Roof Rack Decisions

I’m searching endlessly at rack options for my gen5 4r. A few brands (Sherpa, Westcott Designs, Victory, Prinsu, UpTop, and others) stand out based on everything I read on this forum and others, including the brand websites. It’s so confusing and getting tough to decide, the more I research.

I read that Sherpa seems to be a favorite mainly due to the mounting design (not requiring to cut the oem rack plastics and no silicone required / no water leak risks). Also like that it seems to be the lowest profile rack at 2.5” hight.

I really like the plates of Westscott but I know that rack requires silicone. I also know Sherpa sells the plates too. I feel like I’ll need the plates cuz I’ll want to stand on the rack.

I’m wondering 2 things:
- Anyone seen all or some of these racks in person, and can speak to which seems nicer?
- Anyone cover their entire Sherpa rack with the plates they offer? I’d love to see photos, and curious how you like it.

Tia

 

It comes down your personal preference. All are quality options. It just comes down to what you are doing with it, what accessories you are interested in by the specific manufacturers.

if I am not mistaken, all of these will hold about 500lbs, so you standing on it won’t be an issue.

I have had 2 Prinsu racks (3/4 length and then my current full length). No drilling, no cutting. They recommend silicone in the mounting holes, but I didn’t and I chose reused my OE bolts with the rubber washer and have no leaks. Prinsu makes load panels too.


Old 3/4 rack

Current Full length no drill rack

I have had an RTT and an 8ft awning on mine.

Don’t overthink it. Pick one and move on.

 

All depends on what you are using it for. All i needed was a pair of Victory 4x4 cross bars for like $200 and a sheet of aluminum to mount my ROAM box and Maxtrax. The cross bars were also only 1/2" off the roof and same height as the stock rack.

 

I have the Sherpa. Crestone and I absolutely love it. My son and I installed it - maybe 2 hours. Easy install. I would recommend you rent two of those painter platforms - makes life so much easier since you aren’t going up and down ladders

 

Crestone owner here. As I recall, the load limits are 300lbs dynamic and 700lbs static.

Not to muddy the waters but Frontrunner might be worth a look. They have that a bunch of options for mounting various items. So many choices! That’s a good thing right?

 

Can only speak to the Sherpa, so far ours has been great, I went this route because of the simplicity of the install, and did it myself.




https://www.4runners.com/threads/2022-lr-orp.25460/page-3#post-349908

 

I would go Sherpa or Westcott based on build quality. I own the Sherpa Crestone and its ROCK solid. Check out this Instagram Post if you are still on the fence:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CljkMlqJOkD/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

 

I love my Sherpa Crestone... the fit/finish is great. If you decide to attach an awning I suggest getting their awning mounts as well, they hug the rack nice and tight (unlike some of the universal mounts that hang out far and high).

 

I dont have experience with the sherpa rack on the 4runner but I had one on another vehicle. I didn't see if you mentioned a reason for not wanting a Gobi rack (maybe the wait time) but thats what I run on my 4runner and I love it. If you are looking for something with a solid floor then thats a good option. Also does not require drilling.

Having had a sherpa rack and the gobi rack there are a few differences I can point out. Having the track system is nice, being able to bolt stuff using the slots in the aluminum is convenient but using a bolt and a washer on the gobi also isn't too bad either. The BIGGEST difference between the two racks I noticed is wind noise. The sherpa I had was on an f150 which is better insulated than our 4runners. The sherpa had a LOT of wind noise. I notice none with the Gobi. I messed around with the fairing and even wrapped some cord around it (which helped) on the sherpa but it was always something that bothered me. It was very noticeable above 50mph. Neither of my vehicles had a sunroof and my suspicion is that the wind noise was caused by the slots in the aluminum extrusion. The gobi rack has rounded bars and besides during an aggressive crosswind I dont notice any difference in noise. I had some square cross bars on the 4runner before I had the Gobi rack and those created noticeable wind noise. The gobi does not.

just my two cents!

they both look slick...


Gobi Rack:

 

Good point about the wind noise @ransom007 . FWIW I ran without a light bar on my sherpa rack for about a month and didn't hear any wind noise until I mounted one. My sherpa has the half height wind fairing to accommodate a light bar a bit better.

