by Rack James on November 11, 2009
Q: I want to carry skis, but I cannot find the roof rack for my car. My car is a business style car which doesn’t have a fixed rack on roof. So, It looks a little bit difficult to implement the roof rack without the rack. Could you recommend one for my style vehicle?
Thank you very much in advance
Q for you: What kind of car are driving?
A: 2009 Ford Fusion
Solution: Your vehicle has what we call a naked roof, and you need a multipurpose base rack system that will provide you with the crossbars you need to mount your ski rack, or any other attachment for that matter. I would suggest a Yakima Q-Tower System for your base rack and the Yakima Fat Cat 6 for your ski rack. To lock everything down, make sure you get yourself a Yakima SKS 6 lock pack, which will protect your base rack, your ski rack, and of course your skis from theft, and all with one key.
by rackdawg on September 29, 2009
Q: Hello, I am looking for a complete bike roof rack system for a 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer. So far, it looks like no car rack companies have had any 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer roof rack systems as of yet. Can you recommend any? Thanks.
A: Good news, Inno Racks now has the Inno IN-SU roof rack system engineered to work as a 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer car rack multi-purpose base rack system. The Inno IN-SU system includes four Inno IN-SU Stays, four Inno K336 Fit Hooks (these Fit Hooks are specific to your 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer) and two cross bars (please note the B127 50″ cross bars are the recommended length for your vehicle). You can then attach any Inno, Thule or Yakima gear carriers directly to the front and rear cross bars. This car rack also comes with locks included to lock the rack to the roof top.
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Q: I have the 2008 Ford Taurus X and it does have the side rails. I really want to use the Thule 867 Tahoe roof bag on the roof top. I love how this roof bag is waterproof and has a ton of room for all our luggage gear. But i’m confused whether it works directly on the Ford Taurus X roof rack side rails or if i have to install a base rack system with crossbars on the side rails first. The Thule 867 Tahoe luggage bag says it even mounts to cars with just side rails. But I used the Thule fit guide and it says I have to get a rood rack first? What do I need? I also want to lock the roof bag, what is the best option for a roof bag lock?
A: Roof bags will not work directly on your side rails. You will need to install a 2008 Ford Taurus X roof rack on the siderails first in order to get the crossbars that you can then attach the Thule 867 Tahoe roof bag to. We highly recommend the Thule 450 Crossroad car rack system for mounting to the side rails. THe 58 inch load bars are the length you will need for the 2008 Ford Taurus X roof top. An excellent option for roof bag locks is the SteelCore Lock Straps.
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Q: I am using the Yakima Control Tower roof rack system with the Yakima LP11 Landing Pads as a 2008 Mercedez S550 roof rack setup. I then have the Thule 897XT Hullavator kayak rack attached to the Control Tower crossbars. My question is what would I want to use for a wind fairing on this setup? Would the Yakima Wind Jammer work on the crossbars?
A: Both the Yakima 50″ extra-large fairing and the Yakima WindJammer will work on your 2008 Mercedes S550 roof rack Yakima crossbars.
by Rack James on September 23, 2009
by rackdawg on September 22, 2009
by rackdawg on September 21, 2009
Q: I’m in the market for a cargo carrier to haul luggage, camping equipment and gear. I do need some kind of 2008 Ford Edge roof rack system first that I can then mount a roof box to correct? The cargo box style of luggage carrier is what I’m interested in.
A: The Thule 400XT Aero, Inno INSU and Yakima Q Tower multi-purpose base rack systems will all work great as 2008 Ford Edge roof racks. All attach directly to your vehicle’s smooth rooftop that currently has no factory rack, factory side rails, rain gutters etc. All of these options provide a sturdy base rack system capable of safely transporting all kinds of gear. You can then attach any Yakima, Thule or Inno cargo roof boxes to the base rack system crossbars.
All Thule Cargo Boxes
All Yakima Cargo Boxes
All Inno Cargo Boxes
Tagged as:
cargo roof box,
Ford Edge
by rackdawg on September 21, 2009
Mounting the Thule Storage Bike Rack to the Wall
Q: Can the Thule BSTK2 bike storage rack be mounted on the wall to get the bikes a little higher and out of the way? Does the base come apart I could wall mount?
A: Yes the base is removeable, so it is possible to custom install to the wall providing you have the skill to drill and mount etc. This is not something recommended by Thule Racks, of course, and would invalidate the warranty. Other easier options can be found using some of the Delta bike storage racks such as the Leonardo or Chagall models.
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Using Yakima Q Tower Roof Rack as a Ford Focus Car Rack System
Q: Can the Yakima Q Tower car racks cause rain to seep into around door? I am think of using this as a Ford Focus roof rack.
A: No chance of rain getting in. Car rack manufacturers invest much time and money engineering systems to prevent any possible water issues. The Q Towers roofrack is no exception. The Q clips provide a seemless fit so they don’t impact the car doors.
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Inno Car Rack Fairing on 2010 Subaru Forester X Factory Rack
Q: Thinking about an Inno fairing for my 2010 Subaru Forester X. I have the factory crossbars only, with a Yakima Powderhound ski rack on top and am getting CONSIDERABLE wind noise at 50+ mph. The sizing guide says to use a 32 inch, but it seems like the 39 inch would be more appropriate (as the “silver part” of the crossbar itself is 38.5 inches). Which size do you think is best, and will this Inno Fairing be compatible with what I have/solve my wind noise problem?
A: That sounds like a very tight fit, and this is probably why Inno Racks decided on the small size in this situation. But if the total measurement of the crossbar from the inside of each side rail is at least 39″ then this should fit. You can always trim the fairing edges if that what it takes to make a perfect fit. Fairings are designed to eliminate that rack noise that can randomly occur. You’ll be happy with how effective the fairing takes care of this issue.
http://www.orsracksdirect.com/inno-roof-rack-farings.html
Tagged as:
bike storage racks,
Ford Focus,
Inno Fairings,
Inno Racks,
Subaru Forester,
Yakima Q Towers,
Yakima Racks
by rackdawg on September 18, 2009
Customer installation featuring a 2007 Ford Focus roof rack and 2 kayak carriers. Uses the Yakima Q Towers, Q102 clips, 48 inch crossbars and 2 Yakima Bowdown j-cradle kayak racks.
Additional photo highlighting the 2007 FOrd Focus 5-door car rack and 2 kayak carrier setup.
This customer installation is an excellent example of how you can carry 2 kayaks on the roof top of even a small car such as the 2007 Ford Focus 5 door. This 2007 Ford Focus car rack system for carrying 2 kayaks consists of the Yakima Q Tower roof rack system mounted to the Ford Focus roof top (uses 2 pairs of Yakima Q102 clips, which are included) and 2 Yakima BowDown kayak rack j-ctadle style kayak carriers attached to the short 48 inch length cross bars (recommended for this vehicle).
Yakima Q Tower roof rack system
Yakima Bowdown kayak rack
2007 Ford Focus roof rack and kayak rack installation page
