Yakima Q Towers and BAMR

[bobbyz95]

Has anyone tried putting Yakima Q towers on a vista roof ? I want to throw a cargo box up there and I'm not sure if the vista roof structure is suffciently strong enough to support a Q tower/cargo box setup.

 

Thanks everyone.

[Lex Talionis]

cant put towers up there as you have nothing to tie into. normally, the towers tie into a rain gutter for example, but when you look up at the BAMR.... there is no place to do so as they need/use all the room for the roof. this is why you cannot even get factory rails if you get the BAMR. no place to tie them into as it is used up by the BAMR.

[Lex Talionis]

No.

 

They are a Fleet only option in the US.

 

Probably standard in Canada.

 

US dealers can turn them on for a labor charge - (reprogram the computer.)

 

you might consider this option and use a hitch to carry what you need.. not as nice and a bit clunky.. but if it is this or nothing....

 

[bobbyz95]

Thanks for the tray option. Not elegant but still a possibility.

 

These are the methods I'm considering. Both the Yakima Q tower and the Thule 400xt Aero Foot sit on the roof edges/structure and clamp to the space between the door and roof. With the bars attached and clamped, the feet and bars are under tension to stay planted on the roof. I've actually test fitted one Q tower bar + two feet from a friend's setup and it appears doable. I'm still concerned whether the BAMR roof is structurally sound to support the equipment and cargo box, 100 lbs total weight max (equipment + box + contents).

 

Yakima Q Tower

 

Thule 400xt Aero Foot

[Lex Talionis]

wow... that is new news to me - someone actually mocking one up. cool. But, I am leery personally given you have no load and no wind resistance on your load to really test this mock up out. Plus, with Yakima they have no true honest fit recommendation for that car (only hitch and factory rail options) using their website and I do see now that Thule claims Aero Foot will work - but is light on info other than that.

 

So, all that being said as it seems you have done homework... I would be a little sketched out to try it. I believe that if they really felt it was a wise move, they would make a system available like they do for factory rails. But they do not, and maybe it is just because they have concerns about something failing on the BAMR, or maybe it is because they do not feel one can get a substantial bite and the foot placement would put serious pressure on the roof when truly torqued down and with load and resistance and this could pinch the inner motorized system or damage the glass and top... not sure of course.

 

This was a huge issue to me when considering this car as I travel with a LOT of bikes and have had Yakima racks for more than 15 years on all my cars tops... I even went to the dealer and looked at the roof once to consider if there was a way around it and if they just lied and the ports were there to attach the factory rail but just covered over or if there was a nice rain gutter to tie into I couldn't see in photos. Nada. So, the more I considered it, the more I just decided on rear hitch racks as I finally saw that roof and the amount of actual glass and lack of gutter treatment... hmmmm... I decided to pass.

 

Last, those door jamb mount style feet/towers (versus a rain gutter mount or factory rails), though proven and solid, also often have the side effect of being clunky and a little bit of an eye soar in my opinion. As I said, I have had many cars with many high end racks - and just did my chicks Mazda 3 with a Yakima and never liked that as the tolerance is so tight between the door and jamb and it can tweak paint and what not. Maybe minor, but worth further considering when looking at the whole picture en total. Also, if you try to mock up again, try placing all 4 towers and cross bars and see if the distance is enough for the cargo carrier.. I have seen - just recently, that given the curve of the door jamb and what not that we could not place the towers where we had planned - farther apart we wanted - and in the end because of the location of the door jamb and its curved design had to put the cross bars/towers closer than expected and that changes available dimensions in center2center width for lining up holes for cargo containers or other mounts...

 

if you do it.. post up photos and results as you got me curious now.

Edited January 29, 2008 by Lex Talionis

[bobbyz95]

Will defnitely post photos and share my thoughts if I go this route. We'll see . . .

[bobbyz95]

There. I did it. Here's proof.

 

Folks, it works out quite nicely. The Yakima Q towers are mounted nice and firm and I do not perceive any bending or denting of the sheet metal. They went on as described in the instructions with no special adjustments. The vista roof opens and closes without problem. The doors close without problem and their seals are intact. I took a drive up to 60mph and there are no odd creaking sounds to make you worry. Note that today is a beautiful and calm blue sky day in San Francisco and I cannot tell you what effect high-force crosswinds would do. But otherwise it seems to work just fine.

 

Here's what you see in the pics:

 

(1) set Yakima Q Towers

(2) pairs Q102 clips

(2) 58" round bars

(1) Thule Sidearm Bike Mount

(1) set 4 Yakima SKS Lock Cores (to be installed)

 

My Thule Sidearm has large thumb knob tighteners on the underside, so I offset the bike mount to the side of the vista roof opening to make sure the roof glass clears as it opens and closes.

