I've got a few sets of channel locks and "C" clamps, I just wasn't willing to force the assembly. The instructions showed clamping them by hand, if it isn't possible to follow those then the design is inherently flawed.

 

I have a yakima on my fit and I put a thule on my friends fit. Yakima is 100x easier and quicker to setup. It also sits a good bit lower to the roof which is a major plus. I like the design of the thule attachments alot more than the yakima, particularly the bike trays.

The weatherstripping on my fit with yakima is no more bent or squished than on my friends fit with thule. If it is, you are doing something wrong.

what it comes down to is looks and price. I got both of the setups for dirt cheap and I kept the yakima and sold my friend the thule.

 

I installed the Yakima 42" rails (permanent) with landing pads (#1). The yakima control towers/48" crossbars take literally seconds to put on and off...couple minutes if you need to adjust the span between crossbars. I'm thinking of putting another permanent landing pad closer to the front windshield for longer loads (I might buy a kayak), but until I have a need I'm just using the rails.

I'll post pics if any want to see what that looks like with the towers/bars on and off. I went that route to avoid putting the rails on/off all the time for use, this way I don't have to have wind noise/mpg loss when not in use.

 

I have the 42" rails (Thule but the same) to install on my 08 fit, did you run into any problems drilling into the roof? Did you take the headliner out? Also, be cool if you could post the dimensions you placed them on the roof. Pictures would be nice! Thanks

 

Yakima 42" Rail Roof Rack Permanent install for Honda Fit '08

I actually had my local body shop install them as I chickened out in drilling holes into my new car. I got a fair deal and for the piece of mind over a leaky roof was worth it to me. But having seen it done and talking with my installer I would feel comfortable drilling/doing my own when I need to add the next set of landing pads in or if I need to do it to another car. I turned over my minimum specs to him and let him run with it. I stated I wanted the rails as far forward as possible safely, but would understand if they needed to be closer to the rear and for the rails to be as far apart as possible.

He did not remove the headliner for this, he just was careful not to punch through! Also measuring was a little tricky as the roof has the flare to the front and very curved. This picture is a diagram I did up for the installer, original I just had a range of values to fall within, this one I changed to reflect what he actually ended up doing for positioning. We didn't go as far forward as I would have liked since he didn't want to be bending the rail to match that front curve down to the windshield. Which is okay because I can install the stand alone landing pads later.


Note the span between rails is inside edge to inside edge. The front and rear width dimensions of the roof do not include the rain gutter, but the rain gutter is 1" so I think you can handle the math there. And lastly the measurements of the gutters from front to back edges do not include the plastic track cap at the ends. I measured up to the aluminum rail itself.

With the rails as they are placed there is only a little bending of the rail. If you move them forward you would have to bend the rails and probably drill a few more holes to ensure a good secure fit. That and you have to contend with your towers tightening over a curve. It was decided against this since the roof doesn't have that high of a load capacity (125lbs) and didn't want it be pulling up on the roof trying to be straight, especially when this works and I can add another part to make span longer later.

I did look up the Thule rail/instructions to compare and physically it looks like the same thing as Yakimas, the locking bolt is a little different and the Yakima had 2 different washers per hole where Thule has 1, but nothing that looks like it would be significantly different. Noticed the Thule instructions didn't say to paint the exposed metal from drilling (Yakima's did). My installer used a primer/sealer for metal, even though there is silicon seal small amount of moisture could still get in there and steel loves to rust...prime it or paint it.

Getting them straight was tricky.. measure off the first hole at the rear of the car both sides. I didn't include mine since I don't know if the Thule holes are the exact same. Just place the rails/measure/mark where the rear is going to be.. put those holes and retaining bolts in. The instructions have you do one side completely then the other, but this was in mind for parallel roof lines of vehicles. On the unparallel Fit roof, it works to do the first hole at the rear on both rails and loosely attach them. Now you can line them up straight and measure at diagonals to get close to square/parallel and mark the additional holes. Just move the rails out of the way and finish.

I have seen elsewhere that you don't want to drill into that cross beams for roof support...which was another reason I was leary to do this myself. But there is at least one bolt in either rail at every hole location from front to rear. Each rail has the first and last hole, then they are staggered opposite of each other in between.




I really do like the fast on/off with this setup. Zero wind noise with just the rails and caps. With the Towers/Crossbars on there is a humming starting at 40-45, but never gets louder at higher speeds (tested @65mph). Once I put my cargo carrier on top, wind noise went back down to almost zero even at 65 mph. Only done couple short trips around town here to test it out. I have my first big trip next weekend, so if it rips off and goes flying in northern MN I'll let ya know.

For the records here's the parts list:
Yakima Rail 42" #8001126
Yakima Landing Pad #1 (2 sets)
Yakima Control Towers #8000214 (not the Q-Towers)
Yakima 48" Crossbars #8000408 (but you could use any width you want)

 

That is pretty slick!

 

Thanks, that really helps a good bit!

I think I will go the same general route. There is a body shop right next to my work, I'll try and get them to remove the headliner while I snap pictures of the procedure. That is if they will let me. Then I can run back over to my shop with the car......(same parking lot) install the rack were I want it, take it back to them to reinstall the headliner. Probably take the majority of the day but I think it will be worth the effort and I can post shots of the interior roof without the headliner installed. Great plan........we will see how well the implementation goes!

I talked to the guys at Rack Attack (very helpful), when they install permanent racks they assemble the entire rack on a table including the landing pads that screw to the roof. That way they can get everything parrallel and in the proper spacing on the roof. They have only installed the landing pads on several Fits, (not the full track like you did and I will) because of the curve on the roof will only allow one area were the rack will sit level. I just like the look of the track and also the ability to remove all but the track if I sell the car. Just looks better IMO then leaving the 4 landing pads screwed to the roof! Besides, the tracks will except Thule or Yakima hardware. Nice to have that option!

