To see if this custom-fit item will work for you please tell us what vehicle you'll use it with.
These 59" full-length aluminum crossbars open up space for all kinds of gear. With a 165-lb weight capacity, you can load up kayaks, cargo boxes, or camping gear with confidence. The strong aluminum construction keeps things solid while staying light enough for easy handling.
Long trips are more enjoyable when the ride stays quiet. The aerodynamic shape of these Sportz bars helps cut down on drag, while the rubberized dual strips in the top channels guide airflow and reduce wind noise. You can stay focused on the road instead of listening to whistling overhead.
This complete system includes two Sportz crossbars, four 2500 Series legs, and a custom fit kit that installs directly on your vehicle’s naked roof. Lockable cover plates on each leg secure the rack so it stays firmly in place. Once it’s mounted, you’re ready to load up and head out.
Whether you’re hauling bikes in summer or skis in winter, these aero-style bars work with most bike, watersport, snow, and cargo carriers. The top channels pair with channel-mount accessories or clamp-on mounts, so you can use the gear you already have or add new setups as your adventures grow.
Black aluminum construction resists corrosion and looks sharp through years of weather and travel. With a 5-year warranty backing it up, this roof rack system is built to handle everything from daily errands to cross-country trips without missing a beat.
Ratings & Reviews
Choosing a system for transporting my new (to me, they're actually used) kayaks was TOUGH. I love my little 2017 Honda Fit, and I knew I would love my new kayaks when I got them. I don't want anything bad to happen to either! Also, my car is small and the kayaks are fairly large, comparatively. I've strapped a lot of things to a lot of vehicles, but this is going to be a long term relationship, so I wanted to get it right the first time.
I've been researching and reading reviews for months, but I got confirmation that the kayaks were ready for pickup, so I needed to make a decision! I ultimately pulled the trigger on the Rhino-Rack Vortex Aero Crossbars with the 2500 Series Legs and Custom DK Fit Kit for my naked roof car and the Rhino-Rack Nautic Stack Kayak Carrier w/ Tie-Downs.
I placed my order on 09/15/21 at 6 PM. The estimated delivery date was 09/23/21, which made me a little sad. I really wanted to pick up my boats on Sunday, 09/19/21, but I figured I'd waited THIS long, I could probably handle waiting another week. I was very pleasantly surprised to receive an email at 8 PM the same evening notifying me that my order had shipped. AND, even better, the UPS tracking was showing delivery on 09/18/21 by 7PM! I was beyond excited, but didn't get my hopes up because shipping has been pretty hit or miss since well before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, UPS delivered my package just before noon on Saturday, which was amazing!
I got everything unpacked and reviewed to ensure that I had all I would need to assemble the system - check. Nothing missing, which is always an auspicious start. Then I started reading the instructions - UGH. This is (so far) the ONLY thing I have to complain about. I have put together furniture that had clearer instructions. I probably should have gone to Google to find a [online] video, but I powered through with the instructions provided. Since I've never put together or used a roof rack before, I didn't really know what the final outcome should look like, so that made interpreting the instructions very difficult - the pictures were not super clear, and the accompanying text did not improve the situation. Now that I know what it looks like assembled, I get it, but at the time it was rough. I estimated it took me about 2 hours to get the rack assembled and secured to my car, and towards the end my fiancé arrived and helped me to realize that the foot pads were not properly attached to the feet, which made a huge difference! The kayak carrier was much easier to install, taking maybe 15 additional minutes.
The foot pads rest in the groove on the edge of the roof, I assume over the frame of the car. There's absolutely no flex in the roof where the feet sit. The hook part of the clamp rests against the metal of the car, under the rubber seal, so I don't foresee any potential issues with the seal as a result of the rack. The doors close as normal, and the rack has no movement whatsoever once tightened down. I've now used it as a handle to pull myself up towards the roof a few times (I'm about 190 lbs), and I feel totally confident that it's not going anywhere. I now have ideas about how to use the rack to haul around the larger stuff that won't fit INSIDE my car (which isn't much - I HIGHLY recommend this car!).
So, the big question - how'd it go with the kayaks?
In short - perfection! I was slightly concerned about the boats overhanging the front or back of my car, as they're 12.5 ft long and my car is just over 13 ft long. Eeeeek! I needn't have worried. They fit like a dream, and even without bow or stern tie downs were very secure during our trip home. We took local roads instead of the highway because we didn't tie down the bow and stern, so we probably didn't go over 40 ish MPH, but I saw absolutely no lift (I can see the ends of the boats out of the front windshield). I will be using those tie downs in the future, and anticipate no issues with highway speeds under those conditions.