 

My primary intention for this setup is to put a roof box like a Thule Atlantis or Yakima Skybox. Size to be determined - either a 1200 or 1600, depending on what works. (I have a Thule 1800 that I used on my former Explorer, but that box is WAY too big for the Edge.) Will let you folks know what I end up with.

 

The racks were installed to these measurements per Yakima's recommendations for the Edge:

 

M Measurements (in inches):

 

M1: 45 1/2, M2: 15, M3: 45 1/4, M4: 32

M1 Max: , M2 Max: , M3 Max: , M4 Max:

 

Fit Notes:

0. Weight Limit: 100

31. Maximum allowable weight load is 100 lbs.

40. The factory luggage carrier may interfere with the Yakima rack.

54. When open, sunroof may interfere with some accessories.

114. Caution! Check clips after installing. Grab each clip and try to pull them hard away from your vehicle. If the clip moves tighten the adjustment post. If the clip still moves, recheck your measurements between the towers and adjust if necessary. Check clip again.

139. Loads limited to Skis, Bikes, Boats, Gear Baskets, SpaceCadet 15s, Platinum/BlackTop 16s, and SkyBox/SkyBox Pro 16s. No long loads that cannot be tied down at the ends.

140. Long loads will prevent rear hatch from opening.

144. Roof mounted antenna may need to be removed to prevent interference with long loads, boxes.

 

 

Check it out.

 

[Lex Talionis]

GREAT write up... your the man. and likely the first to have actually done it... well done.. I stand corrected

 

keep posting up on any honest feedback as you put this system through it's paces.

 

 

(now you better get some lock cores before someone ganks that nice rack off that nice car)

[bobbyz95]

Thanks ! I kept it on the roof and drove to work and back today. Other than the expected wind noise, it's fine. Aesthetically, I think its pretty slick looking in the sense that it has a purpose: to haul along your fun stuff, be it bike, box, snowboard, etc. securely.

 

It's off the roof now and easily stored in the garage. The Edge is back is to it's normal slick profile but the racks are ever-ready to be put back into use. When I get the box, I'll add further updates.

 

I'm ready to drive and ride !

 

Here's an additional view with bike mounted, roof open, and the hatch open.

[Lex Talionis]

I have owned MANY roof racks - and installed many. Big fan. I was initially super bummed when I read and researched about no factory rails with a BAMR as I am a big fan of using towers on factory rails anymore versus the towers - like you did - that use the open door jamb spaces just because I feel that the factory rails with towers is a cleaner mount and look and the door jamb towers I have seen over time start to ruin the finish of the paint (under the feet gets no sun so it colorizes and the 'hooks' in the jambs wear at the paint) while the rubber door jamb molding begins to form to the towers hook and has less and less of a seal over time. So, I guess I just started to accept I would have to - for the first time ever - use a rear hitch mounted carrier. And you know, I got comfortable with the idea as having the unhindered BAMR was super important to me. So now, I am actually excited to not have a rack on the roof for the first time in like 20 years so I can keep the clean and cool look of this ride intact and have no sound reverberation or line of sight blockage issues.

 

Anyway, I am pumped you pulled it off and it works and I am sure others will be as well. Always good to have options. I am surprised you took it off and will make it modular that way as it is so hard and time consuming to realign towers, their feet, tighten cross bars perfectly and evenly, get equal distances, etc. But hey, if it works for you. It also looks to me like you could slide back the bike mount and still not interfere with the boot opening and maybe have better front driver view up?

[freekyFX4]

How much weight can that system hold?

[Lex Talionis]

post #7 says 100 pounds

[bobbyz95]

Yakima's recommendation is 100 lbs max (rack + equipment + contents). This coincides with Ford's recommendation if you were to carry things on factory roof rails, 100 lbs max. On a practical basis, just keep in mind: 1) what you're throwing up there, 2) the speeds you will be traveling, and 3) the weather you will be encountering (wind, for example). The bars and towers are probably about 10-15 lbs, the bike rack is approx, 5 lbs, and the bike is 30-ish. So what you see in the picture should be fine, and I could certainly put another bike rack and bike up there.

 

I previously had an Explorer with Thule bars mounted to the factory rails and I carried a Thule 1800 box. The Explorer also had a 100 lb max limitation. The box alone was 40 lbs unloaded. So, to give myself a "cushion" I limited what I threw in it to about 50 lbs. Soft luggage, 10 lb charcoal bag, bike helmets, 2 or 3 folding chairs-in-a-bag, stuff like that, and kept a mental note of the total approximate weight.

