buying a snowboard rack for my car - which one is the best/affordable??

[Ender510]

Have a Lexus SUV, RX300 - getting a snowboard rack.. prefer the ones w/ the lock - which is the one to buy? Thule? Yakima? Which particular model and where are the deals to be had? Any recommendations? Thanks!

 

[Ender510]

bump

 

[Ender510]

hi

 

[Brutuskend]

these are IMO about the best out there.

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

Originally posted by: Brutuskend
these are IMO about the best out there.

I cannot concur, since a friend had a VERY expensive, brand-new set of skis go flying out of his Saris rack when it popped open at highway speed due to the defective design of the ski/snowboard rack (not to mention that it constantly whistled loudly until he filled in the groove on the top of the crossbars with a rubber strip provided by Graber, which pretty well eliminated the easy adjustability of the rack, one of its major selling points). Graber ended up cutting him a large check for a new pair of skis and a replacement rack (he bought a Thule), after a lengthy negotiation (he is an attorney). Too bad really, because I agree the Saris is an elegant design, and in principle sounds nice.

IMO Yakima and Thule are far more robust racks. The two are essentially similar in quality, and both are currently made in the US, but overall I prefer Yakima because its round crossbars can be more accomodating of unusual rooflines. Neither is cheap, but you get what you pay for, and either will outlast your vehicle, and probably you as well. While it sounds unappetizing to spend $300-500 for a recreational rack, think of it as a car accessory rather than a bike/snowboard/ski rack, and remember what you paid for, say, your floor mats.

 

[Ender510]

Actually I am looking at tHULE and YAKIMA as my options.. but it gets confusing - what accessories do I need? ALl I know is I want to be able to use the lock and such..

but there are other rain gutter accessories - what is that?? There is also something called the qtowers and mounts and al lthis other stuff.. what is all that/?!

 

[nord1899]

Just a note about using ski racks. They will kill your gas mileage. A friend of mine has one on his Altima and thats what he says about it. Not sure how much of a reduction he gets though.

So if possible, store them inside the car. Thats what I do.

 

[MazerRackham]

Go to REI or Sports Chalet... most sporting good places sell racks, and they can hopefully tell you exactly what you need....

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

Originally posted by: Ender510
Actually I am looking at tHULE and YAKIMA as my options.. but it gets confusing - what accessories do I need? ALl I know is I want to be able to use the lock and such..

but there are other rain gutter accessories - what is that?? There is also something called the qtowers and mounts and al lthis other stuff.. what is all that/?!

Any bike store, or REI, can get you outfitted. Basically, you will need towers (for Yakima, they are called Q-towers), crossbars, a aki/snowboard mount, and locks for the whole kit and kaboodle (they sell boxes of lock cores that are plugged into the towers and ski/snowboard racks that allow you to use one key for all of the locks).

 

[Pepsei]

Originally posted by: nord1899
Just a note about using ski racks. They will kill your gas mileage. A friend of mine has one on his Altima and thats what he says about it. Not sure how much of a reduction he gets though.

So if possible, store them inside the car. Thats what I do.

Yes, this is true....

 

[Fausto]

I'd stick with Yakima stuff, personally. I've been racing bikes for years (involving a lot of driving and transporting the bike, obviously) and they seem to be both the sturdiest and have the most sensible mounts of all the major brands.

If your car has a factory rack on it, I have a set of rail-rider towers (from an Explorer I no longer own) that I'll sell you cheap if you're interested. Lemme know.

 

[luckydragon]

i have a rx300 with the factory roof rack, i added a yakima lifeticket 6 with locks and a set a mighty mounts to fit it on. works well and the yakima rack is sweet

http://yakima.com/products/dynamic/8003063_4.html

 

[Ender510]

Originally posted by: nord1899
Just a note about using ski racks. They will kill your gas mileage. A friend of mine has one on his Altima and thats what he says about it. Not sure how much of a reduction he gets though.

So if possible, store them inside the car. Thats what I do.

Racks will kill gas milage?? Really? Something that light would? Or are they not that light? I plan on only putting 4 boards on there when hitting the slopes.. wow

 

[iamwiz82]

Originally posted by: Ender510

Originally posted by: nord1899
Just a note about using ski racks. They will kill your gas mileage. A friend of mine has one on his Altima and thats what he says about it. Not sure how much of a reduction he gets though.

So if possible, store them inside the car. Thats what I do.

Racks will kill gas milage?? Really? Something that light would? Or are they not that light? I plan on only putting 4 boards on there when hitting the slopes.. wow

it has nothing to do with being light, it is adding the shape of a brick to the roof to a previously aerodynamically sound vehicle. You have an "SUV" so put the snowboard in there.

 

[Ender510]

Originally posted by: luckydragon
i have a rx300 with the factory roof rack, i added a yakima lifeticket 6 with locks and a set a mighty mounts to fit it on. works well and the yakima rack is sweet

http://yakima.com/products/dynamic/8003063_4.html

Actually that is the exact one I am looking at.. the rx300 has the factory roof rack.. so all I need are the mighty mounts which are like $21, then the lift ticket 6 right? what's the diff between lift ticket 6 and Big PowderHound? This is what I gathered:

Fits up to 6 pair of skis or 4 snowboards--mix and match

Easiest mount to open and close in any weather thanks to ergonomically friendly button
Integrated Yakima SkiLift for the best roof/binding clearance available
Easy to load outside the tower or over the side of factory rack equipped vehicles with adjustable mounting points
Hidden stainless steel/brass hardware
Yakima and Thule compatible
Fits factory racks when used with MightyMounts
Lockable with SKS cores (sold separately)
MSRP $120.00

