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This aerodynamic roof rack lets you carry gear and cargo on your vehicle. Full-length aluminum crossbars provide plenty of space for channel mount and clamp-on accessories. Installs on your vehicle's naked roof.
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Alternate Instructions
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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.
This did everything that was promised. The rack held tight over 600 miles of road, at least half of which was in wind and rains. The instructions were very clear, and the only difficulty in getting the racks on the roof is that we were having 2 days of heavy rain and winds. Otherwise, it was a snap. The only issue I had was the rubber caps that go over the screw which hold the leg onto the bar itself. There is insufficient space for the rubber cap to slide through the bar. I can't see why the cap is necessary anyway, as the screw is not exposed to the elements at all
Racks are good - I have a ton of Thule related equipment but unfortunately my model vehicle doesn't have a Thule supported product. Rhino seems to be very good compared to my Thule and I was able to use a faring from Thule which works great. The fit kit (ordered separately to custom for your vehicle) instructions are in metric sizing and it took me a bit to understand the spacing requirements for the feet. Also, there is no interior side cover casing, which in bad weather might create wear to the unit if I leave it on the roof. Otherwise, I'm pleased thus far.
I installed this on a subaru Impreza. I had everything I needed from the kit that Etrailer packaged in. I also got Thule The Stacker - Rooftop Multi-Kayak Carrier (TH80) to haul up 2 Day Touring Kayaks. I have driven over 2000 miles with this set up, on this trip, and found no issue. Wind noise is minimal to not noticeable with this rack. The results will vary base on how the kayaks are loaded.
We use this rack on a 2012 Ford Edge. It was easy to install. It’s easy to clean. We use it for a Rhino cargo carrier and 14’ canoe. We’re very happy with our purchase.
Was not happy to receive used parts, without OEM packaging nor instructions. Just dumped into a box, small pieces loose and some missing. When I buy new, I want new.
We have bought a bike rack , roof rack, and ski rack from etrailer.com.. We have been very pleased with each product, but most impressed with the helpful knowledgeable staff who helped us select the proper rack for our new Toyota Prius. Competitive price, free fast shipping, and helpful staff will keep us using etrailer.com, and recommending it to our friends.
It is a great product, easy to install, love the fact that I can now put my kayaks on my car. Since I bought this product i don't have to borrow someone else car.
Product is good quality, and reasonable price. good directions for installation and was pretty easy to assemble and install. Found it to be very adjustable for desired placement on the 2015 Tundra roof.
Pretty straight forward to assemble, in my year time now using it I have nothing negative to report about it, a little on the spendy side but a solid product
Nice Rack!!!
This rack has worked out great. Its been on my car for a full year since the day i bought it... No rust or squeaks...
Was easy to install. Be sure to adhere to weight limit in the manual. I put too much and the rack slid because ibwas doing 70mph. I love this product and etrailer was cheaper by a long shot than anywhere else
Correct fit kit of vehicle. Arrows in rubber pad hard to see unless in good lighting. When together easy. Millimeters? Yeah, I have a pile of tape measures in millimeters laying around the house. Not really, I asked my android to convert it to inches. Packaging was kind of lose with parts rattling around. No big deal just some small marks in the plastic towers. I going to only be on when my cargo carrier is in use.
Still on the truck, rubber in certs have shrunk from the sun but they are replacable so not a problem.
I don't use them everyday but they are always on the truck.
30,000 plus miles and no problems.
Great quality stuff. Still holds after one year under Texas heat. No issues. And the customer service was top notch. Will buy from them again.
Fit perfect , looks great , completely 100% accomplished what I needed it for and lastly GMC does not make or offer this type of rack to my knowledge . I’m 100% satisfied it’s a quality item . Thank you
Rhino Rack was the only company that makes a direct bolt roof rack for a flat roof Toyota Highlander. We love it for hauling tje Kayaks.
Very easy to set up and install. It makes transporting my kayak that much easier and simpler. They also look good on my vehicle as Well. I don't have any complaints and I'm very satisfied with this product!
The rubber feet were a very good match to my roof line. They follow the contours of the car quite well. The brackets are thin enough to cause low interference with the door closure and strong enough for tough use. This kit allows the installation of a roof rack on a vehicle without factory roof rails that does not require the penetration of the roof or disturbance of the headliner that a more "permanent" rack system would entail.
Seems to be well-made, and functional. The assembly instructions are good overall, but confusion over some steps sent me to the internet for clarification. In the end, I got it assembled and installed in short order. I believe this rack to be an excellent value-- high quality at a reasonable price. I'm grateful to the staff for recommending it to me.
Durable and quiet
The rack is everything I imagined. It was the only one that was a perfect fit for my truck, and my canoe rides easily. It did play some unusual music for us when we had icicles hanging.
This product looks great on our truck! It was missing a part from the manufacture's packaging, but after reaching out to etrailer customer service, they were able to get the missing part shipped out to me. Very much a happy customer! This looks great on my truck as well!
great product, very happy, 47, 000 miles of high with and 30 foot ladder on top of my Lexus LS 460 with zero problems, easy to remove and reinstall when I need to wash the car or go on vacation.
Bought it and it came pretty quick in the mail. I put it on the car fairly quickly and easily. Has held tight with no problems. Makes a whistling sound with speed which is to be expected.
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