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Thule tie downs

Tie-Down Tips: Secured for take-off

Secured for take-off

Before you take off on your next adventure, make sure your gear is securely and safely tied down on top of your vehicle. Accidents, injury and damage can result from equipment that’s not securely or properly tied onto your roof racks.

We’ve put together this useful list of tie-down tips to help you travel safely with a load on top of your car.

  1. Check that your roof racks are correctly and securely fitted to your vehicle.
  2. Make sure that you’re not overloaded. Both your car and your roof racks will have load bearing limit specifications. Be sure to adhere to the load limits.
  3. Check that whatever you’re carrying on top doesn’t protrude beyond the legislated distance from your vehicle. Use red flags or triangles where legally required.
  4. Choose the right tie-down for the job. There’s a range of tie-downs available for different applications. Rope with sufficient strength can be used if you’re confident in your knot tying abilities, but for more regular use, you’ll find that web straps with a buckle are easier and quicker.
  5. You may need to look at some cushioning for items such as surfboards or kayaks to prevent scratching. Roof rack pads also provide some traction so that items don’t shift around.
  6. Once you’ve tied on the load, give the items a good push and pull to see that they are secured and not shifting. You don’t want to over tighten your straps and place unnecessary stress and pressure on the items you’re transporting.
  7. Wrap your tie-downs so that you don’t have flapping ends while you travel. A tie down beating against the roof of your car in the wind can make an annoying and distracting noise, and even scratch your car.
  8. At regular intervals along your journey, check that your loaded items are still safely secured.

Pop in to one of our Rack n Road stores with any of your tie-down or loading queries. Find our three store locations in Johannesburg and Pretoria here!