Roof Rack wind deflectors

[Rock Trol]

Hi everyone,

I have a question regarding wind deflectors on roof racks. Do they stop wind noise? I currently have a large Rhino steel mesh platform (2100mm x 1100mm) on 5 heavy duty bars. When it is empty and the car is doing over 90kph it can get quite noisy, especially if there is a cross wind.

I am not sure if the noise is coming from the mesh or the bars. I am planning on blocking the ends of the bars with foam to stop any wind noise reverberating in the hollow tubes.
Does anyone have a similar roof rack system and do you have the same noise problem?

[the evil twin]

If you have open tubes then that is the usual source of any wind noise.
Usually sounds somewhat like that noise you get blowing across the mouth of a bottle
Block them up with plugs or whatever and try it.
Sometimes the chair leg thingies from Bunnings are a perfect fit

Wind deflectors don't do much in the way of noise suppression most of the time but it depends on the rack

[Rock Trol]

Thanks E.T. It is that "noise you get blowing across the mouth of a bottle" that I can hear. I recently added 2 more bars up there so the noise has now gotten quite loud.
Sounds a bit like those Vuvuzela things that they had in South Africa during the World Cup.

If the wind deflector is not for noise, what is the purpose?

[MudRunnerTD]

Thanks E.T. It is that "noise you get blowing across the mouth of a bottle" that I can hear. I recently added 2 more bars up there so the noise has now gotten quite loud.
Sounds a bit like those Vuvuzela things that they had in South Africa during the World Cup.

If the wind deflector is not for noise, what is the purpose?

aerodynamics to reduce wind drag and direct the wind over your roof load thus reducing the impact on your fuel economy.

Thats why you see big ones on the roof of B Doubles, otherwise they are driving into a wall of air the whole time.

[the evil twin]

Thanks E.T. It is that "noise you get blowing across the mouth of a bottle" that I can hear. I recently added 2 more bars up there so the noise has now gotten quite loud.
Sounds a bit like those Vuvuzela things that they had in South Africa during the World Cup.

If the wind deflector is not for noise, what is the purpose?

If that is the case I reckon that most/all of the noise will be resonance from air flow across the open tubes.

Wind deflectors are there to reduce drag or purely cosmetic or a bit of both depending who you want to believe and where the rack is mounted.

[threedogs]

Square bars make more noise than the Aero stlye bars that Rhino make.
The older style racks made from 20x20 rhs had mesh floors to stop them making a noise
I did run 4 Rhino aero bars with no noise as they have a rubber insert that fits inside the bar.
Id be looking at how tight you can get the lot

[FNQGU]

Totally agree TD. My previous work trucks both had roof racks - one was a box section type and the other was a tubular type. The difference in noise was quite remarkable, not to mention the tubular type was far better for roping down loads.

[Rock Trol]

Thanks guys,

I'll be going to Clark rubber when I get the chance to see what they have. There should be something I can shape or compress to fit into the cavity. Why Rhino Rack has never offered sealed end caps I do not know. I remember seeing some yellow caps on eBay a couple of years ago that were made to fit over the heavy duty bars and seal the ends. I just did a search and could not find them so I suppose they stopped making them.

[Clunk]

Thanks guys,

I'll be going to Clark rubber when I get the chance to see what they have. There should be something I can shape or compress to fit into the cavity. Why Rhino Rack has never offered sealed end caps I do not know. I remember seeing some yellow caps on eBay a couple of years ago that were made to fit over the heavy duty bars and seal the ends. I just did a search and could not find them so I suppose they stopped making them.

I tend to find that the missus jabbering away drowns out any noise from the roof rack..... Haven’t decided which is worse, so usually just turn the radio up louder

I've got 3 heavy duty bars on mine with the alloy tray/cage thingy on top and to be honest haven't really noticed the noise with this setup.

[Rock Trol]

How far forward are the bars on your truck? My platform is 2.1 long so one bar is directly over my head and another not too far behind. This is where most of the noise coms from.
Maybe the air flow over the top of the windscreen is being directed into the bars. That's why I was asking about the wind deflectors as they may help direct the flow of air above the bars. Rhino do one for $119 and if it works in reducing noise and drag it would be worth it. If it's just for 'wank' factor I could live without it.