I looking into getting a box for the roof. I need to get the cross bars, the mounts and the box itself. However, if I get a box I also want to have room for two bike racks on the roof. I like the kinf of rack that keeps both wheels on and has a brace to hold the frame.

So here are the questions I have. (I have a lot.)

1) How wide of a box can I use to still have enough room for two bike racks? (

2) In terms of MPG is a box better than a ski/snowboard rack?

3) I’m pretty sure the stock roof rack (I only have the bars running front/back) are rated for 60 pounds. Most of the boxes I have been looking at are around 40-50 pounds. Does this mean I can only put 10 pounds in the box? Or is that weight the weight before cross bars are applied? This is very important to me b/c right now the box mostly will be used for ski stuff so I might have 3 boards in there as well as 3 pairs of boots and maybe a bag? I would think that would be 20-30 pounds of stuff so I could have 60-80 pounds up there. Am I risking breaking the rails? Is there anything I can do to beef them up? Can I add a middle support bar (piece of high density foam) in the middle of the roof rail?

4) How difficult is it to remove the box? I’ll be using it mostly in the in winter time so fiddling around with small allen keys and frozen hands is not what I want to do but maybe I don’t have a choice?

5) How durable are these boxes? Do I need to worry about water getting inside the seals over time? Do they only last a few years or should I be OK for 10 years or so if I take care of it?

6) And finally, can anyone make a recommendation of what works best (brand, model etc?) I’d prefer one that is a bit more aerodynamic if it means an extra mpg or if it only means it will be quieter on the roof. I’d like to be able to hold 4 snow boards at a time and without the snow boards, at least a few duffle bags.

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'04 Liberty Limited - 245/70/16 Firestone Destination AT's, Mopar tow hooks, Draw-Tite Class IV hitch, Skid Row Engine & Transmission Skids, Mopar T-Case & Gas Tank Skids, Extended Breather Tubes, Red Top Optima, Sylvania Silver Star head lights, Hella 500FF bumper mounted driving lights

well as far as the rails go, u can fab some metal ones up or buy RL's bars for the added support of the cross rails you will put on to support more weight.

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2016 JKU RUBICON

other mods coming soon...

heres my dads roof setup right now.
http://lostjeeps.com/forum/phpBB3/viewtop ... le+mounted

IMO put the bikes out of the wind, get a hitch bike carrier, easy to put bikes on/off and no wind noise and MPG hit.

also, thule is very aerodynamic, I cant tell a MPG loss with it on, in fact sometimes things seem quieter, perhaps the thule breaks up the vacumn formed behind the jeep going down the road.

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http://www.Colorado4Wheel.com
"Its not about what you can DO with your Jeep, its about where you can GO with your Jeep."
Knowledgeable - But Caustic

Gecko Heavy Duty Replacement Roof Rails and Roof Racks

for 2002-07 Jeep Liberty KJ and 2008 Jeep Liberty KK

Gecko HD Roof Rails

Replace those weak plastic factory roof rails with these heavy duty roof rails. Made of 1.5" OD .120 wall tubing, our Gecko HD Roof Rails bolt directly to factory roof rail mounting holes without any modifications to your jeep. Gecko HD Roof Rails are sandblasted and ready for paint when they arrive. Include all hardware and detailed installation instructions with color photos.

http://www.rocklizardfabrications.com/jeep_liberty.htm

scroll towards the bottom.

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2016 JKU RUBICON

other mods coming soon...

If you check out

http://www.thuleracks.com/carrier_luggage1.asp

There is a feature that you can actually pick the liberty and place different boxes on it to see how it looks. I have the LB50 Thule load bars and foot pack to attach to the factory roof rails and it works great. I also have used the Thule # 602 - Ascent 1100 roof box for the last 3 years, and have never had a problem.

I must "pitch" the Thule product as I have used and sold them @ a local bike shop for over 10 years and have never had a problem. Great warranty, made in Sweden, and based out of Chicago. Overall great company to deal with.

With the 50" load bars I can fit this box, and 2 bikes on both sides with the box centerd. 4 bikes total. I can send you pics with the set up if you like, just PM me.

The box itself takes less than 5 minutes to install and even less to remove. I have never had a problem with leaking or any parts breaking from use or the cold up here in Wisconsin land. NO TOOLS REQUIRED FOR THE INSTALL. ONLY HANDS AND FINGERS!!!

MPG wise, expect to lose @ least 2-5 mpg with the box or bikes on the roof. If you install a fairing on the front of the rack you will cut down on the "howling" noise that most roof racks make considerably. I do not notice any other extra noise with the box on.

I will try and post the pics, but I am not good with the kind of thing.....

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07 Wrangler 4 door X.
Full skids, OME lift, PIAA bulbs, Hellas, 35's, 5.13s, EVAP skid, XRC 10 winch, XHD stubby, CB, BA rock rails, JKS discos and trac bars, Riddler covers, superchipped...

81' CJ5 Renegade with the Iron Duke, 2.5" Rusty's lift, JKS disconnects, Weber carb

RIP : 04 Liberty Sport Patriot Blue

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07 Wrangler 4 door X.
Full skids, OME lift, PIAA bulbs, Hellas, 35's, 5.13s, EVAP skid, XRC 10 winch, XHD stubby, CB, BA rock rails, JKS discos and trac bars, Riddler covers, superchipped...

81' CJ5 Renegade with the Iron Duke, 2.5" Rusty's lift, JKS disconnects, Weber carb

RIP : 04 Liberty Sport Patriot Blue

IMO if you are losing MPGs, or hear extra wind noise with a thule roof top carrier it is NOT properly setup.

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http://www.Colorado4Wheel.com
"Its not about what you can DO with your Jeep, its about where you can GO with your Jeep."
Knowledgeable - But Caustic

I'm a Yakima fan. If you go on their website, they will tell you what size cross bars you will need to carry a box and two bikes. Depending on what size of box you get and what kind of bike carriers, I'd say you'd need at least the 66" bars and 72" bars would be even better.

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The Jeep Family:
2003 KJ Renegade - wife's daily driver
2001 WJ Limited - sister's daily driver
1997 XJ Sport - my daily driver
1995 YJ - the trail rig
1979 CJ5 - dad's toy
1966 M416 - the jeep trailer
1948 CJ2A Willys - my new project

Although I have not received my Gecko yet, hope to soon, I must agree with 0311_doc. The stock rails are weak and decoration at best. the thought of adding other components on top of something that wont handle your own weight doesn't make sense to me.

RL's rails are a great start. strong as a rock and then add after maket baskets if you want.

Check out Rock Lizards website:

Middle to bottom of the page:

http://www.rocklizardfabrications.com/jeep_liberty.htm

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'07 Ltd 3.7L, Black, OME HD's, OME shocks, Mopar Skids, AEV Bridgers w/ TPMS, Kumho KL78's, ARB Bumper, KC 130 Watters, Warn M8000 Winch, Rock Lizard Gecko Roof Basket KC 150 watters, Cobra 75WSX, 3 ft FireFly, RL Super Step Skinks

Crap! This really sucks, so if I want a box to hold 4 snowboards and the 4 pairs of boots (maybe 40-50 lbs total as well as 1 or two bikes (20-40lbs) plus the weight of the box and the bike rack(s) I really need to think about replacing the roof rails? All of the sudden I’m looking at $300+ with shipping for the new rails and another $1,000 for the cross rails, bracket, box and bike rack. Holy crap!

I’m thinking it’s probably cheaper to get a hitch and then a bike rack that can carry 4 bikes. I have not been able to find it (yet) but I have heard there is a product that attaches to the hitch mounted bike rack that can carry 4 boards or 6 pairs of skies. Maybe that makes more sense. I guess if I need the extra storage space when I have kids I’ll deal with that when it happens. I really do like the idea of keeping my board and bike out of the way from road spray that gets on the back of the jeep but I guess I’ll just have to wipe everything down. Most of my skiing will be on “sick days” when it dumps and I head up to the mountain regardless of the weather (which is why I bought the Jeep) so I know I’ll be doing a lot of driving in bad weather with the boards on the back.

