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Universal Roof racks

10K views 8 replies 5 participants last post by  Sokoura 
#1 ·
Does anyone know how long the OEM Toyota RAV4 roof racks are? I keep seeing Universal roof racks that are supposed to fit a 97 Toyota RAV4 that are about 47 to 48 inches long (minimum size) however I can't see how they would fit considering my roof is only 38 inches wide.
 
#2 ·
Aren't length and width two different things?
 
#3 · (Edited)
It depends on your perspective! :mrgreen: The length of the cross bar is roughly the width of the roof after all.

Actually there are subtle differences between the front and the rear one (although I have managed to place them conversely in the past).
The following figures were measured: FRONT REAR
A (length of the top metal part of the bar): 76 cm 75.5 cm
B (inner length of the bar's base): 87.5 cm 87 cm
C (outer length of the bar's base): 100.5 cm 100 cm
D (centre-to-centre mounting holes): 95.5 cm 95 cm

(http://www.rav4world.com/forums/mem...-picture50514-factory-roof-bar-dimensions.png)

The "48 inch" probably applies to the top metal part of the rack, which, on non-OEM applications, is usually longer than the distance between the two "feet":

(http://www.rav4world.com/forums/mem...s-8706-picture50506-aftermarket-roof-bars.jpg)

Anyway, just measure the distances between your mounting points (or trust my "D" measurement) and inquire with the potential seller about this particular measurement (and not the length of the top of the bar).
 
#6 · (Edited)
Most likely they advertise their cross bars on "maximum length" (the aforementioned top-part-of-the-rack length).
The "feet" in the universal cross-bars are often adjustable to accommodate for the differing applications. They slide lengthwise and lock down on the preferred position.
I can't be sure if that is the case indeed with the company in question, but you could easily inquire about that too.

EDIT: I type too slowly!!!
 
#7 ·
I was thinking about getting a set of black roof rails with cross bars that are close to the roofline fitting from a donor vehicle. A few advantages of using roof rails and cross bars:

Cross bars can be adjusted from front to rear as needed
Cross bars are easily removed if desired
A unique look for a 4.1
Probably cheaper than most other alternatives.

I would hard bolt the roof rails through the roof where the current flush roof rail is. I'm planning on doing this when I remove my headliner to install sound deadening materials and a shark fin XM-Radio antenna.

Just an idea that I wanted to share.
 
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