Customer Reviews

Yakima RoundBars Roof Rack Cross Bars (48-Inches)

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

If you order these loadbars from Amazon, be aware that they do not come with any end caps. You definitely need the end caps to keep out water and grit. So, make sure to also buy end caps.

This is my 2nd Yakima rack set up. My first set i abused for the last ten years. Some times loaded the roof of my jeep with up to 2 bikes a stacked canoe and kayak next to my Cargo box all at the same time. I'm guessing we put 400 + lbs. It never let me down. So if you dont know much about the Yakima systems all I can say is ya cant go wrong, The best money spent if you do allot of outdoor adventures

This Yakima roof rack system works great and I highly recommend it. I bought one for my Mazda 3 and have use it, along with a Yakima roof rack for 2 cross country ski trips (I live a Florida, skiing is far away). The rack hasn't shifted an inch and was relatively easy to install. Yakima has a product guide on their site to make sure you order the right pieces for your model car.

I am gonna keep this short and unlike -->Midwest reviewer<-- and his review against Yakima, I will not write a book to make you the reader die of complaining.
The point I have to make is this: If you READ the INSTRUCTIONS that come with the equipment and apply the product as specified, the rack system by Yakima is a dream come true. If you cut corners and don't read and apply as instructed too(I am sure the Thule system will have this problem also), then the idiot that puts it on deserves scratches, stolen, or damaged goods and or equipment.
I own this entire system and it is wonderful.

I bought everything to install load warrior basket on top of my Toyota Tacoma. I ordered the bars first and noticed that the plastic end caps do NOT come with the round bars. If you order the round bars by themselves, you will have to buy the plastic end caps separate. The plastic caps DO come with the Qtowers.

Was able to fit two kayaks (on hullraisers) and a skybox on these. However, the hullraisers were on the very end of the bar with no bar left to tie down to. We will be investing in a longer ones and then using these on our other car which also has bars that are a little too short. Other than being too short (my fault), they work very well! I like the round bars, especially with the hullraisers, as you can rotate the items on the bars.

These bars are the best. I have to sets for two of my trucks. I carry my standup paddle boards with not problems, they are made well !!

Any roof rack is going to make noise. The 58" crossbars have plenty of width to make enough noise that the driver could wear ear plugs if traveling many miles. You don't need to buy a Yakima "noise reducer". Go to the hardware store and get the 1" foam pipe insulation (that has a slit down it's length). The foam cuts easily. cover the middle and both ends of each cross bar. I used the white nylon locking fastener strips around the foam to keep it from rotating on the bar (or blowing off at highway speeds).
The foam will also protect the vinyl covering of the cross bars from the sun.

I have used Yakima Roof racks for over 20 years. The bars are virtually indestructible, easy to use, and provide a stable platform for carrying all type of cargo - bike, boats etc. I purchased a second set so I would have a rack on each of my vehicles.

First of all, Yakima makes great products, en par (if not better) than Thule. That's why I bought their towers and the corresponding cross bars for my 2005 Ford Focus ZX4 ST, in conjunction with their FatCat 6 ski/snowboard mount.

The only two issues I had were as follows:

1) Both crossbars, when installed according to the exact specifications, display a slight downward warping/sloping between each two towers. I reached out to Yakima's excellent customer service, and after they checked with their fit team, I was assured that this is quite normal for some car models, depending on a variety of installation variables. This put me at ease, and, functionally, there is nothing wrong with them and the sloping doesn't bother me anymore.

2) The recommended distance between the front towers and the rear towers is only 20 inches for my car model. This is quite a short distance, and it makes putting long skis on the ski mount difficult. No problem for snowboards, but skis have been an issue for me. Yakima customer service insisted that I should not deviate from the recommended 20 inch distance, and recommended that I should be using their stretch kit if I require a wider space between the front and rear. This kit costs upwards of 100 dollars and looks a little bit like a kludge to me.

My recommendation is to download the installation and fitting instructions for your car model first to see what the distance between the front and rear towers (and, consequently, the crossbars) will be, to see if it fits your needs. I would say that 20 inches is the absolute minimum, and doesn't work for all purposes.

Hope this helps someone. Rest assured that whatever issue you might be having with Yakima products, their superb customer service will be getting it right for you. At least that was my experience.