Roof racks - need expert knowledge

[MrSquished]

I know zilch. Before I dive into the rabbit hole of research that I usually do for any product purchase, thought I'd ask here. I have a 2006 Honda Accord that at this point will not be upgraded for 2 years as I think it will take that long for the car market to become normalized, if not more. I need more space to bring outdoor gear since I have to bring a 60lb pit mix with me and he takes up half the back seat. The roof rack just needs to hold a trunk to put in stuff like a tent, sleeping bag/pad, duffel bag of clothes, etc... Nothing heavy or hard.

I am fine with looking for used stuff for this as I will not use it a ton. In fact I could easily luck out and find something really good used. A lot of people buy things to go on adventures then just never go, so there usually is a good secondary market for this kind of stuff I would wager.

Whatever I can take from this car to the next car would be great, I am guessing the trunk itself, but can anything else go with it such as the crossbars?

Anybody here have experiences to share?

moved from OT.
admin allisolm

 

[nakedfrog]

There are also trailer hitch-mounted cargo carriers to consider, not sure if you're already using that for bikes.
Do you already have roof rails to mount the crossbars to?

 

[MrSquished]

There are also trailer hitch-mounted cargo carriers to consider, not sure if you're already using that for bikes.
Do you already have roof rails to mount the crossbars to?

There is no hitch on this car, and while I could see myself bringing bikes on a camping trip at some point, it's not in the cards this year at all so I'll cross that bridge later.

I have no roof rails, this is a stock 4 door Accord 4 cylinder 2006.

 

[Captante]

2006 Honda Accord sedan Roof Rack - Complete System - Thule Traverse AeroBlade - Black

No idea about the vender or how good that price is but the racks are great.

 

[NutBucket]

Definitely look for used. Roof racks are stupid expensive new. Even if you don't find something that fits your car exactly, you can buy the towers and cross bars used and then purchase the correct "fit kit" for your vehicle.

 

[BudAshes]

Definitely look for used. Roof racks are stupid expensive new. Even if you don't find something that fits your car exactly, you can buy the towers and cross bars used and then purchase the correct "fit kit" for your vehicle.

Only problem with used is you better make sure they still have all the parts you need and that it is the right fit for your car.

Personally I'd want to buy new, if that shit fails and your stuff goes flying down the highway you are going to be one unhappy camper, not to mention whoever nails it on the highway behind you.

 

[Zorba]

I have some old Yakama Q-Towers I'd sell to you very cheap. I used them on my old 2006 Subaru Legacy for years, but they won't work with the rails on my Forester. I haven't had any luck selling them on Facebook, but I don't want to just chunk them. I have a set of Clips too, but not sure if they would work with your car. https://yakima.com/products/q-towers-4-pack

I've been happy with the Yakama racks. I mostly used them with a bike tray and a kayak stacker. Once you put the bars up they just stay put, no moving, not adjusting, etc. The bad thing about roof racks is every single piece is $100+ and you need many pieces to get anything useful.

If you buy new I'd recommend the aero bars. If you go with round bars I highly recommend a fairing too if you are ever going to drive around with the rack empty. The empty round bars can get pretty loud.

 

[MrSquished]

I have some old Yakama Q-Towers I'd sell to you very cheap. I used them on my old 2006 Subaru Legacy for years, but they won't work with the rails on my Forester. I haven't had any luck selling them on Facebook, but I don't want to just chunk them. I have a set of Clips too, but not sure if they would work with your car. https://yakima.com/products/q-towers-4-pack

I've been happy with the Yakama racks. I mostly used them with a bike tray and a kayak stacker. Once you put the bars up they just stay put, no moving, not adjusting, etc. The bad thing about roof racks is every single piece is $100+ and you need many pieces to get anything useful.

If you buy new I'd recommend the aero bars. If you go with round bars I highly recommend a fairing too if you are ever going to drive around with the rack empty. The empty round bars can get pretty loud.

Those seem to work with my car according to their website. So I'd need to buy cross bars then I can mount any trunk I buy? The trunk I think I want to be aero though.

