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golgiaparatus

golgiaparatus

Out of my element
Aug 30, 2002
7,340
41
Deep in the Jungles of Oklahoma
All last week I had the Yakima Q towers on my roof... installed exactly to spec by the dealer and checked by me. So after a few days of driving it back and forth to the trail I noticed that the towers had slid back about 5-6". I pulled the rack off and reinstalled it. Over the next day or 2 the rack had again slid back several inches.

That was enough for me... I pulled it down, packaged it up and put it on ebay. Next stop... local Thule store... got the 480 traverse rack. Feet are custom molded to my roof and the clasps have a special piece that interlocks with the inside of my door... impossible to slide. Made a 200 mile trip to a race this weekend 75+ mph... zero problems.

I still think the Yakima High Roller is the best bike carrier though... it worked flawlessly and I love how compact it folds down. Integrated lock was nice to have after the race was over as well.
 
PepperJester

PepperJester

Monkey
Jul 9, 2004
798
19
Wolfville NS
My mrk IV jetta has little pegs for the towers to bolt on. Never ever moved in the three seasons I run Yakima roof racks. Does you car not have the pegs?

I've recently moved to a trunk rack. Not nearly as stylish but the fuel savings were worth it.
 
buildyourown

buildyourown

Turbo Monkey
Feb 9, 2004
4,832
0
South Seattle
This depends greatly on the car and the shape of the roofline. Maybe it's the shape of the VW door jam. I had a Yak let loose when a cross wind caught our snowboards. No damage, but not very settling. Haven't used Q-clips since.
 
stoney

stoney

Part of the unwashed, middle-American horde
Jul 26, 2006
21,619
7,281
Colorado
I've had a yakima on my wife's 2003 jetta for 4 years. only problem I've had has been the 2 times i have driven it into the garage with bikes on top.
 
golgiaparatus

golgiaparatus

Out of my element
Aug 30, 2002
7,340
41
Deep in the Jungles of Oklahoma
PepperJester said:
My mrk IV jetta has little pegs for the towers to bolt on. Never ever moved in the three seasons I run Yakima roof racks. Does you car not have the pegs?

I've recently moved to a trunk rack. Not nearly as stylish but the fuel savings were worth it.
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The Mk4 is MUCH more conducive to the Yak rack than the Mk5 is. As for the pegs, I have holes for the pegs on the underside where the clips go... but the Q102 clips that Yak specs for my car have no pegs... the Thule does have them and it seems very logical to utilize those holes. Not sure why Yak doesn't. Also the rubber on the Thule feet has literally twice the surface area... and is custom molded to the ridge on my roofline.
 
dante

dante

Unabomber
Feb 13, 2004
8,807
9
looking for classic NE singletrack
Just had an issue where my Yakima bike rack slid back ~6" on a road trip (4 bikes, traveling between 75-78mph). Replaced the Q-clips and pads, and fingers are crossed... It had been fine for the past 6 years, and the pads might have deteriorated?

Next time, 2" hitch + 4 bike rack. Screw roof racks.
 
Icantdrive65

Icantdrive65

Monkey
Mar 21, 2005
609
1
Chinquapin fire road
Can I make a suggestion? Put some clear vinyl on your paint under the rubber pads. Even though my MkIV R32 had the nice pegs that prevented excessive movement, I had scratches that I couldn't remove when I pulled the rack off to sell the car.

You can get that clear bra stuff. I think the static-cling window tint film would work and it's easy to remove. I tried it on my Passat for a few weeks and it seemed to work, but I didn't do any extended testing.

Hitch racks make me nervous. I have been rear-ended twice in my life and I would hate to use my bike as a shock absorber.
 
syadasti

syadasti

i heart mac
Apr 15, 2002
12,690
290
VT
SkaredShtles said:
Pretty sure the reality of it won't match what "should be" in this case. :D
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But you'd be wrong. Bikes come out much cleaner on hitch racks compared to the days when I used to have roof racks (and I even had bike bras at one point).
 
SkaredShtles

SkaredShtles

Michael Bolton
Sep 21, 2003
65,741
12,762
In a van.... down by the river
syadasti said:
But you'd be wrong. Bikes come out much cleaner on hitch racks compared to the days when I used to have roof racks (and I even had bike bras at one point).
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Interesting - 'cause I had a trunk mount rack that kept the bikes even closer to the car and it was a horrendous $hitfest any time I drove those bikes through any kind of snow/slush conditions.
 
