LR4 Extended Rail Roof Rack Options

[Sapper Dave]

My wife and I recently purchased a new 2016 LR4 as my wife's daily driver and as our family road trip, camping, fishing, adventure, and overland vehicle. We plan on fitting the extended (full roof length) roof rails to the vehicle mostly for aesthetic reasons, it is my wife's car after all. Most of the roof racks I'd been looking at (baja rack, front runner, urban offroad) only seem to be compatible with the shorter roof rails with the exception of one from Urban Offroad. While I like the rack from Urban Offroad I'm curious if anyone here knows of other options that will mount to the LR4 extended rails, other than the universal type roof baskets.

Also, does anyone have any thoughts on generic roof rails vs the Land Rover genuine ones? The Land Rover rails seem a little overpriced at roughly $600 where as I can get a set that seem to be exactly the same from some of the shops on ebay for around $200. I plan on keeping this vehicle for at least 8-10 years and I'm willing the pay the extra money for the Land Rover rails if there if a difference, but if I can save myself $400 (for other mods ) I'd much rather do that.

Thanks in advance for any help!

- Dave

 

[Derel1cte]

Also, does anyone have any thoughts on generic roof rails vs the Land Rover genuine ones? The Land Rover rails seem a little overpriced at roughly $600 where as I can get a set that seem to be exactly the same from some of the shops on ebay for around $200. I plan on keeping this vehicle for at least 8-10 years and I'm willing the pay the extra money for the Land Rover rails if there if a difference, but if I can save myself $400 (for other mods ) I'd much rather do that.

I put the $200 ebay china special extended roof rails on my LR3. They look pretty good but they definitely have their downsides.

-The rubber gasket on the front edge was uneven. I ended up using a scissors to trim them smooth so that it would look ok. Not a big problem, but an extra step during install.
-The front caps didn't meet the roof exactly. To correct this, I had to heat the plastic in some boiling water and then flex it so that it had a little more curve. Once this was done it matched the roofline perfect. Again, hassle during install but fine once done.
-The front caps didn't feel super secure once clipped down. I don't know if this is unique to the chinese cheapos or if it's just how the trim clips would normally feel, but I used some clear silicone inside the clip so that I knew it would be secure and to prevent any kind of issues with wind/vibration.
-The track itself didn't have exactly the same dimensions as stock so when you try to install crossbars they don't just 'pop' in and slide forward and back, they get kinda stuck and you have to kind of pound on them with your palm to move them into positions. I even put some Vaseline in the track to make it easier to move the crossbars around but it only helps a little.

All in all, they look good and nobody can tell I went the cheap route. Is the hassle of the install and difficulties with crossbars worth the $400 savings? Probably not. On the plus side, I was able to sell my genuine short rails for the same price I bought my knock off long ones.

 

[mpinco]

If the full length rails are for aesthetics, why not figure out the roof rack first and then back into the rails if they are even needed?

 

[Sapper Dave]

If the full length rails are for aesthetics, why not figure out the roof rack first and then back into the rails if they are even needed?

mpinco, the plan is to keep the rails permanently attached to the vehicle, where as I'll be mounting the rack as needed. Since it's my wife's daily driver the wind noise from having the rack mounted all the time isn't something that's really appealing. Also, our garage door is oddly low, so having to drop the suspension to access height (so the rack can clear) every time we park would be a pain. The rails will give us the flexibility to tailor what is up top, such as just skis on the cross bars. I do agree with you and that was my original thought too, but it is my wife's new car and I'm mostly just excited that she's letting me mod it, so I'm trying to work within those parameters.

Derel, thanks for your feedback. That makes me lean a little more towards getting the Land Rover set since I will be adding and removing items as they are needed. Having to bash things in and out of place, while possibly getting looks of disdain, doesn't sound like much fun.