Roof Racks

Number_9

Number_9

Member
Good morning, NS.

I just had a question about roof racks. I currently have to set my skis in my car at an angle, going from behind the driver to the front passenger, and they barely fit. I can't fit another person in there. I have a coupe, with no rails on the top. I've taken a look around for stuff, but have come to the conclusion that I would need to install rails in order to have a roof rack.

Is that true? Or is there some hidden secret that NS has knowledge of, but no one else does?

Also, on when I searched for Roof Racks on here, I noticed that it isn't uncommon for them to fall off on the highway. Is that because of someone not paying attention when putting them up, or is it just a defect that will happen with most racks?

Thanks
 
I'm pretty sure that you can't install a roof rack without rails.

And roof boxes work well too, plus you can store bags in a roof box as well as your skis and poles.
 
there are so many different types of roof rack systems out there that you could use. i think its yakima that makes some that attach to the inside door frame with straps and you dont have to bolt anything down. convertibles have the type that sit against the outside of the window or something (ive only seen it on the highway) and for them falling off never had a problem with the rack coming off only skis flying off when too stoned to remember to close the clamps real dumbi know
 
I found some racks that clamp to the insides of your window, eliminating the use of rails.

I was also thinking about finding a box, more room for other stuff too, like you said.

Thanks as well, Darren.
 
I found some nice Thule ones that mount on my windows. But they cost 500$, so that's a no go. I think that may be my only option.
 
thats your best bet man my friend had them for his GTI and worked great. check craigslist lots of people sell their cars and have no need for the racks anymore so they're around just gotta hunt a bit.
 
see if there is a Rack Attack store around you..or something like it. they will help you out.

Dont get the window mounted systems! unstable and can put wear on your car.

I just got a yakima system put on my two door honda civic. I think its called the Launch Pad. Four pemanent pads are drilled into the top of the car. the bars and rack then snap/lock into these 'pads'.

This system is cheaper and a lot more durable than those window mounted ones. It takes me about 1 minute to take the whole rack off for when I'm not using it. It still was about $450 for everything but a lot less than the window mounted systems
 
Yeah, I guess I'm just going to have to put out a good amount of money for one. Thanks for that suggestion, I'll definitely look into it.
 
i have a saris set of load bars(clamp to door jam and run across roof) that fit my ski rack, kayak rack, and bike stuff. it's pretty heavy duty and lockable so when you stop for gas or food you don't have to worry about someone swiping your skis. they don't sell them new anymore so you can sometimes find them CHEAP on craigslist or ebay.
 
If you have a coupe you will need to get a special adapter since you do not have back doors for the back bar. If you can get a Thule 400 system with a short roof adaptor.Yakima and Inno also make good systems. Yakima makes a q tower system with a strech kit. And INNO's is called the INNO-SU system with the INN0-jk adaptor.
But seriously go THULE for base systems, boxes all three brands makes good products.
if you have any questions message me. I work at a rack shop, I'll tell you whats best.
 
I literally just sold my kit.

http://www.orsracksdirect.com/thule-477.html

If you go with Thule you can use a regular roof rack with 4 Aero Feet and load bars. You would need the Thule 477 - Short Roof Adapter (SRA) to push the back load bar enough to give you enough leverage hold. These are fairly common on ebay. You can find a rack for wicked cheap on craigslist with a little searching. This is just the setup I had for a while... /disclaimer
 
also if you live in canada. Don't buy from ORS racks, waste of shipping.
www.sportracks.com is an awesome store you can just email them with your car year and model and what you want and they will give you ideas.

 
if you went with thule you would probably need a part called a 477 short roof adapter. they're expensive and a bitch to install. it also depends on what type of car it is. sometimes yakima fits a certain car better than thule, or vise versa. i recomend thule. go to thule.com and it should guide you through on what you need. if you got a coupe, dont even bother with a box. they just look too goofy and make a shit ton of noise on coupes.
 
Thank you for all the help you guys. Every post has been some help and I think I have a good sense on what I need.

