Roof rack

A car carrier is a device which is mounted on or to a motor vehicle in order to facilitate or permit the transport of luggage, or bulky objects. In general, the luggage carrier can be mounted in the following manner:

  • On the roof: Gland on the permanently mounted roof rails.
  • Clamping the region of the door frame by most specifically preformed clamping feet and the corresponding hooks.
  • Clamping in the permanently mounted rain gutter ( in modern vehicle design, the designers often forego the gutter ).
  • Screw in special mounted by the car manufacturer fixed points. These fixed points can both threaded holes or a rail in the roof and fixing points in the area of the door frame in the form of holes or the like. represent. Often such attachment points are not obvious at first glance and may even have been painted from the factory and thereby be covered by a millimeter thick resist layer under certain circumstances.
  • At the rear: by mounting on the tailgate or on the trailer hitch.

The use of car racks increases the consumption of the fuel, because it increases the wind resistance of the vehicle. Rear- mounted support cut in this analysis as better because they are in the slipstream of the car. According to the ADAC, the consumption increases depending on the model, load and speed by 10 to 50 percent.

Roof rack must have a high strength, should be flexible and develop only low wind noise while driving.

Legal requirements

Roof rack need not have general operating permit ( ABE ) and need not be entered in the vehicle documents.

In accordance with § 30c para 1 of the Road Traffic Licensing Regulations ( Road Traffic Licensing Regulations )

"On the contour of the vehicles that no parts are excellent so that they endanger the traffic more than is unavoidable. "

See also, the guidelines about the nature and attachment of automotive exterior parts of 24 September 1963 which, inter alia, demand

" Porter (eg roof racks and ski racks ), no peaks and must have repellent effect. "

Special construction methods

  • A conventional roof rack usually consists of parallel metallic rails.
  • A bicycle carrier, a device for the transport of bicycles.
  • The roof box is a closed carrier. In colloquial language it is often called coffin. Based on its shape Usually it is mounted on the roof.
  • The ski carrier, which is usually mounted on the roof, it allowed pinch skis parallel. In rear - ski racks skis are standing vertically inserted into the clamping device.
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