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Best Roof Rack?

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Accessories and Modifications' started by TJ Minski, Jun 6, 2011.

  1. TJ Minski

    TJ Minski Junior Member

    Joined:
    Apr 16, 2011
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    Location:
    Flo-ri-duh
    Vehicle:
    2011 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    Note - the situation below resulted from my not applying Yakima's measurements correctly. I used a wrong M2 value. There is no problem. Nothing to see here... move along... move along...

    Howdy,

    I am mechanically inclined and was unable to install a Yakima roof rack to my liking. I am displeased with the fact that following the instructions explicitly and getting the measurements exactly right (+/- 1/32") using known, accurate measuring devices the modern towers with the Q99 front clips would wrinkle their vinyl stickers and leap off of the door jamb long before the gold cam piece would make its way up into the required range between the two hash marks.

    Has anyone been down this road and ended up with another roof rack that fits well, holds on tight, and pleases you? If so, what rack and what was your experience? I'm only aware of Yakima, Whispbar (owned by Yakima?), and Thule.

    Alternatively, have any of you applied special magic or hidden instructions to get the Yakima rack to fit as suggested by Yakima?

    Thanks!
     

    Attached Files:

    #1 TJ Minski, Jun 6, 2011
  2. Zorba

    Zorba New Member

    Joined:
    May 3, 2011
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    Location:
    Michigan
    Vehicle:
    2011 Prius
    Model:
    IV
    I had the same trouble yesterday. What should have been a 20 minute install turned into a 3 hour exercise in frustration.

    The back fit nicely. The problem seemed to be that when I measure the front width, from q-tower to q-tower, on the front, the feet would end up right on the bend of the roof. This made for a poor fit. I, finally, decided to fit the tower while on the car. You have to be careful because with the tower not being tight on the bar, it can slip and scratch the roof. It should be done with another set of hands. My towers ended up being about 42.25 inches from tower to tower. I used it with a bike rack all day yesterday and it was very tight.

    It should be noted, according to Yakima (I spent some time talking to the company), they have no clips that they recommend for the 2011 model. While it seems the recommended clips for the 2010 model should work, the factory won't recommend the same ones for the 2011 model until they can try them. They said they were having a hard time getting a 2011 Prius to try the clips on due to Prii selling so fast. He said it would probably be a while before they would recommend them. I tried to get him to admit this was simply a CYA kind of thing, but he wouldn't bite.

    Hope that helps.

    Z
     
    #2 Zorba, Jun 6, 2011
    1 person likes this.
  3. TJ Minski

    TJ Minski Junior Member

    Joined:
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    Location:
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    Vehicle:
    2011 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    Zorba - yes, it helps. Thank you. I'm going to try your corrected measurements, then a custom fit attempt before returning the rack components. Interesting that the Yakima rep seemed unaware of the email I received on May 31...
    >>>>>>
    Great news, Yakima Products now has a fit for your vehicle! That means that all your toys that have been longing to be back out in the fresh air since you got that new vehicle will soon be back on the trail, slopes or open road.

    Here is your fit information:

    Vehicle: TOYOTA Prius
    Year Range: 2010-2011 Fit Type: Top
    Factory Rack: Naked Roof Weight Limit: 125
    Tower/Attachment: Q Towers Required Accessory: None
    Crossbar Length: 58" CrossBars Recommended Fairing: 44" Fairing
    Front Clips/Landing Pads: Q99 Rear Clips/Landing Pads:
    Q5

    Notes

    54. When open, sunroof may interfere with some accessories.
    55. Caution! Proper tower balance is critical for this installation. Pay close attention to the gold slider positions and increase micro adjuster in small increments, alternating between towers until the sliders are at equal levels in relation to the hash marks on the towers.
    82. Any load extending beyond the length of the roof (except luggage boxes) must be secured to both the front and rear of the vehicle, in addition to the rack.
    114. Check clips after installing. Grab each clip and try to pull them hard away from your vehicle, twice. If the clip moves after the second pull, tighten the adjustment post. If the clip still moves after the second pull, recheck your measurements between the towers and adjust if necessary. Check clip again.
    132. Any load/mount extending beyond the rear hatch seam may cause interference.
    161. Maximum allowable weight load is 125 lbs.
    180. This fit requires the use of current generation Q-Tower (4 Pack PN 8000124 or 2 Pack PN 8000135). Contact your local dealer if you have questions or call Consumer Service at 888-925-4621, Option 2, from 7am-5pm Pacific Time M-F.
    187. Boa bike mount will not work due to crossbar spread limitations.
    191. StrapThang limited to 2 surfboards. Boards must be stacked - DO NOT carry side-by-side.
    197. Foam blocks limit capacity to one boat per vehicle.
    If you would like to choose your system with all your bells and whistles you can click here to be taken to our Rack Configurator. If you all you need is the base rack and you're ready to buy you can click here to find a dealer in your area as well as some online dealers. Thanks for your patience, now get out there and play!
     
    #3 TJ Minski, Jun 6, 2011
    cyberblader likes this.
  4. Zorba

    Zorba New Member

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    Vehicle:
    2011 Prius
    Model:
    IV
    Ah!! The approval for recommendation must have just happened. I talked to the rep a couple of weeks ago -- before the 29th. Looks like I did OK because those are the clips I got.

