When you set off on a journey, your car needs to be ready for anything. For the times when you need that little “extra” to carry things in your car, you will want a practical, safe solution. So if you need to carry your new kitchen furniture, fancy a bike ride with family or friends, or are going on holiday with more luggage than usual, what are your options?
This may be the time to fit your car with a compatible set of roof bars. So what are roof bars, and how can they help you? Roof bars, also known as a roof rack, are a car accessory fitted to the roof of your car. Once the roof bars are on, you can fit and use a wide range of accessories. For example, you can fit the following on your roof bars:
✓ Roof boxes for luggage and other gear
How do you fit a set of roof bars?
Roof bars are generally an easy accessory to fit, as long as you follow the assembly instructions carefully. Menabo includes these instructions in the box with its roof bars, so you can assemble and fit them easily.
How roof bars fit depends on the car’s body type, year, model and make. Every car maker builds its cars with specific fitting points for roof bars. Some cars also have roof rails, either flush with the roof or raised above it, and there is a separate category of roof bars for these cars.
In general, roof bars fall into several categories according to how they attach to the car.
The main types are:
✓ Roof bars with claw-type clamps
✓ Roof bars for fixed mounting points, bolted to the bodywork
✓ Roof bars for cars with roof rails
Although they attach to the car in different ways, all roof bars do the same job. Roof bars can also differ in whether or not they have a T-track on top. This T-track is used to attach various types of car accessories.
Most accessories, whether bike racks or roof boxes, use one of two types of fitting:
- T-bolt fitting
- U-bolt fitting
Accessories with a T-bolt fitting slide into the T-track on the bars, while those with a U-bolt fitting wrap around the roof bars and are tightened from the inside.
The difference between genuine and aftermarket roof bars
Roof bars can also be made by the brand that built your car. These are genuine roof bars, designed and made specifically for one make and model. On the other hand, brands such as Menabo, Thule, Modula and Fabbri design and make roof bars that fit a wide range of vehicles.
The difference between the two is simple. Genuine bars fit only one specific car or model, while aftermarket bars fit several models from a car maker.
What roof bars can do for your car
As we said at the start, roof bars let you fit and use several types of car accessories. Perhaps you would like to go for a bike ride with friends or family. With roof bars and a bike rack, you can carry your bikes with no trouble at all.
Maybe you love skiing or snowboarding. With ski & snowboard racks on your roof bars, you can head for the slopes every weekend with all your ski gear.
In summer you might be planning a holiday in the mountains or at the seaside, which means a lot of luggage in the car. With a roof box on your roof bars, you can take all the luggage you need.
Contact us for details and information
For help choosing the right roof bars for your car, contact us through our contact page or at [email protected]. Our shop is in Bucharest, Romania (Drumul Lunca Corbului 2, Sector 3).
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