I don't think I'd drive around with the bars on. This is something I'd use like 3 times this year, so I'd just mount them for each trip. I'm just assuming it's not an insane amount of work to do so?

 

[Zorba]

Those seem to work with my car according to their website. So I'd need to buy cross bars then I can mount any trunk I buy? The trunk I think I want to be aero though.

I don't think I'd drive around with the bars on. This is something I'd use like 3 times this year, so I'd just mount them for each trip. I'm just assuming it's not an insane amount of work to do so?

It isn't that hard to mount or unmount them. Once you do it the first time, if you write down the measurements, you can probably do it in about 10 minutes after that.

I would definitely get an aerodynamic box. I think any of them should work with round bars, just make sure whatever one you get comes with round clips.

 

[MrSquished]

It isn't that hard to mount or unmount them. Once you do it the first time, if you write down the measurements, you can probably do it in about 10 minutes after that.

I would definitely get an aerodynamic box. I think any of them should work with round bars, just make sure whatever one you get comes with round clips.

Sounds good. I'll probably get aero bars anyways since they aren't too much more than round it seems. No need for aluminum, steel is fine. Send me a message and let me know what you want for them. Thanks for the heads up!

 

[Scarpozzi]

My 4Runner and our Odyssey both have factory roof racks on them. I got a Sport Rack branded carrier that works great with either. It's made by Thule, but used to be cheaper. I think I got it from Walmart due to shipping...

Look into the brand and compare with the others...

 

[Dr. Detroit]

Cheapo option - Roof Bag

Hitch + Harbor Freight rack - good place to put your cooler & a storage tote bin

We have a compact car and take 3 adults camping routinely and are able to get creative and fit everything in our car without a roof rack for week long trips. We remove the trunk liner but keep the spare tire.
The only thing we generally buy/need is additional food/drinks/ice.

 

[pauldun170]

I know zilch. Before I dive into the rabbit hole of research that I usually do for any product purchase, thought I'd ask here. I have a 2006 Honda Accord that at this point will not be upgraded for 2 years as I think it will take that long for the car market to become normalized, if not more. I need more space to bring outdoor gear since I have to bring a 60lb pit mix with me and he takes up half the back seat. The roof rack just needs to hold a trunk to put in stuff like a tent, sleeping bag/pad, duffel bag of clothes, etc... Nothing heavy or hard.

I am fine with looking for used stuff for this as I will not use it a ton. In fact I could easily luck out and find something really good used. A lot of people buy things to go on adventures then just never go, so there usually is a good secondary market for this kind of stuff I would wager.

Whatever I can take from this car to the next car would be great, I am guessing the trunk itself, but can anything else go with it such as the crossbars?

Anybody here have experiences to share?

moved from OT.
admin allisolm

Roof Rack Life
I gotcha

Question - Will the bars be on as needed or will you be taking them off from time to time? What is your budget

Roof Racks and Bars - Everyone is going to scream Thule or Yakima which is the norm. It's a pay to play kinda thing. Chances are, when you sell the car, these are going with it and no one is going to care about the brand of bars on an 06 Accord when they make you and offer.
You can go all out and spend a ton of money on Thule or Yakima, you can scour craigslist and hope you find one that will fit your accord.
You could also just get Inno Aero bars (140 lbers)for way less or if you are the ultimate cheapo and don't think you will be carry too much weight get $190 Sport rack square bars (105lb weight rating)and wrap the bars in rope to kill the noise (pro tip....got noisey bars? wrap some thick rope around them).

When it comes to the bars, whatever you get remember to pay attention to the weight rating

2006 Honda Accord Roof Rack | etrailer.com

Find trusted recommendations for your 2006 Honda Accord at etrailer.com–your one-stop shop for trusted recommendations and top-tier accessories.

www.etrailer.com

Pro-tip - Grab yourself some 3M Clear protection vinyl film to protect the paint where the racks are going to be mounted. 4 Squares and you will have less to explain when you go sell the car.

Cargo Bags - Noppity nope nope nope unless you don't care about destroying the rood paint and wind noise. OR if you consider a basket style tray to hold the bag and don't mind the double whammy of basket noise and bag noise.

