Roof rack

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Fixing a roof rack to a motor car Fixingaroofrack.jpg
Fixing a roof rack to a motor car
Factory-installed roof rack on a station wagon 1966 Ambassador 990 wagon aztp.jpg
Factory-installed roof rack on a station wagon
Two bicycles on a removable roof rack (bicycle carrier) '13 Porsche Panamera (MIAS '13).jpg
Two bicycles on a removable roof rack (bicycle carrier)
Enclosed car top carrier attached to a factory-installed roof rail Mercedes-Benz E 500 T with roofbox IAA 2009.JPG
Enclosed car top carrier attached to a factory-installed roof rail
Specialized Racks over a pickup bed Surf rack.jpg
Specialized Racks over a pickup bed

A roof rack is a set of bars secured to the roof of an automobile. [1] It is used to carry bulky items such as luggage, bicycles, canoes, kayaks, skis, or various carriers and containers. [2]

Contents

They allow users of an automobile to transport objects on the roof of the vehicle without reducing interior space for occupants or the cargo area volume limits, such as in the typical car's trunk design. These include car top weatherproof containers; some are designed for specific cargo such as skis or luggage.

History

There is a long history of the use of roof racks and their designs.

Until the late 1970s, almost all regular passenger automobiles had rain gutters. These gutters are formed by the welded flange (raised rim or lip) on the left and right sides of the car's metal roof panel. [3] This made attaching an accessory or aftermarket roof rack a relatively simple process. [4]

The first mass production cars without any visible rain gutters were the 1975 AMC Pacer and Chevrolet Monza. [3] Other vehicles were introduced on the market with hidden rain gutters during the 1980s, and by 1990, cars with external rain gutters were becoming rare.

Roof rack suppliers developed new products designed to attach to various types of automobile roofs securely.

Types

The most common components of a roof rack system are towers, fitting pieces (for attaching towers to a specific vehicle), crossbars, and gear mounts.

Automobile roof racks are split into different types, depending on the vehicle roof:

There are many factors in the selection and use of roof racks. Some of these include their weight and strength, the profile for loading and unloading, and any available accessories. [5]

Roof racks increase air resistance and in the US, roof racks increased overall fuel consumption by approximately 1%. [6] Due to greater wind resistance, roof racks may increase wind noise on the highway. Mounting the roof rack backward may reduce air resistance. [7] Some bars are designed with a lower drag coefficient or have a wind deflector at the front to reduce this problem.

When installing roof racks, it is essential to load the bars properly per the owner's manual. When driving on the road, one needs to load the allowed weight minus the weight of the roof rack kit. If one plans to use the roof racks for off-road driving, the allowed weight should be divided by 2, and this will be the maximum amount to be carried on the roof racks in such driving conditions.

A truck bed rack is a derivation of a roof rack designed to be installed over the bed of a pickup truck. The construction of a bed rack features tall tubes (legs) that allow the rack platform to be higher above the bed surface and leave space for cargo inside the bed. Pickup truck racks form an extended cargo platform that allows transportation of oversized items. They are used in construction and recreation as a base for various work, sports, and recreational gear such as ladders, surfboards, tents, etc.

See also

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pickup truck</span> Light-duty truck with an enclosed cab and an open cargo area

A pickup truck or pickup is a light-duty truck that has an enclosed cabin, and a back end made up of a cargo bed that is enclosed by three low walls with no roof. In Australia and New Zealand, both pickups and coupé utilities are called utes, short for utility vehicle. In South Africa, people of all language groups use the term bakkie; a diminutive of Afrikaans: bak, meaning bowl or container.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Axle</span> Central shaft for a rotating wheel or gear

An axle or axletree is a central shaft for a rotating wheel or gear. On wheeled vehicles, the axle may be fixed to the wheels, rotating with them, or fixed to the vehicle, with the wheels rotating around the axle. In the former case, bearings or bushings are provided at the mounting points where the axle is supported. In the latter case, a bearing or bushing sits inside a central hole in the wheel to allow the wheel or gear to rotate around the axle. Sometimes, especially on bicycles, the latter type of axle is referred to as a spindle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Torsion bar suspension</span> Vehicle suspension that uses a torsion bar

A torsion bar suspension, also known as a torsion spring suspension, is any vehicle suspension that uses a torsion bar as its main weight-bearing spring. One end of a long metal bar is attached firmly to the vehicle chassis; the opposite end terminates in a lever, the torsion key, mounted perpendicular to the bar, that is attached to a suspension arm, a spindle, or the axle. Vertical motion of the wheel causes the bar to twist around its axis and is resisted by the bar's torsion resistance. The effective spring rate of the bar is determined by its length, cross section, shape, material, and manufacturing process.

There are many types of car body styles. They vary depending on intended use, market position, location, and the era they were made.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trailer (vehicle)</span> Towed cargo vehicle

A trailer is an unpowered vehicle towed by a powered vehicle. It is commonly used for the transport of goods and materials.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lincoln Blackwood</span> Motor vehicle

The Lincoln Blackwood is a luxury pickup truck that was marketed by the Lincoln division of Ford Motor Company for the 2002 model year. The first pickup truck marketed by Lincoln, the Blackwood was derived from the Ford F-150 SuperCrew and the Lincoln Navigator. Drawing its name from its simulated black woodgrain cargo box, the Blackwood was offered solely with a black-painted exterior.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">FSO Warszawa</span> Motor vehicle

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tonneau</span> Open automotive bed

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trunk (car)</span> Part of automobile

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flatbed truck</span> Type of truck

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A bed rack is usually a set of steel or aluminum bars secured to the body of a truck bed. Due to the tall tubes, aka legs, the bed rack is usually higher than the bed itself so that it does not limit inner bed cargo space. Such construction allows it to increase the load and storage capacity of the truck. Usually, a bed rack is used to transport different cargo types, such as baggage, kayaks, bikes, tools, surfboards, snowboards, tourist gear, and so on. The accessory's primary use lies in the fact that it does not limit interior storage. At the same time, it allows the vehicle to transport an object that potentially is bigger than its trunk.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canoo Lifestyle Vehicle</span> Motor vehicle

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References

  1. "Definition of roof-rack". dictionary.com. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  2. "Definition of roof rack". Merriam-Webster.com. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  3. 1 2 Sturmey, Henry; Walter Staner, H. (1978). "Mitsubishi Mirage". The Autocar. Vol. 178. p. 138. Retrieved 28 September 2016.
  4. Sears Catalog. Vol. 2. Sears Roebuck. 1978. Retrieved 28 September 2016.
  5. Dahl, Timothy (4 May 2018). "How to Choose the Right Roof Rack to Carry All Your Gear". Popular Mechanics. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  6. Chen, Yuche; Meier, Alan (May 2016). "Fuel consumption impacts of auto roof racks". Energy Policy. 92: 325–333. doi: 10.1016/j.enpol.2016.02.031 .
  7. Kvamme, Paal (23 March 2020). "Snudde takboks, økte rekkevidden". Tu.no (in Norwegian). Teknisk Ukeblad.