How much weight can Pilot roof hold? (people that is)

[RinconVTR]

Originally Posted by N_Jay

Based on?

My assumption is based on driving the car with several hundred pounds (Probably 400+) of construction material on the roof, having taken several long trips with about 150 to 200 LB of luggage / Camp gear on the roof, having my son (150Lb+) stand of the roof to get his bicycle off the ceiling hooks.

The only damage was slight dimple/dents from my son.

Based on? The facts.

1. The fact that the rating is low.
2. The fact that the crossbar is thin aluminum with a section cut out in the middle for a rubber strip.
3. There are only two crossbars

The same debate can occur with any weight rating, like towing. Can it hold/tow more? Yep, ratings are not failure points. But the rating is the rating with reasons unknown behind the ratings. We (consumers) can assume we know the reasons, but they are all assumptions.

[N_Jay]

He does not have a rack, so he will be resting the weight directly on the roof. Specifically on the roof edge strips where the rails would attach.

The rating takes into account the dynamic loads created when driving which are several times the static load.

The crush rating of the roof is about 5 times the weight of the vehicle (Over 20,000 lbs).
(Yes, this is for 5" of crush, but the give is not linear,
I would bet no damage at 50% of loading, and we are probably talking something less than even 10% of rating.)

So lets be crazy.

10 people at an average of 200LB, is 2000 LB.

Two 1 inch wide by 4 foot strips down the sides of the roof is 96 SQ-IN.

We are talking about loads in the 20 LB per Sq-In. That is not much.

[1YESfan]

I still wouldn't do it but I recall reading the 12's roofs ( and whatever else that encompasses ) have a high safety rating than my 11 when it comes to strength and rollover ratings.

[humanoid]

Is the OP talking about how many people the roof can hold before it starts to crush or how many people the roof can hold before the roof starts to deform in shape? I think those are 2 separate things here.

[1YESfan]

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[RinconVTR]

Originally Posted by N_Jay

He does not have a rack, so he will be resting the weight directly on the roof. Specifically on the roof edge strips where the rails would attach.

The rating takes into account the dynamic loads created when driving which are several times the static load.

The crush rating of the roof is about 5 times the weight of the vehicle (Over 20,000 lbs).
(Yes, this is for 5" of crush, but the give is not linear,
I would bet no damage at 50% of loading, and we are probably talking something less than even 10% of rating.)

So lets be crazy.

10 people at an average of 200LB, is 2000 LB.

Two 1 inch wide by 4 foot strips down the sides of the roof is 96 SQ-IN.

We are talking about loads in the 20 LB per Sq-In. That is not much.

Damn. My bad. I completely lost the fact the OP states no rails!

However, directly on the roof has the same concerns. I've cut open hudreds (I'd even say thousands) of roofs from 1994-2000 installing sunroofs and the crossbar bracing they place in there would surprise you, granted there can be anywhere from 3 to 5 crossbar in an SUV roof.

I can tell you that even though the high crush resistance is there, it doesnt account for people standing on it, even if you can distribute the weight, because the roof is not perfectly flat and you run the risk of caving it or at least distorting it.

The only solution IMO is a custom roof rack that is supported by the left and right sides and the middle doesnt touch the roof. Imagine placeing the supports where the roof rails would be, and adding cross bracing (or 2x 3/4 plywood) to keep the platform from sagging and touching the roof. The hardest part might be how to secure the platform on the roof.

[N_Jay]

Originally Posted by RinconVTR

The only solution IMO is a custom roof rack that is supported by the left and right sides and the middle doesnt touch the roof. Imagine placeing the supports where the roof rails would be, and adding cross bracing (or 2x 3/4 plywood) to keep the platform from sagging and touching the roof. The hardest part might be how to secure the platform on the roof.

Exactly what I was thinking.

[EmptyTank]

Well, the Daytona was today -- how did it all work out?