Snowboard roof rack recommendation please

dkl · #1 08-02-2005, 06:44 PM

I'm currently looking for a complete snowboard roof rack system for the X. I've narrowed it down to either the Thule, Yakima, or the OEM profile 2000 system. The Thule seems to be the best quality and of course is the most expensive. Do you have the fairing for your rack and will wind noise be considerably reduced by having one? I would like to get some user's opinions before settling on one. Please provide some pros/cons and given the choice, will you buy the same system again? Your comments and/or advices are much appreciated. Thanks.

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RealShakaZulu · #2 08-02-2005, 09:30 PM

I have the Thule crossbars and snowboard rack for my X. I like that Thule is very modular. I have used the same crossbars and rack since college on my Dart, Accord, Jetta, 850R and now the X... all I had to change were the feet. Each time I sold the old ones on Ebay and only lost ~30% of my investment each time. I spray the locks every winter with WD40 and they have never stuck or failed even when covered in ice or snow in Killington, the Cats, Aspen, Buttermilk, Whistler and Tahoe.

The bottom line... Thule is bullet-proof, rock solid, durable and dependable.

-RSZ

Cons: they aren't free, but you get what you pay for.

froogleyankee · #3 08-02-2005, 10:29 PM

I have Thule also, have used the same system (incl. feet) on my old ML with no trouble. They're rock solid, and honestly I don't notice as much noise as I used to on the ML. I have the panoramic roof, and am considering installing the fairing which I just discovered in my garage, but would like to hear others' experiences too.

Sterling 4.4 · #4 08-03-2005, 09:09 AM

I have the Thule as well. The snowboard rack is not too loud. When you are not hauling your boards Monday -Friday, rotate the rack 90 degrees so it is inline with the cross bar. That seems to lessen the noise even more. In the summer, I mount the bike rack and that is really loud.

I heard bad things about the OEM rack. It sits pretty tall on the vehicle, so clearance may be an issue if you are in and out of parking garages. I also heard that the straps you tie the board down with are rubber and hard to stretch in the cold.

BMW X5 · #5 08-03-2005, 10:52 AM

why not just use the ski/snowboard bag and put them inside? just my .02$

dkl · #6 08-03-2005, 05:19 PM

Thank you so much for your valuable opinions. So I guessed Thule it is! The only reason why I shy away from non-OEM was that I'm afraid of the fitment problems of the crossbar to the roofrails (the feet clamp design) as well as the crossbar sticking out passed the roof too much, which might end up poking you in the eye or something. That is one nice thing about the OEM bar is that it ends at the roofrail. I do agree that the OEM strap do look flimpsy. So besides the one problem of the exact fit of the crossbar (length-wise across the car), I can't find a single fault with the Thule set up either. I'm glad that everyone likes their Thule rack, which makes me a bit more comfortable in going with it. Thanks again, everyone! Now I have to start searching for the components since it is a modular setup.

dkl · #7 08-03-2005, 05:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BMW X5

why not just use the ski/snowboard bag and put them inside? just my .02$

That's what I've been doing so far. But it only works if it's just me and one other person are going up to the slope (3 people max using this method). There's not enough room for everyone's equipments if there's more than 3 people, unless I leave the hatch open. Besides, I'm looking to haul my bike around as well and stuffing that inside can be challenging.

Sterling 4.4 · #8 08-04-2005, 09:52 AM

You can cut the Thule round bar if you are looking to eliminate the overhang. I thought about doing it to mine, but that is where I mount the bike rack in the summer (outside the roof rails) so it is easier to set the bike in the rack.

dkl · #9 08-04-2005, 04:07 PM

Which load bar do you guys have? The LB58 is a 58" bar, which have about a 5" overhang on each side. The next size down is the LB50 bar, which is a 50" bar...so this will only leave about an inch of overhang on each side. Does anyone have the LB50 on their X?

froogleyankee · #10 08-05-2005, 10:28 AM

I do...
fits fine...

almost looks more "finished" but won't allow for those offset racks that ride shotgun to the rails.

I had the 50s originally on the ML and they hung waayy over, but I'm glad I didn't cut them down.

I can shoot a pic this weekend if you want.

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