Factory Roof rack vs. Thule/Yak

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08-03-2005, 07:11 PM
comish

Factory Roof rack vs. Thule/Yak

So I'm ordering a new car (Audi A3) to replace the '89 Honda that has been my ride the last couple years. Figuring Maggots tend to be heavy users of car racks I thought I would pose my scenario here.

The car will wear a permanent rack to carry the requisite surfboard, bikes, and skis. With that in mind I'm not a big fan of the towers that rest on the paint of the roof as eventually over time they fuck up the paint which is sorta a pain when going to sell the car. Sooo I have 3 options:

Option 1: Factory roof rails that I then attach cross bars to. What is the typical load capacity of these type of racks? Any negatives to this setup? Will my cross bars be farther apart than say the standard Thule/Yak setup since the rear one can be behind the rear door? = better for Longboard surfboards.

Option 2: Factory Roof Rack apparently made by Thule, but sorta Germanswishized so that it can be sold by the car manufacture. Still looks like it will fuck up the paint. Prolly easier to setup/remove than a total custom Thule/Yak set up. The cross bars are kinda huge?

Option 3: Standard Thule/Yak towers, bars, etc.

I'm leaning toward option 1. Seems easiest to configure since all I need are the cross bars and adapters. Least amount of wear and tear on car. Slightly more expensive because I'm sure the $400-$500 for the roof rails is more than the Thule towers/clips would cost.

Opinions? Knowledge on the subject.
08-03-2005, 09:24 PM
biggins

option 1.
08-03-2005, 09:33 PM
trainnvain

Option 1. Factory roof rails with the ability to run a system such a Yakima control towers not only doesn't interfere with the surface of the vehicle, but also allows a really easy on/off system for the whole rack system. No question.
08-03-2005, 10:08 PM
funkendrenchman

Beware that option 1 probably has the lowest weight limit which can be important if you are putting DH bikes up there or anything else heavy. Also on my Impreza, if I mounted the crossbars to the factory rack, my bike trays would stick out and hit the rear tailgate.

The car manual should say the weight limit for that rack.
08-03-2005, 10:14 PM
El Chupacabra

Option 1 for skis, surfboards, cargo box, and light (XC or road) bikes. Add a trailer hitch & hitch-mounted rack if you have heavy (DH) bikes.

I have a Jeep Grand Cherokee with the factory rails (parallel to the length of the vehicle, no factory crossbars), with Yakima "rail riders" on it. Works fine for lightweight stuff, but it's not nearly as sturdy as the raingutter Yakima setup I had on my old Jeep XJ Cherokee.

-Karl
08-03-2005, 11:17 PM
biggins

Funkd and Elchup make good pts in light of the A3. Pretty small car no? And a hatchback even?
08-04-2005, 07:41 AM
chaka

Quote:

Originally Posted by trainnvain

Option 1. Factory roof rails with the ability to run a system such a Yakima control towers not only doesn't interfere with the surface of the vehicle, but also allows a really easy on/off system for the whole rack system. No question.

What he said, being aware of the potential weight limits. I just went thru the same decision with a new '05 outback Ltd. Opted for the Yakima "lowrider" setup to add cross bars to the factory rails. Works sweet, and honestly it feels frigging bomber. One thing you might run into though... I wanted a faring to cut out some of the noise, like I had on my old Sube. Turns out the sunroof extends far enough forward that the standard faring mount arms are not long enough to clear the sunroof. Not that big of a deal, as luckily it is not exceptionally noisy, but I now have a little fab project planned, to make some custom xtra long faring mounts.
08-04-2005, 08:17 AM
Foggy_Goggles

[Side Bar]

Comish, you're a pimp. When are you gonna start working?

Old Saab 9000s had holes (4 each side) that accepted a male end of a Thule rack. It took about 30sec to attach/detach the rack and was super bomber and the rack was basically attached to the frame. Why auto auto manus. accept that a large portion of potential buyers (as SUVs and sta wags) want to bomber rack system. Factory racks are useless for any type of heavy load like kayaks.
08-04-2005, 09:52 AM
comish

Quote:

Originally Posted by Foggy_Goggles

[Side Bar]

Comish, you're a pimp. When are you gonna start working?

September 1st :( , hence why I have the summer of fun/travel with Asia and So. Am. for next week. :D Come on Ullr!!!

I'm only carrying longboard surfboards (while light, have a bit of leverage), road bikes, XC mtn bikes, and skis so it sounds like Option 1 will do it. Thanks doods!