looking for roof rack for prius v

I don't have this rack, but I believe some members have purchased it.

Toyota Prius v Wagon Thule Rapid Traverse BLACK AeroBlade Roof Rack - Rack Outfitters

 

I just purchased Thule Traverse 480 with Thule 1668 kit to use with the square crossbars. Installed fine but if you follow Thule's instructions, the rack is too far forward and anything you put on the rack is not level. Just adjust the position and it works.

 

Not level is unusual, foot location has a lot to do with the structural support available. If you vary from the stated location you may or may not have issues. I would call Thule and question them.

 

I've got Inno roof racks installed on my v to haul surfboards. They are the square bars. Way cheaper than the top two rack co's out there but the engineering is just as good if not better, and made in Japan.

 

I know this is an old thread, but this information may be useful to some. I too just purchased the Thule Traverse 480 with the 1668 foot kit. I bought the aerobars rather that the square. Like DrElectron I found that the rack wasn't even close to level with the front bar mounted the specified 12" from the edge of the front windshield. I contacted Thule. They responded fairly quickly (wow, decent customer service!) and stated that the shape of the v would result in the front rack being slightly lower that the rear. They said they could not recommend moving the rack more than 1" from the specified position. I guess I'll just move the front rack back to 13" from the edge of the windshield, maintain the 28" separation between front and rear racks and live with it.

 

12" following the contour of the car or using a nonflexible straight edge, set maybe horizontally? It would make a difference. Thule instructions aren't very clear on how they want you to measure....

 

I was following the contour of the car with the flexible paper ruler supplied by Thule. A straight edge horizontally would bring the rack slightly forward which is the opposite way I want to go. Pushing it back to 13" should bring it to within about an inch of being level. I'll post results when I try it.

 

I've had a long day, but I thought my idea would push it further back....


iPad ?

 

I just installed my Thule aero and noticed the same problem. As i was using it for my kayak, I was wondering whether this would lead to an unbalanced load when the kayak is in place? I haven't tried to put the kayak up yet so it all may come clear when I do. But any comments or suggestions welcome.

 

Can they be used on the moon roof models? there is 3' of roof top at the rear.

 

I just installed the Thule 480 with square bars and found the same problem of the front bar being much lower than the rear? Anyone have luck just moving them back a bit? Pfjmarina? Any other suggestions?

I also hit the problem of the square bars bowing downward. I followed advice on another forum to just move the feet outward on the bar a bit, but I've gone as far as I can while still having the pads in the right spots. Anyone else hit that problem?

 

I've been using the racks with the front one moved back about an inch from the recommended distance for quite a while now. The rack is still not completely level, but doesn't seem to cause any problems. The main use of these racks is with a cartop carrier and I've encountered no problems on multiple long road trips. I haven't observed any bowing problem with the bars. All I can suggest is to double check the positioning of the feet on the bar, but you've probably already done that.

 

So I bought the Thule Square racks today and could not understand why they wanted to racks so far forward. Have moved them to about the middle of the car and they fit my Car Topper (Yeah) but reading this thread, I'm concerned what the implications may be when I drive around. Why does it matter that the bars are towards the front of the car? I seem to have them on securely in the middle so I can't imagine they would fly off. What could happen? Also.. Won't there be significant wind drag on the car if my Car topper is so far in the front of the car? I'd rather have it moved back to save some gas. Would appreciate the crowd's thoughts on this. Thx.

 

The only thing that I can think of that might be affected by moving the racks too far from the Thule specified location is the spacing of the "feet", that is how far apart the feet are across the car. You'd want to make sure that the contours of the feet still match the narrow slot (rain gutter?) along each edge of the roof. I've just used them with the front rack 13 inches back from the windshield and all has been fine. Mileage has been surprisingly good with a car-top carrier mounted for long trips. Indicated mileage on a week long trip to Utah last spring was about 41 mpg compared with about 45 in my normal day to day driving w/o the racks or carrier.

 

The 2016 Prius v (lowercase v for the Prius v wagon, not an uppercase v as noted all over this forum. Uppercase roman nnumerals were only used for the 2010 Prius model designation) lists a oem roof rack accessory. The instruction booklet says they are for a 2012 to 2016 Prius v.

Has anyone tried out the OEM rack?

Part # PZ403-G8610-GA

 

I have the Thule with the aero bars, and a Canyon XT basket for hauling gear when I go camping. It is lower in the front than in the back but I don't have a problem with that. It does cost quite a bit of gas milage when it is installed, about 4 MPG, but is relatively quiet with regard to wind noise. Thule specifies the location they do based on the structural strength of the roof. The Toyota manual says never to use one, and I trust the engineers that Thule to know what they are doing so I put it in the place they specified. I marked small marks under it in the door jam with a silver sharpie for easy replacement of the rack. Not visible with the door closed and barely visible with it open.

 

Probably has to do with aerodynamics as well. Wouldn't want to catch a lot of air/lift....


iPad ?

 

Anyone have pictures? We have a Thule roof box we would like to use for skis and gear.