 

As you travel, always a good idea to keep checking the stability and firmness of the mounting equipment and attachments.

 

Meanwhile, I'm doing my careful consumer shopping for a roof box for this new Edge + Yakima setup. Not too heavy that the weight outweighs the need, not too big that I can't open the hatch, big enough to carry what I need so the dog can have the back cargo area unencumbered, and still have room for me and a friend or two.

 

:-)

[mark_e_b]

I didn't see any mention of noise from your system, like road noise. Not sure if you have the same problem or not, but I've had bad luck with the door jam method. My wife and I borrowed a kangaroo luggage carrier from my folks. We were visiting and went home with more than we brought, gotta love Mom and Dad. We put it on a Pontiac Grand Am (lay off, we traded it in for the Edge!) with no roof rack. So we had to secure it between the body and door, like your system. HORRIBLE. The entire trip home I told everybody in the car to not talk to me. Every conversation went blahblah what? blah what? blah. The noise it made was horrible at highway speeds, its was worse than driving in a convertible on the highway. After it was off the door seal was never the same and was louder at highway speeds than normal. Just wanted to see if you had this problem, or at least warn potential buyers.

 

For the tailgate system. Have you put any kind of luggage on it, other than bikes or ski's. I've been told luggage can smell like exhaust or gas. Just wanted to see if you had this problem. Would like to get a tailgate system for luggage when we bring the dogs with us. Thanks!

[bri719]

that's pretty awesome...

 

I thought the Q Tower looked like it would work before I saw the pics that you actually DID it. nice! The Thule brackets looked like they would run into problems who knows, I could be way off.

 

even though I don't have a BAMR glad you pulled it off and gave tons of pics and specs for other people to follow! now if you don't mind staring up at a bar / bike / whatever all is great with the world! let's just hope there's no crusty mud to blow off should you actually decide to open it up with one strapped on there

 

oh and the Trek, thumbs up. I ride an old ('98) Trek 7000 hardtail.

Edited March 30, 2008 by bri719

[bobbyz95]

Yes, there's wind noise, but not that I could not have a decent conversation. There's enough wind noise that you know i'ts there when compared to the normal sounds when the rack isn't mounted. I've driven with the rack with both the sunroof open and closed, bike mounted and not mounted. There are no weird whistling and creaking counds. It works like it should.

 

Thanks !

[mark_e_b]

Yes, there's wind noise, but not that I could not have a decent conversation. There's enough wind noise that you know i'ts there when compared to the normal sounds when the rack isn't mounted. I've driven with the rack with both the sunroof open and closed, bike mounted and not mounted. There are no weird whistling and creaking counds. It works like it should.

 

Thanks !

 

Thats cool. I might look into that on our next trip. We're good now, but have another little one on the way. With the two rugrats and two dogs in the bag, I need a lil bit more room. Nice setup, thanks!

[peterk]

I just bought a 2007 Edge SEL without the fancy roof window but with roof rails. Want to put a box and/or bag (in a basket?) on the roof for a road trip in August.

 

I am not experienced with boxes or baskets or bags but believe that whatever it is has to ride above the roof and not sit on the roof as bags seem to be designed to do. Therefore in my thinking, a bag would need to sit in a basket.

 

Hope to purchase and install cross bars from FORD and simply find a box or basket/bag to clip onto the elliptical bars however much of what I am reading above suggests that preferred way is to use towers with factory rails and forget about using the FORD cross bars as the anchoring method???

 

Roof is short between stubby antennae and rear door w/ spoiler raised so box or bag needs to be fairly short front to back. Possibly wider, almost square, for optimum cargo volume within the recommended load limit.

 

Questions: Can I use the factory rails with self-installed cross bars as the foundation for my carrier?

 

Q: Anyone recommend box vs. basket/bag configuration? Manufacturers? Styles and sizes?

 

Q: I may someday want to put kayaks or bikes up there and believe Thule or Yakima probably has systems that clamp to the elliptical cross bars? Am I correct?

 

Feedback appreciated.

[Boondoggler]

Questions: Can I use the factory rails with self-installed cross bars as the foundation for my carrier?

 

Q: Anyone recommend box vs. basket/bag configuration? Manufacturers? Styles and sizes?

 

Q: I may someday want to put kayaks or bikes up there and believe Thule or Yakima probably has systems that clamp to the elliptical cross bars? Am I correct?

 

I've been doing a bunch of rack research lately, I would suggest you spend some time on the Thule and Yakima websites as most of your questions can be answered with research at those sites.

 

Questions: Can I use the factory rails with self-installed cross bars as the foundation for my carrier?

