CanuckGT4

My build is complete and the lock date is end of the month so...do i add roof rails in black as well?
On the fence because I have no plans to add a roof box and I have never transported anything up there on other previous cars.
Considerations:
a. 2 young kids, maybe i will need a box at some point?
b. does it look better than without?
c. better resale value with them?
d. costs $940 which isn't insignificant if i'm never going to use them.
thanks!

p3pp3r

Yes all the way. I always loved the look of roof racks on SUV. I have them in all of them.

Imo, the Cayenne looks too "bald" without roof rails

John__C

If you are willing to pay $1,000 for something you’ll never use, then I have an old flip phone I can sell you.

I’ve never been a big fan of spec’ing a new car in anticipation of what you think someone else might want. You’ll never get your money back from that option on resale. As for whether it looks enough better to justify it, that’s your call. But I bought mine without the rack and it was an easy decision for me because I would never use them and I have this general philosophy in life not to buy things that I will never ever use.

BallJack

If your family likes going on vacations and you want to carry lots of gear and equipment, I will highly recommend adding the roof rails.
Obviously, you will need cross bars and other accessories to use them.

p3pp3r

So you basically answered your own questions....

LSR

I had this same choice to make and was in the same situation as you. I decided to save the $1000 and am glad I did. I've had the car for 3 years and still have had no need for roof rails. Plus, I think the car looks better without. There are plenty of Cayennes where I live and I have yet to see one with roof rails.

CanuckGT4

Agree. I just decided I'll leave them out of the order.
If I haven't wanted or needed a roof box to date, I don't see it in my future any time soon.
Plus those roof boxes ruin the aero of the vehicle and make noise at higher speeds which i would find annoying as hell.
Cheers

chassis

Strong yes for me on roof rails. And trailer hitch. The "U" in SUV is greatly diminished without them. I pull a boat and use roof mounted bike racks often.

Miggytosh

I will tell you that with two teenagers and a dog, having roof rails and a roof box option has been a fun saver. Gives me the opportunity to add valuable storage when needed, stow it when not in use and enjoy a much funner ride than the minivan it replaced.

Petza914

Our Cayenne is our family trip car and we're 2 adults and 2 kids. If it's just a normal weekend trip, we can fit everything inside the car, but if we're taking golf clubs or beach chairs, boogie boards, skim boards, There's no way to do that without the Skybox. We actually downsized from an Infiniti QX56 to the Cayenne once we started having issues with the 12 year old Infiniti. For the 6 trips or so we take a year (2 or 3 with the roof box) the smaller size and much better ride and performance of the Cayenne is superb.

I made a custom mount for the box to attach to the OEM crossbars so I could open the Pano roof with the box installed. I remove the bars when not using the Skybox as I think the car looks better without them.

p3pp3r

Nice setup you got there. Was the clamp on the box too low and obstruct the pano roof? Also what kind of body kit is it?

Schnave

1. Exactly. We had a minivan and still needed a roof box when we took our two kids on family vacations. Skis, boots, and snowboards are bulky. Don’t ski? Try fitting tent, chairs, camp equipment. Or a Christmas tree. Handyman? Lumber, ladders, piping, etc. You just never know what life, especially with two kids, will throw at you. 😃
2. You cannot retrofit roof rails. Buy now or forever do without.
3. I have many things that I may never use. But if I ever need them, no matter how remote the possibility, I’ll really need them: Reserve Parachute, Home Generator, Fire Extinguishers, First Aid Kits — you get the idea. Some may even put Reef flip flops with built-in bottle opener on the list. 😜

It’s not my money so I won’t tell you how to spend it, Canuck. These are just some lessons I’ve learned for your consideration.

PDX991

+1 to all the other comments about the extra space. With the family, we’ve always used it for vacations and because you can’t retrofit it you’ll have to have a different car eventually. With a dog in the family they’ll need to ride in the back and suddenly you have no room for luggage.

also the roof rails do not add any noise or wind. They sit flush. It’s the cross bars that do, and they cost more and don’t have to be up there all the time.

drcollie

I'll never use them, but I like the way they look so they are on mine. For some reason it looks unfinished when I see one that doesn't have them. Silly, I know. But so much of the Porsche brand and builds are aesthetics so set it up the way you like. Pretty difficult to add them later (requires dropping the headliner).

Petza914

Thank you. It's a Misha Widebody kit from Misha Designs (who may no longer be in business as of late). I did a complete build thread on it here if you're bored - https://rennlist.com/forums/cayenne-...s-project.html

The detail on the custom Skybox mounting is in there as well. The way the clamps for the Skybox attach to the bars and the way the Pano roof panels stack on top of each other as they open would have shattered or jammed the roof panels. I really did it as a precaution in case someone (wife, kids) accidentally turned the Pano roof **** while the Skybox was installed, as we don't really drive with the roof open when the Skybox is installed because the airflow gets diverted right into the car. We've have opened it when sitting in traffic or to let heat out of the car when getting in on a hot day.

I essentially fabricated T-fasteners that are captured in the grooves of Roof Crossbars, then the studs from them go up through holes in the Skypox and I made aluminum bars that run the length of the box that the studs come up through. I then thread knurled nuts onto the studs with long fender wasters. It has been speed tested up to about 120 MPH


First I cut strips of Plexiglas and used clear silicone to seal the sliding channels of the Skybox base. This removes the adjustability of it (only goes on this car which I'll have for decades) but makes the box water tight. Then I figured out where the crossbars would be positioned on the roof, where the box would be positioned on the crossbars for the rear hatch to open all the way without hitting. Then I marked the position on the base of the Skybox and the crossbars



Started with stainless bolts. Ground a thick washer to make it exactly the same width as the crossbar channel, ground the bolt heads flatter so they, combined with the washer thickness would slide into the T-channel of the crossbar. Then I ground some square nuts on the sides to the exact width of the channel and loctited them on. The loctited nuts prevent the studs from spinning when I'm attaching the knurled nuts from the inside of the box.



Here is a finished bolt in the crossbar T-channel. I also found brushed aluminum look vinyl that I applied to crossbars to protect the finish when the Skybox is installed.



Once I knew where in the crossbar the stud needed to reside, I cut the rubber channel strip and added the rest of it on the other side, so the position of the studs are held in position by the gaps in the rubber strip and can't move side to side.



Here's what the inside looks like with the fender washers and knurled nuts with rubber caps I pop on after fastening everything down. What's not shown here are the full length aluminum runners that cover the full length of the attachment run to reinforce the bottom of the Skybox



Second view of attachment



Skybox Installed with Pano Roof fully Open (not front deflector popped up)



Pano Roof fully open from inside vehicle



Black car is the same vehicle. I actually did all this before installing the widebody kit and changing the color to the pearl white. This shows clearance at the back of the Skybox with the hatch door fully open.





Had the top of the Skybox custom painted when having the car done to perfectly match the color of the car. Didn't do the bottom as that part gets beat up when installing and removing it from the car.