Thanks for the picture. Have you had any problems with it scratching the paint or did you put something under it?

It seems like I'll be picking this up if I don't find something used in the next few weeks.

 

Lip is the STI lip second one I have had on the car the first met a tragic end when it meet a retread. Also I made the mistake of painting it the car color which cracked and rubbed off when I bottom out the roads are bad in my area.

Subaru Impreza WRX 2006 2007 STI S204 Front Bumper Lip Spoiler Bodykit | eBay

The Guard is from Zeta Products.

 

No scratching the fairing has clear vinyl under the points where it touches the roof. The rack I used painters tape to protect the sides.

 

I know you are looking at a roof rack but there are three things that keep me away from them...
1) i don't like to damage the paint
2) sometimes roof racks/mounting hardware whistle
3) loading on top of the vehicle makes it even more body rolly

I might have missed it but, have you considered a small trailer with a hitch?

 

Once you have had a rack, you can't function without one. We do a lot of camping and road trips. We like the carry to wet and dirty stuff in the roof coffin.

 

That is the truth. I also do a lot of mountain and beach stuff so a rack is a must. It seems that I am seeing the roof racks as more of a fad now a days so there are more abundant for sale used

 

I have used my roof rack for so many things, from fun to work. It saves me buying a pick up or SUV.

 

I have the Yakima Whispbar S15 and have been very impressed with it. It certainly does not damage the car in any way. The paint is protected by thick clear 3M protectors. The mounts sit in the roof rain rails. I leave it on the car all the time and they make absolutely no noise at all.

I also have the Yakima bike racks and our heavy bikes ride on top without any issues. They also make a flush style that looks more factory. I wanted the through style so we would have more room for our kayak mounts.

Sorry for the lame blurry cell phone pics.

 

^ White plastidip on the clips and that will look pretty darn close to a factory setup.

I have an older yakima rack that works well and holds tight. I like the fact it rides just outside the black gutters as that is supposed to be the strongest part of the car. It is rock sold on my vehicle and no worries of it slipping.

Skip the Fairing as that hurts fuel economy, especially on the fit. With the above aerodynamic setup from yakima, you shouldn't have much wind noise like my round bars had (until I put wind jammers on the bars) and price shouldn't be too bad.

~SB

 

Yeah I got the Yakima Whispbar because they were supposed to be the quietest on the market. I have to say I can believe it. I hear no wind noise at all. They tell you not to get a fairing as it actually adds noise.

I will have to look into plastidip. I have no idea what that is. I'm a little older than most on here so don't be too harsh on me. I am not up on all the new hip stuff!

 

Rack looks really good on the white Fit. Thanks for the pics. Ironic Photo: Honda Fit in a gas station a rare photo for sure! : )

 

Look closely you will see I got 10.32 gallons. Not sure how much the fit holds but I was very close to running out.

 

That was close, but you can be excused. At university, I had a 1973 Mini Cooper, the best gas miser ever, and I always ran out of gas. I just drove so far on one tank I never thought about.

 

Plastidip is a rubberized coating/spray that was originally used for replacing worn-out hammer/screwdriver grips as it coats and provides an impact resistant surface. it can also be painted but it does come in white. Many people paint their wheels or front lip/rear splitter with plastidip as you can just peel it off if you don't like it.

Available in most any hardware store.

~SB

 

After all the great feedback from this thread, I bought a Yakima Whispbar system from Rack Attack. I haven't put it on yet. But I will post a pic when I do. Thanks again for your help and great suggestions.

 

Cool Rico.

I just ordered the same rack yesterday that CJECPA suggested from the link he provided, autoanything.com, but was able to get 20% off instead of 15%. I also picked up a hood deflector from the same site. We will see how the fitment of the deflector is when I get it in since it was only $39. I realized I needed one when I bought the car used and it had 3 or 4 chips filled in.

 

I almost did the same. I have had a Yakima rack and a Thule rack system in the past. Both were very noisy on the highway. A faring is a necessity. The whispabars don't recommend a faring and they come with locks and are fairly easy to install. But a bit pricey. I sold my Thule from my mazda 3 GT and so it helped buffer the cost. I put it on today. It took longer than it should have, because I didn't want to make mistakes or scratch the new car. I will soon post a pic. I did needed to alter my Yakima space booster box. But it fits well

 

That Whisperbar system looks really nice, and I like where the feet are positioned versus the Yakima round bar feet.

As far as rack noise in general, I have my bars covered with foam pipe insulation (to me, it's easier for loading kayaks than trying to lift them up into cradles, etc.). I found the foam covering also seems to cut wind noise, especially the whistling/howling.

 

Whispa bars. Look pretty good, I may use the plastidip to make it less abrasive. I also am looking to buy the 3M protection film strips to protect the paint job as well.

 

Here is my Thule Aeroblade with an Inno fairing on my '13 sport. I mounted it a bit spread out because I don't like the look when the bars are insanely close together.