Vehicle Roof Types & How to Identify which Roof Type you Have

Naked / Bare Roof vehicles are often the easiest to identify. The reason being is there is nothing on the roof to mount a rack system too. Systems for Naked Roof vehicles clamp into the door jamb on the vehicle in order to mount. A common misconception is that the plastic ditch molding running front to back on the roof is something that crossbars can be mounted to. This is unfortunately not the case for the majority of modern vehicles these days.

Raised Side Railings are a pronounced “rail” that runs front to back on the vehicle’s roof, and can primarily be identified by a gap or exposed section between the vehicle's roof and the rail itself. Systems for this style of roofline either wrap underneath the rail itself with a strap, or clamp around the rail. Both methods of attachment are very secure, and the systems are easy to remove from the vehicle if desired thanks to their simplicity.

Flush Side Railings can be a point of confusion for many due to the terminology in the rack industry. They are side railings that run front to back along the vehicle's roofline, often with a pronounced ridge or threaded holes to mount crossbars. The confusion starts when trying to identify them, as they are also raised off the roof much like “raised rails”, however the flush rail is sealed to the roof meaning it has no gap or opening between the vehicle's roof itself and the rail. Many perceive the term “flush” to be describing a rail that is level with the roofline, not raised up at all. Much like the ditch molding on a bare roof vehicle. This terminology can make it tricky when trying to identify what roofline your vehicle has but we hope this has given you a start.

While Factory Tracks are not found often on current model year vehicles, if you are outfitting a vehicle from the early-mid 2000’s this may be a roofline you encounter. Factory Tracks are a pronounced rail running front to back, sealed to the roof, that have a groove cut out running down the center where the hardware for a rack system could be installed. These tracks come in various shapes and sizes so in some cases their are vehicle specific mounting kits used for this style of roofline.

Factory Fixed Points are pre-determined mounting locations on a vehicle roof, often threaded holes found under tabs that can be opened or tucked away under the plastic ditch molding intended to be used to mount a crossbar system. Identifying them can sometimes be tricky as not all fixed mounting points are created the same. On vehicles with tabs that flip open or pop off to reveal the threaded hole it is often rather apparent that this is intended to be used to mount something to. On vehicles that have fixed mounting points hiding under the ditch molding it can be much more difficult to know you have them, let alone if they can be utilized for a rack. Rack manufacturers give us a fit guide that allows us to look up your vehicle and see available roof types found on a particular vehicle. Giving us a call, or sending us an email may be the best way for you to identify if your vehicle has them and if they can be used.

Rain Gutters on the roof is not a common occurrence on modern vehicles, however they were pretty much standard on many cars during the 80s and 90s. However there are a few modern vehicles such as the Jeep Wrangler that still come fitted with them from the factory. The easiest way to identify Rain Gutters would be to look for a curved edge towards the outer edges of the roof that appear like they would guide the rain away from dripping into your windows.

Most vehicles can be fitted with some sort of custom solution to mount crossbars to the roof. Maybe there are just no options available for a unique vehicle, or you have something in mind that isn’t available out of the box. We have knowledgeable staff on hand to assist you with suggestions and things to look out for when going with something custom.