Rhinorack vs Frontrunner

[DocDisco]

Hi guys.

Has anybody else bent their brain around this roofrack decision?
Rhinorack sits lower and is easily taken off leaving the roof rails intact but is noisy on a lot of other vehicles.
Frontnunner is bolted into the roof, has transverse slats and a wind deflector (quieter??) but sit higher and once off the roof leaves openings in the roof rails.

Does anyone have any experience with these racks on the D5?
The Rhinorack is super noisy on the Prado.

Thanks!

[Numb Thumbs]

The Rhinorack has had some bad press lately regarding the weight limits - dynamic and "off road". Off road means anything other than bitumen and concrete... Check the fine print in the installation instructions.


Ronny Dahl has done some YouTube work on this. Among others:

I STUFFED UP!! Overloaded my Roof - YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r32xd9z4SZ4&t=42s&ab_channel=RonnyDahl)

HOW I FIXED MY STUFF UP, The new rack for Project Luxy - YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pa0R1BGj83M&t=718s&ab_channel=RonnyDahl)



Cheers
Numb Thumbs ;)

[loanrangie]

Regardless which rack you get you'll need to be wary of your load limit, i have a rhino pioneer and don't find it noisy but it depends on the mounting system used.
Front runner rack looks good and it about the same weight as the rhino ( i have had them side by side ) and is possibly a bit easier for mounting accessories due to the bars running horizontal instead of lengthwise.
If you are planning on an RTT don't get either as you would exceed the roof load limit.

[Numb Thumbs]

As to load limits, the rear axle limit is the easiest to exceed.

For a 5 seater it is 1775kg and a 7 seater it is 1900kg.

Anything on the roof will affect that, the further back the more it adds.

Also tow ball weight on a trailer will add more to the back axle than the ball weight - usually around 1.3 to 1.4 times - and it takes weight off the front axle.

This is from an article in 4WDing Australia - What is tow ball weight, and why does it matter? (4wdingaustralia.com) (https://www.4wdingaustralia.com/4x4/what-is-tow-ball-weight-and-why-does-it-matter/) :

"Tow ball weight applies a huge amount of stress to a 4WD. Next time you walk past your vehicle, have a look at how much distance there is from the centre of your rear differential to the tow ball. For wagons, this tends to be less (around the 1000 – 1400mm mark). For dual cab Utes, it can be around 1200 – 1600mm, and this creates significant leverage.The leverage can easily be worked out, and its not uncommon to see the actual weight applied to the rear axle 50% higher than the tow ball weight. To clarify, that means if you are applying 250kg to the tow ball, it can be adding around 375kg to the rear axle!
To work it out, just divide your overhang by the wheelbase length of your vehicle, and then multiply the result by the tow ball weight. The figure you get is weight shifted from the front axle of the vehicle to the rear. "

Cheers
Numb Thumbs ;)

[bln]

Over the years I’ve had both racks in the past. Recently I purchased a new rhino rack platform for the Defender. I thought buy Australian and support Australian products. I have found the rack to be the noisiest of all of the racks so far with a deafening whistle. It is so noisey that it is unpleasant and I wish that I had stuck with the Frontrunner rack. I have now taken the rhino rack off the defer and am in the process of filling all the gaps in the aluminium extrusions hoping that it will make a difference. I took it back to the installer and told them it wasn’t fit for purpose - they suggested that I fill in the gaps. Anybody want to buy a near new rhino rack from me??[bigsmile1]

[loanrangie]

Over the years I’ve had both racks in the past. Recently I purchased a new rhino rack platform for the Defender. I thought buy Australian and support Australian products. I have found the rack to be the noisiest of all of the racks so far with a deafening whistle. It is so noisey that it is unpleasant and I wish that I had stuck with the Frontrunner rack. I have now taken the rhino rack off the defer and am in the process of filling all the gaps in the aluminium extrusions hoping that it will make a difference. I took it back to the installer and told them it wasn’t fit for purpose - they suggested that I fill in the gaps. Anybody want to buy a near new rhino rack from me??[bigsmile1]How was it mounted ?, I don't think the noise is generated by the slats so filing the gaps won't help. Just driven over 300k at 100-110kph with kayak,light bar and awning and noise is negligible.