I really appreciate it.
 
i've worked full or part time at a ski shop that sells car racks for the past nine years now, so i've seen a lot of different rack setups on different cars. depending on the make/model of the car, as someone said, thule or yakima may fit better. i really wouldnt recommend anything else for a base rack unless you're going to a rack store and having some sort of custom setup installed. thule tends to work pretty well on german cars and volvos, where yakima i've found works better for most everything else. beetles are the exception to the german car rule. generally, if its got a more round roof, a yakima rack will work better because of the round bars. on a car with a round roof, such as the beetle, using square bars, your ski racks will be at slightly different angles, making it more difficult to close your rack.
 
most likely for a midsize car or small which it sounds like you have you are going to need the 400 or (newer) 400xt footing, you then will need the fit kit, mines a 116 for my car, then you need bars 50lb loading bars 50 inch is the smallest you should get then, you need a rack or a box on top.

so

1)fit kit

2)footings

3)load bars

4)rack/box

check the thule website put your car info in and it will tell you what you need

ive been doing some rcaigslist hunting and i have my who new rack set up for around 150 bucks maybe a little more, new it would have costed upwards of 600, check ebay and around dude good luck

im looking for 400 or 400xt footing by the way if anyone has sone to sell
 
i really dont want to cut all the panels up, i have a 2 door so when i put my skis in there i lose all passenger space
 
http://www.skinet.com/skiing/how-to/diy-/-maintenance/2009/02/diy-build-your-own-roof-rack



DIY: Build Your Own Roof Rack





With tips from Greg Bridges.

by Greg Bridges, and Tim Neville, Contributors, Skiing Magazine











skg1008gsct.jpg


Enlarge image





If your car

already has a factory-installed luggage rack, all you’ll need is a

couple of two-by-fours, some cord (parachute cord or six-millimeter

rope works well), a couple of mountain-bike inner tubes, and six

two-inch wood bolts with fender washers for each pair of skis you want

to carry.

Place the two-by-fours across your luggage rack

(perpendicular to the length of the car) so they rest on the rack’s

rails. Cut the boards to length so they extend past the rails by at

least a few inches.

Place the two-by-fours back on the ground and set

your skis across them. Rather than stack your skis together, set the

skis side-by-side. The bases of the skis should sit directly on the

wood, with about an inch between them. Use a pencil to mark where your

skis sit on each board.

For each pair of skis, drill three holes in the

front two-by-four and three holes in the rear two-by-four: On each

board, place one hole on the left side of your skis, one in between,

and one on the right side.

Cut the inner tube into sections at least three

inches longer than the width of your skis when they’re sitting

side-by-side. You’ll need two sections of inner tube for each pair of

skis—one for the tips, one for the tails. Drape the cut tube across the

holes. Once you fasten the rubber to the wood (see below), the tube

will hold your ski tips and tails to the two-by-fours.

Using a utility knife, cut a small X in the inner

tube to pass a bolt through it and the hole in the two-by-four. Stretch

the tube across the other holes, cutting Xs for each bolt. The more you

stretch, the tighter the hold on your skis. But don’t overdo it; they

won’t blow off. You just need to keep the skis from sliding around. Use

washers and Loctite adhesive to help keep the nuts from cutting into

the tube and working loose. Repeat for each pair of skis you wish to

carry.

Fasten the two-by-fours to the luggage rack with

the rope or parachute cord using a slipknot cinched down with a series

of overhand knots. Slide your tips and tails between the tubes and the

wood. Commence laughing at others who spent $600 on a rack.

Greg Bridges—a Mt. Bachelor, Oregon–based wooden-kayak builder,

teacher, and expert jury-rigger—has built racks from all manner of

materials. He once accidentally skewered a coyote with a homemade

fishing-rod rack made of rebar on his truck’s bumper.

- SKIING MAGAZINE, OCTOBER 2008

 
i have a Thule system on my 2000 malibu.. i could not be happier. it has stood up great, i have a roof box, 6 place ski carrier, and 3 of the J bars for carrying kayaks. its seriously idiot proof switching between the 3. takes absolutely no time. the thing is solid too.

the drawback. its not cheap to put one on your car. keep your eyes out at garage sales. i was able to pick up my cross bars at one saving me a nice chunk of $$. so while its not cheap, it really transforms a "useless" sedan into a very versatile vehicle..

 
Fuck. I got my hopes up for a second. I didn't realize that it's for 4 door vehicles only. Which seems weird, as you don't need rails or anything.
 
I'm really sorry about the triple post, but what do you guys think about what I just came up with?

From the front of my bindings to the back is about 21.5", the FLAT on my roof is about 26". In theory, wouldn't that still work? Or is ignorance going to ruin this for me D:
 
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