A: You have the option of using the Ford cross bars or a third party cross bars. Advantages of using the Ford cross bars are that they will look better when you aren't using the rack, as well as being more aerodynamic (less wind noise) the advantage to using 3rd party crossbars is you will have more cross bar area to work with. Jump onto the Thule website and use their configuration tool for the Edge with the factory rails and it will show you the options I've just outlined.

 

Q: Anyone recommend box vs. basket/bag configuration? Manufacturers? Styles and sizes?

A:Thule and Yakima have boxes that will attach to the Ford crossbars and bags that will attached to the Ford rails. I've done some measurements I can share with you. If you open the hatch, and then measure the maximum length box that can fit between the raised hatch and the antenna in front you'll find it to be approximately 58". You also might want to consider adding a Stubby Antenna to maximize the length of the box you can use. With a stubby antenna installed it looks like you can max out with a box approximately 75-78" depending on how much overhang of the windshield you are comfortable with. Remember, Ford rates the maximum amount of weight to put on the roof at 100lbs so pack your box using that in mind.

 

Q: I may someday want to put kayaks or bikes up there and believe Thule or Yakima probably has systems that clamp to the elliptical cross bars? Am I correct?

A: Yes, you'll find that bike, kayak and ski attachments from Thule and Yakima are available that will attach to OEM elliptical cross bars.

Edited July 13, 2008 by Boondoggler

[dkimmel]

Be careful putting kayaks using the factory roof racks. The main supports are all plastic and deform under any load. Before I realized that they were all plastic and not just dress up with plastic I put the Thule Hullavator system on our 1 week old Edge. Worked great once , twice and then collapse where the plastic met the metal rail.

Now since we have the investment in the Thule system we are looking to have a custom rail support made to replace this nonfunctional rack.

[bobbyz95]

Questions: Can I use the factory rails with self-installed cross bars as the foundation for my carrier?

 

From my experience with an Explorer and the Edge, an aftermarket Thule or Yakima bar and support system is much firmer and more stable than mounting directly to the factory crossbars. I noticed more flex in the factory crossbars. In any event, whichever system you select, there is still the 100 lb max total load of the roof. The 100 lb limit includes rack + box/basket/bag/carriers + contents.

 

 

Q: Anyone recommend box vs. basket/bag configuration? Manufacturers? Styles and sizes?

 

Like Boondoggler said, check out the Thule or Yakima websites. A wealth of information there. Thule Atlantis (or the older Evolution) and Yakima Skybox come in similar sizes and are both good. Live near a REI ? Go talk to them.

(Fyi, I have a Thule Evolution 1800 box. This is too big for the Edge because it is too long and I could probably easily overload it on the Edge roof. I'm hanging on to it because I use it on rental vehicles. But for the Edge, a 1200 or 1600 would be a better fit and that's what I'm looking for. Someone in my area is selling a Thule Evolution 1200 for $200 on craigslist. A good deal !)

[Dplaz1]

Has anyone tried putting Yakima Q towers on a vista roof ? I want to throw a cargo box up there and I'm not sure if the vista roof structure is suffciently strong enough to support a Q tower/cargo box setup.

 

Thanks everyone.

 

 

If only I had seen your posts before I picked up my 2008 Edge - Limited.

 

I needed to be able to put a Thule Box on the top of my vehicle. I've had Explorers through 6 different leases so the roof rack was never a problem. However with the Edge and the BAMR the dealer said it can't be done and that the Ford does not approve any after market products such as the towers in your post. So I settled for an EDGE without the BAMR and a factory installed rack and cross bars. I pick the Edge up drive the 2 miles to my house and checked the thing out and see that the cross bars are fixed and won't fit my box. No big deal, you probably shouldn't use the cross bars for a box anyway, so I go on the Thule web site and look up attachments and right there is a tower and rack set up for the Ford Edge with Vista Roof. I call the dealer up immediately (we're talking 30 minutes). They're very sorry, they didn't know and once the car is registered with DMV they can't sell it as "new" so I am SOL.

 

I'll deal with it. I like the EDGE, it's just that I've had a sun roof for 15 years and I miss the light. They said they can install a sunroof no problem, but it won't be the BAMR.

[bobbyz95]

:-( Sorry, bud. It'll be fine. BAMR or no BAMR, the Edge is still a great ride !

[Dplaz1]

:-( Sorry, bud. It'll be fine. BAMR or no BAMR, the Edge is still a great ride !

 

Thanks, I am sure I will get through this.

[mradin]

Hey guys - now that you have lived with the Q towers for a while, any problems with the vista roof or the racks?

 

I am getting a trailer hitch installed for when I need 4 bikes on the rear, and will be setting my Q towers up for the roof soon (you know, skis, a roof box or bag).

 

Any insights will be appreciated!