I will make every attempt to document the entire process.

 

The only trick to assembly beforehand is there is still a fair amount of bend to the roof/rail. There is a little leeway if you are off on the center of the hole, but not much. Hopefuly you have someone to help you hold in place (flex it down against the roof) while you mark the hole positions to drill. I wish I had thought of taking the camera with me for it, I'll be very interested in seeing how the headliner drops

 

Urchin: I admire you for going this route. It think it's the best rack solution for the Fit, just haven't had the guts to try it myself (drilling the roof, etc). But your experience and pix are encouraging. Bottom line is I just don't like how either the Yakima or Thule standard racks mount on the Fit, and I like the idea of rails like yours much better. Makes me wish Honda had included such rails in the car's design.

 

A body shop will do it for ya for about 3-4 hours labor...I would hit a few up for quotes. And even at the extra expense I like this solution over the clamp styles.

 

My husband helped me install my thule rack and we first used a "C" clamp and a ruler to tighten the cams. after we did this several times (it kept slipping off center) my husband got a long bolt the same size as the hole in the cam and screwed it in and that made the job soooooooooooo much easier it was rediculous. Granted they had ben set at least once by then but i could use the bolt and do it. It does help having a farm shop full of tools at your disposal when doing this kind of stuff. Thule could include a bolt just for this reason and it would help.

 

I also went with a permanent solution; Thule rails and Tracker II towers/TK1 mounts. I have used Thule bars for years and have acquired lotsa square tube stuff. I hired a local truck shop to install the rails (I am too chicken to drill the roof myself) and ebayed the rest of the components. I must admit that I feld kinda funny having someone drill holes in the roof of my first new car, but I am a roofrack junkie and could not live without them. The rails look very cool and, on my NHBP, are hardly noticable.

My favorite part is the ability to remove the towers and bars and stash them on the floor under the rear seats (I cut the crossbars to fit the width of the rear passenger floor). The wind noise is pretty awful, so I may wind up with a fairing in the near future.

I am not sure what Honda would charge for OEM racks, but I bought my rails and had them installed for $240. Figure another $100 on ebay for the rest of the parts. I used the same crossbars that I have used on 4 previous vehicles. So, for $350 +/-, I get OEM-like racks. Can't imagine Honda would sell it for much less. The THule clamp on style of rack would have run me about $100 less, but I like the quick on/off of the Tracker II towers.

FYI, there are other companies besides Thule and Yakima that sell roofrack systems. Some of them are very OEM looking. I decided to stay with Thule cuz I trust them after all these years. Check with your local truck shop.

I also added a hitch for my bike rack. Now I am ready for just about anything.

 

Just a note, Honda has no OEM rack for the Fit to date yet.

Thule and Yakima get a lot of attention I think due to their presence in shops that provide outdoor gear. And they have a fair amount of accesories to customized your rack.

I still have to look into hitch options for when we may want to haul the bikes and cargo box, but I'm post-poning that till next year. That and I'm waiting to see the 2009, if their is a significant difference in the driver seat position/comfort for the telescoping wheel I may trade up a year.

 

hello. thanks for your post. i am looking at getting a roof rack for my 2007 fit sport. what year and model was yours that you put the thule rack on? also, what kind of MPG around the city were you getting with the rack on? thanks for your help.

 

Sorry for the naive question.
I just bought a Fit 09 and I also need a roof rack to carry my kayak. I had a Ford FOcus wagon with factory installed racks on it.

I do not really understand the necessity of rails here. I understand, that, with rails, you can move your the position of your cross bars, but, sincerely, on my Focus, I NEVER changed the distance between the bars.

Since the roof of the fit is very curvy and since it looks like a nightmare to have these rails bent to fit the curve of the roof, why not just install 4 landing pads #7 with matching towers and cross bars? I would also add a fairing to increase gas mileage as a rack typically knocks you off 10-15% of your gas mileage.

Let me know guys. A BIG THANKS.

 

Quick update: I was successful in the move using the Thule rack back in July. But, one corner did unclip while on the freeway, after going over a series of bumps (I-5, near modesto was under construction). On top I had my bike (in a thule criterium) and a ranger 90. Luckily the ranger 90 held the crossbar down sufficiently, otherwise the bike probably would have been ripped off by the wind.

 

I have opted for the permanent Yakima racks. I am very happy with them.
See thread here.
https://www.fitfreak.net/forums/2nd-...l-8-holes.html

 

Ya that is probably the better way to go. Looks like I'll have to return rack (purchased from REI)... if it's already fallen off once it could happen again, and it just isn't worth the risk/liability/injury. This was with following the recommended fit dimensions within a few millimeters, and checking it was tightened every couple hours. Not sure what I'll do to carry the bike while moving - maybe a trunk/hatch carrier, but I'd be worried about the sheet metal.

 

I'm here to relate a horro story involving 2 kayaks on a Yakima roof rack. One kayak was using the flat cradle and the other was mounted with the J hooks (sitting at an angle) The rack used the Q towers mounted to the window frames using Q-clips. We were driving to a paddling site on the interstate when they rack suddenly and catastrophically failed. Both boats and both rails broke free of the car at 65-70 mph. We later determined that the front Q tower on the side with the J hook had slip back about 6". Enough to somehow allow the bow of the kayak to be further exposed to the air stream. At some point the force of the wind broke the entire system from the car. This was a dealer installed rack. We did not have a front and rear tether and thus Yakima is trying to deny our claim against them. Their instructions suggest using these tethers, but do not state that the warranty will be void if they aren't used. We are trying to get them to honor the warranty. Who know?

 

i want roof racks