Do you want to find compatible roof racks or crossbars for Toyota RAV4 and build a versatile rooftop cargo management system to transport luggage, equipment, or gear for outdoor adventures? If you do, this article can help you to find compatible options that work with your Toyota RAV4.
First, you need to make sure what type of car roof your Toyota RAV4 has and choose the specific set of items to build roof rack systems for using rooftop cargo carriers like car roof boxes, cargo baskets, kayak carriers, bike carriers, rooftop tents, or ski carriers.
Quick-List of 6 Roof Racks or Crossbars For Toyota RAV4
Toyota RAV4 with factory-installed raised roof rails – Option One
| Image | Info | Links |
|---|---|---|
 | Malone AirFlow2 Universal 50-inch Aluminum Rooftop Crossbars | Check Price On Amazon |
Toyota RAV4 with factory-installed raised roof rails – Option Two
| Image | Info | Links |
|---|---|---|
 | Rhino-Rack Vortex Crossbars 49-inch model / aluminum bars/ aerodynamic design with rubberized wave shape strip on upside channel on each bar | Check Price On Amazon |
 | Rhino-Rack Vortex Mounting Legs For Cars with raised roof rails (SX100) | Check Price On Amazon |
Toyota RAV4 with factory-installed raised roof rails – Option Three
| Image | Info | Links |
|---|---|---|
 | CURT 18118 Universal Aluminum Rooftop Crossbars with integrated mounting legs | Check Price On Amazon |
Toyota RAV4 with factory-installed raised roof rails – Option Four
| Image | Info | Links |
|---|---|---|
 | Malone Auto Racks 58-inch Model/ alloy steel materials | Check Price On Amazon |
Toyota RAV4 with flush roof rails – Option Five
| Image | Info | Links |
|---|---|---|
 | Yakima JetStream Aero Crossbars 50-inch model | Check Price On Amazon |
 | Yakima SkyLine Mounting Towers | Check Price On Amazon |
 | Yakima Landing Pads 22 | Check Price On Amazon |
Toyota RAV4 with bare roof – Option Six
| Image | Info | Links |
|---|---|---|
| Rhino-Rack Aluminum 49-inch Vortex Roof bars | Check Price On Amazon |
 | Rhino-Rack Mounting Legs For Vortex crossbars | Check Price On Amazon |
 | DK512 Fit Kit For Cars with bare roofs | Check Price On Rhino-Rack |
Detail of roof racks or crossbars for Toyota RAV4
Malone AirFlow2 Universal Crossbars 50-inch Model
Malone AirFlow2 Universal crossbars are for Toyota RAV4 with factory-installed raised roof rails. If you see two raised roof rails that run from the front to the back, your Toyota RAV4 can work with the Malone AirFlow2 roof bars.
The Malone AirFlow2 crossbars are two aluminum-made roof bars with integrated T-slots and lockable mounting towers, so these bars are easy to install and lock on roof rails. You can put up to 165 lbs of weight on the bars, but you should always follow your Toyota RAV4’s roof loading limit to put weight on roof racks and never overload the car roof because it is dangerous to both you and other drivers on the roads.
If you don’t know how much weight your Toyota RAV4 can hold on its roof, we are here to help and give you the numbers you should follow when loading things on the car roof. According to experts who work for the local Toyota dealer in our town, the Toyota RAV4 2019 – 2023 year models can carry up to 165 pounds or 80kg of items on their roofs. Older Toyota RAV4 models don’t have the same roof loading limit as the 2019 – 2023 models, and the 2006 to 2018 models can only hold 100 lbs or 46kg of weight on their roofs.
When choosing the Malone AirFlow2 crossbars, you should pick the 50-inch model and select the color between silver and black to match your RAV4’s style. The Malone AirFlow2 crossbars’ aerodynamic design cuts the wind and minimizes the wind noise when the car is in motion.
After successfully installing the Malone AirFlow2 crossbars on the raised roof rails, you must lock the mounting towers and manually test the installation for minutes (push or pull the bars in different directions).
Rhino-Rack Vortex Aerodynamic roof racks or crossbars
It is the second option for Toyota RAV4 with factory-installed raised roof rails. These aluminum-made and low-profile roof bars have an aerodynamic oval shape that offers better performance when facing air flow, and you won’t hear much wind noise and find too much waste on gas consumption with the Rhino-Rack Vortex aero bars.
If you want to use the Vortex aero bars on your Toyota RAV4, you must invest in compatible mounting legs to connect the crossbars to the existing roof rails on your Toyota RAV4. The Rhino-Rack Vortex bars will perform better than the Malone AirFlow2 bars in off-road conditions because of the design, quality, and materials in use. The Rhino-Rack sets a loading capacity for the Vortex crossbars, which is 165 pounds, so you should follow the rule and keep your cargo weight under the limit to prevent unexpected results like unstable mounting, a significant waste of gas, flipped vehicle, the chance to roll over, broken roof racks, flying pieces of luggage, and other cars’ deadly crashing on the dropped carriers.
When off-roading with the Vortex roof racks, you must decrease the cargo weight to less than 82 pounds for safety and stability. Most experts don’t recommend off-roading with rooftop cargo carriers, so you better think twice before action.
The Rhino-Rack Vortex roof bars come with four lockable rubberized End Gaps for each end of two bars, and you can find metal locking End Gaps to replace the rubber ones. After getting familiar with the Vortex crossbars, it is time to know that the Vortex bars must work with SX100 Rhino-Rack Mounting legs to be compatible with your Toyota RAV4 with OEM raised roof rails.
You must invest in four SX100 mounting legs and connect them with the Vortex bars to get two mountable rooftop crossbars to lock on your RAV4 and hold the cargo weight. These lockable mounting legs are easy to install and disassemble, so you can take the crossbars off the car roof when you don’t use them. You better clean the roof racks before storing them in the garage.
