Roof base racks include everything you need as a platform to attach roof racks (such as a bike rack) and cargo boxes. If you don’t have a factory rack and crossbars a base rack is required for attaching almost all roof racks and carriers. Base racks consist of four components.
Towers - Attach to your car's roof and support the cross bars
Hooks - Anchors towers to your door, side rail or rain gutter
Locks - Prevent your base rack from being stolen
Crossbars - These are what most racks/roof carriers attach to
Selecting a roof rack can be daunting. But we have taken the complexity out of the selection process by offering base racks as complete kits. You need only determine the kind of roof you are starting with, select your preferred base rack kit, and place your order. Include the make, model and year of your vehicle with your order and we will select the correct components for your vehicle when we process your order.
We offer base racks from the top three roof rack manufacturers: Thule, Yakima and Inno. In our judgement, all of these manufacturers offer quality base racks backed by limited lifetime warranties. Thule and Inno use square crossbars while Yakima uses round crossbars, but almost all racks and carriers will attach to either crossbar.
We sell base racks bundled as kits only, but we also sell replacement crossbars and base rack accessories. Please call us for any specific base rack needs that you may have.
To order your roof base rack simply follow these steps:
1. Determine the type of roof that your vehicle has:
Smooth Roof and no rain gutters - there is nothing on your roof and no rain gutters
Smooth Roof with rain gutters – there is nothing on your roof but there are rain gutters
Factory Side Rails that are flush to the roof - side rails that are flush or recessed
Fixed points - integrated fixed points in the roof
Raised Factory Side Rails - factory-installed side rails that are raised 1.0" or more from the roof
2. Select the category that corresponds with your roof type 3. Select your preferred base rack
4. Place your order and include the make, model and year of your vehicle 5. We will send you a complete roof rack for your specific vehicle
