Raised roof rails + crossbars

I have been looking at getting the raised roof rails + crossbars for my LR2, and would appreciaite anyone that currently has them to let me know what you think.

I read a thread on another message board regarding the rasied roof rails + crossbar for the Freelander 2 over in the UK.  They apparently have sunroof and no-sunroof versions.  I assume we get the sunroof version in the US since it's not an option on the LR2.  They had complained about noise from the fixed crossbar on the raised roof rail kit, and I wanted to know if that was a problem with the US version.  (They claimed that the sunroof version did not exhibit this problem)

I also wanted feedback on the LR crossbars.  Are these standard size and do most roof storage options work with them?  Would you be better off buying the Thule crossbars that fit the LR2?

Thanks for any insight,
Carl

clmolar,
 
I have had a roofrack and crossbars on my LR2 for about a month now.  I purchased the parts from the local dealer here in San Diego and intended to do the install myself. Once I read the installation instructions, I quickly closed the box and made an appointment with the dealer to do the install. I coulld'nt believe how complicated the installation looked. 
 
Anyway, now that the installation is complete, to answer your question, yes, you do get some wind noise. It is not terribly noisy, but it is noticable.  Besides the noise, there was one part of the roofrail assembly that did not quite fit very well so the dealer has had to order a complete roofrack assembly to fix the problem.
 
Bottom line is; I think it gives a distinctive look to the LR2 that I like alot and I have a way to transport my skis this winter.  Hope the info helps in your decision.

 jim2342, out of curiousity, does any part of the roof rail assembly cross over the sunroof?  The dealer, because we were one of the first to get our car, couldn't answer that question for me, so we declined having them installed.  In a way I regret it, in another I don't.  Just wondering if the crossbars miss the sunroof, or do they cross over it?

I have the rails and cross bars.  The fixed crossbar that is a part of the rail system is well back of both sunroofs.  The two cross bars can be set anywhere i.e. over the sunroofs or not.

Be prepared to spend over $1,000 for the rails and crossbars with installation.  They don't fit well either because of gaps, etc.  Cheaply made in my opinion.

I am new in this forums.
I just installed roof rails over the week end ( no cross bars). It took me over 3 hours. If you have proper tools, it may take less time.
It does have noticeble humming noise when it reach speed at 70 on high way.
But again, I believe roof rails is a must on this beautiful driving machine.

I have been told that you can get the raised roof/rail system from LR dealers.
Then you can buy to your hearts content the crossbars and any adaptation from the rack leaders Yakima or Tule. They are a little less expensive that the attachments from the dealer and can be customizable much more. They however do not have the raised rail system for the LR2 yet. So you have to get that from the dealer.

Hey!

I'm a new owner of the LR2 and have got roof kit from utahparts.com for almost half price of the local dealer. It took me 2-3 hours to install it - the process is MUCH easier than described in instruction - still require some drilling. The fixed cross bar is a magic for mee too - I didn't install it. Didn't notice any noise - probably it comes from the cross rail.

Does anyone figured what is this cross-rail for?!? Looks like this part is unnecessary with proper  cross-bars.

Regards,
Eugene

PS. Mud-guard install is a REAL pain in the a...

I would say the noise is coming from the fixed crossbar. I will try to remove it and I believe the fixed crossbar is a support between two raised rails since they mounted slant toward to each other.

Does anyone know which ski racks and roof cargo boxes are compatible with the factory roof rail/cross-bar system?

quote:

ORIGINAL: jpfpdx

Does anyone know which ski racks and roof cargo boxes are compatible with the factory roof rail/cross-bar system?

 
jpfpdx, I have the factory roofrail and crossbars on my LR2.  It took quite a bit of searching because Yakima and Thule don't even list the LR2. However, I found a Yakima PowderHound 4 pair ski rack that fits on the crossbars. Hope that helps.

I bought the factory roof rail and crossbar system and installed it myself.  It took about 90 minutes and does take a certain amount of guts (you need a special drill bit and have to drill four holes in the plastic rain gutter) but it isn't all that difficult if you're moderatly capable around cars.
 
To answer the original poster's question, there is a permanant cross bar that sits just behind the sunroofs.  The intent (I think) is to keep soft-bottom cargo from sagging and pressing down on the open sunroof.  It seems to protect the raised back edge of the sunroof panel.  This rail is in addition to the two crossbars that come with the crossbar kit.  Also, the factory rails and crossbar had absolutely NO noticable effect on cabin noise in my experience.
 
I DID notice a slight increase in wind noise when I added a Thule bike rack to the setup - which I did a few days later.
 
Jim2342, to answer your quesiton I used the same Thule system that I had on my freelander with zero modifications.  You may want to try searching Thule's site for products that fit the 04-05 Freelander.  The racks aren't very different at all.
 
Hope that helps. 

I have the roof rack and crossbars.  Use it with a Thule box.  Dealer installed the rack and crossbars.  Box fits on perfect.  No problems or issues.

Hi
 
Due to height limitations of my garage, the permanent LR2 roof rails are not an option for me.  Looking around the internet, I came across references of a standard Thule crossbar that mounts on top of the roof without the need of the roof rail.  The references are for Freelander 2 which I believe is the European version of the LR2.   Here is the reference:
 
http://www.freel2.com/forum/topic290-90.html
 
Check out this page for a picture:
 
http://www.freel2.com/forum/topic290-135.html
 
I have identified the necessary parts:  Thule Rapid System  750 with the car adapter 1443 and your choice of bars.   Unfortunately, the model numbers seem to be unavailable here in the United States (or quite possibly a different set of numbers are used).  Anyone have any luck purchasing this system?  Anyone know of someplace in the UK which would ship to the US?
 
Thanks for any help

Here is a picture of factory raised rails, and landrover cross bars...with a 21 Yakima skybox.....
No problem with sunroof. Hope this may help someone looking, for extra storage.

When you put on the thule bike rack, did you remove the permenant cross bar?
Check out the attached picture form the Accessories brochure....notice no permenant cross bar....unless i cant see it...but looks like just the two cross bars...now I''am wondering how much use the permenant cross bar is if you have the two others.

Thanks for all of this - I''m definitely going to consider getting roof rails for mine now!