Safely holds up to six pairs of skis or four snowboards
Simple to open with big, red button (even with gloves)
Best binding clearance around, includes SkiLift for even more clearance and
Adjustable for fat or thin boards ? or both
Lockable with SKS cores ? sold separately
Factory rack compatible with MightyMounts
#8003046
MSRP $99.00

-------
ALSO, pricewise, where is the best place to go? I know I can go to REI and check 'em out.. but i'd rather buy online and get a discount.. afterall, this IS anandtech.. =)

 

[Ender510]

Originally posted by: iamwiz82

Originally posted by: Ender510

Originally posted by: nord1899
Just a note about using ski racks. They will kill your gas mileage. A friend of mine has one on his Altima and thats what he says about it. Not sure how much of a reduction he gets though.

So if possible, store them inside the car. Thats what I do.

Racks will kill gas milage?? Really? Something that light would? Or are they not that light? I plan on only putting 4 boards on there when hitting the slopes.. wow

it has nothing to do with being light, it is adding the shape of a brick to the roof to a previously aerodynamically sound vehicle. You have an "SUV" so put the snowboard in there.

OIC.. well if there are 4 passengers, 4 snowboards in the back will barely fit in the cargo space.. especially with all our bags and such..

 

[nord1899]

Originally posted by: Ender510

Originally posted by: iamwiz82

Originally posted by: Ender510

Originally posted by: nord1899
Just a note about using ski racks. They will kill your gas mileage. A friend of mine has one on his Altima and thats what he says about it. Not sure how much of a reduction he gets though.

So if possible, store them inside the car. Thats what I do.

Racks will kill gas milage?? Really? Something that light would? Or are they not that light? I plan on only putting 4 boards on there when hitting the slopes.. wow

it has nothing to do with being light, it is adding the shape of a brick to the roof to a previously aerodynamically sound vehicle. You have an "SUV" so put the snowboard in there.

OIC.. well if there are 4 passengers, 4 snowboards in the back will barely fit in the cargo space.. especially with all our bags and such..

Its the Air Drag created by the skis/boards that ruins gas mileage. But as I realize you may not be able to put everything inside the SUV, thats why I said "if possible".

Just wanted to make sure you were aware of this before buying it.

EDIT: The ones that are an enclosed shell that carries the ski/boards most likely don't hurt gas mileage as much as the open ones. But I don't know if one will fit on your SUV. The "Box Carriers" from Thule are what I am talking about here.

 

[jboogie]

also, there is a thing called a 'fairing' (available as additional option with the Q Towers model at least) that helps to reduce wind noise, so I would think that actually helps reduce drag as well. it diverts wind up, as opposed to having it manuever through the snowboard/ski equipment. just a thought!

 

[Ender510]

Originally posted by: jboogie
also, there is a thing called a 'fairing' (available as additional option with the Q Towers model at least) that helps to reduce wind noise, so I would think that actually helps reduce drag as well. it diverts wind up, as opposed to having it manuever through the snowboard/ski equipment. just a thought!

WOw - my own GF is posting here now!! LOL, this is supposed to be a gift for YOU!! So stop looking!! SHHHHHHH..

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

I think you guys are really overblowing the effect a roof rack will have on mileage. Even carrying two bicycles, which produce much greater drag than any number of snowboards ever could, I have never lost more than about 5% in mileage. It's not as though the snowboards are laid vertically. In this case, the vehicle is a midsize SUV, which already has a less-than-stealthy profile to the wind. This is really much ado about nothing.

 

[nord1899]

Originally posted by: Don_Vito
I think you guys are really overblowing the effect a roof rack will have on mileage. Even carrying two bicycles, which produce much greater drag than any number of snowboards ever could, I have never lost more than about 5% in mileage. It's not as though the snowboards are laid vertically. In this case, the vehicle is a midsize SUV, which already has a less-than-stealthy profile to the wind.

True. Since in my case, the drive to the slopes is around 300 miles, the gas mileage effect is more noticeable. If you happen to live in say Salt Lake City and only 30 miles from the slopes, then you probably would not notice it at all.

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

True. Since in my case, the drive to the slopes is around 300 miles, the gas mileage effect is more noticeable. If you happen to live in say Salt Lake City and only 30 miles from the slopes, then you probably would not notice it at all.

Fair enough. That said, the best mileage I have ever gotten on my Maxima was on a cross-country highway trip with two bikes on the roof, simply because I was consistently cruising at 80 MPH for hours. I imagine I might have eked out another 1-2 MPG without them, but who cares at that point? I would be highly surprised if a Yakima snowboard rack had a noticeable effect on mileage at all. The major reason I would even consider a fairing is if I were experiencing whistling or other annoying noise (though presumably the extensive soundproofing on a Lexis will render this a non-issue), or for strictly aesthetic reasons. I have never bought a fairing in my many years of Yakima usage, because my bikes alone make me look cool!

 

[CraigRT]

I always hear Yakima and Thule are good.

 

[Ender510]

any recommended places to purchase these items? Tri City in fremont in the bay area? How 'bout online? What type of deals are there to be had and where? =) Any tips would be greatly appreciated!

 

[VTrider]

it has nothing to do with being light, it is adding the shape of a brick to the roof to a previously aerodynamically sound vehicle. You have an "SUV" so put the snowboard in there.

That's a really, really bad idea and should be avoided whenever possible - might as well throw a couple of samurai swords behind everyone's heads if you catch my drift.

-VTrider