Obviously, only time will tell how everything holds up/works out, but at this stage, I am extremely pleased with my decision and am looking forward to many kayaking adventures to come! I only have one picture at this point, but may take a few more and add them so anyone else considering a similar setup knows what they'll be getting.
Ordered the vortex roof rack and road warrior bike carrier, they delivered it sooner than than expected which was great. Easy to install but they only concern I had was the spec measurements need to be adjust to fit my car because following their specs left my hatch back hitting the carrier when up and even after the adjustment it still hits the rear tire of the bike but all in all I am very satisfied and am going to buy more products (wheel mount, weather tech wind deflectors). So happy saved tons than buying from bike shop or another online retailer.
i George from etrailer,
The rack is awesome! Strong, firm hold and nice looking. When doing surveys, I put my ladders on the rack.
I highly recommend this etrailer.
Where do I start?
I've been whitewater kayaking for 22 or so years now. I've always used used either Yakima or Thule products...
Until I bought a 2015 Nissan Rogue with a naked roof. The curvature of the roof and large door jams mean that Yakima and Thule can't make racks for them. I went to a place that does custom installs and again because of the curvature of the roof, they couldn't give me a rack. This meant no kayaking which is really bad news.
Enter the Rhino rack system. I purchased the feet, the fit kit, the cross bars and a Yakima "big stack" stacker. The first issue I had is the reccomended size for the Nissan Rogue is only 48 inches. Way too small too haul 4-5 (very light) whitewater kayaks. I called etrailer and they were SUPER helpful, told me I can buy the 65 in cross bars and they'll work fine.
I held my breath and placed my order. I was nervous leaving my trusted name brands. The order arrived super fast (they told me it would arrive by Friday but it actually arrived on Thursday) and everything was packaged rock solid. I was impressed.
I read the instructions and put the rack system on my car. It took about a hour (it was hot and I worked slowly) but the rack system is SUPER SOLID. I love it. Rhino might have a "forever" customer out of me.
-The rack system is very stable. I can't move it with my hands by pushing or pulling.
-The rubber stripping you put on the top and bottom of the bar is an awesome added feature AND it reduces wind noise.
-Adding the fairing reduced wind noise even further. With four boats on the roof you couldn't hear any extra noise.
The ONE thing I dislike is that you need to use the supplied Allen wrench to take the rack on and off the car. It's a small complaint, but other systems I've used in the past don't have them.
I paid much less for this system than I would have if I purchased one of the aforementioned systems, but I'm really really satisfied with the product. We will see how well it holds up over long-term use, but it looks awesome!
Being a former dealer for Thule Racks and owning Yakima Racks, I can say that the Rhino Rack surpasses both brands in function and looks! Also the folks at etrailer provided service in the highest quality! Dennis Pistole, Eureka Springs Arkansas.
Looking for a roof rack for my Toyota Corolla IM 2017 and chose the Rhino rack-Vortex Aero bars combination. It is strong rack, good quality and nice finish (I picked the black color). Installation requires patience but not difficult, instructions could be more detailed. Happy with the solution it gave me, finding a good rack to transport my Mountain bike to the trail. Highly recommended!
I got the product a little later than expected and came in a huge box that ended up moving the product around a little. It is all metal though so it was mostly still in very good condition. (little scratches here and there) Took me a while to figure out the pads due to the instructions being different from the actual product but very simple in general. I could put one together in maybe 30 minutes now. Tons of videos are online which take time to watch but are very helpful. Overall install went well and very happy with look of product. I am buying accessories today for both kayaks and bikes to be mounted on. Rhino Rack is also a great company to call. They will spend all the time in the world to help you with what you need. Etrailer might do this as well but I went with Rhino Rack. Now just waiting for summer!
I put 3 stars because its a useful functional non-harmful roof rack solution for my WRX sedan. This review lost 2 stars because the rubber top pieces get damaged upon any accessory removal or install like(bike, snowboard rails etc). Additionally, these accessories also look to be weathering quickly because of build quality. Hopefully this helps your decision! Thanks
The selection process that etrailer uses is top-notch. This really helped narrow down the choices for my 2019 RAM Quad cab. I bought this all kitted together. The assembly process is very straightforward and well-documented. I would highly recommend etrailer as a source for vehicle accessories. I have Yakima bike racks on our Subaru and this is as good if not better.
