Roof rack

I am picking up my new '16 C today and am wondering the same thing. I am downsizing from a '14 ford escape and love to travel but I have been googling for a roof rack and have found pictures but thats it.

 

I went with the Rhino Rack, here are the details...
- Rhino Rack DA106B-DK351 (2500 AERO Roof Rack System, 41" Bars)
- Wind Fairing - 32"

 

I've got a 2015 Prius V with an old Yakima rack,

 

I've got a 2015 Prius V with a Yakima rack, Q-towers.... (I don't like Yakima and Thule, over priced, over hyped.... I realized that I'd just slapped them on, tightened them down, loaded up a kayak (50 pounds with a little water still inside...) 19' long. A pretty good drivability acid-test. Drives fine, done it probably 30 times in the past year. So a Prius can handle it. You've got a C, so that's another issue. Only recently did I go back and re-adjust the rails to the company specs. Now they're solid....
Roof racks are not 'normal': properly installed with a kayak on them and no tie downs at the front and back.... you will lose the kayak. Guaranteed. I know enough people.... Loose, as mine were, but properly tied at the ends.... I don't recommend it, but I got away with it.
TIP: A great trick for front tie downs on any vehicle, not just a Prius that doesn't seem to have anywhere to tie to is: 1. Raise the hood. Find the forward most bolt attaching the fender to the frame. Remove it. 2. Two loops of webbing. ( I think I used about 12" of 1" web that was very old) 3. Using a soldering iron or a bolt held in pliers heated up over a stove burner, melt holes near both ends of each piece of the webbing. Make them as close to the diameter of the bolt you removed. 4. Then just rebolt through the webbing. now you have loops on both sides of the hood to tie to and you can just fold them under the hood if you want to hide them. Done this for a few years--works great. (The fender bolts are I think more sheet metal with a flange, so you you don't need a washer. If you're nervous get a bolt 1/4- 1/2" longer.)
Also: An inexpensive rack is as good as an expensive rack so long as it's attached correctly. Brand new Yaks and Thuls need locks or they'll get stolen. I loathe the round poles on the Yakima, all that expensive nonsense that connects to it just twists around. There's not enough money or torque to keep that from happening. (I guess Yakima dropped round poles)
Gas mileage. I get between 40-43 mpg, driving around with the rack on with some overpriced and not very good kayak brackets I don't think I drop more than 1 mpg. It works pretty good. In a Prius C? something high profile like a kayak, with a large crosswind? Find out before you go tornado chasing in your C...

 

l had a Yakima Rack with a 4 foot sign strapped to it. It flew off at Freeway Speeds. I drive fast! but lost another load driving slow but with fierce cross winds. Now I have replacement bars and strap them down good. As a final safety I open both rear doors and run a racket strap over the load and threw the inside of the car. Racket it down tight. Doors will shut and work normally. I haven't lost a load since.

 

Here is an adjustable aerodynamic rack on my 2006 Prius sport. No strange noises at highway speed. Strong and fits well. A little drilling involved, but gasket and silicone prevents leaking.
Great for transporting everything from pipes to a top carrier. $26 at my local auto salvage.



As you can see, my little car is broken in, which makes it perfect for me.

 

Looks good!

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

I just finished the prototype rack.. let me know if anyone is interested..
949-466-1628

 

I like the prototype, but what keeps the middle from rubbing when it has anything in it?

 

It is very rigid, there is about 1" between the car roof and the rack.

 

hey, those are sweet rims. do you know the make & model?

 

I think they are the wheels that come on the 2013 standard Prius.. he just took the hub caps off.

 

<<<I went with the Rhino Rack, here are the details...<<<

Couple years ago, when we needed a rack for the new C, Rhino was the only one that had a model made to fit (the Thule, I think, from our regular Prius was not compatible). It is a fairly pricey rack, but of all I have used over the years the best yet.

 

OP has a really nice bull bar with rally light setup. Anyone know where to get that from?.

 

I've been super happy with a Rhino Rack setup, and on top of that a Yakima cargo bin. I also got the Rhino Rack during a seasonal sale 2 years ago, and the Yakima bin from REI during their annual anniversary sale this past spring. If you're not in a rush, wait for sales to save a lot on the cost.

I personally went with the Rhino Rack Vortex "RS" bar design, looks more svelte than the square bars that stick out.

I haul weird loads on top of the rack more frequently than I use the cargo bin. And with any weird-shaped loads on top of the rack, and which might catch the wind, I use simple winch-straps through my door jam to pin the load down onto the car. The door closes onto the thin strap no issue. I can add a picture if you'd like the visual, but its' been amaaaazing having the rack.

 

I’ve been looking into roof racks also. I’ve found a used set from japan that’s cheaper in price but still on the bridge about putting one on the c

 

is it the 2500?

 

I installed a Rhino rack on my 2013 C this past summer:
Vortex 2500 towers (used) + (used-like-new) fit kit DK351 + new 41" Vortex 2500 bars (black).
It's a nice solid setup, but the initial installation is a little finicky.
The fit kit pads need to be positioned per the instructions (duh) and you'll need to set the angle just-so on the clamping brackets to get everything aligned to the roof. But now it goes on and off with ease.

 

Hey Cycle M5!
Re your roof rack: "Here is an adjustable aerodynamic rack on my 2006 Prius sport. No strange noises at highway speed. Strong and fits well. A little drilling involved, but gasket and silicone prevents leaking.
Great for transporting everything from pipes to a top carrier. $26 at my local auto salvage."

Could you provide more info on how you did the work? I'd like to do something very similar on my 2014 Prius. That is, drill in to secure a roof rack that I acquire on the cheap. Thanks much!