What you need:
Rhino-Rack Vortex Aero 49-inch Crossbars
SX100 Rhino-Rack Mounting Legs
CURT 18118 Universal Roof Racks or Crossbars
It is the third option for Toyota RAV4 with factory-installed raised roof rails. The CURT aluminum-made non-corrosive roof bars weigh 12 pounds with 150 pounds of loading capacity. You can mount rooftop cargo boxes, baskets, bags, ski carriers, a rooftop tent, kayak carriers, and rooftop bike carriers on the roof racks for outdoor adventures with families or friends.
These bars have elliptical aerodynamic shapes to minimize wind noise and decrease the effect on gas mileage. However, fighting the wind noise is a job for all rooftop cargo carriers, not only for a pair of crossbars, and you can follow a post to find some strategies to deal with wind effects when using rooftop cargo carriers.
When installing a pair of CURT 18118 crossbars on roof rails, you don’t require to use any tools because the tool-free installation takes about minutes from start to finish. You can find rubber-coated knobs on the mounting towers of each end on the bars, and these knobs are lockable with keys. After successful installation, you should lock the bars on the roof rails to prevent theft.
You can adjust the distance between crossbars to meet required bar-spread needs for specific rooftop cargo carriers. If you want to use the CURT 18118 roof racks on Toyota RAV4, you should pick the 53-3/8-inch model to meet the compatibility requirements.
Malone Auto Racks Universal Roof Racks
It is the fourth option for Toyota RAV4 with factory-assembled raised roof rails. The manufacturer uses alloy steel to construct the bars to make them ultra-light, 10.91 pounds each, with up to 132 pounds of loading capacity, a pair. You must pick the 58-inch model to fit the OEM raised roof rails on your Toyota RAV4, and the 58-inch model’s dimensions are 57 x 3.5 x 3.5 inches or 144.78 x 8.89 x 8.89 cm. You can use these numbers to test the compatibility between things you have.
The Malone Auto Universal roof racks come with lockable mounting towers, so you don’t worry about losing it on the go or getting it stolen by theft.
The above selections are for Toyota RAV4 with factory-installed raised roof rails.
Yakima JetStream Aerodynamic Crossbars
If you find flush roof rails on your Toyota RAV4, the Yakima JetStream works on the specific type of car roof with compatible mounting accessories. You should pick the 50-inch model to work with your RAV4, and there are three size options: 50, 60, and 70 inches in length.
The advanced aerodynamic design and the oval shape minimize the effect of wind drag and increase efficiency, and the seamless aluminum construction makes the Yakima JetStream bars sturdy enough for heavy-duty jobs. You can load up to 165 pounds or 75 kg of weight on the roof racks, but you should always follow the car’s roof loading limit when carrying cargo weight on the car roof.
You must purchase four Skyline Mounting Towers and four Yakima Landing Pads 22 to build a complete JetStream roof rack system on the Toyota RAV4 with flush roof rails. The lockable Skyline Mounting Towers connect to the bars and stand on the Landing Pads to hold the crossbars for carrying extra cargo weight on the go. You can use the PDF below to learn how to connect the towers with the roof bars and contact the seller to learn how to install the Landing Pads on the flush roof rails.
PDF that helps:
Yakima JetStream User Manual: PDF File
What you need:
Yakima JetStream 50-inch Roof Rack System
Rhino-Rack Vortex Roof Racks or Crossbars
It is an option for Toyota RAV4 with bare or empty car roofs. If your Toyota RAV4 does not have roof rails, you can choose the items below to build a complete working roof rack system for using all rooftop cargo carriers.
You require three items: a pair of 49-inch Rhino-Rack Vortex crossbars, four compatible Rhino-Rack Mounting legs, and a set of fit kits to build the cargo management system.
Rhino-Rack Vortex crossbars are sturdy, long-lasting, and water-resistant accessories that you can use to haul up to 165 pounds of luggage or equipment. The Vortex roof bars come in parts, so you can assemble all the components to get a pair of ready-to-use crossbars with needed compatible mounting legs and fitting kits.
You can find lock cores on bars and mounting legs, so you better use lubrication powder or oil to maintain the locking system for a longer lifecycle. You can find rubber-coated lockable End Caps on each bar, but you can replace the rubber caps with metal ones for better security and trustworthiness.
Rhino-Rack Vortex crossbars are one of the most aerodynamic roof bars you can find on the market, and these bars have rubberized S-shape strips on each bar’s upside channel to ensure smooth airflow when they are in motion. You don’t need to purchase extra fairing accessories when using the Vortex bars because they are quiet enough, even in high-speed conditions.
Rhino-Rack builds the Vortex crossbars with H-shaped inner structures and high-density aluminum materials, which make each Vortex bar ultra-rugged; additionally, you can keep the Vortex roof bars on the car roof when they are not in use because these bars are non-corrosive to elements.
During the installation process, you can find ruler numbers at the bottom of each Vortex bar, and you can use these measurement numbers to separate each mounting leg evenly close to the bar heads.
What you need:
Rhino-Rack Vortex 69-inch crossbars
Rhino-Rack RLKVA Mounting Legs For Vortex bars
DK512 Fit Kit For Cars With Bare Roofs
In Conclusion
This article introduces some high-quality and popular roof racks or crossbars that can work on Toyota RAV4 with different roof types: bare roofs, flush roof rails, and factory-installed raised roof rails. If you want to use roof-mounted cargo carriers like car roof boxes, cargo bags, cargo baskets, and other specific rooftop gear carriers, you must first have a roof rack system or a pair of crossbars on your vehicle.
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