Queries on Rola sports bars for Challenger

If your using the rail mounted style there might be issues with the rails heights assuming the roof has a curve to it.I would tend to be a bit conservative with the load rating, the front bar dented the roof of my suzzuki with a failrly light load although it has now thankfully popped it self out.
Regards Charlie

I would not use the mounting points on the roof.
There has been a recall involving them as the were bending straight(if you get what i mean) which causes the roof bars to fall off. This was mainly happening after sustained exposure to corrigations i have found out.
Even thought the recall happened i have been advised not to use the mounting points in the roof.

I was advised to use the track mounted system where to tracks are riveted to your roof and the legs for the bars mount in them.
This system has a capacity of 100kg+ depending on the amount of bars used.

As for the actual roof carry capacity of a Challenger i have spoken to Mitsubishi AUST and they rate it at 50kg.

Now the roof bars are rated to 100kg and you could put that load up there and all would be good but if you have a accident and have to make a insurance claim and they find out you exceeded the 50kg your claim would be void as you have broken ADR or something.

As a point of interest the average weight of a roof basket is about 26kg so leagally you can only out about 24kg up there.

Don't even look at the roof racks that you bolt onto the roof itself as the cause the roof to buckle I have seen it

As for the manual the info you need is simply not there
Hope this helps

We have just fitted Rola sports bars on our new Magna and they are the type that sit on the roof with clips down to just above the door opening. They specify the exact position that they are to be fitted on the roof, and only have 20kgs per bar maximum.

If you are going to carry a couple of Kayaks like we do, then you may be best with bars that extend out past the support rails so that you have enough width for them to fit on properly.

4WD's tend to be a bit top heavy, so placing heavy loads on the roof could cause stability problems when or if you have to swerve suddenly for other vehicles.

On the F250 we have a Rhino boat loader so we can carry the tinny of kayaks on our bigger trips.

Thanks all for your answers.

Green Man,

do you know when this recall happened. I bought my Challenger in March this year brand new but never heard of the recall.
Do you know why you were advised not to use the points fitted even after the recall? It would seem strange that they would not fix something like that properly as it could lead to serious injury if your roof bar and your load end up in the windscreen of the vehicle behind you.

50kg does not sound a lot for the capacity of the roof, especially considering the weight of the tray itself which I was aware of, but was hopping that car and roof bar manufacturers would actually be clever about it an propose some load capacity to suit the need of enthusiast four wheel drivers. How naive am I...

I might give Mistubishi a call to see what they have to say about the recall and take it from there. In any case it looks like only lightweight items will travel on the roof but that was my intention anyway.

sylonnet,
apologies for my tardiness, cruising through Challenger archives - we're a rare breed! have you decided on your racks yet?

i have Rola industrial racks fitted to my 99 Challenger, and have not had any problems whatsoever. I carry 2 x racing surf skis that are 18ft long and 22kg ea.

the only thing to look out for when fitting the racks is that the bracket locates properly under the hook mounting, securing itself as required, as mentioned in an earlier reply. otherwise when you tighten up the bolts you can tend to stress the hook sections.

the recall mentioned earlier was issued for Mitsubishi genuine article racks only. this was approx February this year. this should not affect you, as if you had bought your 4wd new, the issue would have been rectified by then.

re weight - i wouldn't recommend exceeding the prescribed 60kg (or 50kg) limit, as this would be calculated on the accumulated strength of all pillars (A=front, B=between frt & rear doord, C=between rear & cargo area, D=rear end).

good luck.