The Rhino system works great the way it is. I'm going camping next week and took the two bars out of the closet and right onto the car. No adjustments were needed. The feet fell right into the roof line where I initially set it up. All I had to do was clamp it down. Last weekend I had the basket up there with two fully loaded RTIC coolers probably pushing 150 pounds with no problems. For this trip I have my Yakima easy load bike racks on the roof. They clamped right onto the Rhino bars and they're in a much better position for loading and unloading than my last truck.
I'm very happy with the product and not expecting anything else. Thanks for following up.
The rack was shipped within a day of order and delivered on the expected date. I got email updates with the order confirmation and shipping information. Etrailers provided excellent customer service. The web site allowed me to select the product with confidence that I was getting the right rack for my 2015 Subaru Legacy.
Assembly and installation were easy using the provided instructions. It probably took about 45-60 minutes to complete. I especially liked the measuring strips that Rhino provides. It makes setting the foot width on the bars painless.
I have not used the rack yet, but it's a solid mount and I do not expect any difficulties. It also looks good on the car.
I purposely left the cover plates off in the pictures so the clamp mechanism was visible.
Been wanting to get a roof rack for my small Honda H-RV suv for some time now. Finally decided to pull the trigger on one and opted for this Rhino rack system.
Watching the etrailer install video and following the manufacturer's instruction, the front rack went on easily and perfectly. However, the rear track turned out to be a very long process. Why? Because I thought the manufacturer's measurements for the rear was an error. After the rack was assembled, it didn't seat into the roof channel at all. It appeared to be well short. So, I proceeded to use my mechanical ingenuity to get this rack to fit on my own. After a lengthy span of time and numerous adjustments, I'd come to realize that the manufacturer's measurements were correct. The footing did not sit perfectly until the unit was fully tightened against the vehicle. Live and learn.....once again.
The rack is absolutely solid, and looks very clean and sharp on top of the H-RV. I could not detect any additional noise while driving, even at highway speed.
The main purpose of this roof rack was for transporting my recreational kayak. I was not aware that these bars had a rubber strip running along the entire top of the bar. This turned out to be perfect for the kayak. Now, I didn't need to buy a specific kayak cradle. The kayak, one strapped down, is held absolutely secured to the rack.
I am very happy with this product! Once again, etrailer comes through perfectly with another of my order. Prompt service and indepth product info are the reasons why I shop here!
Purchased a Rhino Rack custom fit rooftop system, along with the kayak rack to hold two kayaks and the Swagman rv bike rack. Made several trips and they all work great! Included photos to share.
The Rhino Rack is very well made. I installed it my self on our 2016 Ford Escape, but had an assist from my wife to fine tune it at the end. There was no whistling or any other distracting wind noise on our 3,500 mile drive to visit family out West. A Sear's Cargo Box was easily mounted to the Rhino Rack and it remained centered and secured at western highway speed limits plus. The included locks on the roof mounts were the selling point for me. The Rhino Rack remained securely mounted to the roof with no additional adjustments or tightening being needed. Great Product. Donna P. @ etrailer was super with the order.
This roof rack works great! At first I was skeptical about putting a rack on my IS250, but it couldn't have turned out better. Paired with the Yakima Highroad, I can easily transport my bikes around without worrying about anything coming loose while driving. The installation instructions for the legs and bars are pretty straightforward. Takes about 30-45 minutes total to install.
I wanted to share the items I used to be able to haul two Wilderness Systems Tsunami 145 kayaks on my 2006 Scion xB. This may help others who struggle with deciding what to use. I am pleased with my purchase and hope this helps. I originally thought I wanted the Thule Hull-A-Port Aero, but they discontinued making the fit kit for their roof rack systems and I ended up going with the Kuats. I am glad that they didn’t make the fit kit for approximately $[XX] and so they missed out on the rest of my business. Here are the items I used for anyone interested – pictures included. Custom DK Fit Kit for 4 Rhino-Rack 2500 Series Roof Rack Legs - Naked Roof #DK138, Kuat Class 4 V2 Kayak Carrier w/ Tie-Downs - J-Style - Folding - 1 Kayak - Black #KU53VR and these are really cool, Rhino-Rack 2500 Series Legs for Vortex Aero Crossbars - Naked Roofs or Fixed Mounting Points - Qty 4 #RRRLKVA, Rhino-Rack Vortex Aero Crossbars - Aluminum - Black - 54" Long - Qty 2 #RRVA137-B2. The 54” crossbars fit really well and the perfect length in my opinion and it doesn’t stick out like the longer ones would. Also purchased two sets of these Malone QuickLash T-Style Hood Loops for Bow and Stern Tie-Downs - Qty 2 #MPG308.
