Douglas225
Active Member
After a lot of searching, i finally decided on the Voyager. I was leaning towards the Rhino Pioneer; however, the lack of user reviews really pushed me in the direction of the voyager. The single largest "pro" to the Rhino was that it was aluminum (i live in FL and will tote boats, canoes, etc.) and am concerned about rust from a steel rack. The major con of the Rhino was my concern over too much increased noise at highway travel speeds - i drive a lot. They have a wind deflector, but it does not seem well designed in my opinion.
I went with the low profile for two reasons: 1) when adding an additional bar along the top, it provides for a flat/level surface for carrying long, linear cargo; and 2) i wanted to make sure that i had appropriate clearance for garages. Frankly, i like the look of the standard size better than the low profile, but the one i purchased looks great!
Prior to adding the rack, my fuel data was as follows:
6,400 miles put on LR4 with duratracks and no roof rack (i rarely drive in the city, but am off road about once per week)
avg speed = 44 mph
avg fuel eff = 18.8 mph
After adding the roof rack (very limited data). One trip traveling several hundred miles, i feel like i might be losing about 1 mpg, but its really too early to tell for sure. Also, with the added roof rack, i can "feel" the difference driving on the highway - especially during higher winds, which experienced. It is not bad, its just different.
Regarding noise, i am very pleased. There is definitely a "whooshing" that i can hear that is exaggerated by higher winds, but it is much less than i was worried about. Incidentally, my experiences thus far are with the simple wind fairing device that comes stock with the rack. I had ordered the fiberglass upgrade, but, unfortunately, my order was messed up and i will not receive it for a while. Who knows, it may even get better with the upgraded fairing.
Here are a few shots of the rack and ladder being prep'ed and then the installed kit:
I went with the low profile for two reasons: 1) when adding an additional bar along the top, it provides for a flat/level surface for carrying long, linear cargo; and 2) i wanted to make sure that i had appropriate clearance for garages. Frankly, i like the look of the standard size better than the low profile, but the one i purchased looks great!
Prior to adding the rack, my fuel data was as follows:
6,400 miles put on LR4 with duratracks and no roof rack (i rarely drive in the city, but am off road about once per week)
avg speed = 44 mph
avg fuel eff = 18.8 mph
After adding the roof rack (very limited data). One trip traveling several hundred miles, i feel like i might be losing about 1 mpg, but its really too early to tell for sure. Also, with the added roof rack, i can "feel" the difference driving on the highway - especially during higher winds, which experienced. It is not bad, its just different.
Regarding noise, i am very pleased. There is definitely a "whooshing" that i can hear that is exaggerated by higher winds, but it is much less than i was worried about. Incidentally, my experiences thus far are with the simple wind fairing device that comes stock with the rack. I had ordered the fiberglass upgrade, but, unfortunately, my order was messed up and i will not receive it for a while. Who knows, it may even get better with the upgraded fairing.
Here are a few shots of the rack and ladder being prep'ed and then the installed kit: