Roof rack noise solution!!

13021 Views 25 Replies 20 Participants Last post by wdbrady, Aug 19, 2007

Terry

Discussion Starter · May 19, 2005

Would it be better to add a deflector flairing in the front of the roof rack?? Just like the one u see on Nissan Xterra. I think that would reduce the noise somehow.

Give me some thought guys!!

Canada B.C. EXL-Navi blue, roof rack, camera, hood deflector and running board

1 - 20 of 26 Posts

lineridgejohn

· #2 · May 19, 2005

Just out of curiosty, the wind noise is a problem I take it?

How aggravating is it. I am trying to decide if I should put one on mine to make it look more sporty, can't see actually using it really, but I think it looks good.

Got any full side view pics of oyur truck with the rack?

thanks,

John
Ontario

nwdiver

· #3 · May 19, 2005

I've had them on other cars--not sure if they made them significantly quieter though. The one thing I did notice is that they created a backdraft so whereas I could drive (>35mph) in the rain with the sunroof wide open without getting wet, after installing one, the rain would actually get pushed into the opening.

rdhplano

· #4 · May 19, 2005

I have the roof rack and some wind noise at 60 mph with the soft side of the moon roof open. Once I close that, I can barely hear the wind noise. Then turn on the radio and it is gone. I certainly would not spend any additional money for the slight noise I hear. I would use it for additional XM time or cd's

G

· #5 · May 19, 2005

rdhplano said:
I have the roof rack and some wind noise at 60 mph with the soft side of the moon roof open. Once I close that, I can barely hear the wind noise. Then turn on the radio and it is gone. I certainly would not spend any additional money for the slight noise I hear. I would use it for additional XM time or cd's

Ditto for me too!!

mayfielh

· #6 · May 19, 2005

The roof rack while I'm sure there is some noise from the drag it creates is not an issue.

If you are experiencing Wind Noise without the rack it is from a bad/warped wind shield gasket. My RL has been in the shop for another week and they ended up getting a new and improved gasket. I assuming it will be the same as the VIN 16000+ models.

My total time in the shop for this issue and others has been 1 full month, so far. I am pursuing Honda to make the next payment on my RL. If this continues I will be pursuing legal action to have them take this vehicle back.

Please don't get me wrong I love this truck I am just tired of not having it.

Truckin'

· #7 · May 20, 2005

Mayfielh, that is terrible. I would be so distressed to have my truck in the shop. I hope you are successful at getting this resolved and getting a payment made for your pain and suffering.

About the noise: I have not found the roof rack to cause enough noise that I would not have installed it. Yes it is noisier than not having one, but it's not even noticeable unless you have your moonroof open. I do not like riding with the moonroof open if we are going above 40-50 mph anyway, and that is when the noise gets more obnoxious. We have our crossbars all the way to the back and that cut the noise considerably too.

tedridge

· #8 · Jul 5, 2005

I have the sunroof and roof rack and don't have wind noise that's enough to notice. I too just crank up the XM radio. I guess I just lucked out with a good installation.

NJDevil5

· #9 · Jul 7, 2005

How is it that people don't really notice the wind noise??? I too have it, and hate it. I thought perhaps I had a windshield issue (as did my dealer) so had that resealed. The noise persisted. The only thing I found that reduces the noise somewhat is moving the cross bars back. If I could remove them all together, they'd be off by now. According the installation instructions, it's a process that requires special tooling. Any other suggestions / fixes would be appreciated.

captmiddy

· #10 · Jul 7, 2005

NJDevil5 said:
How is it that people don't really notice the wind noise???

Roof racks make noise, there is no way to make that go away completely. The vehicles are not designed in wind tunnels with roof racks attached. Even so, I don't even hear it at highway speeds and I am one of those people who can pick out the song within seconds of it starting in a busy room with people chatting loudly and have people around me look at me like I am crazy because I tell them what song is playing and they say there isn't any music on. If I open the moonroof cover I hear a noise consistent with what every roof rack I have had sounds like. I tend to listen to the radio no higher than setting 7 and then only when I am listening to AM stations that tend to lighter on the volume to begin with.

This isn't to say that some people wouldn't be bothered by the noise if it is in a pitch range that particularly annoys them. Is it possible you have another thing on your truck that is deflecting air in an odd way that the roof rack is making even work, like a hood deflector or something?

