Roof rack is one of the auto aftermarket parts designed to carry luggage of huge capacity from one place to another without hassle. It can be installed onto the roof of your car or van, or by simply attaching them to the bed rails. Most of the roof racks are adjustable or can be adjusted to fit longer and wider loads if it is very necessary. These types of racks can be installed quickly, easily and requires minimum time and effort.
A good quality roof rack does not require drilling as a part of the installation. The maximum amount of cargos weight capacity for this rack depends highly on the size and quality of the rack. Some models can hold up to 1000 pounds while others can only manage up to a maximum of 400 to 450 pounds.
The obvious disadvantage of this is the added height and weight of roof racks or luggage tray to your vehicle. While this may not pose a big problem, you still have to check the clearance in your home garage and covered parking areas.
Despite of the many advantages, the roof racks have also set of limitations. The following guidelines are recommended:
* Always check the load rating of your roof rack. You should never exceed to its capacity so you need to pack light items only.
* Create and use a “weight list” to pack items, so that the weight is evenly distributed across both the length and width of the roof rack.
* Minimize the storage of liquids, such as fuel and water since the weight load will shift as the vehicle moves, causing an undesirable staggering of the vehicle when cornering and possibly a delayed but sudden lurch in an emergency situation which could be very difficult for the driver to handle safely.
* If fuel must be carried on the luggage rack to increase fuel carrying capacity for extended driving, make sure that it is transferred at the earliest time to the vehicle’s main fuel tank to reduce the complications.
To top it all, the real importance of this rack is the safety and handling aspect of increasing the height and weight load to your vehicle. Adding a loaded roof rack that can increase vehicle sway and degrade off road handling and performance will increase the vehicle’s gravity.