Some 2022 Toyota Tacoma Owners Reduce Wind Noise By Half with Roof Rack

You just happily bought your 2022 Toyota Tacoma and are eagerly waiting to add some mods to it. First you maybe get some new rims, then maybe a cool decal, perhaps you splurge a bit and get a lift kit. However, the daunting idea of a roof rack still lingers inside your head. You know it’ll look cool but once you put it on, say goodbye to highway silence. Roof racks that don’t make noise cost a fortune and you already blew all your mod money on other stuff.

So instead of buying a really expensive roof rack, you decide to do something about it yourself. Luckily, Billy Ocampo asked on the Toyota Tacoma TRD Trucks Group on Facebook saying, “I just installed a roof rack yesterday, what do you guys use to deflect the wind noise?” Let’s take a look and see what a few people said they did.

Ian Keoppen said, “I’m extending the deflector by bolting on a piece of plexiglass to cover the space between the rack and the cargo box. Before I put the box on there was minimal noise.”

Plexiglass would work, but I wouldn’t recommend the thin ones. Plexiglass also tends to make weird “wob wob” sounds when it flutters in the air like a sheet of thin plastic. So, I would suggest getting the thicker sheets.

After a few responses Billy Ocampo posted a comment saying, “I kind of reduced the wind noise in half by lowering the rack using the bottom holes of the bracket but needs more adjustment. I just ran out of time, had to do some errands, I’ll do the rest of adjustment later. “

If you are worried about a mod voiding your bumper to bumper warranty, check out one of our previous articles covering just that.

So roof rack wind noise is created kind of like how a whistle makes noise. Air goes through the little holes and crevices which compress it and make noise. Plus, the air is usually hot so low pressure plus high temperature equals noise. Now to combat this, you can try to make the front part of your roof rack closer to the roof by not letting any air get in. This would make the air go over the curved rack instead of below it.

You could also try to make your own roof rack for you 2022 Tacoma if you have the handy tools and are up for the challenge. I saw a YouTube video where someone did it and it wasn’t that hard. They also made the front part curve a little so the air could go over it.

All in all, if you want to bring the noise level down by just a bit, your best bet is to just cover the front part up and make sure the front of the rack is flush with the roof line. Other than that, you could probably find some sort of noise diffuser on the internet or just build one yourself! The challenge is always fun.

What do you think? Do you have any tips or tricks to get the noise level down for a roof rack? Let us know in the comments below.

Harutiun Hareyan is reporting Toyota news at Torque News. His automotive interests and vast experience test-riding new cars give his stories a sense of authenticity and unique insights. Follow Harutiun on Twitter at @HareyanHarutiun for daily Toyota news.