Thank you! Your comment has been submitted successfully. You should be able to view your question/comment here within a few days.
Error submitting comment. Please try again momentarily.
Durable nylon legs with built-in locks help mount Sportz crossbars to your vehicle's naked roof or fixed mounting points. Leg bases pivot to level bars on your roof. Pair with 2 crossbars and fit kit to create complete roof rack.
Features:
Specs:
Videos are provided as a guide only. Refer to manufacturer installation instructions and specs for complete information.
How's it going everybody, it's Ethan here at etrailer. Today we're gonna be taking a look at and showing you how to install the Rhino-Rack Vortex Aero Roof Rack System on our 2021 Ford F-150. So with the F-150, obviously we have a good amount of bed space, but if you wanna get something longer or larger up there and maybe couple this with like a ladder rack to give some longer loads like a ladder or a lumber or on the sports and rec side, maybe you have a larger kayak you wanna get where you need it to go, a roof rack system like this one is gonna be a great solution for you. So let's take a closer look. The roof rack is going to have a weight capacity of 165 pounds. It's going to fit on our roof with the fit kit that we'll show you in the installed portion.
But 165 is gonna be a pretty solid or pretty common number that you see with roof racks like this, which is gonna be fine for most of the things you wanna get up there. You just wanna double check and make sure that your roof weight rating is in that same ballpark. Make sure you know what each of those are and go by the lowest ready component just to be safe. The crossbars we have on our system right now are gonna be 59", which is a solid length. We stay pretty much well within the width of our vehicle overall.
They're going to be elliptical so they taper on both ends to cut down on some of that wind noise and drag. But anytime you put something up on the roof, you're gonna deal with that. Luckily, we also do have a vortex strip on the top which is how the bars get their name. So that's going to help again cut down on some of that wind noise, otherwise we just have that open channel up here. Speaking of that channel though, that's gonna be great for your T-track accessories.
If you have those, you can slide those in. But with the strip you are going to have to trim it up if you wanna leave this strip in with those accessories on. So it's not a horrible idea to just grab another strip if you want to, in the event that you do end up doing some trimming. On our end cap here, we do have a plastic lock which we can use to unlock or lock our end cap but you can upgrade those to metal if you'd like. On the underside, you do have the option to use a measurement strip that you are gonna trim up and put wherever your towers are not.
In our case, this is just for demonstration and we'll talk a little bit more about that in the install portion as well, but that'll cut down on that whistling noise underneath as well. And using the provided key, we can take our end cap off and just show you how that works. So it's just a metal lock core there that will expose our fit kit hardware. So as long as our end cap is on and it's also locked up, no one is going to be able to access your fit kit hardware and remove the rack from your roof. From here I'm just gonna get a quick measurement to give you an idea of how much height you're going to be adding to your roof with the system. So from here in the middle, you're going to be looking at adding about 4-1/4" from the highest point. So if you're thinking about storing this in your garage, especially if you have something on there, add about 4-1/4" to whatever that's gonna be to find out whether or not it will fit in your garage or if you'll go anywhere where there might be some clearance issues. The roof rack system is gonna be made out of an anodized aluminum so it's gonna be really lightweight, easy to work with, but also very durable and rustproof at that point. It's got a nice matte black finish so it looks good. I think it fits the aesthetic of our F-150 really well. Overall, the install portion isn't too terribly difficult. It can be a little bit tricky, but you just need to be patient. Use the measurements that the instructions give you and make sure that you know where everything is gonna go. But if you need a little bit of help with that process, we'll walk you through it right now. To get started, the first thing we'd like to do is to slay everything out so that we know where and what it is. So we have our crossbars, we have towers, our fit kit, the clamps, and the hardware. We've got the pads and the bases for our towers. We have the tools and I would recommend picking up some kind of fabric tape measure as well as a regular tape measure. And then we have this measurement strip that comes included that we'll have to trim up according to our needs and definitely keep the instructions close by 'cause we will have to reference those often. But we'll begin by removing the end caps on our crossbars. We are going to use this plastic key to fit into the end cap. Just turn it and pull it out as long as we have it rotated fully, and we need to remove that in order to get our towers on. So we're going to line up this metal plate here with the underside, with the channel underneath our crossbars and just slide those on. And now is when you're gonna use that measurement strip. So for our case, ours has already been trimmed up so we can't use it effectively but you're gonna basically line it up with your tower, find the measurement on your instructions. In our case, we're looking for 169, so I'll get that roughly to where it needs to be. In your case, you could actually use the full measurement strip and trim it up if you need to. We repeated that process on the other side. We just slid our tower under this channel here and line it up according to the measurement, removed our end caps and now we just need to replace those real quick. Again, just put 'em on and tighten 'em down with the key. From here, since we're doing our front crossbar, just be sure to reference the