I installed a Thule system on the roof. This is a hard mount, screwed into the sheet metal footer system. THe whole rack is removed with a simple snap in about 1 minute, leaving only the small footers in place. The whole system is very sturdy. I expected a huge hit to gas mileage but so far, not too bad. A couple of months ago I drove to San Diego and got about 66 mpg at 65 mph with no rack system on the car. THis week, the same drive at 55 mph resulted in 50 mpg. I previously had a hitch mounted system and saw mileage closer to 45 mpg. I am surprised that roof top is better. At 50 mph, it looks like I can get 52-53 mpg highway. All of this is reporting what the Prius registers on the display for mpg so take that for what it is.
You can see where the system plugs in, just below the rack. The bottom part is all that remains when the rack is removed. There are small covers that snap in place above each footer. I'll add a pic when I get back from this trip.
How much did that cost. What's the model number of that hard mount Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
Hi Mike, Just confirming, is this a Thule or Yakima system? Your top post says Thule, and last says Yakima... Did you have this set-up done at a professional rack installation shop? Did they have to bolt the "landing pad" for the rack directly onto the roof? Looks like it... The Rack Warehouse near me said that there are no connection points under the vinyl strip that runs along the roof, and I was told if I wanted a rooftop system I'd have to get a rack with a clip system like I had on my old '07 second gen. I'm not fond of the clip systems as they mar the paint and leave wear marks over time.
I am looking to do the same thing and i was not clear about type and installation, but i found this. Prius Permanent Rack Pads
