I put a roof rack on my 88 Pioneer, super loud with wind noise and also creates a drag on the horse power.

Is this normal for roof racks?

 

Not sure what type of roof rack you have, but yes it usually does. I added aero crossbars to my company Rav4 and it made it so loud that I no longer enjoy having the sunroof open. When my wife and I drove to Colorado this past year, I took them off so I wouldn't have to listen to it for four days of driving when I wasn't going to haul anything up there.

I used to have a Yakima bike rack on one of my vehicles. When I put the fairing on, it made a big difference. You might look into that.

 

Yes, I was going to try a fairing and see if I can redirect the wind.

 

If your rack is mounted forward on the cab, you may find that moving the rack rearward may significantly reduce wind noise. On my van, simply moving the rack rearward a foot did pretty much elimiate a very loud wind noise. If you have to room to do so, try moving the rack to as rear as possible, and see if noise is reduced. If not, a fairing might be of benefit. But for my case, simply moving it rearward did the trick. Get the rack as far back as you can.

Please report on results.

Good Luck

 

What rack did you buy? Does it mount to the rain gutters? Does it have large locking *****? As others have said, yes, they are noisy. I had a pair of Thules when I had my '85 Saab. I had to take them off when I didn't need them.

I have a factory rack on my '88. I keep the front cross rail set back a bit when I don't need it.

 

I will try setting it back to see if that helps.
Mine mounts on the cross rails. I bought it from Earl Owens.

 

A Saab???

 

It is a CURT.
I took a section out to shorten it and slid it back.
I haven't drove on the highway yet to test it.
But, after looking at it, it seems obvious that it was way to forward and catching a ton of wind. I had forward of the windshield.

 

Yes, a 1985 SAAB 900 Turbo.