options for rails

Nissan Rogue forum - Includes Nissan Qashqai and Nissan Dualis as well.
ftrembla
Posts: 6
Joined: Sun Jun 08, 2008 7:20 am
Car: Nissan Rogue

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I own a Rogue S FWD (Canadian Model). I went for the S for the fuel economy and since I was not interested in paying for the extras for the SL. The only option I do miss is the rails on the roof. The S has no rack and I am looking for an option to solve this problem. I own a Thule Box. I have checked with Thule and they don't have the roof kit for the Rogue, same for Yakima. I ask my dealer if it was possible to install the rails on the S but it seems that Nissan doesn't offer this possibility. Has anyone have an idea as to possible solutions to install rails on the roof on a rogue S?


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Leo2005
Posts: 1381
Joined: Sat Aug 04, 2007 10:36 am

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One guy from Rochester, NY that own SL Rogue doesn't want the roof rails.zerothread/341539

philipa_240sx
Posts: 4138
Joined: Thu Jun 21, 2007 7:30 am
Location: Canada

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Member Denrama is selling just the crossbars. Ftrembla is looking for the rails + cross bars as he has an S model = no roof rails.

You do have an option here:

I have a Yakima Rack system that I use with the factory roof rails. See here:

zerothread/318590

I had previously used the crossbars on my Altima so I had the Q-towers and Q-clips for that car. I did a quick test fit, and it appears this setup WILL work on the Rogue. The roof & door profile for the Rogue is very similar to the Altima. Yakima has not test fitted this car yet, so they do not have a listing, but many of the Q-clips can be used on a multitude of vehicles.

Here is what you need:

- 2 Pairs of Yakima Q Towers #8000135- Crossbars (I recommend 58", it will stick out but makes it easier to load canoes and stuff)Here is the important part:- 2 pairs Q clips #Q96 for the '02-05 Altima

I would find a good rack dealer that carries Yakima products and is willing to test fit the vehicle for you. Don't buy anything until you are sure it will fit 100%.

One final note: On my Altima, the pads for the Q-towers actually contact the sloped sides of roof at about 45 deg, they do not sit flat on the roof itself. This is not a cause for concern as I never had issues with this arrangement. I've loaded 100+ lbs on the Q-towers... from plywood to canoes.

ftrembla
Posts: 6
Joined: Sun Jun 08, 2008 7:20 am
Car: Nissan Rogue

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Thanks for the tip. I will try your solution about the Yakima. I'll let you know the end result.

ftrembla
Posts: 6
Joined: Sun Jun 08, 2008 7:20 am
Car: Nissan Rogue

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Hi ,

I have tried the Yakima kit (Q towers + Q#96 clips). It didn't really fit with the Rogue's roof. I wonder if you have a picture of your installation to help with me the installation.

philipa_240sx
Posts: 4138
Joined: Thu Jun 21, 2007 7:30 am
Location: Canada

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It's a bit finicky to setup the first time. The important part is getting the spacing of the Q towers correct on the crossbars. Once setup correctly, installation becomes a snap. Give me a couple of days and I should have some pics for you along with crossbar spacing measurements.

ftrembla
Posts: 6
Joined: Sun Jun 08, 2008 7:20 am
Car: Nissan Rogue

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Have you had a chance to try to fit the installation with the Yakima Q-towers?

Direwolf
Posts: 29
Joined: Tue Jun 17, 2008 9:00 am
Car: Nissan Rogue

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I actually emailed/talked with Yakima since I have a S model Rogue and want roof racks. I mentioned the setup suggested here and they advised again it!

They did say they are aware of the S model and are currently working on a setup for rails that will be available for owners of this model. But no time frame was given.

philipa_240sx
Posts: 4138
Joined: Thu Jun 21, 2007 7:30 am
Location: Canada

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I am sure Yakima is advising against using the Altima Q Clips on the Rogue as they have not tested it. They are being cautious... liability reasons I guess.

I am still planning on test fitting the Rogue with my Q towers and Altima Q-clips. The roof profile is very similar and I believe it will work. I just haven't had the time test it. If it does work, I would suggest that it will be 'do it at your own risk'.

Direwolf
Posts: 29
Joined: Tue Jun 17, 2008 9:00 am
Car: Nissan Rogue

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philipa_240sx wrote:I am sure Yakima is advising against using the Altima Q Clips on the Rogue as they have not tested it. They are being cautious... liability reasons I guess.

I am still planning on test fitting the Rogue with my Q towers and Altima Q-clips. The roof profile is very similar and I believe it will work. I just haven't had the time test it. If it does work, I would suggest that it will be 'do it at your own risk'.
Im sure the liability reason is the idea behind it. I would still be curious about your test fit as im sure many others would be too! Not in a rush here since I have a dozen other upgrades Im working on with the Rogue already

philipa_240sx
Posts: 4138
Joined: Thu Jun 21, 2007 7:30 am
Location: Canada

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Yakima has not approved the use of the setup shown below for the Rogue. If you use this setup, you do so at your own risk! If you do not feel comfortable with this, then do not use it and wait until the proper Q clips are released.

