Do you want to create additional loading space above the car roof for your Chevrolet Malibu or Chevy Malibu (in short)? A rooftop cargo carrier is what you are looking for as a problem solution. However, how can you equip your Chevy Malibu with a roof-mounted cargo carrier? What to learn before action? We are here to assist you in making your Chevy Malibu bigger.
You can find 15.7 cubic feet of trunk space on your Chevy Malibu, but it is not enough for most outdoor needs, especially when traveling with families. You may need to load luggage in the passenger room and ask your companions to squeeze with the luggage, which makes your friends or family feel uncomfortable and upset during the trips. As a result, you better figure out a way to build extra luggage space on your Chevy Malibu and free up the cabin room to make your passengers relaxed with more space to stretch their arms and legs.
If you want to equip your Chevrolet Malibu with a rooftop cargo carrier, you have different options to choose from; as a result, we recommend you read through an article about types of rooftop cargo carriers and compare these options to decide which best suits your situation.
Most people don’t know where to start when planning to add a roof-mounted cargo carrier for Chevy Malibu, so you can follow this article to learn how to build a rooftop cargo management system from start to finish.
You can start by choosing compatible roof racks or crossbars for your Chevrolet Malibu, and a pair of crossbars hold one or multiple roof-mounted cargo carriers to securely transport your luggage or gear.
Quick-Pick List of Crossbars and Cargo Carriers For Chevrolet Malibu
| Image | Option | Weight | Capacity | Opening | Dimensions | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | INNO Ridge | 20 pounds | 110 lbs | Passenger Side Opening | Internal Dimensions: 50.4 x 23.6 x 11.4 inches or 128 x 58 x 29 cm | Check Price On Amazon |
 | TACTIK | 34 pounds | 110 pounds | Dual-Side Opening | 57 x 38.5 x 17.75 inches or 144.7 x 97.79 x 45 cm | Check Price On Amazon |
 | TUFFIOM | 24.25 lbs | 150 lbs | Passenger Side Opening | 61 x 27.6 x 13.8 inches or 154 x 70 x 35 cm | Check Price On Amazon |
Roof Racks or Crossbars For Chevrolet Malibu
If you decide to install a rooftop cargo carrier for your Chevrolet Malibu, you should first have roof racks or crossbars on the car roof. However, your Chevy Malibu has a bare roof without roof rails; as a result, you need to purchase multiple components to combine a complete roof rack system for your Chevy Malibu before mounting a roof-mounted cargo carrier on the car roof.
We recommend these items for your consideration.
Option One
Rhino-Rack Vortex Aero Crossbars 49-inch can perfectly fit the roof size of your Chevrolet Malibu, and you have to purchase multiple compatible components to connect and hold the Vortex crossbars on the car doorjamb.
Why do we choose the Rhino-Rack Vortex crossbars for your Chevrolet Malibu? The manufacturer uses aluminum materials to construct the vortex roof bars to minimize their weight and leave as much as possible loading weight on the car roof. If you don’t know what the car roof loading rate is, you can refer to an article to get knowledge on static roof loading limit, dynamic roof loading rate, and their differences.
When mounting the Rhino-Rack Vortex crossbars on your Chevrolet Malibu, you need to combine 4 Rhino-Rack 2500 mounting legs and a set of 4 compatible clamps with the Vortex crossbars to build up a complete roof rack system for the naked roof on your Chevy Malibu.
What you need:
Option Two
We choose INNO Square Steel crossbars as the second option that you can use to build a roof rack system for a Chevy Malibu with a bare roof. If you often go off-roading events with friends, a pair of steel crossbars is what you may need for carrying stuff on unpaved roads or territories.
We recommend you choose the 54-inch INNO Square crossbars to fit the roof size of your Chevrolet Malibu.
When securely and accurately installing the 54-inch INNO Steel Square crossbars on the Chevy Malibu with a bare roof, you must get four compatible INNO mounting feet and a set of Fit Kit to connect the crossbars with the car doorjambs.
You can follow the links below to find specific items.
After equipping your Chevy Malibu with a complete roof rack system, you can choose a rooftop cargo carrier to carry luggage or equipment for most outdoor needs. Most people utilize roof-mounted cargo carriers to transport their luggage bags, skis, golf clubs, fishing rods, kayaks, sporting gear, road trip essentials, and almost everything that they may need for their outdoor holidays.
What you need:
Detail of Rooftop Cargo Carriers For Chevy Malibu
TUFFIOM 13.4 Cubic Feet Cargo Box
It is the first roof-mounted cargo carrier as an additional storage room for your Chevy Malibu on the car roof. The manufacturer utilizes Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) plastic to make the TUFFIOM cargo carrier anti-elements and last longer. ABS plastic is a lightweight material that won’t occupy too much roof loading rate, and the TUFFIOM 13.4 cubic feet cargo carrier allows you to load up to 150 pounds of items without a problem.
Therefore, you can use the Chevy Malibu’s roof loading limit minus the weight of the roof racks and the cargo carrier to calculate the exact weight allowed on the car roof for your luggage or equipment.
Tuffiom cargo carrier opens from dual sides for easy loading, but you should peel off the protective strip on the lid before opening the cargo carrier for packing or unloading.
You won’t hear too much wind noise or find a significant decrease in gas mileage after having a TUFFIOM cargo carrier on the car roof because of its aerodynamic design. You can find locks on both sides to secure your luggage from theft, but you should leave a key in the car to unlock the cargo carrier when you forget the often-used key at home. Otherwise, you can learn tactics we found to open a locked cargo carrier without keys.
When it comes to installation, you should focus on the bar spreads, which means the front bar and the back bar should depart from each other at least 15.35 inches or the farthest 40.94 inches to meet the requirement of the Tuffiom cargo carrier.
We know the dimensions of a TUFFIOM cargo carrier are 61 x 27.6 x 13.8 inches or 154.94 x 70.104 x 35.052 cm, and you can use a ruler to estimate the actual size of a Tuffiom cargo carrier on the roof of your Chevrolet Malibu with these numbers. Moreover, you can know if the Tuffiom fits the size of your luggage bags or other long gear. We don’t recommend using a TUFFIOM cargo carrier to carry long gear because its actual length won’t be enough for adults’ skis or snowboards.
TACTIK Rooftop Cargo Carrier
It is the second option to boost your Chevy Malibu’s loading capacity and carry what you need for most outdoor events. It is a little shorter than the TUFFIOM cargo carrier, but the TACTIK is broader and higher; therefore, the TACTIK cargo carrier is better for camping and road trips.
The TACTIK is a plastic rooftop cargo carrier that weighs 34 pounds, so we believe you can lift it alone for installation and removal. Most people have concerns about whether they can drive with an empty cargo carrier, so we have discovered some opinions to help people better under the benefits and drawbacks of wheeling their cars with an unloaded cargo carrier.
The TACTIK cargo carriers have two size options: Large and X-large. These two models have the same height as 17.75 inches or 45.085 cm, but they have different width and length: Large – 46.5 x 30.5 inches or 118.11 x 77.47 cm / X-Large – 57 x 38.5 inches or 144.78 x 97.79 cm. You can use these numbers to see the differences in measurement on these two TACTIK models.
These two TACTIK models have the same loading capacity of 110 pounds, which means you can put up to 49 kg of weight in a TACTIK cargo carrier, whatever model you choose. However, these models have different internal spaces: 10 cubic feet (Large) and 18 cubic feet (X-Large).
The TACTIK requires a fixed bar spread, which is 24 inches or 60.96 cm (the distance between two crossbars). It works with most roof racks: factory, aerodynamic, round, or square crossbars, but the width of the bar should be less than 4 inches.
INNO Ridge Cargo Box
It is the third option we pick for your Chevy Malibu. INNO cargo boxes are popular among outdoor enthusiasts because of their modern designs, advanced features, and trustable quality.
INNO Ridge is one of those smaller car roof boxes that can perfectly fit the size of compact cars like your Chevy Malibu. INNO Ridge provides 8 cubic feet of internal space for loading luggage or equipment. It can work with most roof rack systems like factory-installed, round, square, and aerodynamic roof bars.
Its dimensions are 50.4 x 23.6 x 11.4 inches or 128.016 x 59.944 x 28.956 cm. You won’t feel any differences in driving after having it on the roof racks because of its low-profile design. We believe it is possible to carry two camping chairs, a two-person tent, two sleeping bags, and some camping equipment, but it is not a perfect solution to carry long gear. When closing the INNO Ridge, you better give the lid a little “slam” to engage the lock because a gentle shutting won’t activate the locking trigger.
The entire installation of an INNO Ridge cargo box won’t take too long, and you better read the installation manual several times to understand the most accurate tips and steps. You can adjust the position of a cargo box to find the most comfortable position and maximize the convenience when packing or unloading it.
INNO Ridge is not the only option in the INNO family for your Chevrolet Malibu. If you are interested in checking on other INNO cargo boxes, you can follow the link here to find more available INNO roof boxes.
Some users confirmed that the locks on the INNO Ridge cargo box are not as strong as other brands like Thule and Yakima, and we believe the thief can easily open it with force; consequently, if you want to add security to an INNO Ridge cargo box, you can follow a guide to find some tactics and make yours INNO Ridge cargo carrier more secure from thefts.
Other Smaller Rooftop Cargo Boxes
We recommend you choose a relatively small car roof box for your Chevy Malibu. We have a list of smaller cargo boxes with their specifications, features, photos, and comparisons. Why should you use a small cargo box on a Chevy Malibu? The limited roof loading limit is the most significant reason. For example, if your Chevrolet Malibu’s roof loading limit is 165 pounds, you better not use a rooftop cargo carrier, which has 165+ lbs loading ability, because it is a waste, and the big cargo carrier makes the vehicle unstable when it is in motion.
Conclusion
In this article, we give you some recommendations that you can use to create a roof-mounted cargo management system to carry what you need for outdoor activities.
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