Cargo box - Generally, this is going to be something that you are going to only mount as needed.
You need to figure out what size you need. Once again the cool kids will all tell you to grab a Thule and Yakima and then immediately tell you that you should get a used one because pricing on Thules and Yakima boxes is obnoxious.
The hinge system on some of them is pretty nifty like be able to open them from either side of the car.
If you are comfortable with pricing, Thule is the way to go.
If paying $$$$ for a big plastic container then you should find a decent amount of boxes out there in the used market as folks buy these things with big intentions and then 2 years later need garage space so they toss it on offer up. They will play the game of "I know what I have" but generally people prefer garage space and you should have good luck with haggling.

I suck at haggling and when I went looking there wasn't anything in my area and I'm impatient so I just grabbed a 18 cu ft SportRack Vista XL that was on sale at Dicks. No regrets and the wife used it all summer on her truck for "beach stuff".
If you decide to try cheaper alternatives, You may want to focus on Hinge designs.
Having said that.....put the time in and focus on Thule.

(If you are an impatient child like me and you start considering "other options" let me know. I went through this last summer when)

Side note: For Trailer hitches are super handy. Bike racks, cargo trays ,

 

[pauldun170]

Keep in mind that you will have a weight limit for the roof.
For example, if your accord is rated for 100lb max on the roof and the box weighs 30lbs then you gotta keep the contents under 70lbs.

Also - If you get a side mount hinges, make sure you do your homework. Risk of you box popping open on the road which a poorly designed side mount setup or latching system is increased.
Front mount hinge setups are a little less risky at the expense of awkward access to the contents of the box (not that big of a deal to be honest....unless you are short with forty stubby little arms.)
You should not travel with an empty box. Put something in it to weigh it down as per manual or take it off for storage.

When it comes to bars - Quiet on one vehicle does not mean quiet on all vehicles. NO matter what you get, if your ears still work you will probably notice a difference,
There will be a MPG penalty.

 

[MrSquished]

I'm definitely considering a hitch and cargo rack now as it will be much cheaper. I found a hitch cargo rack, well reviewed, that weighs 30lb that fits into a 1.25" receiver so I don't even need an adapter. Since the car has a 100lb tongue weight capacity, that gives me 70lb to haul, plenty of overhead to carry my cooler plus another smaller storage bin with a few things in it.

I gotta read more into the Honda compatible hitches. A guy on etrailers mentioned a hitch for $180 that didn't have to be 'strapped' when carrying tongue weight stuff vs towing like some other hitches.

 

[pauldun170]

I'm definitely considering a hitch and cargo rack now as it will be much cheaper. I found a hitch cargo rack, well reviewed, that weighs 30lb that fits into a 1.25" receiver so I don't even need an adapter. Since the car has a 100lb tongue weight capacity, that gives me 70lb to haul, plenty of overhead to carry my cooler plus another smaller storage bin with a few things in it.

I gotta read more into the Honda compatible hitches. A guy on etrailers mentioned a hitch for $180 that didn't have to be 'strapped' when carrying tongue weight stuff vs towing like some other hitches.

You might find this interesting

 

[waffleironhead]

Watch out with those Q towers mentioned earlier. Yakima discontinued the Q towers and stopped making the Q clips you need to attach them. I have a perfectly good set of towers and bars, but cant find any clips to fit my highlander.
IF, you can find a set of clips, you can buy up a set of Q towers and round bars pretty cheap.

 

[nakedfrog]

Those seem to work with my car according to their website. So I'd need to buy cross bars then I can mount any trunk I buy? The trunk I think I want to be aero though.

I don't think I'd drive around with the bars on. This is something I'd use like 3 times this year, so I'd just mount them for each trip. I'm just assuming it's not an insane amount of work to do so?

That's how I do it, I only put the crossbars on when I'm planning to put my cargo carrier on top.

 

[Ackmed]

I would look into the drag and noise they make first too. We put one on and the sound is SO much higher now, it basically makes the sun roof useless. Going more than 35mph makes it very loud with it open.