S

snowaddict91

Chimp
Sep 8, 2008
69
0
Gunnison, Co
syadasti said:
But you'd be wrong. Bikes come out much cleaner on hitch racks compared to the days when I used to have roof racks (and I even had bike bras at one point).
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Bikes stay cleaner on hitch racks. My parents have one of the hitch mount ski racks, and i would NEVER own one, won't/don't even put my good skis on it when traveling with them. road spray on skis is terrible, especially in the midwest/east with all the damn road salt. Looking at the edges after a drive is sad. That said, i run my bikes on a hitch rack (not in the winter)
 
syadasti

syadasti

i heart mac
Apr 15, 2002
12,690
290
VT
SkaredShtles said:
Interesting - 'cause I had a trunk mount rack that kept the bikes even closer to the car and it was a horrendous $hitfest any time I drove those bikes through any kind of snow/slush conditions.
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Varies with the shape of the car/airflow. I am sure a sedan isn't nearly as good as crossover, van, SUV, boxy wagon as the airflow won't be going over the bikes.

Also it would be better for road debris if you have mud flaps which are usually optional.
 
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jekyll991

jekyll991

Monkey
Nov 30, 2009
478
0
Belfry, KY
My bike gets filthy on the hitch mount. It gets covered in soot (dual exhaust...), tire protectant, road grime, even a couple gravel chips. It probably doesn't help that the bike is nineteen hundred feet away from the rear of my car where I welded something together to raise the rack up a bit, if my hitch came out of my license plate area the bike might be cleaner. But at least gas mileage isn't affected too much, and long drives can be made entertaining by watching my bikes bounce around every now and then.

The thing I worry about in a rear-end accident isn't my bike at all, it's the fact the hitch is mounted directly to the uni-body frame rails haha.

MKVI GTI btw.
 
syadasti

syadasti

i heart mac
Apr 15, 2002
12,690
290
VT
SkaredShtles said:
More ideal for what? Can't park in my garage with a hitch mount on... gotta find some place to store it...
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Most mid to high-end models fold up in a stowed position when not in use and the new Al models (like Kuat and 1upusa) are superlight so you can remove them and hang the on the wall in literally minute or two (the 1up folds up further and can fit in even a small car trunk easily with room to spare).

Its not going to be that easy with a roof rack and you'll be stuck with problems like marring the roof where the pads rest, no auto car washes, wind noise, lower mileage, have to lift your bike higher, not user friendly for thru-axle forks on fork mount, clearance problems (depends on where you live and how forgetful you are), DH/FR bikes over rated weight limit for most roof mounts, bikes get dirtier, etc...
 
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jekyll991

jekyll991

Monkey
Nov 30, 2009
478
0
Belfry, KY
syadasti said:
There are going to be tons of variations with hitch and roof applications but in general hitch-based tray racks are usually more ideal for bikes.

GA should be the guinea pig for the new seasucker rack system, it would be especially entertaining considering his luck with other products :D

http://www.seasucker.com/landing_sep09/landing_bikes.html
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I actually like that. A few years ago my dad bought a retarded huge fish tank (I think it's north of 200 gallons) and we used for of those things to help carry it. They definitely work well, though I could see it seriously deforming the tin-can metal on certain japanese automobiles though. I'd assume four of those things could easily hold 2 bikes on the roof, but they probably had to use 6 or however many to distribute the weight.
 
SkaredShtles

SkaredShtles

Michael Bolton
Sep 21, 2003
65,741
12,762
In a van.... down by the river
syadasti said:
Most mid to high-end models fold up in a stowed position when not in use and the new Al models (like Kuat and 1upusa) are superlight so you can remove them and hang the on the wall in literally minute or two (the 1up folds up further and can fit in even a small car trunk easily with room to spare).
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Whoa. I bet you're talking money now. Deal breaker. Oh - and I'd have to install a friggin' hitch to start with. I think I'll stick to the roof rack. :D
 
S

snowaddict91

Chimp
Sep 8, 2008
69
0
Gunnison, Co
syadasti said:
There are going to be tons of variations with hitch and roof applications but in general hitch-based tray racks are usually more ideal for bikes.
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Plain and simple IMO, for bikes roof racks are easier on smaller cars, hitch racks are easier for SUVs, trucks don't need either, do something in the bed.
 
