Thule, Yakima, or factory racks for the Subaru Forester?
 

wrote in message
...
I had it professionally installed twice: Once on 2003 Camry LE, then on a
2004 Forester XT. It came loose from the Camry, but I caught the problem
&
corrected it; one of the Thule towers was coming loose off of the car.
(You
need Yakima or Thule towers to attach it to your car.)

Yesterday, the rack wouldn't lock, and the kayak kept sliding to the side
of
the car. Talon is fantastic when it works, but it has too many moving
parts, requiring a tight tolerance in a rough environment. And in a
parking
lot, side-loading becomes a problem.

Pushing & pulling the Talon off to the side, then back onto the car, puts
more stress on the towers, destabilizing the connection. I could be the
exception; hell my yakima rack fell apart on the 2003 Camry, early this
year. Talk to other Talon owners.

Thanks for your feedback... really appreciate it as I haven't met any Talon
owners around here (Ottawa/Canada).

I'm SUV shopping, not getting any younger, and saw the Talon as a potential
solution for those days I go out on my own. I'm probably looking at next
spring for the vehicle anyway so I'll do an extensive internet forum search
over the winter.

Thule, Yakima, or factory racks for the Subaru Forester?
 

Thule, Yakima, or factory racks for the Subaru Forester?
 

I never used the bow/stern tie downs on the Forester (which is 2 weeks
old), but I used Thule's QuickDraw system on the 2003 Camry. The hook on
the front went on the towing hook in the grill, while the hook in the back
latched on to a hole in the framework below the trunk. Does that help? It
worked like a charm on the Feathercraft K-Light, which is 12 3/4'; the 17'
Currituck felt unstable.


"ron L" wrote in message
link.net...
wrote:

Any opinions about what sort of rack system to use with the Subaru
Forester? I have given up on my Talon Rack (side-loading).

Just for clarification he do you use bow and stern tie-downs?

Thule, Yakima, or factory racks for the Subaru Forester?
 

rack attachments will work loose over time

After 3 weeks on Camry? Then 10 days on the Forester? Both cases, the rack
was professionally installed. For the record, my 1989 Camry NEVER had any
problems with the Yakima rack loosening. Granted, I removed it once in a
while, to take the car through the car wash, but I drove 1000's of miles
with the rack on.

Even though, I only used Thule feet on both the 2003 Camry & Forester, I
still believe the Thule feet to be innocent.

"Mary Malmros" wrote in message
...
writes:

I had it professionally installed twice: Once on 2003 Camry LE, then on
a
2004 Forester XT. It came loose from the Camry, but I caught the
problem &
corrected it; one of the Thule towers was coming loose off of the car.
(You
need Yakima or Thule towers to attach it to your car.)

I don't have specific knowledge of your setup; however, IME _all_
rack attachments will work loose over time, due to jolting and what
have you. You need to check them thangs periodically and tighten
the cams (or whatever) as needed. It's not much and it's not
frequent, but my rack needs minor tightening about once a year. Let
it go much longer, and yeah, it can get very loose indeed.
Dangerously so.

--
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ::::::::::::::::::::::::
Mary Malmros
Some days you're the windshield,
Other days you're the bug.

Thule, Yakima, or factory racks for the Subaru Forester?
 

On Mon, 15 Sep 2003 19:27:01 -0400, wrote:

You are the 2nd person to mention the Low Riders for the Forester. Have you
ever used these?

Niels

wrote in message
.. .
On Mon, 15 Sep 2003 17:46:26 -0400, wrote:

Any opinions about what sort of rack system to use with the Subaru
Forester?
I have given up on my Talon Rack (side-loading).

Yakima has a weight limit of 125 lbs with both the MightyMounts and
the LowRider options for the Forrester. Thule has a 130 lb weight
limit if you use their crossbars. Subaru's optional square crossbars
have a 125 lb limit. The stock flattened oval Subaru crossbars have a
150 lb limit. I would rather have a higher weight limit, even above
the weight of the kayaks - there will be wind drag and crosswinds. We
have used the stock bars with the Subaru kayak attachment (stacker
type) to carry two Perception sea kayaks, combined weight about 125
lbs, with no problem. We tie down both bow and stern, and the kayaks
rest on their side, arguably the strongest part of the kayak. We
cruise at 70 mph with no worries. YMMV.
Dan

I never used them, just got the info from the Yakima fit guide. I did
enter the 2002 Forester, as it is what my friend has. The Forester
was changed recently, so don't know if the LowRider still fits the new
version. Basically, you use the LowRider instead of the factory
crossbars - they clamp to the side pieces of the factory rack, where
you adjust the crossbars forward or back.
Dan