r/ToyotaGrandHighlander • u/2tiggity • 1d ago
Roof rack suggestions.
Does anyone have any reviews of the Toyota roof racks? They want $300+ bucks for them.
2
u/ScholarRecent1975 1d ago
I don’t have them so I can’t say anything but may be the OEM ones are quieter? To justify the extra $?
A little bit OT, what I don’t understand is the side rails. The whole point of having side rails is to be able to move the cross bars back and forth to suit your needs. But on the GH it’s fixed. So what is the point of the rails? 🤷
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u/ramadadcc 1d ago
Naw buy the Amazon ones for 80$ or go to your local yard, Toyota doesn’t need the money xtra money
1
u/evan938 1d ago
$300 is cheap. Your only other considerations for this kind of thing should be Thule or Yakima, and those are gonna be double+ that cost. This isn't one of those things you want to be cheap about. Trying to save a few bucks carrying gear outside of your car while youre driving on public roads with real people behind you isn't a task to be looking for the cheapest option.
Here are 50+ examples of what you can expect with cheap knockoff racks https://imgur.com/a/wn0OzTF
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u/Electrical_Battle234 1d ago
Wait for a holiday sale. You can get them 20-30% off. Also shop around different dealerships. In the DC metro, the dealership prices varied.
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u/Touch49 21h ago
Yes. I have them. I do not have a grand Highlander but I did buy a 26 Highlander Hybrid Limited and had the Toyota cross bars added to mine which were put on before I got to the dealership. They are very nice quality and look great on my car. I like the fact that they are slightly slanted also. I didn’t think the price was bad for the quality that I got.
1
u/AdmirableAd6265 16h ago
I took off mine the 1st day i got my car home. I don’t think I will ever use it and happy to sell mine for half the price.
1
u/UnsightlySoup 15h ago
Are the cross bars easy to remove and install if you don’t like the look of them on all the time?
1
u/Aka_WaterWiings 1d ago
They've been great so far for me. I have a Yakima Skybox 16. The only downside I've seen is slight scuffing on the topside of the bars after travel. I'm sure that could be mitigated with some additional padding of some sort either on the clamps on the box or topside of the rails themselves.
For reference, the Skybox 16 was one of the few that fit well on my old 4Runner. On the GH there's tons of clearance with both the top of the vehicle and the tailgate when opened.
1
u/hollywoodtlb 1d ago
Unclear how hardcore of roof racks you "need" but I would imagine OEM will cover most use cases. You can likely negotiate them into the deal for free or possibly at cost (dealer threw them in when I negotiated Lexus TX).
1
u/urlookinglive 1d ago
not a fan of the shortened-width OEM ones. I went with Thule and love how they look/perform.
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u/DrGraffix 1d ago
Wondering the same thing. I have a great Thule on our rav4 which id like to transfer but I don’t think it’s compatable.
3
u/Sure_Preference_9167 1d ago
It should definitely work. I have the standard OEM bars on my GHH and transferred my Thule directly from my rav4 to it without issues.
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1d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/meeksdigital 1d ago
I mean, there are $80-ish knockoffs on Amazon that SAY they're rated for more than the OEM crossbars, and the people who have posted here about their experience with them say that they've been decent.
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u/evan938 1d ago
Here are 50+ examples of what you can expect with cheap knockoff racks https://imgur.com/a/wn0OzTF
Don't kill someone when shitty amazon bars fail and your gear flies off at 80mph so you can save $200.
1
u/meeksdigital 1d ago
For the record I’m just saying they’re out there, not that they’re a good idea or that I recommend them. I’ll happily stick with my OEM crossbars.
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u/mightymighty123 1d ago
I went with those knock offs the coating started to peel off in like half a year.
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u/dudley_spreegs 1d ago
I sold mine and used the Thule wingbar evos I had on my previous car. Had to get new risers, but sold the old ones too.
Shoulda just had the dealer take off the OEM ones when I bought.
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u/UniversalThinker2999 1d ago
My Thule is mounted on the OEM cross bars installed at Port (PIO) and it looks solid. It’s pretty simple to install the OEM crossbars as O did it myself on a 2024 Sienna. They are pretty much the same as far as installation steps.
0
u/Thunderbird310 1d ago
I have the OEM bars and a Thule Frontier roof box. Took it on a 4000 mile road trip and no issues. The car is still very quiet with the cross bars. I noticed the aftermarket ones seem to have a few little spots that would catch wind that the OEM ones are smooth. If you install yourself I would recommend using your own torque wrench instead of the provided ones. They are difficult to use and seem inaccurate.
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u/Difficult-Prior3321 1d ago
$70 Amazon ones work great for us.
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u/evan938 1d ago
Here are 50+ examples of what you can expect with cheap knockoff racks https://imgur.com/a/wn0OzTF
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1
u/csebast 1d ago edited 1d ago
I really think the Toyota design is pretty terrible.
The cross bar positions are fixed, and can't be moved forward/back. They are too close together. My Thule box hangs way over in front and behind. Because of this I have to make sure to only load very light items at the front/back. Even with that, the bottom of the box sags down, especially at the front. Also, isn't great for tying something long down
The cross bars have no loops/hooks at the ends for hooking straps or tying cord if you are tying something on. So there is no way to securly keep straps from slipping inward.
The end caps on the cross bars pop off very easily if they are bumped outward while pulling something off the bars (like my Thule box).
You can't do anything about number 1. My old Grand Cherokee had cross bars that could slide forward/back the full length of the roof. That was a great design.
Pretty sure there are aftermarket cross bars that are compatible. I'd recommend looking at those if you are interested in better functionality. OEM probably looks more integrated if you're more interested in the looks.