Rogue Roof Rack Options

[philipa_240sx]

I had both a hitch and roof rack for my Altima. All of my accesories are Yakima and they are wonderfully flexible products. For the Rogue I've purchased Yakima Low Riders (Part no: 8000118). They attach directly to the factory roof rails and are far more flexible than just using the Nissan crossbars.

Pictured is the full setup with 58" cross bars, gunwale brackets and my 8' fiberglass ladder. I would not recommend the 48" cross bars, the 58" ones extend past the edges of the roof adding some protection and make it easier to load bulky items. I could easily re-space the brackets for a canoe, lumber, plywood, you name it. I also have a ski/snowboard carrier (not pictured). I believe Nissan shows many of the Yakima accessories in their brochure.

[PCY]

Great find here. Loving the fact of alternatives.

What's the price? Where to get? A little help is further appreciated.

-Peter-

[Ticmxman]

Do you notice much wind noise with the roof rack?

[philipa_240sx]

Yes, you do get some wind noise. I haven't driven it very far with the rack installed on the Rogue to get a good idea yet. On the Altima however, it was noisy esp. at highway speeds. I would suggest a buying a fairing from Yakima to reduce/eliminate the noise.

The Lowrider clamps are $190 MSRP, the crossbars are between $70-85 MSRP. There are many retailers:

- http://www.rackattack.com has a website as well as a few retail locations throughout Canada and the USA.

- I bought mine from a Canadian retailer: http://www.actiontrucks.com / http://www.vanandtruckworld.com

Check out Yakima's website for other retailers:

http://www.yakima.com

[philipa_240sx]

I really like the fact the Yakima racks can be installed & removed in minutes. Once removed, the vehicle looks stock again. I cannot stress enough the importance of getting the longer 58" crossbars (as shown) instead of the 48" units Yakima recommends. You'll also get something the factory crossbars won't give you:

- increased width for larger loads (ie. a sheet of plywood)- ability to add other attachments. Every Yakima attachment comes with clamps for the round bars. To use the factory crissbars requires buying a set of special clamps... for convenience you would have to buy these clamps for every accessory you add.

BTW, I don't have locks on mine, but they are available. Buy them in sets of 6 or more. You will need 4 for the clamps plus 2 for accessories (ie ski carrier). It's better to buy more locks than you may need as they can be purchased keyed the same. To do add additional locks with your key code after the fact requires ordering them from Yakima directly.

[cdmuile]

Being a safety professional, I couldn't help but notice the extension cords in the picture. Don't think they are approved for damp or wet locations. You be careful. Want you to enjoy your beautiful Rogue for many years! Cheers.

[philipa_240sx]

Both cords are SJTW (hard service, junior, thermoplastic/rubber, weather/water resistant) CAN/CSA approved for outdoor use. I've also connected them to a GFCI protected outlet. Is there something I am missing or doing incorrectly?

[Etch]

Nice. If I didn't have a full size pickup, I'd probably consider something like that, but nothing beats having a truck and an 18' trailer. :-)

[cdmuile]

Good for you! The GFCI is the key here. After many years in the business, I just can't help but notice possible hazards. Maybe someday I'll get over it, but after investigating numerous electrocutions, I doubt if I will.

[njr]

I have a Rogue with the factory installed roof rack and dealer installed crossbars, but the Thule dealer says I have to buy their rack for a roof cargo box or bike rack, because of the curved rails. Anyone have experience with putting a cargo box on the Rogue withOUT Yakima or Thule rails?

[philipa_240sx]

I honestly haven't tried. It may be possible as the cross rails are only slightly curved. Yakima's cargo boxes are universal (they work with most crossbars). I would find a Yakima dealer and see if you can test fit one of their boxes.

[Lakerfan1975]

I purchased this same setup. I had to buy the fairing(spelling?) to quiet down the noise. I swear it sounds like I'm going to blast off into orbit if I go beyond 45 mph.

[cdmuile]

Really good information. Thanks for the post.

[philipa_240sx]

I purchased this same setup. I had to buy the fairing(spelling?) to quiet down the noise. I swear it sounds like I'm going to blast off into orbit if I go beyond 45 mph.

