ST Roof Rails

[koda2000]

What good are the roof rails on the ST? There are no cross-bars and the roof has no rubber strips, so you can't really put anything up there (other than maybe a rubber raft). Is it just a styling thing?

 

[JuBean]

You can buy overpriced factory cross bars and make them functional or install a set of aftermarket bars like most of us. The rails have done well holding my roof rack which ultimately has hauled the canoe, lumber, ladders, large tools....

 

[Markek]

Are there certain after market cross bars you would recommend?

 

[OffTrac]

I would NOT recommend the $75 no-name ones from Amazon. The next set I get will probably be Thule or Yakima if I can't find OEM.

 

[Markek]

Is there an oem part number that I can reference to see what size I would need for a 2001 Sport Trac?

 

[01STrunner]

I have Yakima bars on mine. I mainly used it for snowboards and the occasional trip to Lowes. Now I have an F350 with an 8' bed for that.

I really like the Yakima bars. They didn't add any wind noise for me and were really easy to install. I have spaced them out so that my 35x12.50 tire fits snugly in between so i can strap and lock it down on trips if I need all the space in the bed.

To keep from damaging the roof and to spread the weight out better, I went and bought the biggest vinyl cutting boards I could find into 2.5'x2 or 3" strips. I painted them black and stuck them on using outdoor 3M double sided tape. I put them on similarly to the strips on the roof of 1st and 2nd gen Explorers. The reason I did this instead of a basket is to keep the tire ~4-5" lower than if I had a basket.

You can kind of see the black strips in this picture. I'll try finding a more close-up example.

 

[01STrunner]

Here's a close up