Rogue Roof Rack Options

[philipa_240sx]

Use the 'insert web link' button on the edit post toolbar. hint: Picture of the earth with a chain link. Then copy and paste the URL:

[url ]zerothread/354293[/url ]

I've added it to your previous post, click edit to see how it's done.

[kerrton]

Hey Phil, did you purchase fairing for your Yakima rack? If so, did you notice a really significant difference?

My immitation Thule square bars make this crazy "wooooo" sound when they're without load and I drive over about 90 kph. I'm not sure if the sound will disappear when I add a roof box, and I wonder if the fairing will eliminate the problem? If nothing else, I think the fairing would give the vehicle a unique look and then you could potentially just leave the rack on all the time, rather than just when you need to haul something.

[philipa_240sx]

No, I never purchased the fairing so I cannot comment on how effective it is.

[RiverRogue]

No, I never purchased the fairing so I cannot comment on how effective it is.

The fairing has worked on other cars of mine, but haven't tried it on the Rogue yet.

The Yakima crossbars whistle when the car goes over 45mph. With 2 yaks on it the whistle turns into a mild roar.

I plan on buying a fairing and seeing if it quits the ride

[ctof]

I saw this thread, and I just got a Rogue with the factory roof rack. I just got some Rocky Mounts brand bike racks to mount onto the factory load bars, but I was wondering if anyone made an aftermarket fairing that would work with the factory bars. I have a Thule rack on my other car, which is an Altima, but the fairing on that will not mount onto the Rogue factory bars.

Please let me know if you know of any fairing that will work or any mod to get another brand fairing to work. I chose to go with the factory bars and mount the rack to that for simplicity.

THX!

[ctof]

Well, here it is! I did run into a few issues though. Here is what the car looks like with the Rocky Mounts "Noose".

Here is the 3/4 view:

I ran into 2 issues:#1-The factory crossbars are NOT flat. They have a slight curvature to them, so when you have bikes on them, they are angled out.#2-The spoiler hits the tray when the tailgate is up. #3-Because of the bolts in the crossbars, the trays can only be so far apart, and it is a *little* close for 2 bikes. 2 road bikes would be fine, but 2 mountain bikes, the handlebars overlap.

Ah well. I am thinking of cutting a raquet ball in half and capping the ends of the trays. All in all, for simplicity, I would recommend the Rocky Mounts Noose if you are only carrying 1 bike, and don't have the factory spoiler option. For $75 you can't beat it. If you want to carry 2 bikes, I would probably recommend splurging for the Thule set up that other people are showing in this thread.

As far as the fairing that I was wondering about, I tried fitting a Thule fairing in the rack, and didn't fit well. I guess I am going to not get the fairing. If you get the Thule set up, the fairing looks totally smooth. When it attaches to the straight bar, and fits snugly in between the side rails, I dig it.

[Schmitty]

So last weekend I got a chance to try out my thule crossroad 450 with ski carrier setup. While you can't beat the convenience of being able to toss the skis on the roof instead of having to pull down a seat, my big complaint was wind noise. It was a really nice day so I had the moonroof open. I got aprox 25mpg from this trip which I think is pretty good considering the rack, skis, mountain driving and my leadfoot. Unfortunately for me there's no fairing option that I can use thanks to that moonroof, but since I can't hear the rack with it closed it's not a huge issue, as days like sunday will be rare for this ski season.

[kerrton]

I have aftermarket Thule square bars and feet, I don't like them because all I need them for is a roof top box. When the box isn't on, I have to take the feet and cross bars off because the noise is so bad and to me this is just a pain. I'd rather have permanently mounted cross bars that don't make noise and don't need to be put on and off.

My question is, who has a set of the factory cross bars, and are you using them, how do you find they work? I'm still annoyed that they don't come standard with the main bars like A LOT of the competitors, and they aren't adjustable, but rather just bolt into one fixed position. Thanks for the input.

[takeshi]

The one thing that the factory cross bars seem to have going for them is that I don't notice any wind noise from them.

[RiverRogue]

The one thing that the factory cross bars seem to have going for them is that I don't notice any wind noise from them.

No noise, but they're short, curved, and bolted in place, so they do not adjust.

Road noise w/ Yakima's is bad when you hit 45mph.

Not a fan of the fairing, because I strap everything to the cross bars. The Fairing gets in the way of the straps and yak/ladder/etc on top of the yak.

These minor problems aside, the factory roof racks with an aftermarket set of yakimas (or thules) works real nicely when hauling yaks.

[Barry J]

Check out prices on amazon.com, I priced out the low rider mounts and 58 crossbars for about $200, the cross bars don't come with the end caps, but, they have them for $10 for four of themBarry

[philipa_240sx]

...the cross bars don't come with the end caps, but, they have them for $10 for four of themBarry

When I bought my Lowriders, they came with a set of crossbar end caps. No need to purchase them separately... assuming the Lowriders are brand new in the box.

