yakima rack

If I can add - "What type Bike Racks do you use?" Any to stay away from?

Hope you don't mind me adding to your post. Thanks

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(findlj @ Aug 9 2006, 09:38 PM) [snapback]300542[/snapback]</div>

I guess Darell still has pictures here: http://www.darelldd.com/ev/prius_mods.htm

He was using a Yakima box first over Yakima racks and then he changed to Saris racks. But it looks like Saris is getting out of the rack business.

UPDATE: now Darell is using Yakima Landing Pads! Yup, he drilled the roof. I'm dying to do that to my car, anyone want to buy my Saris racks and kayak saddles? See http://www.darelldd.com/ev/prius_rack_pads.htm

The weight limit is advised by the box and rack mfgr. Any more than that and you're on your own, and do consider that if there's an "event" that causes failure, other people might be injured by loads coming loose off your roof.

Mileage hit will be noticeable at hiway spds but think how much better it still is than a regular car!!

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(GreenFarmBoy @ Aug 9 2006, 11:22 PM) [snapback]300606[/snapback]</div>

I use a Yakima receiver hitch-mount in a Curt trailer hitch. The Saris racks I use for the Kayak, not bikes

 

Oh yeah found this thread too:
http://priuschat.com/index.php?showtopic=14943
Darell and Bob talking about landing pads and rocket boxes and bikes and surfboards....

 

As a point of reference, i've put two 70 lb kayaks on my saris racks without a problem. I also took a fairly recent highway trip with one kayak on top (and the car loaded full of other stuff), and averaged in the upper 30's for the entire trip. At lower speeds, you don't notice much, if any, of a hit because air resistance isn't really that big of a deal.

 

The Yakima rack based on their 'Q-towers' has a load rating of 200 lbs. When I put a bicycle atop that, the mpg reduction varies from undetectable below 40 mph to at least -15% at 60 mph. Go any faster and it gets worse even more steeply. I figure it costs me a couple of cents per mile to carry a bike this way.

One might hope that a smooth box near the roof would be more aero than a bicycle standing up, but I don't recall seeing any comparative data.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(tochatihu @ Aug 10 2006, 11:40 AM) [snapback]300877[/snapback]</div>

Good timing! Details about that rack have been added to the USER-GUIDE just yesterday.

As for the bike MPG hit, I hope that's not true. Dragging the bikes against the wind (like a parachute) on back using a strap-on rack doesn't even cause a 15% hit.

Carrying a kayak is minimal. The hydrodynamic shape translates to aerodynamics surprisingly well, even at 70 MPH. A carrier should be minimal too.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(GreenFarmBoy @ Aug 9 2006, 09:22 PM) [snapback]300606[/snapback]</div>

Here is a post that I did earlier this summer about my experience and some tradeoff's between roof bike racks and receiver hitch bike racks: http://priuschat.com/index.php?showtopic=1...10&#entry277610

By the way, I have to admit that I did have the Yakima front cross bar slide back on the roof about 10" and then 1 side came off while driving to Moab in a strong headwind with 2 bikes on the roof. We were very fortunate that the rack and bikes never came off of the car, but it was scary. I had followed the installation measurements carefully and verified everything, but it still happened. After calling Yakima customer support they said that the width of the Prius roofline varies up to 1" between cars and so their installation measurements need to be adjusted for each car. I figured I would let some experts make the adjustments so I took the car to RackAttack and they tweaked the positions and I haven't had any problems since then.

 

We use the Yakima Q towers and rack system (see the avatar) to carry our tandem bicycle and our canoe. We haven't noticed any problems with carrying either one, but we also don't drive very far with them and try to drive less "aggressively".

A Prius hauling bicycles is a thing of beauty.

-Ken