Yes, aftermarket racks are noisy esp. when unloaded. And it's not just on the Rogue. I've put them on Mazda's and other Nissan's and it's the same thing. A fairing does help a fair bit. I only use mine occasionally so I live with it.

[njr]

What is a fairing???

[philipa_240sx]

What is a fairing???

Image courtesy Yakima and rackattack.biz

[njr]

Thanks for the photo of the fairing.

Is this the same thing as the wind deflector for the moon roof? I was about to purchase a deflector because the wind noise with the open moon roof is considerable - even with NO cargo box or other device mounted on top. If the fairing is the same thing, how does it compare in price with the factory deflector?

[ntwrkd]

I have a Rogue with the factory installed roof rack and dealer installed crossbars, but the Thule dealer says I have to buy their rack for a roof cargo box or bike rack, because of the curved rails. Anyone have experience with putting a cargo box on the Rogue withOUT Yakima or Thule rails?

zerothread/339528

[philipa_240sx]

Thanks for the photo of the fairing.

Is this the same thing as the wind deflector for the moon roof? If the fairing is the same thing, how does it compare in price with the factory deflector?

The fairing pictured mounts to Yakima crossbars and will not work with factory crossbars. Since the crossbars are much further back, it would just end up covering the moonroof anyway. If moonroof noise is your concern, get the OEM deflector.

Here is photo from foedoe350Z with the complete Yakima setup with fairing:

[kerrton]

Philip and others with experience:

I'm considering purchasing Yakima cross bars and cargo box, and I'm concerned with the amount of noise it will generate but also curious about the implications for fuel economy - has anyone measured this effect?

I still can't get over how expensive it is to put a cargo box on my Rogue's roof, so I want to make sure that if I do spend the money I won't be dissappointed with the results afterward.

Thanks a lot guys.

[philipa_240sx]

Philip and others with experience:

I'm considering purchasing Yakima cross bars and cargo box, and I'm concerned with the amount of noise it will generate but also curious about the implications for fuel economy - has anyone measured this effect?

Member fodoe350Z has a good thread describing his experiences with the Yakima rack and his Kayak. His fuel economy numbers are around 22-25mpg. I would estimate this is a 1-3mpg penalty. Here is his post.

zerothread/337785

As for noise, you will not be able to completely eliminate it. Most of the noise from the crossbars occurs when they are unloaded... it's actually quite annoying. Fortunately, once loaded, the noise is reduced to what it sounds like when you drive on a very windy day.

[eric_c]

Philip,

I'm looking at getting the same set-up as yourself, but I was wondering: with the 58" bars do you ever bang your head? They look like they stick out quite a bit.

In the summer, I'd only have them on when I need to something bulky up to the cottage so no worries, but in the winter we haul a pair of sleds back-n-forth to pull our stuff across the lake so they'd be on all the time. I'm debating whether the 48" would be less in the way?

[philipa_240sx]

]with the 58" bars do you ever bang your head?

Yes, I've done it a couple of times actually. I'm just very careful now.

You can get away with the shorter 48" bars, but you loose capability. Trust me, the time will come when you'll kick yourself for getting the shorter 48" bars.

[kerrton]

GOOD DEAL: For anyone who wants a Yakima or Thule rack for their Rogue but doesn't want to pay the high cost, there is a retailer on Ebay.com selling a high quality generic version of the feet/towers and crossbars, and all of the feedback I've gotten makes it sound really awesome. For $75 bucks I got the feet/towers, the crossbars AND the locks, instead of $300 + Canadian. Yakima/Thule is good stuff but you definately pay a premium for the name brand, and they don't even include locks which I think is so cheap and annoying.

Just search for "Yakima lowrider Thule crossroad compatible ROOF RACK". They sell these like crazy in their online store according to the sales guy, shipping to Canada is cheap and fast too!

My set arrived today, I'm going to mount them tonight and if anyone wants further info or photos just message me. The bars are silver colored so it matches my Rogue better too.