[plesuchenko]

hi, I just bought an 08 Rogue with 10,000Km on it and am sorting out buying cross bars to carry a kayak. Have determined the Yakima Low Rider is best bet based on discussions on this group chat.

Question I have is about tie down points for front/rear straps. There is an awkward to reach tie down on right rear passenger side but nothing up front. In pic of rogue with kayak the front tie down is attached to something in the grill I can't make out. Can you tell me how this was done?

dn

[philipa_240sx]

Look back a few posts at the photo from foedoe35Z, the Rogue with the kayak. He/she is using the front tow hook for a tie down. The tow hook can be found in the rear cargo area (read your owners manual for instructions). It threads into a hole in the middle of the front bumper (behind the license plate if you have one). I use the tow hook as well for a tie down for my canoe.

I have been contemplating installing some sort of permanent tie down hooks up front as I would prefer a V shaped strap arrangement to aid in stability. I also dislike having to remove my front license plate every time I need to tie down the canoe. But so far I have not figured out where to mount a permanent hook, much of the chassis is covered by the front bumper and plastic undertray.

[plesuchenko]

Hi, Thanks for the explanation I will look for the tow unit. Meanwhile,

I talked to somebody at Yakima who shared these sites for tie down suggestions for new cars without frame or stable tie down points. The paddling.net site describes a do it yourself way to make nylon loops that can be attached to fender bolts under the hood and only used when needed. The Rutabaga site has a commercial product that does the same as does the redrockstore. I ordered a set from Rutabaga.

dn

Here are some useful websites for when people say they don't have a front tie down location on their vehicle. http://www.paddling.net/guidel...l?403h ... id=1001675

[philipa_240sx]

I talked to somebody at Yakima who shared these sites for tie down suggestions for new cars without frame or stable tie down points. The paddling.net site describes a do it yourself way to make nylon loops that can be attached to fender bolts under the hood and only used when needed. The Rutabaga site has a commercial product that does the same as does the redrockstore. I ordered a set from Rutabaga.

Image courtesy rutabaga.com

Awesome find! Those straps are much better than slinging something across the bumper... and likely will cause much less scratching of the paint. Just be sure to attach them to a solid part of the fender!

[drew231506]

Thought I'd bump this thread. I'm looking at adding crossbars to my Rogue but this whole wind noise has me considering the dealer crossbars. Any new recommendations pics or updates on Roof Racks for the Rogue?

[philipa_240sx]

Not really. I have found that adding some foam padding (the type used to insulate water pipes) reduces the noise to the point it's barely noticeable. Yakima does sell fairings and a special teardrop shaped cover for the crossbar that may also help.

The OEM crossbars look nice but IMHO not very functional. They are placed back too far and their curved shape make them difficult to secure loads to. You can buy the Yakima Mightymounts for the OEM crossbars which will let you use Yakima's ski/snowboard carriers, bike racks, and kayak racks.

[DaveNAna]

I found crossbars at this site for $69.00 free shipping. They're listed at 52" but are 51". They're just like the Yakima low profile replicas on ebay but free shipping.

AtomixAuto 70504 Universal Roof Rack.

atomixauto.com Their esales link seems to be under construction today so they send you to amazon.

They are $83 on amazon. I looked up Buffalo Universla roof rack. That's the brand the guy is selling on ebay.

[casperfun]

I bought some OEM knock-offs, but here are some nice ones that are supposedly quiet. But they cost nearly $400. Looks good though. Thay called Whisbars.




http://www.whispbar.com/hearthedifference

[DaveNAna]

Update on noise: My wife and I hear no additional noise with the after market Automix crossbars. The 1st one is mounted at the back of hte moonroof and I do have a wind deflector for hte moonroof.

[linux_author]

have to chime in... after the sticker shock of looking at the Thule and Yakima options, i finally found a good-enough solution for me: the Malone MPG202 (58") rack from a made-in-the-USA shop up in Maine - less than $100 shipped via a large on-line retailer who is best known for books...



the rack features four locking 'towers' and rubberized clamps (also comes w/4 extra gray rubber spacers, which i used):



unlocking the tower and dropping the keyface reveals a hex screw access (rack comes w/2 keys and hex bolt):



the 58" bars are square, but fine for my purposes; a bit of a low sound at 35mph, but goes away at 55mph:



i'm *very* happy with this inexpensive solution - rack is solid and perfect for my simple needs (a ladder or hurricane evac support for extra bags)

hope this helps someone out there looking for a cheaper, but functional and sturdy option

[MisterShipwreck]

Nice looking Rogue, philipa_240sx. Great job!

[linux_author]

UPDATE: just got the cargo box referenced in cargo-box-for-factory-rails-t339528.html - fits great with my new Malone crossbars - w00t! now ready for hurricane evac season!