$475 Hooke Road Discovery Roof Rack -- Review

[DaveH]

So I ordered the stuff from other reviews. Seems to be working, just need to figure out how to make the one on the front fairing to look a little less....jank.

Filled in the first two crossbars as they're currently empty - love how professional this looks (don't mind the dirt lol).

This is the other gap filler. Not totally in love, but really does seem to be reducing the noise. Kinda crazy. How can I get rid of these stupid ripples? I cut slits into it, but that didn't work. It's pretty stiff.

I wish I could 3D print something for that gap instead... that'd be perfect!

Finished cross bars. Again, love how this looks.

Links to products:
Front fairing weather seal: https://amzn.to/3pIvGiT
8MM 5M Black (one roll filled 4 slots or 2 crossbars) https://amzn.to/3pJOxKs

My front weather stripping looks much better. Looks like we bought the same product, and I don't see that my install is any different.

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[DaveH]

Ah, perfect. I wonder if this would be a good alternative?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/283854957504

5ft seems like it would be plenty.

I only needed 3-1/2 feet.

 

[jacobrdoty]

My front weather stripping looks much better. Looks like we bought the same product, and I don't see that my install is any different.

Wow ! Yours looks wayyy better! Maybe I need to lay mine flat and use a heat gun?
I’ll try again tonight when it isnt 100* lol

 

[yogi_stvl]

I'll install mine after work today. The packaging was pretty beat, so I'm curious what I'm going to find or perhaps be missing when I open it all up.

Missing brackets, bolts and one piece was severely bent… fun

 

[jacobrdoty]

Oh, adding that weather stripping stuff to the cross bars cut down on the noise? Or was it adding the weather seal to the front fairing the did the trip? It does look a lot more finished with it on, that's for sure!

I don’t know which one individually since I did both at the same time.

Missing brackets, bolts and one piece was severely bent… fun

They should take care of you, let me know if not.

 

[Heckler]

So I ordered the stuff from other reviews. Seems to be working, just need to figure out how to make the one on the front fairing to look a little less....jank.

Filled in the first two crossbars as they're currently empty - love how professional this looks (don't mind the dirt lol).

This is the other gap filler. Not totally in love, but really does seem to be reducing the noise. Kinda crazy. How can I get rid of these stupid ripples? I cut slits into it, but that didn't work. It's pretty stiff.

I wish I could 3D print something for that gap instead... that'd be perfect!

Finished cross bars. Again, love how this looks.

Links to products:
Front fairing weather seal: https://amzn.to/3pIvGiT
8MM 5M Black (one roll filled 4 slots or 2 crossbars) https://amzn.to/3pJOxKs

So your not worried about that weather seal on the front eventually rubbing your paint down to bare metal?

 

[jacobrdoty]

So your not worried about that weather seal on the front eventually rubbing your paint down to bare metal?

Not at all, it’s just rubber

 

[Heckler]

Not at all, it’s just rubber

True however that rubber gets dirt and gritty grime stuck under it and can wear away the paint with movement, keep an eye on it, if you clean under it frequently you should be ok but personally I would attach it with 3M double sided tape to keep grit out and keep it from moving around, that will likely also fix the wrinkle issues.

 

[jacobrdoty]

True however that rubber gets dirt and gritty grime stuck under it and can wear away the paint with movement, keep an eye on it, if you clean under it frequently you should be ok but personally I would attach it with 3M double sided tape to keep grit out and keep it from moving around, that will likely also fix the wrinkle issues.

I appreciate it! Another option would be to PPF that section too. Wouldn't be expensive at all and I'm sure you could DIY it.

 

[Heckler]

I appreciate it! Another option would be to PPF that section too. Wouldn't be expensive at all and I'm sure you could DIY it.

Actually that’s another excellent idea would also protect the exposed portion of paint from rock chips.

 

[jacobrdoty]

Fixed it! Pretty easy. I'd say my technique was wrong. When you install it - push up into the fairing as well as into it. So sort of pushing back toward the rear of the car and up into the groove diagonally. That's what really helped me get it to lay flat.

I knew it could look way cleaner! Thanks for the photo Dave!

 

[swooshdave]

At that price point I bet they never road tested the design and may have never even had a Bronco to test it on. Nor may they care. I’m looking at it like a Harbor Freight roof-like roof rack knowing that I’ll need to tweak it to make it work right.

 

[DaveH]

Oh, adding that weather stripping stuff to the cross bars cut down on the noise? Or was it adding the weather seal to the front fairing the did the trip? It does look a lot more finished with it on, that's for sure!

I was definitely the weather seal on the front fairly. I added the stripping on the cross bars first, which seemed to make a minor difference, but it was still very load. When I added the seal on the front fairing, it made a HUGE difference.

 

[DaveH]

At that price point I bet they never road tested the design and may have never even had a Bronco to test it on. Nor may they care. I’m looking at it like a Harbor Freight roof-like roof rack knowing that I’ll need to tweak it to make it work right.

Based on others who have not had as good an experience, your mileage may vary, but I had zero problems assembling and attaching mine. It seems to be solid and well made with noise being the only problem. My usage of the rack so far has been minimal, but I have several off-road trips with an RTT planned this summer. If I encounter any issues, I will report back.

 

[swooshdave]

Based on others who have not had as good an experience, your mileage may vary, but I had zero problems assembling and attaching mine. It seems to be solid and well made with noise being the only problem. My usage of the rack so far has been minimal, but I have several off-road trips with an RTT planned this summer. If I encounter any issues, I will report back.

What I'm worried about is that with the Chinese stuff the first batch of products may be pretty good but subsequent batches are crap. We'll see what happens when mine gets here next week.

Ordered on the 16th, still no tracking number.

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