Hi all, looking for your collective wisdom, knowledge, and expertise here...

Having decided we want to take up family camping holidays, I'm now thinking I need extra load space via a roof box. My car does not have anything set up for this yet, so all I have are the standard two rain gutters with trim covering fixing points.
I need your help on two points:
1. Should I plan on getting and installing roof rails (+ cross bars), or just a roof rack (i.e. cross bars that are fixed to the roof mounting points directly)? I've seen some advice saying retro-fitting rails is damn hard and should be a factory fitted thing, while others give the impression it's not really much different in fixing terms to a roof rack, so I'm somewhat lost and bouncing between the two.
2. What are your recommendations on the best types/makes? The frontrunner slimline II caught my eye, until I saw it weighs 28kg - the Freelander 2 roof weight limit is 75kg so I'd be losing more than a third of the carrying capacity before I started! Likewise Land Rover's own roof box looked appealing until I saw it's only got a capacity of 50kg while most other roof box makes have 75 (and apparently it must be mounted to rail mounted cross bars, even though their own picture shows it mounted with no rails).

Thanks.

75kg includes rails & cross bars. So if you use LR that's 12kg gone. I did have a roof platform 20kg but got rid of it & replaced it with a second set of cross bars 3.6kg. The theory being based on a 3rd party roof manufacturer using their heavy cross bars you have 100kg in total. So having 4 cross bars spreads the load.

All up I have 142kg on the roof, second spare wheel, awning, sand tracks, solar panels & fuel. I use up the 50 litres of fuel from the roof as soon as I can & put the 15kg of solar panels in the car if we are on rough roads.

I installed the roof rails myself.

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I suspect 75kg for the LR roof rails is a VERY conservative figure.

We had LR roof rails fitted to the FL1 again 75kg limit, fitted a roof tent - so 70kg, then add two occupents at 100kg and 50kg, so 225kg comfortably.
On the FL2 we put a full deck on the roof for the 10miles from the wood yard - well over 250kg.

Remember LR have to figure some loony taking the vehicle off-road, leaping a couple of feet in the air and repeating the insane act repeatedly, and then attacking side slopes and jaunty angles all with a load on the roof. I know from experience that the FL2 and LR roof bars take it all in their stride.

Do you really need this level of "safety factor" or would it make you happier knowing that the system you have fitted was capable of this level of abuse? If not then buy a cheaper system. Tangiers Orange - gone, missing her
Replaced by Ewok what a mistake - now a happy Disco Sport owner

The centre bolt on the right rail snapped & I replaced it in Western Australia. But after 1000km of corrugated roads I'm not surprised it broke. If you are on rough roads reduce the weight up top. Procrastination, mankind's greatest labour saving device!

Acoustic insulation ARB TPMS 3xARB air compressors After cooler Air tank On-board OCD pressure air/water cleaning Additional 50L fuel Carpet in doors ABE 2x1kg Waeco 28L modified fridge Battery 4x26ah Solar 120w Victron MPPT 100/20 DC-DC 18amps 175amp jumper plug Awning 6x255/60R18

Im currently looking at getting one of these sets of cross bars for mine, I cant justify the cost for a set of rails and cross bars so Im just getting the cross bars.
They will only be used for a 300L roof box very occasionaly and bike racks.


I like the look of these and I know the manufacturer is a decent one
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Aluminium-Roof-...3588838058

These are my preference as they have the capped end bars, rather than through bars which just looks better IMO. Im just not sure how they secure to the roof, possibly to the fixed points where the standard rails fix into
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ROOF-BARS-LP51-...1207406271

or there are these ones but im not a fan of the through bars where there is large overhang (just personal preference)
https://www.roofbox.co.uk/scripts/rbvehsel...%60KS704YS

RogB, all of your suggestions look good, but as I mentioned in a previous post, you need to make sure you can use these if you have a sunroof. Not all roof bars are suitable. -------------------------------------------------------------
1965 Series IIa Safari LWB White - gone
1982 RR 2 door Sahara dust - gone
2000 Freelander 1 3 door white gold - gone
1995 Discovery 1 200Tdi Biaritz Blue - gone
2009 FL2 TD4 HSE Stornoway Grey

I don't have the sunroof on mine, but my last FL2 did for which I had capped whispbars and had no issues at all.

