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m&m1951

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Discussion starter · #1 · (Edited)
Rather than revive an old thread, that still didn't address my question, I am trying to decide whether the OEM is worth twice the price of the after market knockoffs. Don't need for weight, but more for looks. Since the gen 4 has been out a while, surely some of you have experienced the after market variety. Bunches of them on ebay. Comments?

UPDATE. THANKS FOR COMMENTS. I DECIDED ON OEM.
 
You want to put on cross bars for looks? :confused:

I, and a few others here, have removed the roof rails all together, for looks. And of course for ease of cleaning, brushing off snow etc.
 

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Granted I have a 4.3 (my dad has a 4.4), but after market bars are suited for all types of vehicles and can fit anything with rails on it. That being said, the main difference is A, the amount of weight they can bear (Thule square bars for example can bear a lot of weight), B, the width of the bars (after market can go past edge of rails), C, the amount of wind resistance (OEM have less due to their shape), and D, the shape of the bar (Square, round, airfoil/oval). I have Thule square bars on my 2008 and they are great for ski racks, kayaks, canoes, bikes, etc, however, they are a little noisier and create more resistance due to their shape. My dad has the same ones on his 2015 and he loves them. If I had the factory ones, they would flex more when carrying kayaks and I would not be able to fit my 18' long canoe on top because it would be wider then the width of the bars.

It is a matter of how much use you are looking to get out of them. From what you have described, you want them purely for aesthetics and that "I do stuff" look in which case I would just go for the factory roof racks since they are more sleek and integrated looking, as well as affording you less wind resistance (and better gas mileage). If you want a wider set of bars with more carrying ability with less flex to them, then get an aftermarket. I can take pictures of mine if you would like me to upload some later for your reference. You can kind of see them in one of my albums with the ski racks and fairing mounted on them.
 
Discussion starter · #4 ·
Yea, weight will not be an issue. I just can't tell from ebay pics how cheap looking or the size of the cross bar. I was hoping someone would have a knockoff set from ebay to evaluate.
 
I have the oem bars and just use them for my thule bike rack. There are way less noise then say my old round yakima bars I had on car.

The down side someone else said i agree, hard to clear snow out of them. They get in the way when washing roof. Since i have fwd i get pretty good mpg on highway, have gotten 33mpg when not going over 65.

I thought about taking them off but like the look too! I have seen people take the whole rails off the rav4 and it looks plain ugly. Look like a beef up matrix.
But you have to do what makes you happy. Not going to rain on anyone for doing that. I dont canoe or kayak but thought about a kayak. i got mine thrown in for free along with the cargo cover and all the rubber matts and mud flaps. So was very happy about that.
 
My XLE came with the OEM crossbars. I liked the look of them also until i decided to drive one day with the sunroof open on the highway. The noise was deafening. I took the crossbars off and no noise with the roof open now. Also as Nodnerb said it makes it much easier to clean and remove snow with them off. Just something to think about!!
 
I bought some knock off cross bars. I wouldn't say they are the highest quality in the world. I actually broke the little plastic lever that is supposed to keep the bars tight on the rail twice. I bought metric bolt and lock washers an now they are very secure to the rails. There is some noise, especially heading downhill. But it is not terrible. I bought these to use a couple times a year and think they will do the trick.
 

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Im currently in the same boat, I want to get a car top carrier for those few times a year when we need to load up the kids and hit the road and space is a premium.

I've considered a small trailer, but the toyota hitch is crazy expensive, but they say its worth it?? (if anyone has info/links on this let me know)


How easy is it to remove/install those cross bars? I wouldn't keep them on all year round probably if the noise is as bad as everyone says.
 
mad monkey, the cross bars are not hard to install or remove. Basically, there is a plastic tab that is attached to a small metric bolt. You twist the tab until its snug and then it snaps down. There is a small tool to turn and lock the tabs down. I have installed and removed mine a couple times already. I am thinking about leaving them up for the rest of the spring/summer/fall as the noise is no worse than the tire/road noise in the Rav4. Plus I don't have to find somewhere to store them as well. Even with the sunroof open, the noise is not bad at all. You can tell there is minimal sound insulation in the Rav4, though. As someone said in another post, you get what you pay for with that. :frown
 
I also bought the knock offs on eBay for $67. I don't plan on using them often so didn't want to spend a bunch of money. Design wise they look like the oem version but I'm guessing the plastic is a little cheaper. Anyway, I bought mine to use with a bed extender to haul a 12' roll of carpet home. It worked perfectly.
 

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I bought some knock off cross bars. I wouldn't say they are the highest quality in the world. I actually broke the little plastic lever that is supposed to keep the bars tight on the rail twice. I bought metric bolt and lock washers an now they are very secure to the rails. There is some noise, especially heading downhill. But it is not terrible. I bought these to use a couple times a year and think they will do the trick.
Hey they are very close to the original oem. Do u mind telling us where u got them from what vendor? appreciated
 
im also really wanting a hitch.. but the OEM one is crazy expensive, but they say its worth it, plus won't void any warranty etc. but i dunno.
I just bought a Curt hitch receiver from autoanything.com. They commonly have 20-22% off discounts plus free shipping. It was about $112 shipped to our house. The install was super easy, too. Only took about 20 minutes. Glad I didn't spend $4-500 on a factory one. Installing an aftermarket hitch that has obviously been properly engineered for the vehicle isn't going to void the warranty, either.
 
I also bought the knock offs on eBay for $67. I don't plan on using them often so didn't want to spend a bunch of money. Design wise they look like the oem version but I'm guessing the plastic is a little cheaper. Anyway, I bought mine to use with a bed extender to haul a 12' roll of carpet home. It worked perfectly.
That is pretty cool. I like the use of the bed extender.
 
Did they include the wiring and converter?
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No, but it is available for an additional $47 (after 20% discount). Still a significant savings over OEM.

I equipped both our RAV and Maxima with hitch receivers to accommodate a bicycle carrier. As I do not intend to tow with either of them (that's what the old Cummins powered Dodge is for) I did not feel it necessary to include provisions for electrical hookups.
 
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