Now, I am still trying to find a reasonable deal on a roof-top cargo box for the Rogue. I want the Yakima Space Cadet or an equivalent short and wide box with a lower profile. The price tag is $500 Canadian which I think is outrageous but I may end up having to just suck it up and pay for it. There are much cheaper generic "short" boxes but they always have a really high profile and look terrible, and probably have a lot of wind resistence and flex due to the flimsy non-ABS plastic. Any suggestions are welcome!

[Pescakl1]

My set arrived today, I'm going to mount them tonight and if anyone wants further info or photos just message me. The bars are silver colored so it matches my Rogue better too.

Silver cross bars, cool!!Could you show some pics of the installation... should look good.

[philipa_240sx]

Yakima/Thule is good stuff but you definately pay a premium for the name brand, and they don't even include locks which I think is so cheap and annoying.

I have seen this generic version on eBay and I would like to point out some differences:

- The rails are rectangular and made of aluminum. They may fit Thule accessories, but some Yakima stuff may not work as they depend on round bars. Yakima rails are heavy duty 1" dia steel (14ga?) coated with 1/8" plastic to prevent damage to the cargo.

- The clamp system goes underneath the bar. While more secure, it may not fit some irregular crossbar designs. It also make it more time consuming to install the rack.... you have to thread the clamp under the bar each time taking care not to scratch the roof. Portions of the the clamp appear not to have any protective padding to prevent scratching.

The Yakima system has 2 curved 'jaw's that are open at the bottom. Just place on the factory rails and tighten the screw. Very fast, no fiddling, and no risk of scratching as all contact points are covered with a rubber like material.

- Yes, Kakima does not include locks. But thier locks (like the rest of the hardware) are high quality. You can also get matched sets so you only need one key.

- This is probably a good alternative for someone looking for a rack just to carry a cargo box and such. But if you need flexibility and the ability to carry lots of different cargo (kayaks, bikes, skiis, etc), the Yakima system is a better option.

[kerrton]

Thanks Phil, good points.

I mounted the rack on my vehicle last night, and you are right, it does take a bit of extra time and care to mount the feet to the main rails. For me, I will only be using it to carry a roof box (if I ever buy one), and the odd ladder or load of 2x4's. The hardware seems to be heavy duty so I'm confident it won't fail or break - it's all galvanized or otherwise coated steel nuts, bolts and bottom clamp, all of which is covered/hidden by a weather-tight plastic cover....but no doubt the Thule and Yakima products are better quality and easier to use.

The bars are square like the Thule bars, very close in demensions if not identical, but I like them better because they are about a 1/4 of the weight of the Thule. They're light-weight aluminum, and since the overall weight load restrictions for the vehicle is only 100 lbs, you won't be dropping any huge loads on the roof anyway, so I'm sure these bars will be more than sufficient.

If you're going to want to put your rack on and off repeatedly on a regular basis, I probably wouldn't recommend this set up - just pay the extra money and get Thule or Yakima for ease of use. If you're only going to use your rack periodically and you want to save money, than I would recommend this rack, as I'm very happy with it so far.

[ahhbeebee]

So was that $75 CAD shipped? If you don't mind, please keep posting updates periodically since I'm in the market for a roof top system. I think I've decided the majority of my hauling will be done with a hitch mount system (for bikes and boards), but there certainly will be the occasion for rooftop needs (canoe, and the likes you mention).

[kerrton]

There is a "make your best offer" button on this item, so I offered $75 bucks American which basically equaled $75 Canadian a few weeks ago. Shipping was $23.00 extra. So the off the shelf Thule package was the cheapest at Canadian Tire for $290. I'm sure the Thule is more durable and definately more user friendly, but the question is how much of a difference is there? I'll be using this rack quite a bit in the next few weeks. so I can let you know how it goes. If money is no object, I would suggest genuine Thule, but I'm looking at another $500 bucks for a roof cargo box so I am happy with the money I saved on the rack, it seems to be really good quality, just takes longer to mount. Email me anytime with more questions...

[titefitnmada]

This is the same rack I have on my rogue. It can be seen at this post. Thule 695 Xpedition W/ Fairing mounted on Rogue. (I'm not sure how to make it a link)

zerothread/354293