Stock roof cross bars vs Thule/Yakima for ski box?

Anyone have experience with the stock Toyota roof cross bars that attach to the stock SR5 roof rails if they hold a ski box nicely and if they "flex" with skis and snowboards weight in the box? At $350 (Canadian) or so, I like they are clean and simple look, but I could probably find some aftermarket (Thule/Yakima) cross-rail options that are cheaper and stronger but bulkier look.

 

If I'm not mistaken different crossbars don't give you move carrying capacity.

I had stock ones I never had them flex I also don't have 100s of lbs on it. Most I did was stand on them one time.

Do you actually need a box and not something like the Yakima FatCats?

 

I havent had a box on top, but with my kayak racks, the bolts and plastic nuts (yakima all seem similar) they were super close to the roof because of how low the factory crossbars sit. If there was any flex or bounce they would definitely hit my roof.

i have an old yakima rack (for raised roof rails) that i throw as needed for rack attachments that stick down like that

 

Don't have experience with stock crossbars, I have Thule crossbars for many years and they work well. But rectangular one have some wind noise on highway.

 

Yes you're right, the load actually is rated for the raised rail roof limit, not the cross bars themselves. However, I did have a Jeep Cherokee way back that I used a ski box on the factory cross bars and those dumb cross bars flexed and bounced the ski box when driving over bumps which I don't want with this 4Runner. I do prefer the ski box to protect my skis and snowboards for the whole family and keep the road salt off them. I doubt the box and contents would be anywhere near 100 lbs, probably 50 or so.

 

Stock bars. No problems. Thule XL cargo carrier

 

First time I used it on my 4Runner, my crossbars flexed with a Thule box on it. The front feet (claw or w/e it's called) on my Thule was bouncing off the roof if I went over 70mph. Super annoying. The problem is the stock crossbars are too low for a roof cargo box. We were going up to the mountains for a snowboard trip with 4 humans and 2 big dogs for 4 days, so yes the box was loaded down - but not more than I would take on my previous car ('22 Telluride). If you keep the OEM rails, better to get a crossbar that mounts to the top of the rails so you have more clearance. I upgraded the roof system to a Sherpa Crestone and threw out my OEM setup. If your load is super light it might be fine.

 

Perfect!!! Thanks for your detailed response, this is exactly what I was concerned about having had this experience with OEM cross bars I had on my Jeep Cherokee back in the 90's (Yes, I was a fool to buy a Jeep but I only made that mistake once!) I won't bother buying the Toyota 4Runner cross bars then and just go straight to an aftermarket Thule/Yakima

 

I went with Victory 4x4 roof rack cross bars since they were far better than the flexible stock ones and would mount my ROAM box and Maxtrax perfectly since they mount flat and low. Cheap too, like $100ea.

 

Hey OkieTundra. I’m an Okie recently transplanted to Houston, Texas and new to this forum. I was hoping you could provide some additional information on your comment about having the Thule cargo box with stock cross bars and no problems. I’m seeing mixed comments about whether or not you need to install aftermarket cross bars to get get enough clearance for the cargo boxes. I’m looking to purchase the Thule Force XT XL or Yakima Skybox 18 and trying to determine if the stock cross bars are sufficient or if I need to upgrade. Feedback from anyone is appreciated!

 

I have a Yakima skybox with the oem crossbars. It’s real close to touching the roof, and I didn’t have any issues until this last camping trip. Perhaps it was slightly over loaded, but the clasps that hold onto the bars did end up rubbing on my roof. And now I have grooves in my roof from rubbing.

 

My 1997 Thule Weekender has extremely limited clearance on the factory crossbars, maybe 1/4". I'm thinking of making a 3-piece bracket that would clear by almost an inch, but that's not going to be straightforward. Thule crossbars and feet would be ~$400 on holiday sale, or $325 for the noisy square bar.

 

Just put back on my box for a camping trip and I thought I’d show some pictures of the clearance

 

i have some OEM cross bars if you're interested. I saw you said they were 350. Ill sell them for 200 and ship them to canada for free

 

As others have said, it’s close, but it clears. The most important thing that I’ve found is to spread the bars apart as far as possible to help keep the cargo box stable.

 

Score! Thule #1500056161 can replace #1500056228, which will buy back up to 1/2" of clearance. I think that might enable this antique cargo box to run on the 4R OEM crossbars at minimal expense and effort. I'll know in a week.

 

Can you mount a rooftop tent on two or three Victory 4x4 cross bars?

 

I have the Yakima timberline mount with the Yakima jet stream cross bars and I use a Thule box for everything it costed me about 1100 US dollars but I’m happy with the setup

 

I guess it would depend on the roof top tent. But you can mount as many as you wish.

 

I just removed the Victory crossbars from my 4R- they are super solid, but the clamps on my Skybox 18 don't fit around the shape of the bar very well and they are actually a bit lower than the stock bars, so the clamps bump the roof. It also limits the tailgate opening because it sits so low. I am finishing a set of Rhino Rack aero bars that mount directly to the factory side rails using square u-bolts. It's much more solid than any of the plastic feet mounts and also gives a much greater range of crossbar placements. Pics soon.