ROOF BOXES ARE IN HIGH SEASON DURING THE VACATION SEASON

For many, the vacation season begins in spring. Naturally, the storage space in the car then reaches its limits. Roof boxes reduce vacation stress by providing additional storage space on the car roof. However, if the technical conditions, payload and total weight regulations are not observed, driving with the roof load becomes dangerous. Drivers are often unclear about how many kilograms they can and should put on the car roof. The maximum permissible roof load for cars is not entered in the vehicle documents. Rather, it can be found in the operating instructions and is usually between 30 and 100 kilograms, depending on the vehicle type. However, the weight of the box – around 20 kilograms – and the crossbar, which weighs around five kilograms, must be added to the contents. And all this must not exceed the roof load of the vehicle.

In the meantime, you usually need a base carrier specially adapted to the respective vehicle type, which may only be securely mounted on the car at the attachment points provided for this purpose. Last but not least, the standardized designs serve to prevent damage to the vehicle’s paintwork and sheet metal.” Despite all the regulations, finding the right roof rack and attachment for your own car is usually unproblematic. On the websites of well-known manufacturers, you can usually click through to the desired vehicle type to find the appropriate system. You should not use any carriers or accessories without labeling. Modern roof boxes are tested against the DIN 75302 or ISO 11154 standards.

Even if this is not specifically mentioned in the operating instructions for the carrier, you should not exceed the recommended speed of 130 km/h on highways. Never forget your load on the roof, otherwise driving into underground garages can be extremely expensive. You should also bear in mind that the larger side surface makes the vehicle more sensitive to crosswinds. Particularly after forest areas and on bridges, increased caution is required and after mounting, the fastening of the roof box and the load should be inspected again after a few kilometers. Your TÜV SÜD Autopartner TÜFA-TEAM wishes you a safe journey!