Roof bars or roof rack?

A vehicle awning can be fitted easily to cross bars or a roof rack, each has its benefits and is widely available. You can pick up roof bars at Halfords and they offer a service to fit them as well. Similarly, a great online company that offers lots of roof racks and bars for any vehicle, visit The Roof Box Company. To get an idea of which is which, see below for further information on each.

What are roof bars?

Roof bars fit to a vehicle's roof and cross between the roof arches. The bars mount to a roof at 4 points and are the most common way of carrying loads on your vehicle's roof.

What is a roof rack?

Roof racks are normally come as a metal frame that forms a basewhich mounts to the roof by at least 4 points or more.

Roof bars

These are a common accessory for many car owners and are widely available for most cars. They are split into different types, depending on how they mount to the vehicle roof:

Rain Gutter – for older cars, roof bars were usually mounted directly to the gutter surrounding the roofline.

 Bare Roof – modern vehicles, which do not have gutters, can have a roof rack installed by attaching hooks to the top of the door frames.

Fixed Point – some vehicles have fittings for after-market racks that attach via reinforced lugs in the roof or have pre-threaded holes.

Side Rails – vehicles with factory-installed rails, which may be flush against the roof or raised off of the roof, running front-to-back on the roof.

Factory Bars – some vehicles have a factory-installed permanent roof rack. When you are installing roof bars to your vehicle, make sure to attach the bars correctly and refer to your vehicle’s owner’s manual.

Roof racks

A roof rack is a metal frame that is fixed on top of a car and used for carrying large objects. These are less common on vehicles but provide more space and strength for carrying loads on your car’s roof.

Normally, roof racks will fix to the roof of a vehicle in the same way as roof bars but come as one large framework. As a result, they will normally need two strong adults to fit, otherwise you might end up with scratches across your roof’s paintwork!
 
When installing roof racks, it is important to fix the rack properly, in accordance with the vehicle’s owner’s manual. Manufacturers of roof racks will give you advice on the right rack for your vehicle.

 Normally, when you attach an awning to a roof rack you will be required to drill holes. But make sure to get in touch if you would like to discuss your requirements.

How does the awning attach?

It’s really quite a simple process to attach an awning. Included with your awning are easy slide-in M8 T-bolts which slide into the channel on most aluminium roof bars. Also included are M8 nuts, L brackets, and even tools with detailed instructions.

However, if you have a roof rack or non-channelled bars, you must drill and bolt them. You will need to check your vehicle’s roof or roof bars maximum weight limit but most vehicle roofs will easily cope with an awning. All our awnings have stainless steel fixings to attach to your roof bars or rack. The supplied fixings are made from premium stainless steel 304-grade metal. This is to prevent them from corrosion/rust and added strength

Vehicle awnings FAQs

ou’ve got questions, we got the answers. If you can’t find the specific answer you’re looking for then contact us at info@alextent.com and we will be happy to talk through any questions you may have. 

KEEP IN TOUCH