Mount Kits and Hardware

What these parts do

A roof rack is a system, not a single part. The load bars carry the cargo, but the legs, feet, fit kits, and clamps decide how the bars attach to the vehicle. Replacing or adding a piece usually means matching it to a specific rack series. This category collects those parts, along with tracks, pads, and tie-downs.

Common kit types

• Leg kits and brackets: these set the bar height and the distance from the roof. Leg sets are often sold in fours.
• Fit or fitting kits: vehicle-specific pads and clamps that grip door frames, rain gutters, or factory mounting points.
• Load bars: the crossbars themselves, available in different lengths and profiles such as square or aerodynamic.
• Tracks and base kits: rails that let you slide and position accessories, or hardware sets that fasten a platform to roof points.
• Replacement pads and clamps: wear items for older systems, often rubber pads and metal clamps.
• Ratchet straps: tie-downs sized for loads on rack bars.

How to choose

Begin with the rack you already own or plan to buy. Brand and series naming matter: one family's legs usually do not fit another's bars, and parts within the same family can differ by generation. Then identify how your roof is built, such as bare roof, factory rails, raised rails, gutters, or fixed points, because that determines the fit kit. Finally, check the bar length and profile for your accessories, such as awnings, boxes, or carriers, since each has its own mounting requirements.

Installation and safe loading

Follow the instructions for spacing the bars, and torque fasteners to the manufacturer's specification. Recheck tightness after the first trip and periodically after that, since vibration and temperature changes can loosen hardware. Every rack and every vehicle roof has a dynamic load limit, which is lower than the static limit. Do not exceed the lowest rating among your rack, the fit kit, and the vehicle manual, and remember that gear on top raises the vehicle's center of gravity.

Watch for wind noise and rubbing after installation, and inspect pads and straps for wear. Always confirm fitment for your exact year, make, and model, plus roof type, with the manufacturer's specifications.

Measuring and inspecting

Before ordering, measure the roof width between the mounting points, and measure the distance between the front and rear points if you plan to span a long rack. Note the rail height and gap if the vehicle has factory rails, since a clearance of a few millimeters can decide whether a clamp fits. Compare your measurements with the specifications in each listing. Once installed, inspect rubber pads for hardening and cracking, check that metal clamps show no corrosion, and replace any worn bolts instead of reusing stripped ones. Strap ends should be tucked and tied so they do not flap and fray against the paint, and any gear loaded on top should be secured from several directions.

Carry a small torque wrench and a few spare bolts and pads on longer trips, because hardware that rattles loose on corrugated roads is much easier to fix at camp than to ignore until a bar shifts.