New Black Crossbars from Rivian

[Yossarian]

I took the plunge on the inexpensive Amazon crossbars as well, in my case a set for the bed of my R1T. Reasonably positively impressed with the quality. The bars are pretty nicely done aluminum extrusions and the hardware appears to be stainless. The mount posts seem reasonably robust, with the only noticeably cheap parts the keyed plastic covers.

Installation is very easy, though the method for retaining the ubolts to attach the mount posts using a rubber band is kind of bush league:

Though I still prefer the looks of the Rivian xbars, these don't look half bad on the R1T. My reason for having them is so that I ca use my Thule Force corgo box during ski season, and the crossbars should work just fine for that. I still need to figure some way to attach the Thule to the xbars because the bar spacing doesn't support using the existing mounting system. More on that later.

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[Supratachophobia]

I took the plunge on the inexpensive Amazon crossbars as well, in my case a set for the bed of my R1T. Reasonably positively impressed with the quality. The bars are pretty nicely done aluminum extrusions and the hardware appears to be stainless. The mount posts seem reasonably robust, with the only noticeably cheap parts the keyed plastic covers.

Installation is very easy, though the method for retaining the ubolts to attach the mount posts using a rubber band is kind of bush league:

Though I still prefer the looks of the Rivian xbars, these don't look half bad on the R1T. My reason for having them is so that I ca use my Thule Force corgo box during ski season, and the crossbars should work just fine for that. I still need to figure some way to attach the Thule to the xbars because the bar spacing doesn't support using the existing mounting system. More on that later.

Couple comments. Yes, rubber bands are low-tech, but really a great way to do it, so simple. And my whispbar brand, actually Yakima, snowboard mounts seemed to attach perfectly to these crossbars, but I had to go find the original box with different brackets. Do you have any extra hardware for your Thule that might make it work?

 

[Yossarian]

Couple comments. Yes, rubber bands are low-tech, but really a great way to do it, so simple. And my whispbar brand, actually Yakima, snowboard mounts seemed to attach perfectly to these crossbars, but I had to go find the original box with different brackets. Do you have any extra hardware for your Thule that might make it work?

The Thule clamps onto the crossbars without any additional hardware. I don't have access to the cargo box right now to take a photo, but in this snip from the Thule website you can se the clamps at the bottom of the box. The clamps are on a track and can be moved several inches fore & aft and they tighten onto the crossbars from inside the box, via a knob:

The issue with putting the box on the R1T is the location of the crossbars relative to the cab; there is not enough latitude in the clamp tracks to clamp both front and rear. My plan is clamp one end and use larger U-bolts at the other. Obviously, this means drilling holes through the Thule, but I think with the use of gaskets/washers I can keep water intrusion to a minimum . I also plan to mount the box with the sloped side facing the rear. The vertical dimension of the box is lower than the top of the cab, and mounting it that way will, I think, help a bit with turbulence and hence range.

I post more when I start the project.

 

[Supratachophobia]

The Thule clamps onto the crossbars without any additional hardware. I don't have access to the cargo box right now to take a photo, but in this snip from the Thule website you can se the clamps at the bottom of the box. The clamps are on a track and can be moved several inches fore & aft and they tighten onto the crossbars from inside the box, via a knob:

The issue with putting the box on the R1T is the location of the crossbars relative to the cab; there is not enough latitude in the clamp tracks to clamp both front and rear. My plan is clamp one end and use larger U-bolts at the other. Obviously, this means drilling holes through the Thule, but I think with the use of gaskets/washers I can keep water intrusion to a minimum . I also plan to mount the box with the sloped side facing the rear. The vertical dimension of the box is lower than the top of the cab, and mounting it that way will, I think, help a bit with turbulence and hence range.

I post more when I start the project.