Decisions decisions. Of course now if I get a hitch I’m going to want to upgrade my steering and transmission cooler so I can effectively have the “tow package” so that down the road I can rent a big camper for a fun trip.

Keep replying, I still haven’t made up my mind about this. Also, someone mentioned 2-5mpg loss? Has anyone else had experiences like this? I usually don’t drive faster than 70 on the highway and might even keep it 65 when I have a bike on the roof knowing that it will reduce the wind drag a bit. Thanks for the replies so far!

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'04 Liberty Limited - 245/70/16 Firestone Destination AT's, Mopar tow hooks, Draw-Tite Class IV hitch, Skid Row Engine & Transmission Skids, Mopar T-Case & Gas Tank Skids, Extended Breather Tubes, Red Top Optima, Sylvania Silver Star head lights, Hella 500FF bumper mounted driving lights

Moma always said: "You get what you pay for in life."

Do it right the first time is a recuring theme in ALL of these posts.

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'07 Ltd 3.7L, Black, OME HD's, OME shocks, Mopar Skids, AEV Bridgers w/ TPMS, Kumho KL78's, ARB Bumper, KC 130 Watters, Warn M8000 Winch, Rock Lizard Gecko Roof Basket KC 150 watters, Cobra 75WSX, 3 ft FireFly, RL Super Step Skinks

Finally figured out how to post pics....!!!!!!

Here is my set up for the last 3 years, with no weight problems.

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07 Wrangler 4 door X.
Full skids, OME lift, PIAA bulbs, Hellas, 35's, 5.13s, EVAP skid, XRC 10 winch, XHD stubby, CB, BA rock rails, JKS discos and trac bars, Riddler covers, superchipped...

81' CJ5 Renegade with the Iron Duke, 2.5" Rusty's lift, JKS disconnects, Weber carb

RIP : 04 Liberty Sport Patriot Blue

so far your numbers don't add up to the 150 lbs that the rails are rated for...buy with confidence and you can get all the gear you listed up there and still not be at the 150 limit. So far your equipment adds up to less than 90 lbs. You still have 60-70 to play with...and the bike rack and carrier won't weight that much.

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2003 Silver Sport - Debadged
245/75/R16 DuraTracs
Cragar Soft 8s
OME Coils & Front Shocks, Bilstein Rear Shocks - Muddified Lift
JBA 4.5 UCA
K&N CAI
MagnaFlow Exhaust
Rola Vortex Rack

http://www.fusion-multimedia.com

Are you saying the stock rails have a 150 limit? I didn't realize that, I thought it was only 60lbs or something like that. If that's the case I'll be fine with the stock rails! I don't plan to off road with the box on the roof, maybe a dirt trail just to get to a camp site but that's it.

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'04 Liberty Limited - 245/70/16 Firestone Destination AT's, Mopar tow hooks, Draw-Tite Class IV hitch, Skid Row Engine & Transmission Skids, Mopar T-Case & Gas Tank Skids, Extended Breather Tubes, Red Top Optima, Sylvania Silver Star head lights, Hella 500FF bumper mounted driving lights

Yup, I just checked the owners manual. 150lbs for Sport and Limited and only 65lbs for the Renegade. I guess I had the two backwards, and I’m glad I don’t have a Renegade right now.

So now I know I don’t need new roof rails but I’m still torn between a roof rack or hitch mounted rack.

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'04 Liberty Limited - 245/70/16 Firestone Destination AT's, Mopar tow hooks, Draw-Tite Class IV hitch, Skid Row Engine & Transmission Skids, Mopar T-Case & Gas Tank Skids, Extended Breather Tubes, Red Top Optima, Sylvania Silver Star head lights, Hella 500FF bumper mounted driving lights

ti believe the silver ones are only rated for 65#, but the all black ones are 150#, and a cheap way is take off your roof rails and go buy some 1x1 and fab your own thats what i did and its really strong I can stand in the middle of it and it barely moves and i weigh 170#

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1980 Jeep CJ7 Buggy
SOA, D44/ FF14B, SBC 350, SM465, NP205, 108" WB, 37" MTs

http://www.dpgoffroad.com/
http://www.ucora.org/
http://www.christianoffroad.com/
http://jeepinbyal.com/