GU full or 3/4 roof rack options

Simon,

I have a 3/4 length ARB rack and dont notice too much wind noise from it. As for consumption I dont have figures from before it was fitted but currently get around 13L/100km from my 2.8TD GU

Chris.

G'day Simon
I have a Tradesman Oval steel roof rack with mesh floor (black powder coat with perspex wind deflector all standard). I fitted it just before going to Cape York in 2001 and it has been on ever since. On the Cape trip I carried 2 x spare wheels, my OZTent, and 40 ltrs of water. No problems experienced to date - not even a slight loosening of the attachments. Don't have fuel consumption figures prior to fitting but on the 10600 kms I did on the 2001 trip my 2.8tdi Patrol GU returned 12.33 ltrs/100 kms. By the way the Tradesman Oval is slightly more than half the cost of ARB (or it was when I bought mine) - $680 if I recall.
Cheers
Pete

Hi Simon,
I have a 3/4, and it still makes a difference to the fuel economy, but is noise free (could be due to my fab design). Difficult to say exactly how much difference, coz both the roof rack and being laden makes a difference to the economy.
But as a TD42T, cruising at 110-115km/h fully laden and with the roof rack laden, incl solar panels, gives me about 18-21mpg, whereas no roof rack and unladen gives me about 24-25mpg at that speed.
Gerry

I have a full length steel rack with mesh floor and steel wind deflector. It has the fittings to mount and secure a spare wheel and I also got 2 pipe clamps for securing my pole holder on the side of the rack - I think they are standard Rhino Rack fittings. The manufacturer is Sunshade Products in Adelaide and the whole lot shipped to Canberra cost me $850 in January this year. Weight of the rack is about 40 KG.

To date have experienced no problems with wind noise or fitting - but have only been on a couple of mountain trips since I got it. I leave the rack on all the time and have noticed my fuel consumption increase by about 1 litre per hundred kilometres in day to day running - 12.5 before 13.6 after or thereabouts.

Vehicle is a 2002 GU III 4.2TD.

CheersKevin - sitting here, thinking of there
------------------------------------------
2002 GU Patrol ST 4.2TD
2000 15' Supreme Getaway

From the trader section on this site...

GU Patrol TJM roof carrier
Full length steel TJM roof carrier with floor mesh (black powercoat) rrp is around $1000, $650 in nth sydney can drop to melbourne on next visit

Price: $650
State: NSW Suburb: nth sydney
Name: Roly
Phone: 0408463182
Submitted: 28 Jun 2003

Cheers,
Wazza
----------------------

I put a parachute on my GQ Turbo once, and it stopped the car, and I could watch the fuel gauge go down faster than a $2 hooker. Your stuffing up the aerodynamics of the car totally with a rack on there, so you will lose some economy, what ever brand it is.

I'd rather a trailer, then Id hate one of them too!

Simon,
I got a GU 4.2TD, and a full lenght ARB bar.
I have had the car and rack since new and I do take it off when the rack is not in use due to fuel economy and troubles getting into carparks.

I agree with Kevin on a previous post.
I normally get 12.3L /100kms around town and 12.6L/100kms on the highway (usually over 100kms/h)

No wind noise problems

Fuel consumption goes up with the roof rack by about 1 litre/100kms around town and 1.5 to 2 litres on the highway.

With load on the roofrack the economy gets even worse... with a spare wheel and an empty drum (same as a jerry) empty, it used 17L/100kms on the highway run from Olive Downs to Canberra but I was doing 120-130 kms/h most of the way.

Let me know if you need any more details
Will

full length tradesman rack brand new fitted $528 including johnnys sharefrom lowline 2 days ago so dont know about economy but know it will affect it somewhat
steveits arrived just got to get photo and download
only 32 sleeps to go then off nth to darwin yeah

Simon, I build custom alloy roofracks here in Melbourne as an after hours interest of mine for members of the 4x4 club I am in.
As a rule of thumb, I advise people to consider 3/4 length roofracks rather than full length. This is because the full length ones really are much noisier as they are in the airstream as the air is directed upwards and rearwards from the windscreen.
I've tried various "air deflectors" and have come the conclusion, "don't waste your money" particularly those full width see plastic ones which all they do is present an even greater frontal area to push the air aside.
If a 3/4 rack is used, the air passes up and over the rack and makes much less noise and isn't as detrimental to fuel economy as a full length one is.
Don't get me wrong, there is some wind noise but it's minimal.
Regards Andrew.

I have GU III 3.0TD manual

3/4 rack with wind deflector

Don't notice any wind noise.

drops economy as mentioned by about 1lt per 100k's

cheers