OEM roof bars

[sewebster]

I'm talking about the bars that sit right on the roof itself and run crosswise. I removed all of them when I removed the oem rack since I have a Thule rack. Were these bars to protect the roof if you put something directly on it? Should I bother keeping them and/or the factory rack since I have a better rack? I figure the less stuff up there the better the aerodynamics, though it probably doesn't help too much...

[WarehouseRat]

load support rails for the stock roof rack

[nunya]

If you ain't using the factory rack/rails, yank em off. They are for making the rack a little more rigid when you have something tied to the top bars. They do protect the roof panel some from stuff that droops below the tie bars but if you have a different/improved system period, use that. Having a Thule rack you probably have the "wing" mounted too so the aerodynamic gains from removing the stock stuff will be slimmer than just removing them from a open roofed truck. Less weight is always better though, the couple minutes it takes to yank em off and the fact your not going to use them with the Thule rack, rip em off.

[sewebster]

Ok cool, I guess now I have to decide if I should leave them in my closet or try to give them away to save on storage space. I don't have the wind fairing/wing thing on my rack... looking around the web it seems that most people say it reduces noise (don't care) but a bunch of people the wing actually INCREASES their fuel usage, so that would be bad. I am debating whether or not it is worth removing the rack when I am not using it to save gas... but not sure how much it would help our not-so-aero trucks. I take the ski racks off in the summer, but the main rack itself is a bit more annoying to put on and off.

[adamzan]

Without the wing on my basket it makes a loud howling noise. I can live with a drop ( that I haven't noticed) in mileage so its quiet.

[sewebster]

Without the wing on my basket it makes a loud howling noise. I can live with a drop ( that I haven't noticed) in mileage so its quiet.

 

Yeah, I think it depends on your specific setup as to the noise. Probably I should take off the roof rack just to see what it sounds like without, I just don't hear any obvious howling or anything.

[WarehouseRat]

i notice a few mpg better with the stock rack off verses on, and the noise level is lower i get a little howl from the sunroof seal hinge area though, i would say remove the rack if its not used daily, i would also keep the oem support rails as they are expensive and hard to get not all messed up, just tape them together and put in the garage attic like me, as it adds value to the rig if you go to sell your pathy

[sewebster]

I'm going to remove my rack and see how long I go before I need to use it again. If it takes many months then it shows me it's not such a big deal to put it on and off every once in a while. More MPG, regardless of how little would be nice!

 

As for keeping the OEM stuff, I probably will, but I have no garage Hence the debate. They are in my clothes closet at the moment, along with the rest of my tools and truck stuff. I agree that selling the pathy is the reason to keep them, it could add value. Not that I plan on selling it, but...