Do you have a link for that? It sounds pretty interesting.
I was thinking of seeing whether I could install the roof rails from a suzuki sx4. I have no idea if something like that would work or not, but I'd like to see these ford rails.
Yakima/Thule or other roof racks.
- Thread starter MySonicBoom
- Start date
Do you have a link for that? It sounds pretty interesting.
I was thinking of seeing whether I could install the roof rails from a suzuki sx4. I have no idea if something like that would work or not, but I'd like to see these ford rails.
Long Island LTZ
New member
Key1cc posted details on the roof rack
he installed but the link goes to a dead end so I just reached out to the administrator for help.. here's the link that key1cc provided in his post about another topic, spoiler, in response to someone complimenting the rack..
http://www.sonicownersforum.com/forum/t4500/
I saw a thread yesterday where kay1cc is talking about the rack, and needing to move the front load bar forward in front of his sunroof, and the rear one back as far as it would go, to limit noise (he said moving them in that fashion worked) but I can't find the thread today, and have not had a reply from key1cc yet, either..
he installed but the link goes to a dead end so I just reached out to the administrator for help.. here's the link that key1cc provided in his post about another topic, spoiler, in response to someone complimenting the rack..
http://www.sonicownersforum.com/forum/t4500/
I saw a thread yesterday where kay1cc is talking about the rack, and needing to move the front load bar forward in front of his sunroof, and the rear one back as far as it would go, to limit noise (he said moving them in that fashion worked) but I can't find the thread today, and have not had a reply from key1cc yet, either..
Yeah, there are a ton of dead links on this site. Let me know if you ever find the original link. Thanks.
Long Island LTZ
New member
rack
I found some info in previous posts and copied it to here.. also, I checked w/ Perrycraft and they already replied to me that the one Key1 uses (now on the Perrycraft site described as being for the Honda Fit) is not sufficient for kayaks or skis or other long loads and recommend and Aventura 110lb or Sport Trek with add-on mont blanc load bars for 220lb capacity.. further, then, on the Aventura description it shows the 110lb version is also not sufficient for long loads.. the difference could be that Key1 uses the rails longer than Perrycraft describes the rails to be cut, ie, they say to cut them to 40" but Key1 I think left his at 48"..
Here's the conversation from their posts through 2012..
Quote:
Originally Posted by Karmike2 View Post
Looks great!
I may order one from Perry Craft around Christmas.
How tough was it to try to match the contour of the roof? I looked on their website, and it recommended putting the bars between two tables or 4x4 pieces of wood and gently bending it until you get the correct contour.
What model number kit did you get if you don't mind me asking?
The have decent prices and I really only want one for looks.
Thanks!
Very tough to "exactly" match the roof contour since the one I bought was longer than the one that is actually designed for the sonic. I used the 4x4 pieces of wood technique and ultimately got it "close enough". Once you realize that "close enough" will do, the install goes pretty easy from there. But because it was only "close enough", I used black caulk (100% silicone) to caulk the entire length of the rails to seal any 1/16" gaps since it was not perfectly flat to the roof everywhere. I needed to be sure no water would have access to where the screws penetrate into the roof although I did wrap them pretty good with teflon tape just in case. Many heavy rains and a couple of snow storms have come and gone and still no leaks .
The part number of the one I purchased is ST3449-B where the 34 means they are 34" wide and the 49 means the rails are 49 inches long and the B means the color is black. The part number for the one designed for the sonic is actually ST3439-B meaning the rails are only 39 inches long.
It I could do it all over I would do exactly what I did without batting an eye.
I really like them.
Tomorrow I will post pics of my new spoiler which just got installed this evening.
Key1
I found some info in previous posts and copied it to here.. also, I checked w/ Perrycraft and they already replied to me that the one Key1 uses (now on the Perrycraft site described as being for the Honda Fit) is not sufficient for kayaks or skis or other long loads and recommend and Aventura 110lb or Sport Trek with add-on mont blanc load bars for 220lb capacity.. further, then, on the Aventura description it shows the 110lb version is also not sufficient for long loads.. the difference could be that Key1 uses the rails longer than Perrycraft describes the rails to be cut, ie, they say to cut them to 40" but Key1 I think left his at 48"..
