Is my roof rack African or European?

September 20, 2017 8:39 AM

I have a 2013 Hyundai Tucson Limited. It has this stock roof rack (side rails and cross bars). There is a sticker that says the weight limit is 220#. Is this a static or dynamic weight limit?

I have scoured the internet and there seems to be no definite answer. Most investigation seems to indicate this is a dynamic weight limit, that there should not be more than 220# on the roof when the car is moving. User manual only says "220# evenly distributed" but doesn't specify stopped vs. moving.

I am trying to figure out what the weight limit is when the car is not moving. I want to put a rooftop tent on it. Tent (100#) + 2 adults will be more than 220#. If the weight limit is for when the car is in motion, I think I *should* be fine but I'm paranoid that the sidebars/rack will collapse and wreck my car. :/ It looks like I could get additional cross bars from Hyundai (to distribute the weight more?) if that will help. The tent base wouldn't attact to more that 2 rails though.

For reference, I am looking at these tents: Fetherlite or Tepui

posted by CoffeeHikeNapWine to Travel & Transportation (2 answers total)

Best answer: 220 is the dynamic limit. The static limit is far higher. Anecdotally, you should be fine - I have a friend who has a Tuscon with a Maggiolina RTT on theirs and its been good for them.

Tepui makes good RTTs. I have had a CVT Ranier for 5+ years, and put 140 nights in it. It's been great and held up really well, though it's starting to show its age.

If you can affix a fairing to your rack, it can help to keep the bugs off the cover. We also splurged on the annex room - we don't use it often, but when we do, its a huge benefit.
posted by Pogo_Fuzzybutt at 8:48 AM on September 20, 2017 [2 favorites]

Mod note: Couple deleted; fixed link; carry on.
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 9:40 AM on September 20, 2017