I have already looked into this. I would go with the Rhino racks cross rails for the car. I would not put directly on rails.I need to pick everyone's brain here.
I have a 2010 T2 with factory-installed raised rails on the roof (the standard stuff), and I just purchased a Thule Tepui rooftop tent. The next step is to mount it. I am running into a clearance issue though, so I am trying to figure out if I can mount the RTT directly onto the rails, not using the cross bars at all. We already know that the rails can support the weight of the tent (and the people in it), so the question is... what does adding the crossbars do? Essentially, whether the tent is mounted on the crossbars or directly on the roof rails, it's only sitting only on two bars/rails (either two left-to-right or two front-to-back). So, essentially I'm rotating the support structure 90 degrees, but the tent it's still only sitting two long pieces of metal. The only thing I can think of is that we know the crossbars are flat, and the rails have just a bit of a curve. But structurally, I just don't see what the crossbars add in this particular case. They don't distribute the weight over a larger surface, and the weight of the entire is still concentrated on the mounting points, whether you mount the RTT directly on the rails, or you mount it on the crossbars and them mount the crossbars on the rails.
Needless to say, Thule reps have been as useful as a third tit. The only thing they are trained on is to offer the Thule-approved solution to a problem, but no one can explain what problem that solution is trying to solve. And, I get it that they can't possibly discuss all of the theoretical ways in which one can satisfy the requirements for "safe mounting", but they can't even elaborate on what those requirements are. I keep asking them what problem we are trying to solve, but the only answer is "this is how you solve it using Thule products".
I have had my 2016 TDI for a year now ( love it ). Installed a tepui rooftop with no problems .I used the Thule square cross bars that just fit at 53 inches. The clearance is tight on the factory rails , with more room up front . I attached the back Thule cross bars up front and slid it back and then the front cross bars.You will need to adjust so the tent is level when the Touareg is on flat ground . I used the tent 5 days a week for three months with no issues .I need to pick everyone's brain here.
I have a 2010 T2 with factory-installed raised rails on the roof (the standard stuff), and I just purchased a Thule Tepui rooftop tent. The next step is to mount it. I am running into a clearance issue though, so I am trying to figure out if I can mount the RTT directly onto the rails, not using the cross bars at all. We already know that the rails can support the weight of the tent (and the people in it), so the question is... what does adding the crossbars do? Essentially, whether the tent is mounted on the crossbars or directly on the roof rails, it's only sitting only on two bars/rails (either two left-to-right or two front-to-back). So, essentially I'm rotating the support structure 90 degrees, but the tent it's still only sitting two long pieces of metal. The only thing I can think of is that we know the crossbars are flat, and the rails have just a bit of a curve. But structurally, I just don't see what the crossbars add in this particular case. They don't distribute the weight over a larger surface, and the weight of the entire is still concentrated on the mounting points, whether you mount the RTT directly on the rails, or you mount it on the crossbars and them mount the crossbars on the rails.
Needless to say, Thule reps have been as useful as a third tit. The only thing they are trained on is to offer the Thule-approved solution to a problem, but no one can explain what problem that solution is trying to solve. And, I get it that they can't possibly discuss all of the theoretical ways in which one can satisfy the requirements for "safe mounting", but they can't even elaborate on what those requirements are. I keep asking them what problem we are trying to solve, but the only answer is "this is how you solve it using Thule products".
I have had my 2016 TDI for a year now ( love it ). Installed a tepui rooftop with no problems .I used the Thule square cross bars that just fit at 53 inches. The clearance is tight on the factory rails , with more room up front . I attached the back Thule cross bars up front and slid it back and then the front cross bars.You will need to adjust so the tent is level when the Touareg is on flat ground . I used the tent 5 days a week for three months with no issues .
