by rackdawg on February 9, 2010
Q: I’m trying to install the Thule 480 Traverse car rack system on my Saab 9-2x but having issues. Specifically, the Thule 1210 Fit Kit clip is not long enough to reach from the Thule 480 Traverse Foot to the correct position on the Saab 9-2x door well. Any help?
A: Check out the photo below that troubleshoots this issue…
Image A depicts grey screw on the Thule 480 Traverse Foot in the fully tightened position and clip positioned at highest point (the Fit Kit attaches to the clip). If you find that the Fit Kit does not reach down far enough to be positioned correctly on your doorwell, simply fully loosen the grey screw and the clip will lower to its lowest position as depicted in image B. You can then attach the Fit Kit to the clip in this lowest position, allowing the Fit Kit to be properly positioned on the doorwell.
Tagged as:
Saab 9-2x,
Thule 480 Traverse
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 Rack James on October 27, 2009
Q: Hi. I’m trying to buy an Inno Board Locker Roof Rack for my 2007 4-Door Saturn Ion. I have a longboard surfboard. Not trying to go the soft rack route so I gotta fork a little extra more, but I’m hoping not that much more? Don’t know if I have rain gutters or not. I might but I don’t know for sure. How would I know?
A: If you want to go with the Inno BoardLocker, which is a sweet surfboard rack that I would definitely recommend, you are going to first need a base rack system. Sticking with Inno, you would need the IN-SU system, which is designed for cars without raingutters and attaches to the roof with thin metal clips that fit under the doors. It is an excellent base rack system that is comparable in quality to Thule and Yakima but unlike Thule and Yak, it comes with free locks. Once that is installed, you are free to mount your BoardLocker or any other attachment for that matter. Compared to a soft rack, such as the SteelCore Surf Rack, this is a much more pricey option, but one that is way more secure, safe, and versatile and you don’t have to deal with straps running through the interior of your car.
by Rack James on October 21, 2009
Q: Does anyone make a rooftop car rack system for a 2008 Range Rover? I’ve checked both Yakima and Thule and nothing is coming up. They only offer racks for Range Rovers with factory racks and mine has none. I want to carry two bicycles and maybe a kayak. Thanks!
A: You’re right, Yak and Thule don’t provide a fit, but Inno does makes a base rack system that will attach to the naked roof of your Range Rover. It is the Inno IN-SU complete base rack system. It is a great rack system with corssbars that are identical to Thule’s. With the IN-SU system installed, you are free to mount virtually any bike carrrier or kayak carrier you like. A few good examples: Inno INA383 Fork Lock II and Inno INA450 Kayak Rack.
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 rackdawg on October 1, 2009
Q: I can’t figure out how to change a Thule lock cylinder on a Thule Atlantis roof box. I want to change my lock but cant take the key out to put the removal key in. As you know Thule boxes wont let you take the key out unless it is locked.
A: This is a fantastic question. To get a Thule lock cylinder out of a Thule box requires that you have the dedicated locking key and a master or control key. You would insert the dedicated key into the Thule lock cylinder on the cargo box and turn only 10 degrees, now pull the dedicated key out and insert the control key. You can now use the control key to wiggle a bit and the cylinder will pop out. I know it sounds weird but this is truly how its done!
Tagged as:
Thule Atlantis box
by rackdawg on September 29, 2009
Q: I really wanted to use the Saris Bones 3 bike trunk rack on my 2008 Toyota Highlander. But it looks like it is not compatible with this vehicle? Can you confirm this? Also, are there any other trunk bike rack models you could recommend? I’m open to bike rack options for the 2008 Toyota Highlander factory rack if no trunk mount bike rack options are available.
A: Unfortunately there are no trunk bike racks compatible with your 08 Highlander. You do have some great options for factory rack mount bike racks however. A very popular model is the Yakima ForkLift bike rack. This carrier offers the industry’s best factory rack mount engineering and has a host of features for easy bicycle loading and unloading. If you are looking for more economical options we recommend the SportRack ABR611 Nomad bike rack and SportRack ABR622 Nomad bike rack models.
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Q: I have a 2007 Hummer H3 and it appears to have some type of side rails on them. But they are not typical siderails I don’t think. It doesn’t look like I can just attach a roof rack to the siderails so that i can have crossbars to then attach gear carriers for carrying bikes and snowboards. What system do I need for a 2007 Hummer H3 roof rack systemthat would include crossbars?
A: You are right. You would not install a typical roof rack system designed to attach to factory side rails. In fact your 2007 Hummer H3 has factory installed fixed-points located on the side rails. You can attach a roof rack to the fix-points. We recommend the Thule 430 Tracker II with the TK12 Tracker Kit. The Thule TK12 Tracker Kits connect to the fixed-points on the siderails. Then snap the 430 Tracker II Feet to each TK12 Kit. The Thule 58inch load bars are the recommended length for your roof top. You can then mount any gear carriers to the load bars.
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Q: I need a 2007 VW Passat wagon roof rack. The Volkswagen Passat currently only has the factory rails on the sides of the roof. What do you recommend?
A: The complete Thule 450 Crossroad roof rack system is engineered to fit your vehicle perfectly and is very quick to install. Attaches directly to the 2007 VW Passat factory rack side rails, converting your factory rack side rails into a sturdy base rack system capable of safely transporting all your gear. Includes a set of four Thule 450 Crossroad Feet and a pair of load bars. The 50″ load bars are the recommended length for your vehicle.
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Q: I don’t want to spend a lot of money on a 2010 Lexus RX350 hitch bike rack for the 2 inch receiver hitch that is already installed on the 2010 Lexus RX 350. I need to carry 3-4 bikes at a time and I will be transporting both adult and kids bikes. What do you recommend?
A: A great 2″ hitch mount bike rack option that is both economical and easy to install and use is the Sportrack A30902 4EZ hitch bike rack. Holds up to 4 bikes and will make a great 2010 Lexus RX350 bike rack for your receiver hitch.
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 rackdawg on September 21, 2009
Using Inno Fishing Rod Racks for 9″ Fly Rods
Q: Regarding the Inno ZR352 / ZR353 fishing rod racks, how far do the forward racks extend from the back rack on these fishing rod holders? Is this compatible/do you recommend for 9 foot fly rods?
A: The forward racks are fully adjustable to accommodate whatever length fishing rods you are carrying. So the 9′ fly rods will transport well with these holders.
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Items Needed for 2010 Toyota Corolla Kayak Roof Rack to Stack Kayaks
Q: If I used the Inno INSU car rack system as a 2010 Toyota Corolla roof rack, would it be good for stacking kayaks?
A: You’re going to want to attach a kayak stacker style kayak carrier to the INSU roofrack crossbars. Several good kayak stacker options that are compatible with the IN-SU car rack cross bars are the Inno INA450, Thule 830 Stacker, Yakima BigStack and Malone Stax Pro.
Tagged as:
Fishing Rod Racks,
Inno Racks,
kayak rack,
Toyota Corolla
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
