I want to bolt Yakima landing pads directly to the roof of my 2011 Fit. I assume these would be Landing Pad 1 since they look flat on the bottom. I realize that they would not be parallel to the "rain gutter" seam line at the front but I would want them as close as possible to it since it seems this is the strongest part of the roof. Is there a consideration to where to mount them based on the internal structure or airbags? I would actually prefer they were bolted directly into a support structure so they were stronger.

Background:

I have already completely destroyed the panels above the doors since the Q-Towers with clips move and dent them when I am carrying stuff (bikes, canoes, kayaks, etc). I have tried them in many different places to see if I could find a place they do not slip, and as a result have dented the entire panels above the doors. And yesterday, carrying two bikes on the roof, the whole rack fell off at 60 mph, causing even larger dents in those panels, and scratches on the roof.

Anyway, I have had landing pads before and love them and still have control towers to use with them. I know the proper solution is to mount tracks on the roof, but I think this does not look great since they are not parallel to the rain gutter channels. Plus I don't understand how tracks don't bend the roof under heavy load since they are mounted on the thin metal sheet of the roof which gives under fingertip pressure. I would rather have landing pads mounted directly to the roof near the seam where it seems strong.

Thanks for any tips or guidance in doing this.