It is crazy that larger bars like the 59" won't fit my car. When buying racks, the issue has always been that you can't go too small. But these have a 36" long metal obstruction in the bottom T bracket and so it limits how much the towers can come together. Get Malone, they are less expensive, have broader fit range, can handle longer bars and have an integrate lock.
Got this for a 2015 Prius. High quality works great. Use their measurements included as a guide and measure everything out yourself before cutting the spacers and when installing. I had to make minor adjustments to make it perfect.
Look how nice my crossbars look? I ordered these and paid extra for expedited shipping so that I could have them to put a luggage carrier on my roof. The legs for the crossbars never showed up and the crossbars came late as well. I ran out and got a trailer hitch basket for extra storage. Tack on an extra $[XX] in addition to the extra $$ for fast shipping and I'm $[XX] into these crossbars that I couldn't use for their intended purpose. I called early enough that the company could have overnighted the legs but they just kept blaming UPS. Very disappointed.
Excellent price and quick shipping. Excellent support for missing bar end cap. Rack was easy to put together and install and video was helpful. My only complaint is when trying to tie down kayak to cradle it is not easy to keep the loop over the top of the upright "U" shaped bar, it keeps siding down. We wrapped two pieces of foam around the bar to create a channel to hold the strap now it is easy.
The racks fit perfectly! They are a great fit to my car. They don’t interfere with the sunroof’s operation. I assembled it on my own with no difficulty. It was easy to assemble. The directions it provides to you are easy to follow. The only down side was getting the plastic pieces to lock on the ends of the bars. Other than that they are great and they look great on my car! I plan to use them to transport kayaks! They are very sturdy and very trust worthy for transporting a couple of kayaks. I recommend these racks to anyone who has a 2016 or 2017 Nissan Altima!
etrailer.com's videos and additional customer support made the purchase of a Rhino Rack system from them for our 2010 Malibu a no brainer. The rack fit the car perfectly, and with the videos and clear instructions that came with the kit, I got it installed on the car with only one misstep. The instructions came the the measurements in centimeters and inches. I didn't have a metric tape measure, and ended up messing up converting fractions to decimal.
My Daughter is going to college 500 miles away and is moving into an unfurnished apartment and needed to pick up some small furniture that wouldn't fit in her Malibu. She purchased several items from Facebook Marketplace and was able to transport a twin bed and mattress, a medium sized desk and some dining room chairs (in several trips) with no problems.
The only thing I can think of to improve the installation would be to have the Inches measurements in decimal or to include an inexpensive metric tape.
Bought this rack to carry canoe, etc. while towing our camper. Installation is easy with one person so long as you take your time to get the original setup meticulously correct. If you're planning to put it on only occasionally when you're using it, it's 10 to 15 minutes for one person to install once the original setup is done and the clamp points marked with the little unobtrusive stickers they send with the kit. Originally planned to put it on only when using because we only really need it a couple times a year (we just throw the canoe in the back for local trips). Looks good enough we might leave it on all the time. Even thought I didn't know I needed it until I was already at the store, it certainly came in handy bringing home a 10 foot long 2x8 on a rainy day when I needed to keep the bed cover closed. etrailer's service was prompt and flawless as always.
I am very happy with my purchase of the 2500 Series Rhino Roof Rack system from etrailer. I wanted to transport a Mohawk Intrepid 16’ canoe from Pagosa Springs to my home in Albuquerque that my good friend left me when he passed. We used to run the Chama River from El Vado Dam to just short of Big Eddy, a great overnight trip of 22 miles. I didn’t know what I needed in a roof rack for my Toyota Tacoma full cab but Alyssa at etrailer was very helpful and so pleasant. The delivery was quick and the installation was pretty easy (the videos on etrailer’s website were a big help). The day I drove from Pagosa to ABQ, Feb 26, 2023, it was very windy, 40 mph gusting to 60 mph! Not an ideal day to be carrying a canoe on the roof! But the Rhino Rack was rock solid and the canoe didn’t budge, even though my truck was getting getting pushed around. I’ve left the rack on because I like the way it looks! (PS. I added another strap to the back rack after I took the photo) Highly recommend etrailer to anyone considering purchasing a roof rack!
These racks are great! The build quality is top notch and the figment is spot on for clamp on racks. The directions were ok but lacked a little clarity, luckily I’ve installed racks before and just fitted it how I wanted it. I would buy Rhino-Rack again.
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