Toyota Roof Crossbars - Wind Noise and Install Qs

[hikeskico]

I just ordered some cross bars from Toyota and had them shipped to my house. Installed them this weekend and immediately noticed how loud they are. I mean they are really loud. Anything over 55mph and they become noticeable and I don’t even have a moonroof. My previous vehicle was a Subaru crosstrek and it had crossbars and a moonroof and I never noticed the noise if nothing was tied to them.

[UPDATE: I was wrong! Put the lip of the crossbars facing front for minimal wind noise!]

I installed them the way I thought made the most sense. I placed the most rounded face of the crossbars pointing towards the front of the vehicle. The back section has a lip which I would assume resembles a spoiler of sorts.

This is the correct way to install them right? The instructions were not super clear, besides placing the one labeled FRONT in the front position.

Does anyone else think these things are super loud?

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[jrenzag]

I think you have them installed correctly. I have had them on since day one (dealership installed). I definitely notice the wind noise at higher speeds. Been debating whether it's worth keeping them (just for the looks)...or to take them off bc they're so noisy.

 

[hikeskico]

I think you have them installed correctly. I have had them on since day one (dealership installed). I definitely notice the wind noise at higher speeds. Been debating whether it's worth keeping them (just for the looks)...or to take them off bc they're so noisy.

Good to know. Man that sucks though. These are not good at all.

 

[Tarekith]

Mine came from the dealer with the lip to the FRONT and I don’t notice any obvious wind noise, even with a sunroof.

 

[hikeskico]

Mine came from the dealer with the lip to the FRONT and I don’t notice any obvious wind noise, even with a sunroof.

Interesting. Seems unintuitive to have them that way but I’ll likely try them this way too and see if I notice a difference!

 

[jlostetter]

I hated these on all my previous 4Runners… have a limited /max coming in November, told the dealer don’t even think about adding them. The noise ridiculous.

 

[hikeskico]

I hated these on all my previous 4Runners… have a limited /max coming in November, told the dealer don’t even think about adding them. The noise ridiculous.

Bummer. The way the seats fold the roof is about the only place to put my skis, and still comfortably carry 4 people.

 

[Gumpus]

It's usually the front bar that makes noise since it gets hit with full airflow. You can try sliding the front bar back maybe 6-12 inches; my 5th Gen has a sticker showing quietest position. Thule or Yakima may sell a wind dam for 6th Gen, IDK. You can also spiral wrap the front bar with rope to break up the airflow...older cars had spiral-cut antennae for this reason.

 

[Tarekith]

I thought we weren;t able to move the crossbars on the 6th gen? If so, happy to measure mine so other people can try the same positions.

 

[Twisted]

I thought we weren;t able to move the crossbars on the 6th gen? If so, happy to measure mine so other people can try the same positions.

They can move to any of the spots on the rails that have the holes.

 

[Twisted]

Mine were very loud with the moonroof even cracked open. I always thought it was the moonroof itself until I removed the crossbars in preparation for the trailhunter rack and it was silent even on the freeway.

Fun fact that I haven't seen mentioned. With the moonroof cracked at the rear you get a lot more air movement with the trailhunter rack installed than not.

 

[RenoT4R]

Mine came factory/dealer installed. I'm probably going to remove them. They are overly loud.

 

[EL616]

As a frequent user of crossbars (I strap my kayaks to the roof pretty much every weekend) I'll say the OEM racks kind of suck -- the "feet" on either side take up way too much space and if you use any mounts for boats/bikes/skis, etc., they have to go on the inside of those feet, making loading from the side that much harder. I strongly recommend 3rd party racks like the Thule Wingbar Evo with the raised rail feet (I have the 53" ones and they look and work perfectly). Those let you use the entire width of the bar vs. just the space between the feet.

I can't compare the wind noise between the two since I never had the OEMs, but I haven't noticed any significant increase with the Thules compared to no bars at all.

 

[hikeskico]

I just rotated the crossbars to have the lip facing the front. I'll report back once I drive on the highway and let y'all know if there was any improvement.

 

[hikeskico]

Wow. That made a HUGE difference. Lip pointing to the front is definitely the correct way for wind noise. While there is still some noise around 70ish it's nowhere near as bad. If wind noise is a problem, I'd highly recommend checking the orientation of the lip. Thanks to @Tarekith for the suggestion.

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