 

Just installed Sherpa Crestone on my new ORP last week. Nicely designed and manufactured. But there is wind noise above about 60MPH, and quite a bit above 70. I tried adjusting the faring up but that made it worse. I now have it all the way down to about 1/8 from the roof at the center of the arc and it seems there is less noise at freeway speeds. I am finding the 4Runner is a noisy vehicle anyway, so the rack noise kind of fades into the background - so not a show stopper from my standpoint.

 

how much worse did the light bar make it? Ive actually heard people say adding a bar has decreased the noise they hear! all depends I guess

 

Thats the issue I ran into on my previous truck with that style rack. The gobi I have now has zero wind noise up to 80 (I haven't gone faster bc 4runners...) only time I notice it is if there's an aggressive crosswind... An interesting point is that the fairing on the gobi rack is somewhat flexible and is also (as per Gobi) mounted pressed against the roof so that there is no gap between roof and fairing. Im pretty sure there was a gap on the sherpa...

 

Not too bad actually, not nearly as loud as having traction boards on the rack. I'll try lowering the wind fairing a bit. I have a bit of a gap to the roof.

 

I've had the Sherpa Crestone with lightbar for about 4 weeks, so I can't provide full detailed review besides for wind noise. In my opinion, there was minimal increase in wind noise at 60+ mph and maybe a slightly more on windy days. I don't notice it unless I turn off my radio off (usually have it at volume 20-25) and try to listen for it. Besides that, I don't have any vibration or rattling from the rack.

There is a 1/8 gap on the front fairing where the wind goes through. I think the gap is to protect the roof from rubbing against the rack. The fairing does have rubber strip to protect your roof, but dirt could get trapped and rub against the paint. If you don't plan on removing it in the future it probably doesn't matter or could use vinyl tape to protect the roof.

Overall, I like it so far. I think it will come down to what you plan on doing and your budget for roof rack.

 

what matters is that you have a lightbar and that it looks sick

 

Good feedback! Gobi provides a clear protective tape strip to put down before the fairing touches. You could always try that if the wind noise bothers you and you wanted to experiment with lowering the fairing

 

Personally, I think the prices are insane for a roof rack. I bought a cheap Amazon one and am gonna weld it to make it less shitty and more usable. Might even weld my own roof rack once I got more experience

 

Buying material to make something like a Gobi, is not hugely cheaper, especially considering the time it will taken to design and fabricate your own. Steel is expensive now! And buying the right tools to work with tubing, also not cheap.

Probably the best reason to make your own is if you want to design some of the details differently. Even then, might be easier buying one and changing to suit your needs.

 

I beg to differ, Spaz. Steel is more expensive than it used to be, but not that expensive. But you’re right about the tools:

• Abrasive cutoff saw or cold saw
• Grinder
• Tubing bender
• MiG welder
• Fire extinguisher
• Woodworking tools (to fabricate a jig)
• Layout and measuring tools and workbench large enough for the rack

But once HazOpRed acquires the tools and the skill he can build whatever he wants! Never stifle initiative, I say!

 

Yeah, will cost way more to do it your self.

When I tried doing it my self with wood $50 and aluminum plate $80 it still wasn't ideal so I spent the $200 for the Victory cross bars. Much much better than fabricating.

 

My vote is for the Sherpa Crestone. I've had two different Victory 4x4 racks and strongly recommend against them. All sorts of design flaws that I keep swearing I'll get off my lazy butt and do a write-up about, so other people can avoid them too. The Sherpa is a better design in every way. I like the looks and idea of a Gobi, but I hate rust with a passion, and I hear their steel mesh is a rust magnet once you put it to any sort of use, so that's a non-starter for me.

Wind noise is definitely an issue with the Sherpa. I recently adjusted the front spoiler down to 1/8" above the roof, so we'll see if that helps. But for me, personally, wind noise is not a deal-breaker, as I load up my roof rack and use MT tires anyway. My vehicle will never be destined to be a quiet ride.