Here's the conversation from their posts through 2012..
Quote:
Originally Posted by Karmike2 View Post
Looks great!
I may order one from Perry Craft around Christmas.
How tough was it to try to match the contour of the roof? I looked on their website, and it recommended putting the bars between two tables or 4x4 pieces of wood and gently bending it until you get the correct contour.
What model number kit did you get if you don't mind me asking?
The have decent prices and I really only want one for looks.
Thanks!
Very tough to "exactly" match the roof contour since the one I bought was longer than the one that is actually designed for the sonic. I used the 4x4 pieces of wood technique and ultimately got it "close enough". Once you realize that "close enough" will do, the install goes pretty easy from there. But because it was only "close enough", I used black caulk (100% silicone) to caulk the entire length of the rails to seal any 1/16" gaps since it was not perfectly flat to the roof everywhere. I needed to be sure no water would have access to where the screws penetrate into the roof although I did wrap them pretty good with teflon tape just in case. Many heavy rains and a couple of snow storms have come and gone and still no leaks .
The part number of the one I purchased is ST3449-B where the 34 means they are 34" wide and the 49 means the rails are 49 inches long and the B means the color is black. The part number for the one designed for the sonic is actually ST3439-B meaning the rails are only 39 inches long.
It I could do it all over I would do exactly what I did without batting an eye.
I really like them.
Tomorrow I will post pics of my new spoiler which just got installed this evening.
Key1
Kuntryboy865
New member
Sorry for not searching through the thread but im going to need a roof rack to haul some cargo, what size would i need. I see alot. Of adjustable roof racks that are 45"and up but im not sure if it would work. Any help would be appreciated.
LorbeerTLC
Member
Here was my post. Still have my rack and I love it!! It's permanent, but looks factory.
http://www.sonicownersforum.com/forum/50261-post99.html
Prospector
New member
Hey Lorbeer - you think a canoe could travel up there OK? I was thinking of a trailer hitch and T-bar, but I'd like a solid rack if I can get one.
If you haven't read through all 21 (or 30 - these forums seem to move around) pages of the thread, the few things I think you should know (based on my reading and experiences) are:
1) If you do buy aftermarket, non-permanent racks keep the following in mind:
-Do NOT over tighten them. There is a specific torque amount specified and going beyond that can lead to you actually damaging the sheet metal on your car. At least one member here had that issue (which was, fortunately, covered because Chevy had mis-represented the correct torque numbers).
- Be aware that the racks very well may not (most likely won't) fit properly between the roof and the door frame. This was the issue I had. The only aftermarket vendor was Rhino Rack. Their racks were advertised to fit our cars, but it appears that some, if not all, of our cars have extremely tight tolerances between the roof and the door frame. There simply isn't any space in there for the clamps to hold on to the roof without actually pressing agains the painted portion of the door frame. If your car is like that, you will have to contend with the door frame hitting the metal of the rack and getting chipped, especially when you are driving and the vibrations cause the two parts to rub against each other. The chevy racks appear to have the same issues. Scan through the thread to look at all the pictures at least. I can also send you some pics of the rack clamp on my car if you need something to compare to (I wound up returning the racks).
2) Permanent racks seem like the only reasonable solution. As LorbeerTLC pointed out, Perrycraft makes them. So does Yakima and Thule. They are expensive to have installed (racks + installation were quoted at nearly $1000.00 for Thule for me). You could save a boat load of money and do it yourself if you know how to do basic work (i.e. drill some holes etc.). That is the route I am planning to take (because I also need to haul around small amounts of lumber etc.) but I have hesitated till now for a couple of reasons:
- Having someone else do it is expensive plus I am not convinced that they won't drill into an airbag or somehow hit one of the structural crossmembers in the roof. The people doing this (generally, not always) are just highschool kids with a summer job, not experts per se. At least they aren' t experts at our cars. And they will just drill and patch vs. taking the time to do it right. LorbeerTLC seems to have found a decent place to do it, though, so not every place is a fly by night operation. Still, the airbag thing kind of concerns me enough not to hand it off to just anyone.