Sghost

Sghost

Turbo Monkey
Jul 13, 2008
1,038
0
NY
syadasti said:
Its not going to be that easy with a roof rack and you'll be stuck with problems like marring the roof where the pads rest, no auto car washes, wind noise, lower mileage, have to lift your bike higher, not user friendly for thru-axle forks on fork mount, clearance problems (depends on where you live and how forgetful you are), DH/FR bikes over rated weight limit for most roof mounts, bikes get dirtier, etc...
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1. Clear 3M under feet.
2. Touchless automatics work fine with racks on sedans and trucks. Have to take off hitch rack for them however. Cant recall last time I've seen a non-touchless automatic (these still exist?)
3. Lol
4. Tradeoff. Didn't impact truck mileage though.
5. Ride bike, get fit.
6. Fork up or "non take wheel off mount".
7. Fail.
8. Time to trade in the Monster T and 3.0's. VW's are rated for something like 150-170 lbs...
9. Cars and pickups, both with roof and rear mounted racks. Bikes on top stay cleaner. Bikes in vans and trailers stay cleanest.
 
syadasti

syadasti

i heart mac
Apr 15, 2002
12,690
290
VT
snowaddict91 said:
Plain and simple IMO, for bikes roof racks are easier on smaller cars, hitch racks are easier for SUVs, trucks don't need either, do something in the bed.
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Nah actually I made the switch in late 1998 or early 1999 to a sportworks tray rack from a decade of various trunk and roof racks. The first vehicle I had with a hitch rack was a small car - a Jetta - just like another poster in this thread with a modern Jetta.

The poster afterwards:
-After a number of years the 3M patched area won't be the same/match after 3m patch removal (a PITA in itself)
-You can run hitch racks through touchless car washes too - rack makers don't recommend either though.
-Wind noise is a problem which is why most people buy a fairing that do not completely eliminate the problem.
-Mileage advantage is not a small point and there is less interaction with crosswinds and sway from being behind tractor trailers
-Ease of use from height and not having someone occasionally miss with a fork mount and scratch your roof is an advantage regardless.
-Using thru-axle adapters is yet another step which makes it even less user friendly and more time consuming.
-A person de-roofing their roof rack system and/or damaging their bikes and property is not an uncommon story. Much more common than stories of being rear ended with hitch racks
-Tray based hitch racks leave the bikes cleaner, I had ten years with roof racks to compare.
-The roof rack rating is an issue depending the vehicle the restrictions are severe (ie you have small car or limited mounting area). Most rack mounts are only rated for 30-40 lbs depending on bar/rack type - if you call the rack makers. Thule doesn't make the information easy to find - call them. Yakima has it clearly written out. From this you'll see there are plenty of bikes heavier than the limits- most if not all real FR and DH bikes, some AM bikes, and various other types. The sidearm and highroller mounts can take heavier bikes given the proper load bar setup (ie non-factory, ideal spread) but are otherwise also restricted to the sub 40 lbs limit. Mid to high-end tray type hitch racks are the ONLY racks that are rated by manufacturers for heavier bikes when carrying 4 bikes.



Also a hitch rack removes with one bolt (or a dial/lever on some models) and you can put it in your trunk or hang it on the wall - a roof mount can't match that significant advantage either
 
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syadasti

syadasti

i heart mac
Apr 15, 2002
12,690
290
VT
Trunk mount is worse than roof - stick with hitch or roof. The goofiest racks I've seen were license plate mount.

Hitch mounted racks require the installation of a bolt-on or weld-on receiver hitch (although there are some ball mount, receiver is way better).

Check hitches for your model at http://www.etrailer.com or http://www.hitch-web.com/

These place carry most brands other than some specialty hitches.
 
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D

Droptopchevy

Monkey
Jan 1, 2009
146
0
Morrisville, PA
syadasti said:
Trunk mount is worse than roof - stick with hitch or roof. The goofiest racks I've seen were license plate mount.

Hitch mounted racks require the installation of a bolt-on or weld-on receiver hitch (although there are some ball mount, receiver is way better).

Check hitches for your model at http://www.etrailer.com or http://www.hitch-web.com/

These place carry most brands other than some specialty hitches.
Click to expand...
I want a hitch, but it is hard finding one for a V6 4motion. That is why I'm looking at those 2 trunk racks.
 
syadasti

syadasti

i heart mac
Apr 15, 2002
12,690
290
VT
Droptopchevy said:
I want a hitch, but it is hard finding one for a V6 4motion. That is why I'm looking at those 2 trunk racks.
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I'd check different model years of the same generation VW model on those websites (sometimes works) or even better - call a bolt-on hitch maker directly (ie curt, drawtite, etc). If they don't make anything check the car forums for a mod or specialty hitch.

Stick with your roof rack if you can't find any real hitch based solution. Trunk racks are less ideal than hitch or roof.
 
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