We’ve all been there—after packing the vehicle to the gills, we can no longer see out the rear window, and the passengers in the back seats are unable to move, despite how many times we rearrange the items.
If your vehicle is always too full, a roof box may be the solution. Imagine how much space you’ll have created. Make sure the roof box is securely attached to your vehicle.
Here, you’ll find detailed instructions for installing a roof rack on your vehicle.
Do You Need Roof Bars for a Roof Box?
The installation of a roof box requires, uh, roof bars. A simple length of rope won’t cut it. For the roof box to be securely fastened to your vehicle or van, you’ll need a suitable mounting point. Roof box bars may be ordered and fitted for cars that don’t come with them as standard, allowing for the safe attachment of a roof box.
Roof boxes are a great way to keep your belongings secure and out of the way while you’re on the road. However, if they are not fitted properly, they might harm your car and scatter your belongings all over the highway.
The installation procedure for the box is straightforward, but there are some considerations to make beforehand, such as the maximum weight of the rooftop box bars, that should be made before you attach the box to your automobile.
Explore Your Options
When shopping for roof box bars, resist the want to go with the lowest choice. This is not a situation where you can take any quick cuts. Brand sure the bars you buy are compatible with the make and model of your automobile. Don’t expect it to help you if you don’t. Do your homework and pick bars that suit your automobile snugly.
What is the best position for a roof box?
While some overhang is inevitable after installing a roof box on a vehicle, it should be maintained to a minimum. It may be difficult to track down a roof box with a precise fit for your vehicle; thus, it is acceptable to purchase one that extends past your car by a couple of inches on all sides.
Potential instability will occur if the excess is greater than a few inches on any side. You already have plenty to deal with while driving. An unstable ride caused by passengers shifting their weight to the roof is an annoyance. And it’s simply pretty risky, all things considered.
If you can’t get rid of the overhang, look for a roof rack that’s longer than it is broad. To transport larger products, you should look for a roof box with extra length. Extra bracing is required here to maintain proper load distribution.
It goes without saying that you shouldn’t make other drivers uncomfortable with your roof box. If you have a Yaris, don’t try to fit a roof box made for a Volkswagen Touareg.
Those operating hatchbacks or vehicles with very high trunk lids should take extra caution to prevent rear-end collisions. If there is an overhang greater than an inch or two, the trunk has a chance of colliding into it, which will result in damage to the outside of the vehicle.
The last issue you want to worry about just before a 8 drive is shattering your rear glass. Allow the trunk or hatch to have enough of space to open and close without being restricted.
You Have to Find the Right Balance
It is very crucial to maintain a stable load in your roof box. Investing in a roof box tailored to your specific vehicle’s specifications might be helpful here. Make sure the weight is spread out equally by packing the box carefully.
To get adjusted to the weight of the roof box and the handling of the vehicle, it’s a good idea to do a few practice laps around the neighborhood. Try this little experiment: whenever it’s safe to do so, apply the brakes twice to induce a weight change and observe the effects.
It’s preferable to do a trial run and make any necessary modifications before hitting the road.
Do Roof Boxes Fit Any Roof Bars?
You can attach a roof box to just about any kind of roof bar. In any case, there are constantly outliers. More bars will be required to sustain the weight of skis and other longer, thinner items of equipment stored in long crates.
Please Double-Check Your Spec
You may need to install more roof bars if you want to transport a box that is heavier than the maximum weight supported by the existing bars.
For the rack to remain securely mounted above the vehicle and for the weight to be distributed equally, any additional roof bars must either wrap around or slide alongside the factory rack. The additional bars are there for your own protection, therefore they shouldn’t get in the way of the regular rack and bars.
Do your homework and double-check the size of your roof box before attempting a DIY installation of roof bars or a roof rack. It’s important to make sure the screw and nut holes are aligned so you don’t waste time or money.
Instead of a roof box, you may use a cargo bag. Because cargo bags may be adjusted in size and form, this may be the solution to your fit problems.
Follow The Installation Guidelines
Do not alter your roof rack or roof box in any manner other than what is specified in the manufacturer’s instructions. It’s crucial that you get every step of building your box and attaching the bars just right. You certainly don’t want to be responsible for a major traffic jam on the freeway because you didn’t do something as simple as reading and rereading the directions.
At each stage at which you are uncertain, you should double-check the directions.
Think carefully about how the roof bars and the roof box will work together before installing them on your vehicle or van. Your bars’ and your box’s maker should be able to provide a list of units with which they are intended to work.
Also included should be the combined weight capacity of the box and the bars. Think about this before making a purchase, and you’ll be able to travel with peace of mind knowing that the mounted box and bars won’t do any harm to your car’s roof.
Can Roof Bars, Boxes, and Racks Damage My Vehicle?
Roof boxes and racks provide little risk of harm to your vehicle if installed and utilized in accordance with the vendor’s guidelines. You should pay attention to the warnings, since weight limits are in place to protect your vehicle.
