Rhino roof rail differences

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Originally Posted by bell

Hi Guys,

I am looking to purchase a LR Expedition rack. What do I need in terms of rails for it to fit my 2008 D3? I simply have the weather strip with the four or so circular rubber points on either side. I was assuming that under these there are hard fix points. But reading this I'm thinking I now need to mount rails first then the Exped rack. Can you pls clarify. Ta.

Bell.

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Hi Bell, as Tote has posted , the Dolium rails as used on the WindCheetah racks may fit. I suggest you investigate before going down that path. I can advise that the Rhino rails are a no go. They are the wrong shape to fit the underside of the Expedition rack, and and simply too low. I learnt the hard way, and now have a pair for sale.

The Expedition rails from LR are pricey, but at least you know they will fit.
Note - If you are buying an Expedition rack from LR, they will normally quote with the rails. Again worth checking before you proceed. Not much point ending up with two sets of rails.

Rhino supply some plastic wedges which sit on the rails. Would these be enogh to lift and level the expediton rack? Anyone tried it?

It was a possibility I drew the line at. Having already blown unnecessary cash on rails that didn't match, I baulked at getting in any deeper. The issue as I see it, is not just the height of the track to keep the rack off the roof, it is that the Rhino rail follows the actual roof line. ( why they are almost undetectable on the roof ) . The LR rail is tapered to pick up on the flat edge on the underside of the Expedition rack.

I will know a bit more when I mount the Expedition up with the LR rails.

I have just refitted the Expedition with the genuine LR rails. The LR rails are twice the height of the Rhino rails, and sit about 20mm above the roofline. The front leg of the Expedition rack ( comes with the rack ) and the plastic shroud, fit into the foremost rivnut. IMHO having to match the height of this front rail, virtually rules out using any other rail with the Expedition rack.

Even if the matching of the rails and the rack could be overcome, having to achieve the correct height for the front support leg to line up, would make the job nigh on impossible.

Bell, if you use the genuine LR rails, the fit is straight forward. Easier if you have some help. The OE rail trim strip in the roof is shortened, and the LR rails bolt straight in to the existing rivnuts. The front leg is bolted to the foremost rivnut, and the shroud attached with a plastic trim clip, before the rack is attached. The main attachment slides are plates with two bolts protruding. These are lined up to the matching holes on the Expedition rack, and the rack lifted on. Once the rack is on the rails, it can be slid forward and back to line up the front leg, and then everything tightened down. I did not have any instructions ( my rack was s/hand ) but I expect the LR instructions will follow their usual format, no text, all pictures. Should be no problem for you.

Hi Admiral,

I'm about to purchase an Expedition Roof rack and access ladder for my Disco 4. I have to purchase new and intend to self install. You mention that LR supply installation instructions with their accessories. From your comments it appears that its not to difficult.

Is the cut to the roof insert easily done with a hack saw?

Is the install from then on just bolting the LR rails into the three "high" roof section holes on each side and then the two forward supports and finally positioning the rack.

How does the rack get secured to the rear section of the two rails?

I intend using the rack for two spares when remote, possibly an awning and the usual tent poles, shovel etc.

I have a long range tank that uses the normal spare spot. Around town I'll thow the spare in the deep well I have in the rear luggage compartment - I don't have a third row and after removing the false floor I gain another 100mm in luggage space depth. Maybe a swing arm later - but a rope, the ladder and a bit of common sense makes tyre access ok for me at the moment.

I thank you for any further tips on the rack install and any negatives you've experienced since your install.

Hi Agro,

The OE roof trim is easy to cut with a hack saw, just clamp it well before you start cutting it. The metal is quite thin and it is easy to 'skip' the blade.
The rails bolt into the existing Riv nuts ( 3 bolts each side ) , and the front ' post ' for the rack bolts into the front riv nut through the metal fill strip. As advised previously, I suggest you source a trim plug remover to get the plugs out of the roof rails.

The Expedition mounts onto the rails and the front post with sliding type bolts. They do allow a little variation in where the rack is placed, but bear in mind the rear tailgate still has to lift up.

Positives - it looks the goods and is well made. That said, I can honestly say it doesn't do much else well. It is very noisy, and this is exaggerated by the quietness of the D4. I have used a shaped piece of retic pipe covered with rubber pipe cladding to fill the gap between the roof and the front of the rack. This dropped the noise from ' hurricane' to ' breeze' at 110 kmh., but I am still working on a pulley set up to remove the rack when it is not required.
The rack has very few cross ribs. This means that you cannot just chuck stuff up, and the options for strapping goods down are more limited than they should be. I have seen owners install amplimesh type floors in the Expedition, but then you lose the ability to use the sliding rails. There is also no back panel in the rack. Again whatever you put up there has to be well strapped in, or you could lose it. The sides are angled. This means a shaped bracket has to be fabricated if you wish to fix an awning on anything other than a 45 degree. ( I suggest a 2 metre max in awning length ) I have seen quite a few Expeditions on other Discos, and almost all have been modified to some degree to improve on these deficiencies.
I would look hard at the Frontrunner and Rhino options before committing to the Expedition. The Rhino has a good basket and stacks of fixing options. The Frontrunner is low profile and has more cross ribs. It also has stacks of options for fixing loads and brackets for just about anything. Both are stacks cheaper than the Expedition.

Your call. I would actually take the time to have a look at the options in real life, and ask plenty more questions before committing. As you can tell, I would probably not go for the Expedition, if I had to make the decision over again.

One more observation. I know it is unavoidable at times,and I have used a roofrack myself for spares in the past....but I would look for other options it if at all possible. Too heavy, and too damn awkward to get up and down.

Also look at the alloy Blackwidow racks sold through ARB. They have a side rail alround & mesh bottom. They use Rhino hardware (legs & rails) to fit to the D3 & D4.
Available in 1800mm length (cover the high roof area only) & 2200mm length (full roof).

Some photos on a D3 on their web site at Aluminium Roof Racks

I am waiting on a 1800m one to be shipped out at end of this week...

If you want to look at what the Rhino Tray looks like on a D4, check out the picture on their website:

Rhino Rack - Roof Racks for LAND ROVER Discovery 3 and 4 4WD

That's my car they used for the photo shoot. :)

Hi Eddomark/Ducks Guts,

Thanks for the links to the web sites.

Are both racks able utilise existing LR Rails and/or Cross Bars?

It seems as though there are many options and as you suggest I'll have to get out and poke about in the real world.

Thanks again

Hi Agro,

I have not tried the other types of racks on the OE rails. ( Ducks Guts has said the Blackwidow racks use Rhino rails & hardware ) However, I can advise that the Rhino rails are far cheaper, and do sit very low by comparison to the OE rails. This has a side benefit that if you do wish to remove the racks between trips, the Rhino rail is almost unnoticable on the vehicle roof. The OE rails sit up like a pair of skids.