I think so long as the feet sit clear of the roof edge and the bars sit high enough for the roof to not be impeded then there will be no issues. I do stand to be corrected however

I used Thule aero roof bars on mine with no problems experienced - including a lack of wind noise or "whistle"  No Longer the owner of a 2013MY Fuji White GS

"Fiat Lux" a philosophy not a car

Thanks everyone for your advice and replies, really very helpful.
I'm now less worried about the 75kg max load rating of the roof, I'll just apply some common sense to what I put in the box as opposed to what I put in the car.
I also think just a set of roof bars will be enough for anything I'd need them for. The rails look good, and would be more practical I suspect, but massive overkill for me and therefore a waste of money.

I'm currently most tempted by a set of whispbars. Roofbox.co.uk have some package deals going where I could get a set of flush whispbars and a kamei corvara box in one neat set.

I had Whispbars originally but then changed them to LR rails and racks. I found the LR rails and rack far quieter.

I've found the LR rails & cross bars very quiet. More noise from the mirrors! Even with all the crap I have on the roof it is quite.

If using ratchet tie down straps, put half a twist in the webbing to stop the webbing from vibrating in the wind. Procrastination, mankind's greatest labour saving device!

Acoustic insulation ARB TPMS 3xARB air compressors After cooler Air tank On-board OCD pressure air/water cleaning Additional 50L fuel Carpet in doors ABE 2x1kg Waeco 28L modified fridge Battery 4x26ah Solar 120w Victron MPPT 100/20 DC-DC 18amps 175amp jumper plug Awning 6x255/60R18

Stimatic, I know this is an old thread, but wondering how you got on with this? I am thinking of exactly the same set-up on my FL2... which fixing points on the roof did you use? Did you go for the ones that the rails usually go into or are there different ones? In one photo I've seen, someone used a point just forward of the raised section for the rear bar and another at about the mid-point of the front door for the front bar... these don't seem to be the normal rail fixing points. Grateful for any advice!

We've had Thule aero bars on our Fl2's with a Halfords 590ltr Exodus roofbox and it was faultless , very quiet to the point you didn't even know it was on . The box has a clamping system so no faffing fitting or removing and the lid opened from either side .

Mark 2009 FL2 TD4 SE (Sadly gone)
2007 FL2 TD4 GS (The wifes , gone after 8 great years)
2012 FL2 SD4 SPORT LE(Gone and missing it)
2015 DISCOVERY SPORT 2.2SD4 HSE (Now gone)
2014 Ford Bmax 1.0 ecoboost ( Gone but what next )
2014 Ford Focus 2.0tdci Zetec S (Gone,but what a car)
2020 Ford Fiesta ActiveX 1.0 Ecoboost
2024 Skoda Kodiaq 1.5 Tsi SEL

Mark, did you have rails that you attached the bars onto or did they go straight onto the roof?

If the latter, did you get the fittings that grip into the door shuts or did you bolt into fixing points in the guttering?

Again, if the latter, which fixing points did you use?

Thanks!

We got the fittings that clamp onto the door shuts , previously had the factory rails and crossbars on my previous FL2 and they were very noisy. The Thule bars really are a quality bit of kit , we've just ordered a new fitting kit as we now have a Discosport . The roofbox came from Halfords and it was their own brand but it is made by Thule , I think they've change the name now but they are the same box .

My old Fl2 with the box fitted .




Mark 2009 FL2 TD4 SE (Sadly gone)
2007 FL2 TD4 GS (The wifes , gone after 8 great years)
2012 FL2 SD4 SPORT LE(Gone and missing it)
2015 DISCOVERY SPORT 2.2SD4 HSE (Now gone)
2014 Ford Bmax 1.0 ecoboost ( Gone but what next )
2014 Ford Focus 2.0tdci Zetec S (Gone,but what a car)
2020 Ford Fiesta ActiveX 1.0 Ecoboost
2024 Skoda Kodiaq 1.5 Tsi SEL