- Talking to an auto body shop (who I was hoping to hire to do it), they were concerned that the nuts holding the rack to the roof were very small and the roof sheet metal is very thin. In other words, if you have some sheet goods up there (plywood or something) and a strong gust of wind comes up that these small nuts might come ripping right out of your roof. The only way to prevent this would be to re-inforce the sheet metal around the holes and nuts with some thicker sheet metal (it can simply be clamped in there like a big washer). This will distribute the forces over a much larger area.
- Doing it myself means taking out the headliner. That ensures that I can locate the airbags and the cross members as well as add in the extra sheet metal "washers" to distribute the load. But I barely have enough time to search for parking these days, much less learn how to remove the headliner. Still, this final technique (whether I do it myself or hire it out to a body shop) seems like the best idea.
Finally, LorbeerTLC and others have actually had the work done, so I would defer to them as to whether my concerns are valid or worth the time it takes to type them out
Good luck and let me know if you need me to send you the pics of the rhino rack not fitting my car (these are the pics I used to get them to refund me my money - they said they would change the status of their racks from "fits" to "may fit with some issues" as a result.)
P.S.
Here is the photo of the Rhino Rack on my car. Note that the image here shows the absolute best case scenario... i.e. there are no bars installed (or towers). This is just me trying to fit the clamp in between the door and the roof at its most ideal angle. Once the towers and bars are installed, it fits much much worse. So, take a look and see if your doors are similarly close to the roof line of your car. If so, permanent racks may be the only solution.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/mws1nmroralnhnw/20131125_103040.jpg?dl=0
1) If you do buy aftermarket, non-permanent racks keep the following in mind:
-Do NOT over tighten them. There is a specific torque amount specified and going beyond that can lead to you actually damaging the sheet metal on your car. At least one member here had that issue (which was, fortunately, covered because Chevy had mis-represented the correct torque numbers).
- Be aware that the racks very well may not (most likely won't) fit properly between the roof and the door frame. This was the issue I had. The only aftermarket vendor was Rhino Rack. Their racks were advertised to fit our cars, but it appears that some, if not all, of our cars have extremely tight tolerances between the roof and the door frame. There simply isn't any space in there for the clamps to hold on to the roof without actually pressing agains the painted portion of the door frame. If your car is like that, you will have to contend with the door frame hitting the metal of the rack and getting chipped, especially when you are driving and the vibrations cause the two parts to rub against each other. The chevy racks appear to have the same issues. Scan through the thread to look at all the pictures at least. I can also send you some pics of the rack clamp on my car if you need something to compare to (I wound up returning the racks).
2) Permanent racks seem like the only reasonable solution. As LorbeerTLC pointed out, Perrycraft makes them. So does Yakima and Thule. They are expensive to have installed (racks + installation were quoted at nearly $1000.00 for Thule for me). You could save a boat load of money and do it yourself if you know how to do basic work (i.e. drill some holes etc.). That is the route I am planning to take (because I also need to haul around small amounts of lumber etc.) but I have hesitated till now for a couple of reasons:
- Having someone else do it is expensive plus I am not convinced that they won't drill into an airbag or somehow hit one of the structural crossmembers in the roof. The people doing this (generally, not always) are just highschool kids with a summer job, not experts per se. At least they aren' t experts at our cars. And they will just drill and patch vs. taking the time to do it right. LorbeerTLC seems to have found a decent place to do it, though, so not every place is a fly by night operation. Still, the airbag thing kind of concerns me enough not to hand it off to just anyone.
