on your car. And mark the spots with a pencil or chalk once you have the measurements,
Step 3: Drill and mount
With your marked locations in place, carefully drill pilot holes into these spots. Then, secure the mounting brackets in these holes following the instructions provided in the manual.
Step 4: Attach the crossbars
Most roof racks come with two crossbars, which need to be placed parallel to each other across the width of your car’s roof. Sometimes you need to consult your instruction manual for exact placement. So you also need to see to these crossbars using the clamps on each end, ensuring they are tight enough to remain steady during your travels.
Step 5: Make double-check
Your roof rack is ready for action now. However, before hitting the road, take a moment to double-check that everything is securely in place. And make sure that the brackets, crossbars, and clamps are tightened properly. Remember, safety is key when it comes to everything, not to mention roof racks!
How Much Weight Can a Roof Rack Hold?
In your road trip or journey, you don’t want to overload your roof rack. If you put items that exceed the weight capacity of your roof rack, it might brings danger during your driving.
So when you’re deciding on what type of bars you want to put on your roof, you need to consider the weight capacity. And the biggest factor among various types is going to be the aerodynamics of the bar itself.
If you need one roof rack with good loading capacity, check our winglet universal roof rack. The load capacity of our roof rack is 330 lbs and its test load is 440 lbs.
Time to use a roof rack on your car and have a wonderful trip!
If you want to know more about roof racks, contact us at service@benehike.com.