Don’t strain your backs too much!
When loading your roof box, aim for the lighter end of the weight range recommended by the manufacturer. At this juncture, it’s also important to stress the need of caution: roof boxes are heavy and awkward for a single person to move about.
It’s best to have a few people help you load the box onto the bars and secure it so that no dings or scratches occur to the automobile. If you want to know how fast you should go with the roof box installed, you should check the owner’s handbook. Some systems allow you to release the device from the vehicle roof while traveling at high speeds. You must be able to safely pull over and replace your roof box if it opens or even comes loose from your car’s roof.
You should be cautious about how firmly you screw down the roof box while mounting it to the roof bars. If the fit is too loose, the rack will slide along the roof as it moves back and forth on the bars. Excessive force might break the bars or the box.
Please refer to the video below for proper installation of your roof box onto the roof bars.
Your car’s paint might be damaged if you leave your roof box out in the elements for an extended period of time, especially if it is metal and is exposed to precipitation. Take precautions and use a method that will assist avoid this from occurring.
Vehicles sometimes come without the necessary mounting hardware, so if you need to attach bars or racks, you’ll need to clean the area well before doing so. Before assembling and tightly fastening the rack, the region should be cleaned of grime and other obstructions.
It’s important to remember that things change when a box is installed in your car. Don’t take entering a parking garage or traveling under a bridge for granted. Your car will undoubtedly suffer significant, expensive damage if you strike a low-hanging beam since you’ll probably rip the roof box, bars, and even rack off the car. It may seem silly to point out, but keep in mind that you’ll be taller. There may be serious repercussions.
Where should you position roof bars?
As a general rule, the more space there is between roof bars, the more work they have to do to hold up the box. bars should be no more than 24 inches apart, as suggested by most roof box manufacturers. Keep in mind that this specification includes any crossbars that may be used with the existing rack.
While this serves as a solid rule of thumb for a typical box, it’s not going to cut it for one that’s been overloaded. Adding more bars, if possible, will assist to evenly disperse the load being carried by the roof.
To properly support the box from front to rear, place the bars evenly apart. Even though most roof boxes are constructed of sturdy plastic, you still don’t want them sagging and damaging your paint. The space between the bars is large enough for a cargo bag to fall through and brush the roof. This may be avoided by dispersing the roof bars evenly.
Before attaching anything to your car’s roof, you should consult the owner’s handbook to determine the maximum weight allowed. Once that figure is known, you can determine how many bars are required to carry the box.
Don’t forget to include in the cost of the rack and any additional bars that could be required. Even if they’re light, their weight will still contribute toward the total.
Think about the size, shape, and weight of anything you want to transport atop your car. It’s preferable to err on the side of caution and install more bars if necessary than to risk damaging the top of the vehicle with whatever is being transported.
You may get guidance from specialized stores if you are confused whether you should upgrade or not. The expert will explain your choices and assist you in getting your automobile ready for the roof box.
Where on a Car Should a Roof Box Be Mounted?
In order to avoid problems caused by excess weight on the vehicle’s roof, it is important to distribute the load as evenly as possible. An emergency stop that requires you to yank heavily on the roof box might cause the contents to move if the weight is too far front or notably at the rear of the box.
As a result, the rack might be yanked away from the automobile, potentially causing structural damage to the car. This may be mitigated by appropriately mounting the bars as well as boxes in accordance with the instructions provided by the manufacturer. But you may lessen the likelihood of this happening by being extra cautious while loading your roof box.
If the load appears too heavy or impossible to disperse, place problematic objects in the back or backseat. The box should be positioned further toward the vehicle’s rear than its front in order to improve aerodynamics and facilitate airflow around the vehicle.
The less air resistance there is between the automobile and the road, the higher the fuel economy will be.
Factors to Think About for Your Safety
A front-mounted roof box might block your vision and make driving risky. It may be dangerous for other drivers if it fell out of the vehicle. Since the box is shaped more like the back, it needs to be moved in the middle or backwards to fit.
Mounting it further back will reduce the likelihood of a collision with the hatch, but this comes at the expense of reduced visibility. The distance between the roof box’s rear and the hatchback’s glass might be as little as an inch or two.
The trunk cover would be included in this as well. A huge damage and paint scratch might result from the trunk banging against the box’s bottom corner. Find out how high the box will be above the opening of the hatch / trunk and adjust the height appropriately. When opening the hatch, take careful not to smash the box shut if the two doors must meet.
A Few Parting Thoughts
This article serves as a general outline for installing a roof box on an automobile. Before attempting any kind of installation on your vehicle, roof box, or roof bars, you must always refer to the respective manufacturer’s instructions and, if necessary, get in touch with them directly.
Having said that, installing a modern car roof box is rather simple, and with a bit of caution, you’ll be out on your next journey with all your goods in no time.