- Talking to an auto body shop (who I was hoping to hire to do it), they were concerned that the nuts holding the rack to the roof were very small and the roof sheet metal is very thin. In other words, if you have some sheet goods up there (plywood or something) and a strong gust of wind comes up that these small nuts might come ripping right out of your roof. The only way to prevent this would be to re-inforce the sheet metal around the holes and nuts with some thicker sheet metal (it can simply be clamped in there like a big washer). This will distribute the forces over a much larger area.
- Doing it myself means taking out the headliner. That ensures that I can locate the airbags and the cross members as well as add in the extra sheet metal "washers" to distribute the load. But I barely have enough time to search for parking these days, much less learn how to remove the headliner. Still, this final technique (whether I do it myself or hire it out to a body shop) seems like the best idea.
Finally, LorbeerTLC and others have actually had the work done, so I would defer to them as to whether my concerns are valid or worth the time it takes to type them out
Good luck and let me know if you need me to send you the pics of the rhino rack not fitting my car (these are the pics I used to get them to refund me my money - they said they would change the status of their racks from "fits" to "may fit with some issues" as a result.)
P.S.
Here is the photo of the Rhino Rack on my car. Note that the image here shows the absolute best case scenario... i.e. there are no bars installed (or towers). This is just me trying to fit the clamp in between the door and the roof at its most ideal angle. Once the towers and bars are installed, it fits much much worse. So, take a look and see if your doors are similarly close to the roof line of your car. If so, permanent racks may be the only solution.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/mws1nmroralnhnw/20131125_103040.jpg?dl=0
Last edited:
LorbeerTLC
Member
If you haven't read through all 21 (or 30 - these forums seem to move around) pages of the thread, the few things I think you should know (based on my reading and experiences) are:
1) If you do buy aftermarket, non-permanent racks keep the following in mind:
-Do NOT over tighten them. There is a specific torque amount specified and going beyond that can lead to you actually damaging the sheet metal on your car. At least one member here had that issue (which was, fortunately, covered because Chevy had mis-represented the correct torque numbers).
- Be aware that the racks very well may not (most likely won't) fit properly between the roof and the door frame. This was the issue I had. The only aftermarket vendor was Rhino Rack. Their racks were advertised to fit our cars, but it appears that some, if not all, of our cars have extremely tight tolerances between the roof and the door frame. There simply isn't any space in there for the clamps to hold on to the roof without actually pressing agains the painted portion of the door frame. If your car is like that, you will have to contend with the door frame hitting the metal of the rack and getting chipped, especially when you are driving and the vibrations cause the two parts to rub against each other. The chevy racks appear to have the same issues. Scan through the thread to look at all the pictures at least. I can also send you some pics of the rack clamp on my car if you need something to compare to (I wound up returning the racks).
2) Permanent racks seem like the only reasonable solution. As LorbeerTLC pointed out, Perrycraft makes them. So does Yakima and Thule. They are expensive to have installed (racks + installation were quoted at nearly $1000.00 for Thule for me). You could save a boat load of money and do it yourself if you know how to do basic work (i.e. drill some holes etc.). That is the route I am planning to take (because I also need to haul around small amounts of lumber etc.) but I have hesitated till now for a couple of reasons:
- Having someone else do it is expensive plus I am not convinced that they won't drill into an airbag or somehow hit one of the structural crossmembers in the roof. The people doing this (generally, not always) are just highschool kids with a summer job, not experts per se. At least they aren' t experts at our cars. And they will just drill and patch vs. taking the time to do it right. LorbeerTLC seems to have found a decent place to do it, though, so not every place is a fly by night operation. Still, the airbag thing kind of concerns me enough not to hand it off to just anyone.
- Talking to an auto body shop (who I was hoping to hire to do it), they were concerned that the nuts holding the rack to the roof were very small and the roof sheet metal is very thin. In other words, if you have some sheet goods up there (plywood or something) and a strong gust of wind comes up that these small nuts might come ripping right out of your roof. The only way to prevent this would be to re-inforce the sheet metal around the holes and nuts with some thicker sheet metal (it can simply be clamped in there like a big washer). This will distribute the forces over a much larger area.
