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Old 06-17-2007, 11:50 AM   #1
zolaman218
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Member#: 144330
Join Date: Mar 2007
Chapter/Region: MAIC
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Vehicle:
2006 Forester XT
Black

Default roof rack -yay or nay?

what are the benefits or downsides of having a roof rack?

right now i need a rack to carry my sprint kayak to the lake but dont know what car to buy it for. I have a toyota sienna and my wrx.

so what brand do you reccomend? does performance or mileage decrease cause of wind resistance? do they look good?
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Old 06-17-2007, 04:19 PM   #2
FireScoob
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Member#: 86642
Join Date: May 2005
Chapter/Region: NESIC
Location: Norwich, CT
Vehicle:
2002 WRX
WRB

Default

You will see a small decrease in gas mileage with a roof rack. If your WRX is a sedan, it is not recommended to put a kayak on a roof rack because of the span between the front and rear crossbars is so short. You can put one on, but Thule nor Yakima recommend doing so.

Thule or Yakima would be my choices, I purchased a Thule rack because I got a great deal on it because I used to work for a Thule dealer. It seems most people on here use Yakima though.

I would tell you to get a rack for your Toyota because the cost will be a little less because you already have roof rails (rails that go front to rear) and most likely cross bars (bars that go from passenger to driver side) on your factory rack. The only downside to using your Toyota will be the vehicle is taller than your WRX.

Which model WRX and Sienna do you own?
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Old 06-18-2007, 07:41 PM   #3
scrabby
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Join Date: May 2006
Chapter/Region: RMIC
Location: Mountains, CO
Vehicle:
'13 NeighborAnnoyer
WRB

Default

You might also try Rocky Mounts. Their bike trays come in assorted colors, which is cool. I got silver. I dunno if they have kayak attachments.
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Old 06-18-2007, 07:47 PM   #4
snowman87
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Join Date: Aug 2006
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Location: C.T.
Vehicle:
'11 Tacoma
Silverish

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i love my racks, i never saw a huge change in gas mileage and i think they look pretty good. i have the ski racks up in the winter and the kayak carrier for summer.

for referance.
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Old 06-19-2007, 01:14 PM   #5
twizzstyle
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Location: Kenmore, Washington
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2005 Lotus Elise
Orange

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Benefits? Can carry crap on your roof.

Downsides? None really. Not as "nice" looking I suppose. Depending on what you're putting up there, there might be dirt, straps flapping around, etc. (My kayaks typically end up pretty dirty after dragging them through the woods, so I end up with a bit of sand/dirt falling onto my paint).

Yakima and Thule are pretty much the only brands you should be looking at, they're both pretty similar (I've always bought Yakima products). They're easy to take on/off in like 5 minutes. I've got a wagon so I've got factory crossbars, but my old impreza was a coupe (98 RS) so I had a full yakima rack, stretch kit, etc.... very easy to put on or take off in no time.

Plus having a rack gives you major cool points in my book.... in my wagon I can go kick butt at autox in the morning, put the kayaks on the roof, and head out to a river in the afternoon.
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Old 06-19-2007, 01:32 PM   #6
The Motel Fella
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Location: Lynchburg, VA
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Twizzstyle hit it on the head. Get an easy to mount set, and put it on when you need it. I may get flamed for this but unless you need to carry a bike or your kayak every day, its needless to have it on all the time. So take the rack off.

I had one on my civic and even with the fairing it still generated a fair amount of noise, killed about 1-2mpg, and made the car subject to crosswinds at interstate speeds.

But its nice to have one for those times when you want to go somewhere and space is at a premium.
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Old 06-19-2007, 01:42 PM   #7
49erRider
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Location: Charlotte, NC
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WR Blue

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Roof Rack ftw you'll never regret it
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Old 06-19-2007, 01:47 PM   #8
cherriedgsr
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ive always loved this look
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Old 06-19-2007, 02:04 PM   #9
cMags
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Member#: 88668
Join Date: Jun 2005
Chapter/Region: NESIC
Location: Lowell, MA
Vehicle:
'05 Outback Sport
5MT - Regal Blue / Grey

Outback Sport

Racks FTW!



These cars are quite capable. Add a hitch and be able to haul more gear than you'd ever be able to use in one weekend:

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Old 06-19-2007, 02:19 PM   #10
Vacca Rabite
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Bus BMW2002 4Runner
Porsche 914 Challenger RT

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Get a rack. You will loose about 1MPG overall mileage, but the extra utility it SO worth it.

My rack has carried everyhting from bikes to furniture to lumber.

Zach
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Old 06-19-2007, 02:21 PM   #11
Dragicon
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they look good, they work great, any major brand will be fine (although i am sure people have good feedback on lesser known brands), only downside is that the feet can scratch your roof, and you will loose mpg. You can put clear bra material down first though so your roof doesnt get scratched.
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