Two questions, does the roof work? Obviously not your first choice for range. And second, I feel I read somewhere that the owner mounted that type of cargo carrier backwards and made it fit? Maybe try that since its aerodynamic nature is less of an issue above the bed/behind the cab. Who knows, it might even be the best for efficiency given the weird properties of truck aerodynamics.

 

[Yossarian]

Two questions, does the roof work? Obviously not your first choice for range. And second, I feel I read somewhere that the owner mounted that type of cargo carrier backwards and made it fit? Maybe try that since its aerodynamic nature is less of an issue above the bed/behind the cab. Who knows, it might even be the best for efficiency given the weird properties of truck aerodynamics.

Based in the negative impact I see when the Thule is mounted on my ICE vehicle, I would expect a pretty big hit to range if I did that in the R1T. I loose about 4-5 mpg with the box on my Telluride, which is upwards of a 20% hit. I suspect that may be larger on the R1T. It's also a bit inconvenient to load/unload when on the roof, another reason I want to use the bed location.

It probably wasn't all that clear, but what I meant in saying that I planned to mount the Thule "with the sloped side facing the rear" was that it would be backwards. I'm hoping that doing will in fact smooth the airflow and improve range, something that's not really a given. The tests I've seen on ICE pickups with the tailgate up or down, and with/without a tonneau cover seem all seem to indicate very little to no impact to mileage. That may be because the vortex forms after the tailgate, and not closer to the cab, as we (or at least I) would expect. I'll be happy if there is no negative impact to range with the bed mount and with the ease of access mounting in that location provides.

Finally, I guess some of us, including me, need to apologize to the OP for hijacking the thread, which was really about the new, blacked-out Rivian crossbars.

 

[R1TCntrlMaIzzy]

Well, going back to the original post. I ordered my black OEM bars today. They should look awesome on Izzy, my gw T.

 

[Chpfly]

My Install Experience:

I proceeded with reckless abandonment and did not take my time. It took 39 minutes from unboxing to final locking.

Couple things to mention;

1. There is zero branding on the instructions or the mounts themselves. I have no doubt the EVbase and the alternate Amazon ones that @Riv E In installed are the same exact product.
2. There is an airplane wing shape/direction to install these and the post mounts will match the bars accordingly.
3. The front mount and rear mount horizontal bars are different lengths. The rear bar is way too short to fit in the front roof mount points and the front bar is way too long to use in the very rear mount points. The front bar *might* fit the middle but it wasn't looking good for the angle of the ubolts. So if you want 3 of these, you'll need to get a second set and use the rear crossbar for the rearmost mount point.
4. Cool feature, you can't leave the keys in the locks when in the unlocked position. This presumably would prevent you from driving away with the bars unlocked. Kinda cool.

Going to go test the wind noise right now. My reference are the Whispbars that I run on my Model S with 3D printing inserts to cover up the inside gap. Otherwise known as "the most expensive roof crossbars ever".

Can you measure the height from the roof to the top of the cross bars for me, just want to see clerance going into the garage? Thank you - and if anyone has the Rivian bars could you do the same?

 

[Supratachophobia]

Secondary use of snowboard mounts.....

 

[Riv E In]

Deleted the silly chrome halo too. Looks so much better.

 

[Smirnov]

Anyone want to trade my bright cross bars (brand new) for a set of dark ones? Rivian sent me a bright set when I requested a dark set and now they will not take them back as it was a concession item rather than a purchase. Located in California!

 

[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

Anyone want to trade my bright cross bars (brand new) for a set of dark ones? Rivian sent me a bright set when I requested a dark set and now they will not take them back as it was a concession item rather than a purchase. Located in California!

You are better off selling what you have and then order the black ones. The black ones are new. Fat chance in hell someone would want to give those up.

 

[Supratachophobia]

The Amazon ones are a great option.....

 

[SBJ]

Mine were silver - 1 can of Rust-Oleum Peel-Coat $21. Only rated off the Compass emblem.

 

[SBJ]

Spell check got me. I meant taped off the compass emblem.

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