- Doing it myself means taking out the headliner. That ensures that I can locate the airbags and the cross members as well as add in the extra sheet metal "washers" to distribute the load. But I barely have enough time to search for parking these days, much less learn how to remove the headliner. Still, this final technique (whether I do it myself or hire it out to a body shop) seems like the best idea.
Finally, LorbeerTLC and others have actually had the work done, so I would defer to them as to whether my concerns are valid or worth the time it takes to type them out
Good luck and let me know if you need me to send you the pics of the rhino rack not fitting my car (these are the pics I used to get them to refund me my money - they said they would change the status of their racks from "fits" to "may fit with some issues" as a result.)
P.S.
Here is the photo of the Rhino Rack on my car. Note that the image here shows the absolute best case scenario... i.e. there are no bars installed (or towers). This is just me trying to fit the clamp in between the door and the roof at its most ideal angle. Once the towers and bars are installed, it fits much much worse. So, take a look and see if your doors are similarly close to the roof line of your car. If so, permanent racks may be the only solution.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/mws1nmroralnhnw/20131125_103040.jpg?dl=0
I echo what bvz said. My main issue was that I have the factory sunroof and I didn't want to risk drilling through the drain pan.
And to be honest... I didn't know how the heck to attach a permanent rack anyway! Haha!
Perrycraft told me that they have schematics of the roof and the drilling points. The place where I had the work done was an authorized Perrycraft dealer who's employees are trained to know what they're doing. It was worth the extra expense to have it done professionally.
willie_district
New member
I installed the Perrycraft rack myself just following the instructions that came with it. I have hauled 2 kayaks using J racks and have not had any issues at all.
Swordsmith
242hp/252 ft-lbs BNR EFI
I have temporary racks from WalMart, cost about $30. The key to using them is a set of cargo straps that go over your cargo and through the doorways, fastening in the middle of the car. Relying on the actual clips included to hold the things down... does not work out well. Pull over, pick up the racks and the cargo and the straps, (you got straps anyway since you still had to hold the cargo onto the racks) and run them through the car instead of just strapping down to the rack itself.
This is how we carry 10 foot 2x10s. Because 8 footers fit inside.
Protip: replace the stock antenna with a shark fin... which fits under the cargo on the roof rack. I was so pleased when my foolish vanity purchase turned out to be practical (and tax deductible)
This is how we carry 10 foot 2x10s. Because 8 footers fit inside.
Protip: replace the stock antenna with a shark fin... which fits under the cargo on the roof rack. I was so pleased when my foolish vanity purchase turned out to be practical (and tax deductible)
Last edited:
I installed the Perrycraft rack myself just following the instructions that came with it. I have hauled 2 kayaks using J racks and have not had any issues at all.
Those look great! Well done.
Were you concerned about hitting an airbag at all? That is what is really kept me from trying it. (That and the warning about the thin sheet metal). What sort of a drill bit did you use? Also, what were the nuts like? Is there a special tool you use to insert/deform them once you have drilled the holes?
I have temporary racks from WalMart, cost about $30. The key to using them is a set of cargo straps that go over your cargo and through the doorways, fastening in the middle of the car. Relying on the actual clips included to hold the things down... does not work out well. Pull over, pick up the racks and the cargo and the straps, (you got straps anyway since you still had to hold the cargo onto the racks) and run them through the car instead of just strapping down to the rack itself.
This is how we carry 10 foot 2x10s. Because 8 footers fit inside.
Protip: replace the stock antenna with a shark fin... which fits under the cargo on the roof rack. I was so pleased when my foolish vanity purchase turned out to be practical (and tax deductible)
Is the rack you bought a walmart branded rack? Or is it another brand? If so, could you let me know what the brand is?
Thanks.
Edit:
Also, I was able to see your pics earlier today, but now they just show up as broken links. Any idea why?