    John
     
    #4 Zorba, Jun 6, 2011
  5. Insight-I Owner

    Insight-I Owner 2006 Insight-I MT + 2011 Prius

    Joined:
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    Location:
    Essex, CT
    Vehicle:
    2011 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    I wanted to carry close to the load limit on my roof, so rather than mess with clamp-on bars I had Yakima tracks permanently mounted to the roof of my Prius:
    http://www.yakima.com/shop/racksystems/permanent-installation/tracks54-w-plusnuts

    Upsides:
    (1) really secure attachment
    (2) no risk of scratching the paint
    (3) no fuss: crossbars clip on and off in seconds
    (4) tracks should not increase aero drag much if at all when crossbars are not on the car
    (5) wider fore-and-aft spread than you can get with clamp-ons, so greater load stability
    (6) with the crossbars spread as far as possible, the front and rear crossbars are the same height above the road so the load rides level

    Downsides:
    (1) holes must be drilled in the roof to mount them (rubber nuts and I think silicone are used to seal the holes)
    (2) control towers are slightly closer left-to-right, so a bit less space between them, in the middle of the crossbar, to mount stuff
    (3) we had problems fitting a spoiler onto the front crossbar, perhaps possible with a bit of trimming of the spoiler - without a spoiler, there is a lot of wind hum from bare crossbars, so it's best to just unclip them and put them in the back when you're not carrying anything (when you have something on the crossbars, it usually breaks up the flow around the crossbars and eliminates wind hum)

    Probably best to have a pro install it because holes must be drilled and the tracks have to curve a bit to conform to the curve in the Prius roof. Rack Attack (a national chain recommended by Yakima) charged me $70 for installation.

    The tracks on my car measure 48.5" plus the end caps, or 51" overall. I suspect they cut down 54" tracks.

    I can post photos if you need them.
     
    #5 Insight-I Owner, Jun 6, 2011
  6. TJ Minski

    TJ Minski Junior Member

    Joined:
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    Location:
    Flo-ri-duh
    Vehicle:
    2011 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    @Zorba - yup, specified clips... Yakima's M1 is 41-7/8", so it looks like yours fits better at an M1 of 42-1/2"

    @Insight-I Owner - thank you for the info. I've considered that approach and usually don't have any troubles hacking autos. I'm going to try the non-permanent approach first. If I fail at that, I'll probably go your route. I may pester you down the road for some photos...
     
    #6 TJ Minski, Jun 6, 2011
  7. Zorba

    Zorba New Member

    Joined:
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    Location:
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    Vehicle:
    2011 Prius
    Model:
    IV
    Actually, it was 42-1/4"

    Z
     
    #7 Zorba, Jun 6, 2011
  8. Vince1275

    Vince1275 New Member

    Joined:
    Apr 5, 2011
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    Location:
    North Carolina
    Vehicle:
    2011 Prius
    Model:
    Three
    I installed my Yakima rack with in twenty min. It was very easy to do and I haven"t had any trouble with it you should recheck your mesurments.
     
    #8 Vince1275, Jun 17, 2011
    1 person likes this.
  9. darelldd

    darelldd Prius is our Gas Guzzler

    Joined:
    Jan 17, 2006
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    Location:
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    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    It takes me less than four seconds to install my Yakima Racks. Just like Insight owner, I went with the permanent solution. SO much better and easier. I installed them myself, of course. The best roof rack is the one that works.

    Prius Permanent Rack Pads
     
    #9 darelldd, Jun 17, 2011
  10. TJ Minski

    TJ Minski Junior Member

    Joined:
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    Location:
    Flo-ri-duh
    Vehicle:
    2011 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    @Vince1275 - dangit. grr. you are correct, sir. thank you. i went after the mounting exercise again this morning, followed the instructions explicitly, again (i thought), and it worked. i realized that my problem was that i was using an M2 of 7" instead of the specified 13". i don't know why i missed it the first several times i tried the install. only thing i can think of is that i confused myself by concurrently mounting a new rack for my new car (my wife's old civic). i don't know... i hope i'm not losing it!

    anyway, thanks for pointing out that i should check my measurements. result is that when i follow Yakima's instructions correctly, it works just fine.
     
    #10 TJ Minski, Jun 19, 2011
  11. Luna

    Luna New Member

    Joined:
    Sep 4, 2011
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    Location:
    NH
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Three
    Really?? I called RackAttack Boston today and they quoted me $160 to install the yakima tracks. Yikes! He was quick to add that "any body shop" could do it for me as well. Guess they don't need the business?
     
    #11 Luna, Sep 4, 2011
  12. moon_tanner

    moon_tanner Junior Member

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    Location:
    NW Florida
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    One
    DarellDD,
    This is an old forum, but if you are still around, what kind of Yakima Base Clips did you use for the permanent solution? I read your EV guide, but didn't see where you mentioned what series of feet you bought. Thank you!
     
    #12 moon_tanner, May 29, 2016
  13. energyideas

    energyideas Junior Member

    Joined:
    Aug 18, 2011
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    Location:
    Colorado
    Vehicle:
    2011 Prius
    Model:
    II
    I purchased a Q-tower set up off craigslist with Q83 Q116 clips which work fine for my Gen 3 Prius, built October 2011. The rack was on a Toyota pick-up. I don't know which clips are in front or back. They fit snugly under the door jam.

    energyideas
     
    #13 energyideas, Jul 26, 2016
  14. DadofHedgehog

    DadofHedgehog Active Member

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    Location:
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    Vehicle:
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    Plug-in Advanced
    #14 DadofHedgehog, Aug 20, 2016
  15. breezy315

    breezy315 New Member

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    Location:
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    Vehicle:
    2013 Prius
    Model:
    V
    just grabbed a prius today! i have some whisbars from my s4 that im going to put on this for my biking needs. always loved the whisbars
     
    #15 breezy315, Sep 28, 2016
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