by Rack Magic Woman on November 30, 2011
Q: I’ve got a Mazda5 minivan with integrated side rails on the roof and am looking for a roof rack set to load a soft carrier onto. Looks like you guys have several options and expert advice. Can you advise on an option for me?
A: We actually offer a cargo bag (the Yakima FarOut Pro Roof Bag) that can mount directly to the roof of most vehicles without any additional racks. However, your Mazda 5 has sliding rear doors, which I believe may not allow this, though you may be able to mount it through the front doors. This would be the best option, since you will only be using it once in a great while.
Otherwise you will need a base rack to attach a cargo bag. The least expensive, yet still quality, option will be the Inno IN-XR Roof Rack System (includes IN-XR stays, B117 cross bars and TR120 fit hooks). NOTE: this assumes your Mazda 5 is a 2006-2010. If not then the actual fit and components may be different.
Using this base rack will give you many more options of cargo bags to choose from. Here are a couple to look at:
SportRack Sherpa 13 Car Roof Bag – bare bones, budget bag.
Thule 846 Quest Roof Bag – middle of the road in features and price.
Thule 857 Caravan Roof Bag – best bang for your buck.
by Rack Princess on October 12, 2011
Image of 2012 Mazda 5 roof rack with Whispbar Through Bar rack system & Yakima Sky Box 18 cargo box
This 2012 Mazda 5 roof rack system features the Whispbar Through Bar car rack complete system which includes two S16 Through Bars, 4 SmartFoot Towers and K500 Fit Kit. It is installed by mounting to the fixed rack attachment points on the 2012 Mazda 5 rooftop. The 8007181 Yakima Sky Box 18 cargo box attaches directly to the Whispbar base rack cross bars and the back door of Mazda 5 can still open all the way without hitting the back of the SkyBox 18).
More 2012 Mazda 5 Whispbar Roof Rack info…
by Rack James on March 14, 2011
Nice customer install photo of a racked up and ready-to-roll 2010 Mazda CX-9 roof rack base system using the Yakima Control Tower base system with Landing Pad 11s, 48" roundbars, and a Yakima 50" Fairing and SKS 4 pack of locks.
This 2010 Mazda CX-9 roof rack system is using the Yakima Control tower system with Yakima #11 Landing Pads, 48″ roundbars, and the Yakima 50″ wind noise deflector fairing and a set of SKS 4 locks with keys. With this Yakima base system in place, carriers such as bike racks, kayak racks, luggage boxes etc are ready to be attached.
Complete details for 2010 Mazda CX-9 complete base rack system for rooftop.
by Rack Princess on January 25, 2011
Photo of 2010 Mazda 3 Hatchback Roof Ski Rack Featuring Thule 91725b FlatTop Ski Rack.
It doesn’t get any simpler than this ski rack for a Mazda 3 Hatchback with factory cross bars. Just attach the Thule 91725b Universal Flat Top Ski rack to your factory cross bars, load up to 6 pairs of skis or 4 snowboards (can mix snowboards & skis too) and you are ready to go.
Full Mazda 3 Hatchback Ski Rack details…
by Rack James on January 16, 2011
by Rack Princess on November 4, 2010
Image of 2002 Mazda Protege 5 roof top Bike rack. Features Thule 532 Ride-On Adapter Kit and Thule 518 Echelon roof bike rack which connects to the Ride-On which then connects to the factory rack.
A bike rack for a 2002 Mazda Protege 5 with a factory rack can be as simple as purchasing the Thule 532 Ride-On adapter kit which makes it possible to make almost any roof bike carrier attach to a cars factory rack. In this case the Thule 518 Echelon Roof Bike Rack is used to mount to the Thule 532 and produce a perfect Mazda Protege Bike Rack!
More info on bike rack for 2002 Mazda Protege 5.
by Rack Princess on November 2, 2010
1995 Mazda B4000 pickup truck camper shell roof rack featuring Yakima 1A Hi-Rise Roof Rack and Yakima Side Loader Brackets.
Oh yes – there is a perfect solution for everything. This roof rack for a 1995 Mazda B4000 pickup truck cap uses the Yakima 1A Hi-Rise raingutters roof rack which comes with a set of 4 Yakima 1A Hi-Rise Towers and a pair of 58 inch crossbars. The Yakima 1A Towers attach to the Yakima Side Loader Brackets which are artificial raingutter brackets for custom installations like installing a roof rack on a camper shell seen here.
More info and photos of 1995 Mazda B4000 pickup truck camper shell rack.
by Rack James on September 2, 2010
Sunny shot of a 2003 Mazda Tribute kayak rack for factory racks using the Malone Stax Pro kayak stacker with Malone MPG167 foam blocks/straps.
This 2003 Mazda Tribute kayak rack uses the Malone Stax Pro-MPG111MD with the MPG167 Block Kit and Straps to easily carry two kayaks on top of the ’03 Mazda Tribute’s factory crossbars.