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NJDevil5

· #11 · Jul 7, 2005

I too listen at about a level 6-7 but don't have the moon roof. I don't have the whistling / whining (like I'm doing right now), high pitched noise some are talking about. I do have a rather loud rumbling noise however. I guess I would expect some noise, but not to the degree that I have. I also do have the hood / bug deflector. I can't tell you if this causes any additional noise as it was installed, along with the rack and tonneau prior to my picking up the vehicle. I'm at a loss on options from here, aside from living with it which I'm prepared to do.

The sad thing is...the rack provides no additional value to me other than to look good (talk about vanity!)

captmiddy

· #12 · Jul 7, 2005

NJDevil5 said:
I too listen at about a level 6-7 but don't have the moon roof. I don't have the whistling / whining (like I'm doing right now), high pitched noise some are talking about. I do have a rather loud rumbling noise however. I guess I would expect some noise, but not to the degree that I have. I also do have the hood / bug deflector. I can't tell you if this causes any additional noise as it was installed, along with the rack and tonneau prior to my picking up the vehicle. I'm at a loss on options from here, aside from living with it which I'm prepared to do.

The sad thing is...the rack provides no additional value to me other than to look good (talk about vanity!)

Maybe you really just need to get the bars off if you aren't even going to use them. No idea what tools are required to take them off, probably a torx wrench of some sort.

I believe there is some mention in the instructions for installing the roof rack that you can reduce wind noise by installing the rubber molding between the two cross bars. Not real sure why or what they are doing but perhaps there is something to this that will help you.

H&A

· #13 · Jul 7, 2005

I'm not sure if this has been covered before (or even if they will fit in the wrong way), but check the way the crossbars are facing. The thick side should be forward.

-Trevor
Factory Honda Ridgeline Accessories

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arteegee

· #14 · Jul 7, 2005

The old teardrop shape, eh. Makes sense. Will have to remember that if I ever need to get one.

H&A

· #15 · Jul 7, 2005

it was a common problem on the 1999-04 Ody as Honda labeled one of the crossbars with a small sticker that said "Front", the problem was they put it on the back of the front crossbar so a lot of installers put the sticker to the front.

-Trevor

NJDevil5

· #16 · Jul 8, 2005

Unfortunately, the dealership has checked the direction of the bars and the rubber strips have also been cut and installed in the roof channels as directed in the installation manual. Removel of the cross members seems to be the best option although turning the volume up to 8 or 9 may be also work.

Maddytk

· #17 · Sep 27, 2005

I'm considering taking off the crossbars (at least for most of the time). The Ford Freestyle's rack looks very similar to the RL, but it doesn't have the crossbars - only the pieces running front to back. This wouldn't provide quite the same holding power, but should be quieter. Can the crossbars be taken off?

jjm454

· #18 · Oct 14, 2005

I immediately notieed the roof rack wind noise right after the rack was installed. I found that the position of the cross bars can greatly affect the noise. Try moving them more toward the rear.

I love my roof rack as I use it for carrying my Kayak, but I don't use the Honda kayak carrier.

I'll start a new thread about carrying the kayak with Yakima carrier.

NJDevil5

· #19 · Oct 14, 2005

Maddytk said:
I'm considering taking off the crossbars (at least for most of the time). The Ford Freestyle's rack looks very similar to the RL, but it doesn't have the crossbars - only the pieces running front to back. This wouldn't provide quite the same holding power, but should be quieter. Can the crossbars be taken off?

The crossbars can be removed and it's a fairly easy process. Just download the installation manual and you'll see the specific tools required. I believe it requires 2-3 torque bits which I had to borrow from a friend but once I had them the rest was easy. I ended up loosening the two back and middle support braces which allows you to access the two screws that hold the back braces to the side support rails. Simply slide the cross bars off once the back support braces are removed. The instructions recommended a torque sequence when re-installing. I would suggest using a blanklet on the roof just to protect the paint as you remove the components.

The noise was reduced well over 50% in my situation and was a welcome relief as it was really getting on my nerves.

Schoenig

· #20 · Mar 23, 2006

Re: Pipe rack

Has anyone had experence or tried to add a pipe rack to the rear side rails. I am picking up my Blue RTS on 3/28/06. I sometimes carry long pieces of lumber.

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