Nothing beats a trip to the beach with a board or kayak along for the ride. But securing gear to your roof is not as straightforward as you may think and can easily catch you out if you’re unfamiliar with the rules.
Tie-down laws and safe angles
As outlined in the National Transport Commission’s load restraint guide, it is on the driver to ensure the roof load is both within the dynamic limit of the vehicle and secured with either ropes or straps.
If you’re carrying a long load, such as a kayak or longboard, you must stay within the legal overhang limits of 1.2m front and rear. If it protrudes further, then you’ll need to attach a brightly coloured flag of at least 300mm in length to warn other drivers. Some states require a red light if driving at night.
When it comes to securing your load, the closer you can get to having your lashing at 90 degrees to the top of your load the better. Of course, this is not always a possibility, but in general, steeper angles are preferable.
There are two main types of strap: cam style or ratcheting. For lighter loads either will work, but many prefer the ratcheting style as there’s no specific stress point on the strap from a cam buckle.
If you prefer to use rope, then you’re going to need to learn the most versatile knot in the world: the truckie’s hitch. See the video below for a comprehensive rundown on how it’s done.
Soft rack pros:
Soft rack cons:
Roof bar pros:
Roof bar cons:
Essentially, if you’re carrying things up top regularly, then bars may be a worthwhile investment. If you only need to transport your SUP five minutes to the beach once a fortnight, soft racks are for you.
Manufacturer’s give you a static and dynamic roof load rating. Static means when the vehicle is unmoving, and other than maybe climbing up on your roof to admire the spectacular view, they’re largely irrelevant. The important one is the dynamic load rating, aka how much your car can take while it’s moving.
Now, just because you have a 4X4, don’t assume your vehicle is built to handle more on the roof. In fact, the Ford Ranger and Chery Tiggo are within 5kg of each other (85kg and 80kg respectively), and the Hyundai Kona can transport more than the big Ford at 100kg (interestingly only for the Australian Market. All others get an 80kg rating).
Regardless, check your roof load limits (which includes the weight of the rack) and carry responsibly. Going over the limit will void warranties, insurance policies and land you in a world of trouble.
Carrying anything up top will likely mess with the aerodynamics of your car and wind noise will almost certainly increase. It’s just the price you pay for not sharing the seat with your mini Mal.
If your roof rack is causing a racket with nothing mounted to it, you may need to look into adding a deflector to try and redirect the wind up and over the rack. While most modern racks are well insulated these days, some are still hard mounted to the roof and may benefit from rubber pads being installed to absorb some vibrations.
Yep, that rooftop tent on your 4X4 may affect fuel use by up to 17 per cent, so it’s worth budgeting a little extra for fuel when you’re transporting stuff above your roofline.
Unfortunately, you can’t escape physics, and a larger frontal profile being pushed through a fluid (in this case, air) is going to require more energy (fuel).
If you’re driving a long distance, aerodynamics is more prevalent the faster you’re travelling, so you could knock 10km/h off your travelling speed if you’re worried, but most people simply accept the shorter distances between visits to the bowser.
In the past 15 years as an automotive journo and 35-plus years of inveterate car-guy antics, Dex has worked across numerous titles and has even occupied the occasional editor’s chair when nobody was watching. He spends his downtime doing engine swaps (plural) on the nature strip out front and also once ripped a handbrake spin into a perfect car park. His parents remain indifferent.
