Atlas/Sherpa roof rack

[MikeSaw]

Just removed the OEM rack for a cross country trip and enjoyed the much reduced wind noise. Was considering replacing it with the Atlas rack because it appears to require the least -i.e. none- amount of modification and looks substantially like the other offerings, i.e. Westcott, Victory, Prinsu etc. Was curious about what sort of wind noise I can expect with the rack and if it greatly impacts mpg. I'd expect some of both but wondered if anyone had real world experience with this.

 

[nonamex]

When I had the Atlas rack by itself I didn't notice that much noise. It was definitely quieter than the OEM rack but it wasn't silent either. I now have a RTT with a light bar so you definitely hear the wind much like with the OEM rack.

As for gas mileage I'm currently getting 17-19 MPG on the highway and 15 MPG on city streets. I'm fully loaded with RTT, rack, fridge, storage, stove, gear, etc. I'm seeing the range as 299 miles on a full tank.

 

[MikeSaw]

When I had the Atlas rack by itself I didn't notice that much noise. It was definitely quieter than the OEM rack but it wasn't silent either. I now have a RTT with a light bar so you definitely hear the wind much like with the OEM rack.

As for gas mileage I'm currently getting 17-19 MPG on the highway and 15 MPG on city streets. I'm fully loaded with RTT, rack, fridge, storage, stove, gear, etc. I'm seeing the range as 299 miles on a full tank.

thanks for that information. I like the look of the rack but did not want to get the wind noise back too much.

 

[climr]

I have the atlas. It is not silent, I suspect no rack is. But I don’t find it offensive by any means, and the added functionality and looks are enough to deal with the slight increase noise. I don’t have solid numbers before/after, but my guess is it’ll cost you 0.5mpg if you do a lot of hwy driving.

One thing not in the instructions - once you install the rack there is nothing holding the rubber strips in the channel on the middle/back of roof. Either glue them down or remove them or they’ll go flying off on your first drive.

I’ve had Sherpa racks on 3 vehicles now, always easy to deal with, ship fast and work great.

 

[kscarrol]

Considering the Sherpa rack, assume it does not interfere with the moon roof operation?

 

[climr]

no, all good there. The moon roof retracts into roof itself, so no issue there. Just make sure you don’t place a cross bar where the sunroof tilts up.

 

[caiceangel]

Just got my Overtrail last weekend. Had to remove the roofrack to fit into the garage. Does anyone know if the Atlas is shorter than the OEM rails?

 

[kscarrol]

I don't have measurements but yes it is. the factory roof rails come off and the rack is bolted to the roof. I'm guessing but it is several inches shorter than the factory roof rails plus the factory roof rack.

 

[caiceangel]

That’s what I’m hoping. Unfortunately, the measurements on the Sherpa site don’t really help much. RACK DIMENSIONS - 97.8” x 50-1/2” x 2.5”*. The asterisk after the 2.5 makes me nervous to drop $1600 without knowing for sure.

 

[kscarrol]

I still have the factory roof rails and while no longer on my GX, the stick up almost 3 inches from the roof. Add the height of the factory rack and you're probably close to 5 inches above the roof.

As for the asterisk, the Sherpa rack is about 2.5 inches above the center of the roof but the roof gently slopes down toward the sides of the vehicle so as measure there, the rack is about 3 inches above the roof.

 

[caiceangel]

I still have the factory roof rails and while no longer on my GX, the stick up almost 3 inches from the roof. Add the height of the factory rack an d you're probably close to 5 inches above the roof.

Thank you!