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.
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
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":
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).
Thank you this helps a great deal. Those bars are 38-39 inches long. I now know that the other companies are basically lying about their universal roof racks fitting my rav4.
In addition to the pic of the universal extended bar rack you show. The rack I was looking at looks much like the original toyota racks, so you can't really adjust the bases. If its 47", your pretty much stuck with 47".
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.
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.