I installed a Yakima system today, with their Q Towers and Q-5 (rear) and Q-99 (front) clips. The directions were precise, it went smoothly, and I am impressed with the quality of the Yakima system. I plan on carrying two kayaks, 14' long, and wonder if I could spread the fore and aft distance between the two crossbars. Right now the distance is only 32", and I'd like to widen that 3 or 4 inches either way. This will not allow the kayaks to hit the crown of the roof, and it would seem to create more well-spaced attachments for such long kayaks. I understand that Yakima has designed their racks to carefully fit each car, but from what I can tell the clips will still work just as well in a new location, and give me more secure mounting points. Thanks for any thoughts or opinions!
Grandchild duties...almost waited too long to take pics. As an aside, boy do these things hum at highway speeds! Anybody try the fairing thing?
The faring stops the noise. I always remove mine when not being used. Really impacts your fe with them installed. Only takes about a minute to remove them . H
Update...picked up two kayaks and drove them for 10 hours, 6 of them in the rain. The Yakima rack, with a Malone Stax Pro, did just fine. Yup, fuel economy took a big hit - from 50 down to 34. Also, with just the racks on the car, wrap a bungee around the front bar. It totally eliminated the moaning sound!