instructions but we're going to attach one of our base pads to the rest of the base, and we wanna make sure you can see this arrow on here. We wanna make sure that ends up facing forward, so in our case, we're going to get these on and then we'll line it up with the tower. With the pad connected to the base, you can see where these openings are, and where they'll fit on our towers. So from here, again, we just wanna make sure that that arrow is facing forward, and we can snap this on into place. And then we're gonna repeat this process again on the other side. Once our towers are roughly in place, we're going to get a measurement. In your case, you could use the measurement strip. In our case, we would've to trim that up, and this is just for demonstration, so I'm gonna use our fabric tape measure to find that 169 millimeter mark in our case. And now I'm going to use the Allen key provided to tighten this down. As we tighten down, something important to note is that this tool does have a built-in torque spec, so just the way it's designed. Once we start turning, as soon as we see that line straightened out, that's about as tight as we want to go. Once we have our towers all set up, our measurements where we need 'em to be and both bases in place, now we can place our crossbars roughly on our roof, whereabout we think they're going to go. Just a matter of getting them roughly in place for now. And then we're gonna come back and get the measurement to make sure that they're in the right place. From here, again, since this is the front crossbar, I'm going to be using the measurement A in our case, which is 280 millimeters or 28 centimeters from the center of our door jam to the center of the tower. So in our case, I need to slide forward quite a bit. It's gonna be kind of hard to tell for now until I move the other one forward as well. So I'm gonna go to the other side and get that measurement now. Once we have everything in place and all our measurements are good, if your end caps are on, make sure we get those out of the way. If they're locked, go ahead and just use the provided key to unlock it. But now we're going to fit the bolt through this hole here on our clamp and make sure that it threads into that opening there inside our tower. Once you get the bolt here to start threading, it's probably gonna be easier just to use the tool to get it most of the way in. In our case, I'm gonna go to about 70, 75% here. I'm not gonna tighten it down all the way 'cause it might start pulling the whole system towards me, rather I'm gonna tighten this one down, and then I'm gonna go back to the other side, tighten that one down, come back and finish this one up, and then finish the other side up as well just to make sure everything's even as possible. Now that we've gone back to the other side and tighten that one down, I'm gonna finish tightening this bolt here. Again, just using this tool. Once it gets to the point where it straightens out, that's how you know we're at the desired torque. So I'm right about there now. All that's left to do is to replace our end caps and lock those up. So overall, if you're looking for a really effective way to extend your load space, whether that's getting some larger or longer items up on your roof, the Rhino-Rack Vortex Aero Roof Rack System is gonna be a great option for you. We just took a look at how to install it and how it fits on our 2021 Ford F-150.
Customer Satisfaction Score:
93% were satisfied with this product
7% of customers were not satisfied
Ratings & Reviews
Although it a product review, I have to give it to the customer service department... YOU GUYS ROCK! As far as the product, it is very simple to install as long as you take the time to read and fully understand the steps provided. My kayaks are the pelican tandem 13' long by 3' wide and weighs about 70 pounds each. Since I received the roof racks last Friday, I've only been able to test with one kayak; however, just by the way the rack behaved, I can say that it will comfortably hold the weigh with both on.
I ordered the entire set up, as well as carriers for our kayaks. At first, it seemed I had ordered the wrong parts, as the feet were rather wobbly. I sent a photo to customer service, and got a response from Julia almost immediately (and it was a Saturday!). She included a video with her email, and my question about proper installation was solved. The ordering process was simple, shipping was fast, and Rhino Rack has an excellent brand reputation. Installation was fairly straight forward. E- trailer made everything so simple from beginning to end, and I will be buying all of my accessories from them.
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.
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.
Brooke M.
9/12/2022
Thank you for letting us know about this. I have already sent your information along to our customer service team to make sure they reach out to you about this.
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.
James
8/24/2019
Excellent
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!
Colby P.
6/3/2019
This rack has been great! I have had no problems with it.
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.
Mark
8/20/2020
Still rock solid after a year. Very happy with the Rack. My daughter has used it from time to time over the past year when something wont fit in her car, and shes had no problems with it at all.
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.
Dan
3/11/2019
After a year, still works perfectly. No problems with clamp slippage or anything else over time.
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!
Peter
3/5/2024
Still 100 happy and satisfied with the Rhino Rack! In addition to the intended use, an added bonus is that it helps me find my truck in a crowded parking lot!
Condition: Surface Scratches
Notes: This item has superficial scratches from test fit. Otherwise new and unused.
Info for this part was:
At etrailer we provide the best information available about the products we sell. We take the quality of our information seriously so that you can get the right part the first time.
Michael
5/17/2025
Great high quality.