[bln]

How was it mounted ?, I don't think the noise is generated by the slats so filing the gaps won't help. Just driven over 300k at 100-110kph with kayak,light bar and awning and noise is negligible.
That's interesting - it is mounted on a defender -see photo (hope you can see it OK) . I've been filling in under the cross-bars in the extrusions. Its up at the shed at the moment.
176372

[bln]

How was it mounted ?, I don't think the noise is generated by the slats so filing the gaps won't help. Just driven over 300k at 100-110kph with kayak,light bar and awning and noise is negligible.

Here are a couple of photos with the gap in the crossbar extrusions filled in:

176373176374

[loanrangie]

Ah, I thought you were trying to fill in the slats length ways, I made my own cross bars out of rectangular tube which is possibly why I get little noise.
If I open the sunroof I hear it but otherwise it's not obtrusive.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20220116/061a3c557114dfc5881520a9f8f176d6.jpg

[DocDisco]

I was wondering if the difference inn rack length made a difference to the wind noise? The Rhinorack is longer than the Frontrunner rack. Maybe the wind deflected off the windscreen contacts the Rhinorack at a different angle as a result?

[bln]

I was wondering if the difference inn rack length made a difference to the wind noise? The Rhinorack is longer than the Frontrunner rack. Maybe the wind deflected off the windscreen contacts the Rhinorack at a different angle as a result?
Yes that could be it. When I talked to the supplier/installer about it he said that the noise seems to be different for different vehicles. He said a 2/3 sized rack which sits further back from the windscreen would be an improvement. On my previous defender I had the Frontrunner rack and it sat a bit higher than the rhino rack and wasn't too bad with the noise.

[loanrangie]

I don't know, mine is 2128mm and fills the long rails and finishes forward of the sunroof which is the highest point between roof and rack.

[DocDisco]

Does anyone have any idea if there is anything significant in the relative strength of the Rhinorack foot attachment to the roof rails vs the Frontrunner attachment directly to the roof. I am thinking about lifting forces at highway speeds.

[Bowdizzle]

The real question is do you intend to take your Disco off road?

First off, the maximum roof load rating of a Discovery 5 is 80kg (Owners manual - Tech Specs - Weights). Keep in mind a typical roof rack might weigh 25kg, so this will leave you with a permissible 55kg of cargo weight on the roof. Just to be clear these are dynamic load ratings which manufacturer's make hard to find on their websites. They will often show their static rating (rating when stopped) but not dynamic (rating when moving).

As you mentioned the Rhinorack is foot mounted and not bolted to the chassis like the Frontrunner. This makes no difference if you intend on driving the car on sealed roads as both racks are capable of handling the full load of 80kg. If you do venture off road however you need to check the manufacturer's off road rating. This is where things change. The Frontrunner rack is rated the same on and off road but is still limited to the cars capacity of 80kg. The Rhinorack's off road rating drops to 36kg (refer to screenshot), so minus the 25kg roof rack weight you are left with only 11kg of cargo.

I have a Frontrunner Expedition rack which I do find rather noisy over 80kph. I have installed the wind deflector but have not noticed a huge difference in noise reduction. That said the deflector does not run the full width of the rack and has gaps either side which might be causing turbulence. Frontrunner are great if you plan on going off road thanks to all the accessories, although not cheap they are well made and there is a huge variety. Installation is not that hard, there are some videos and forums with installation photos which help. I managed to get it on by myself. You can still open the sunroof with the Frontrunner but I doubt you'll want to due to the noise, even at low speeds.

Hope this has helped. Manufacturer's deliberately bury a lot of this information (dynamic ratings) which leads to uninformed consumer purchases and ultimately damaged vehicles that are not covered under insurance.

Chris


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