I did some test fitting and the Q96 clips did not fit very well. To my dismay, they were far too short. :-( As I said earlier, it would require some trial and error to get the correct clips and fit the racks.

I grabbed some longer Q34 clips for my fiancee's Mazda Protege and tried those with good results. I've used masking tape to protect the paint while test fitting... I strongly recommend this. I had to fit each seperately as I only have 1 pair of Q34 clips. Sorry, no pics with both crossbars installed.

Fitment was pretty good. Even on the Protege, the Q clip has some gaps and does not fit perfectly. The Rogue is the same here. The doors will properly close with this setup. I just haven't shown that in my photos. Although these are not the 'approved' clips for this vehicle and I was not able to perform a load test with both racks installed, I was happy with how they worked.

A few tips:

- Although the Q Clips are covered with a protective tape, there is considerable clamping force and the tape breaks down and can easily scratch the paint. I suggest protecting the paint where the racks are mounted using an invisible paint protection film like this one from 3M:http://solutions.3m.com/wps/po...Home/

Use a generous piece (approx 4Wx3T") and wrap the film around the inside door jamb and roof edge similar to my green tape so it protects all areas in contact with the Q Clip. Once installed and waxed, you will be hard pressed to see the film.

- The rubber feet from the Q tower are very effective at preventing scratches. Just make sure the roof area is clean before installing.

- Adjust the Q tower spacing as needed to ensure a secure fit. I have provided some measurements: 43" front, 41-1/4" rear (see above). You may need to tweak the spacing to get the Q towers positioned correctly.

- The clamps need to be very tight to prevent movement. The goal is to get the Q tower 'gold slider' within the hash marks and not touching the crossbar. You need to gradually tighten the clamps in stages to keep the Q towers positioned correctly. The Q-Tower install instructions explain this quite clearly. Please refer to them. Once you do it few times, the racks can be installed in minutes. - Buy a set of 4 Yakima SKS lock cores and install one in each Q tower. Not only will it prevent the rack from being stolen, it ensures the Q towers do not accidentally come loose.

- Always triple check your rack and the load after the install, whenever a load is placed or removed from the rack, and after the first few miles of driving. Sometimes the wind load and vibration will loosen things up.

ftrembla
Posts: 6
Joined: Sun Jun 08, 2008 7:20 am
Car: Nissan Rogue

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Thanks so much for all the trouble. I'm sure gonna try using your suggestions for fitting. I'll do a road test and get back with my results. Thanks again for the pictures

philipa_240sx
Posts: 4138
Joined: Thu Jun 21, 2007 7:30 am
Location: Canada

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Let us know how you make out. I really wish I had 2 sets of the Q34 clips so I could give it a good test.

Pay careful attention to the Q tower placement in the photos. You should have a gap between the Q tower's rubber pad and the black trim strip on the roof of about 1/2" The Q-tower spacing will vary, increasing in width as you get closer to the front of the vehicle. My Q-tower spacing (43"F, 41-1/4"R) will get you very close but you may have to tweak it.

The front/rear crossbar spread shown above will be similar to the Yakima Low Rider setup I use at 42" front to rear. This is far better than the OEM 26" front/rear crossbar spread. It should come out slightly more level as well since you can place the front bar further forward by a good 12"!

Good luck!

ftrembla
Posts: 6
Joined: Sun Jun 08, 2008 7:20 am
Car: Nissan Rogue

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Hi,

I am just returning from a three weeks holiday trip and I can now comment on my experience with the Yakima rack system. Following your suggestion, I have installed the Q towers using a pair of Q34 clips for the front. I opted for a pair of Q131 for the rear since my dealer had only one pair of Q34 left and given that Q131 were recommended to fit with the Versa. Anyway, after playing a little with the distances, I arrived at an optimal solution t to fit for my Thule Box on top. In order to fit the box, I had to move the front towers to 15'' from the windshield (M2 distance) with a distance of 33 1/2'' (M4) between the two crossbars. With these settings it worked very well: the rack was stable without any signs of slipping or movement.

With these settings, I drove over 1600 km with my Thule box loaded on the top of my Rogue without any problem. I have checked several times along the way and the rack didn't move a notch. Thus, overall, my experience with this "unofficial Yakima rack system" was quite satisfying. One last thing: I do recommend, as suggested by Philipa_240 sx to use electric tape in order to protect the pain at sites where the clips are located.


philipa_240sx
Posts: 4138
Joined: Thu Jun 21, 2007 7:30 am
Location: Canada

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Great! I'm glad to hear it worked out for you.

Post some photos if you get a chance.

philipa_240sx
Posts: 4138
Joined: Thu Jun 21, 2007 7:30 am
Location: Canada

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Update:

Member saucony has successfully used the Yakima Q34 clips along with Q towers and crossbars on his/her Rogue.

albertbro206
Posts: 16
Joined: Wed Oct 29, 2008 7:51 pm

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I went with the same set up.

Yakima Q Towers and Q34 clips front and back.\

Traveled 2500 miles last summer with a Yakima Rocket box and had no trouble.

Also looks like Yakima officially lists the Q34 clips to work on the Rogue S without roof rails and use of the Q towers.


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