Installation page for 2003 Mazda Tribute kayak racks.
by Rack James on August 12, 2010
by rackdawg on June 22, 2010
Thule 460R Rapid Podium roof rack
Using the Thule 3069 Podium Fit Kit, along with the Thule 460R Rapid Podium Foot Pack and pair of Thule Rapid Aero load bars, to install the Thule 460R Rapid Podium car rack system to a 2006 Mazda 3 5-door hatchback, this video delivers a good demonstration and explanation on how to mount a roofrack to a car, van or pickup truck cab roof that has factory installed fixed attachment points. Many modern vehicles have fixed point attachments located on the roof top. These points allow for the installation of an aftermarket multi-purpose base rack system. The Thule Racks 460R Rapid Podium system delivers a superb, clean and premium integrated look when installed. There are many different styles and types of fixed point attachments on the various vehicle makes and models, hence Thule Racks offers many different Podium Fit Kits to fit these specific configurations (the video uses the 3069 Fit Kit on the Mazda 3 as an example).
Thule 460R Rapid Podium video
Tagged as:
Mazda 3,
Thule 460R Rapid Podium,
Thule Fit Kits
by rackdawg on June 21, 2010
Thule 460 Podium roof rack system
An excellent demonstration video and review of the Thule 460 Podium roof rack system, intended for use on vehicles with fixed rack attachment points on the car or pickup truck rooftop. Many vehicles rolling off the factory lines today include these fixed point attachments on the roof top, allowing for an aftermarket roof rack to mount to these points to achieve a nice integrated and clean look. The leading system currently is the Thule 460 Podium complete system, which includes a 460 Podium Foot Pack, set of Podium Fit Kit brackets and a pair of Thule square load bars. There are many different Podium Fit Kit brackets available for use on all the differing styles of fixed point attachments found on different vehicles. In this video the Thule 3069 Podium Fit Kit is used on a 2006 Mazda 3 5-door hatchback. With the base rack installed, you can then mount any gear carriers to the load bars to carry all your gear.
Thule 460 Podium video
Tagged as:
Mazda 3,
thule 460 podium,
Thule Fit Kits
by rackdawg on April 15, 2010
Photo of the all-new RockyMounts TieRod bike rack used as a Mazda Protege 5 bike roof rack that mounts directly to the Mazda Protege5 factory rack crossbars.
Improving on the popular universal mounting, factory rack compatible RockyMounts Noose bike rack, the RockyMounts Bike Rack Company has recently released the super stylish, sexy and easier-than-ever to use RockyMounts TieRod bike rack for mounting to factory racks. The picture above shows two TieRods mounted to the Mazda Protege 5 factory rack crossbars. Each TieRod can also use 2 Rocky Mounts Locks to both lock the bike to the TieRod and the carrier itself to the roof rack. The models shown in the picture above are the classic black color, but you also have the choice of all kids of flavorful colors with the RockyMount TieRod bike racks.
Mazda Protege 5 factory rack mount bike racks details
Tagged as:
Mazda Protege 5,
RockyMounts TieRod
by rackdawg on March 14, 2010
by Rack James on October 2, 2009
Q: I have a 2006 Mazda 3 Hatchback with factory mounting points. Yakima offers the Q Tower System and the Control Tower system as options for a base rack. I’d prefer to use the Control Towers, but in order to use the factory mounting points, I’d need to remove the molding that fits in the channel running from front to back. I’d rather not do this if possible. Seems that molding is there for a reason. Is there any solution?
A: We’ve run into this before and there is a solution. All you need to do is drill a hole right through that molding big enough for the Yakima Landing Pad 11 mounting bolt to fit through. To find out where to drill, just pull back the molding enough to peek underneath. The mounting points are located over the front and rear doors and are easy to find. Once you’ve located them, mark the drilling point on the molding with a marker. To prevent drilling into the mounting point, we place the lip of an old Yakima Q-clip under the molding. If you don’t have an old Q-clip lying around, you can use any thin, metal object. The handle of a spoon would probably suffice. Drill slowly into the molding until you are through. It won’t take long. Once the mounting points are exposed, you can proceed with installing the Landing Pad 11 and then the Control Towers. When you are done, you’ll have a nice clean looking system and your molding pieces will be no worse for the wear.
Tagged as:
Mazda 3,
Yakima Control Towers,
Yakima Racks
by Rack James on October 1, 2009
by rackdawg on September 19, 2009
Thule 460 Podium Foot Pack / 460 Podium car rack review by 'Frank'. He is using the 460 Podium as a 2008 Mazda 3 roof rack.
This Thule Racks 460 Podium Foot Pack / Roof Rack Review is by ‘Frank’. He is using the Thule 460 Podium system as a 2008 Mazda 3 roof rack for carrying a roof box to hold camping equipment and snowboards.
Overall Rating: 4 Stars (out of 5)
“This is an awesome, sturdy rack. It screws in the roof (mazda 3), and feels very strong. The only thing preventing me from giving 5 stars is the road noise, but that must be a normal thing with roof racks (except factory racks that are permanently mounted on the car). After the 1st installation, I can take this on and off in about 5 minutes, really nice. I highly recommend this rack.”
all Thule 460 Podium Foot Pack / Roof Rack Reviews