Edit 2:
Also, as long as I am peppering everyone with questions today, would you be able to take a pic of the clips that go between the door and the roof? I am curious as to how thin they are and how they interfere with (or don't) with the closing of the door. My Rhino Rack was so tight it chipped the paint on my door.
Last edited:
willie_district
New member
I actually didn't even think about hitting an air bag at all...whoops. I used an 1/8" drill bit to drill the pilot holes. I used a short bit so that when I drilled the holes the bit couldn't go much deeper than just through the sheet metal. The tracks are held to the roof with screws and not nuts and bolts. Here is a link to the instructions if you are curious: http://www.perrycraft.com/Images/PDF%20Documents/PC%20Prod%20Install%20Instr/SportQuest%20Track-mount%20-%20Sheet%20Metal.pdf
Swordsmith
242hp/252 ft-lbs BNR EFI
No idea why you can't see the links, they are in Dropbox and I can still see them, and see them in your quote of my post as well.
Kuntryboy865
New member
I cant see them either. Weird.
TheTruth
New member
Thread Sum-Up
So after reading the entire thread, I'd like to just sum it all up for those of you looking into purchasing a roof rack set-up.
These removable roof rack set-ups are available:
GM Accessory Roof Rack (Purchase through your dealer $200-$300)
Rhino Rack 2500 Series (E-Trailer.com has the complete set for $278.10)
Yakima Q Towers 4 Pack System (Yakima sells them for $370 online)
Wind noise is an issue so a fairing is recommended:
The "38 Thule Fairing is popular and fits easily on the Rhino Rack Euro bars, and can be modified to fit the GM rack ($80-$100)
The "40 Inno Fairing also fits the Rhino Rack and GM and may cut noise better than Thule ($75-$85)
If you buy the Yakima Q Tower they have "38 fairings and "44 fairings that are easily installed. ($80-$90)
Permanent Roof Rack Option: Perrycraft SportQuest - Euro Bars (Price range varies depending on installation fees)
I hope this saves a lot of folks the hassle of reading through every post.
I, myself, have decided on the Rhino Rack/Inno Fairing combo! Best price and good quality based on reviews.
So after reading the entire thread, I'd like to just sum it all up for those of you looking into purchasing a roof rack set-up.
These removable roof rack set-ups are available:
GM Accessory Roof Rack (Purchase through your dealer $200-$300)
Rhino Rack 2500 Series (E-Trailer.com has the complete set for $278.10)
Yakima Q Towers 4 Pack System (Yakima sells them for $370 online)
Wind noise is an issue so a fairing is recommended:
The "38 Thule Fairing is popular and fits easily on the Rhino Rack Euro bars, and can be modified to fit the GM rack ($80-$100)
The "40 Inno Fairing also fits the Rhino Rack and GM and may cut noise better than Thule ($75-$85)
If you buy the Yakima Q Tower they have "38 fairings and "44 fairings that are easily installed. ($80-$90)
Permanent Roof Rack Option: Perrycraft SportQuest - Euro Bars (Price range varies depending on installation fees)
I hope this saves a lot of folks the hassle of reading through every post.
I, myself, have decided on the Rhino Rack/Inno Fairing combo! Best price and good quality based on reviews.
Luv2xlr8
New member
I'm waiting for my GM bars to arrive from the US. I also purchased a rocky mounts pitchfork for my bike and currently looking for a fairing. I really want the INNO but so far I'm looking at 130+ just to arrive here in Toronto Canada, or I just might try and use a old school Yakima fairing used for $50 but it's just a bit wider.
Here's a link:
http://www.kijiji.ca/v-other-auto-p...50/1085946928?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true
Here's a link:
http://www.kijiji.ca/v-other-auto-p...50/1085946928?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true
Last edited:
TheTruth
New member
I think that size fairing should work well! It might be a bit of a trick to mount it to the GM cross bars, some DIY will be necessary. I'd love to see an update on this if you decide to go that route!
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