Haris122 Posted February 8, 2015 Posted February 8, 2015 darn. I just happen to have a car that Inno doesn't make any of that for. I went a few hours ago to REI and the only brand they seemed to have that made stuff for my car, appeared to be Yakima. It was about the same, $10 less, but for just the base model. These racks are a bit of a steep climb on the wallet, but I think I might still do it. Any issues with highway speeds (60-70mph) for an hour or so, when having the kayak on top, or is it still sturdy?
LarrySTL Posted February 8, 2015 Posted February 8, 2015 I am starting to look at the same thing with a passenger car and I have talked face to face with both Alpine Shop and REI. The guys at both places very strongly said Yakima or Thule. I have seen folks in passenger cars with kayaks on roof racks, both the J shape things that hold the yak on its side, and the very wide U shape that hold the sides of the yak, passing me on interstates and I am not well known for sticking to the speed limit. It occurs to me that I have never seen a yak or a canoe crunched and laying on the shoulder on a highway. http://intervenehere.com
moguy1973 Posted February 8, 2015 Author Posted February 8, 2015 darn. I just happen to have a car that Inno doesn't make any of that for. I went a few hours ago to REI and the only brand they seemed to have that made stuff for my car, appeared to be Yakima. It was about the same, $10 less, but for just the base model. These racks are a bit of a steep climb on the wallet, but I think I might still do it. Any issues with highway speeds (60-70mph) for an hour or so, when having the kayak on top, or is it still sturdy? Works great if you have everything tightened down and strapped properly. I'll tell you though if you don't you'll pay for it. A friend had our kayaks on his car last year and one of the bars let loose and our kayaks went for a ride on the highway. Luckily no one was behind him and the kayaks weren't damaged that badly. He had a Malone rack and malone said the stay that holds the bar failed. I've never had a problem with the kayaks on my car or my wife's car. At speed you'll know they are there but unless it's extremely windy it's not a big deal driving with them up there. -- JimIf people concentrated on the really important things in life, there'd be a shortage of fishing poles. -- Doug Larson
Haris122 Posted February 10, 2015 Posted February 10, 2015 Do you notice a real change in fuel efficiency with the bars when you're just driving around without anything on top?
moguy1973 Posted February 10, 2015 Author Posted February 10, 2015 Not really. They are a bit noisy though so I bought a fairing and it cut the noise considerably. I do take the rack off during the winter when I'm not needing it. -- JimIf people concentrated on the really important things in life, there'd be a shortage of fishing poles. -- Doug Larson
BassMaster#1 Posted February 10, 2015 Posted February 10, 2015 Yeah, that buddy would be me. I had the Malone cross bars on my ford explore. The clamps that hold the bars to my factory side bars broke loose. Malone did send me out their top of the line Cross Bars With some cash. These new racks are a lot better, but I'm glad no one was behind us on the hwy.
ness Posted February 10, 2015 Posted February 10, 2015 I've got the Yakima Towers/cross-bars for my canoe on a Toyota with no factory rails. They are extremely solid if you take care and install them correctly. Which you should do. Pricey? Yes. The best? Probably. Will you have to buy new ones for your next car? Possibly. John
Haris122 Posted February 10, 2015 Posted February 10, 2015 Will you have to buy new ones for your next car? Possibly. That's the one thing that makes me a bit apprehensive of getting them. My car has over 140k miles on it now. If it holds out to 200k (or preferrably way past that) I'd say I would've got my money's worth out of the rack, and I figure I can always sell it used somewhere (or can I?) if the car does break down. I imagine the installation is fairly straightforward?
ness Posted February 10, 2015 Posted February 10, 2015 Yes, it's pretty straightforward install on the towers, which hook onto the roof with a piece that goes into the slot between the roof and top of the door. You just need to follow their instructions and measurements for placement, because they're held into position by tension created with the cross bars. Hard to explain, but pics on the website should help. I can shake my whole car with the racks and they don't budge a bit. I went from an SUV with factory racks to a car with no racks, so I had to get new towers. Depending on what you switch to you might have to do that too. The cross bars should work on both. John
Bill B. Posted February 13, 2015 Posted February 13, 2015 I use a Thule rack on a Toyota Corolla and like it just fine. I also bought one of the Thule pullout bars that fits inside one of the rack bars. When you want to load a heavier canoe or kayak, just unlock and pull out the bar. Lift one end of the kayak over the bar. Pick up the other end and swing it over the rack on top of the car. Then scoot the first end over onto the car, and you're done. Easy as pie.
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