Here's my current Sherpa Crestone:

 

Already got all the tools. It will be fun

 

Hi Ars4lan,

to your two questions, i don’t have any answers, sorry.

i will say though, that we, too, shopped all the options and read many, many articles about weight, road noise, leaks, etc.
We decided on these main factors:

• Needed a no-drill option
• Needed a rack that ran the whole length of the roof.
• wanted a good choice of accessories (fishing, camping wheeling, etc)
• Wanted a clean look that compliments the 4runner.
• Wanted a very stout static and dynamic load rating.

We ended up with a frontrunner Slimline 2 and, man-o-man, it’s been beat to crap off-road in Moab and SoCal on some tough trails.

After 2 years it’s rattle-free, quiet in the wind and solid as rock. Price we paid has really been forgotten since it’s been so tough, modular and honestly, “toyota-level” quality.

We mount these things:
Hi-lift jack
GMRS antenna
Sand dune flag mount
Fold-out awning
Maxxtrax sand ladders
Spare fuel can(s)
Short thule “sidekick” storage box for long road trips.
Soon: 1-2 pelican Vault case(s) for trail tools, critical spares and light camp/trail furniture (2 small tables, 5 compact camp chairs, etc)

Some considerations:

• We often have 5 passengers,
• We often have our rear cargo area loaded with our kitchen and with our adventure gear (fishing, beach, snow, etc).
• We are actively choosing not to run our Victory4x4 strike rear bumper with swing-aways, because, plainly put, it sucks to have to swing open a carrier with as much as we’re into our rear load area.

This means that our rear cargo area and our rack have to be optimized and we feel like we’ve got a pretty good, minimalist setup that doesn’t weigh us down for wheeling, short camping trips or trips to the grocery or around town.

Truly a jack of all trades (especially with our new Tacobox on board )

Happy to answer any questions you might have.

 

That’s awesome to hear you are happy with the Frontrunner after 2 years. Plus wind noise is not an issue? I’m leaning towards this brand for sure! Thanks for posting the review

 

The bare rack had zero noise for us up to and including 65-70 mph (our normal cruising speed). Add sand ladders and cargo bags/boxes and you do get some light "whoosh" or "wind roar" from that cargo. And as most things go, the more cargo, the more wind resistance and more noise.

Here's our current normal loadout for most trips, which in my opinion, is very quiet:

• Sand ladders
• Hi-lift jack
• Rifle case with all my tools/spares
• Thule box for extra gear or for family trips (It's somewhat high profile, but it holds a ton of baggage, is waterproof, lockable and aerodynamic)
• Dual Jerry can holder(though I don't see us using this very much unless I decide to run the Rubicon/Dusy ershim trails)
• 8' Shade awning

Trying to keep the load fairly light up top, but not really worried about COG changing since we've added probably 3-400lbs of steel armor down low which, in my opinion, compensates for any normal loadout we'd put up high.

 

Got any pics?

Also, how have you liked mounting things to it? Are you able to use your own hardware, or is it proprietary mounting hardware?

 

I'm late to the party, but the Rhinorack Pioneer system is pretty kick ass. I usually see them mounted on Jeeps. Lots of overpriced accessories, but it's easy to DIY any mounting brackets with a 3/8 bolt and a strut channel nut from McMaster Carr for just a few bucks. My rack is sturdy AF. I've exceeded the load capacity on it a couple of times and no leaks, no squeaks or rattles, and best of all you'll be able to tell your 4runner apart from all the rest of the prinsu and sherpa racks ( I love the way both look btw). One thing to note, is that I have the long rack and it covers my sunroof, and due to how I have my lightbar mounted the sunroof is completely unusable.

Sorry for the larger than life pics. I just copied and pasted them and for some reason they're huge when I paste them.

 

mounting things: couldn’t be easier. They have lots of fairly priced bracket options but i’ve also fabbed/adapted a few of my own.

Hardware: 8mm hex bolts with any size length that works for your application, slides into the rail head down, threads up. They give you a few with each accessory they sell but i just went to home depot and grabbed a box of several different sizes.

here’s a few recent pics:

 

Thanks for the reply and the pics below too! Was it any trouble mounting your Thule box? I have one too, that I use all the time for all my ski gear, and camping trips because everything stays dry and dust free up there. So definitely need it on the rack. I heard you have to use tent mounts to get it on?