Yakima Q Towers and BAMR

[bobbyz95]

None. They continue to be functional and problem free.

[skimaniaz]

I followed the instructions here and got the items off of Ebay for pretty cheap. I added a basket to the cross bars for camping stuff and it works excellent. Taken it on several hundred mile trips with no issues.

 

Wanted to say thanks alot!! Keep up the good posts!!

Edited August 19, 2009 by skimaniaz

[bobbyz95]

I followed the instructions here and got the items off of Ebay for pretty cheap. I added a basket to the cross bars for camping stuff and it works excellent. Taken it on several hundred mile trips with no issues.

 

Wanted to say thanks alot!! Keep up the good posts!!

 

Excellent !! :-)

[MKXVA]

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.

 

[MKXVA]

You are the man or woman(couldnt tell by your user name)!!!!

I just purchased a used 2008 MKX and love it, but was so dissapointed when the ford dealer told me no to the roof rail rack.

 

I am heading to the local sporting goods store this afternoon to purchase, and need a bike/kayak kit to add to make everything perfect.

 

Thanks again!!

Josh

[bobbyz95]

You are the man or woman(couldnt tell by your user name)!!!!

I just purchased a used 2008 MKX and love it, but was so dissapointed when the ford dealer told me no to the roof rail rack.

 

I am heading to the local sporting goods store this afternoon to purchase, and need a bike/kayak kit to add to make everything perfect.

 

Thanks again!!

Josh

 

Josh, you can definitely make it happen with those parts. Good deal man !!

 

. . . and yes, I AM a guy . . . :-)

[Sher in Tahoe]

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.

 

 

*****************************************************************************************

 

 

THANKS SO MUCH for your research, trials and posts. Really appreciate it. Curious if this roof rack could void the warrantee on the vista roof? Anyone know or have experience with this issue?

Edited June 30, 2010 by Sher in Tahoe

[bobbyz95]

 

THANKS SO MUCH for your research, trials and posts. Really appreciate it. Curious if this roof rack could void the warrantee on the vista roof? Anyone know or have experience with this issue?

 

Thank you too ! Shouldn't be a problem. The vista roof operates the same with or without the rack installed. Of course, if you mount something on the rack that would obstruct the roof's movement and the roof jams, that would be your fault . . . can't see how anyone could claim a warranty issue on that . . .

 

Happy Summer ! Enjoy it !

:-)

[pnewport]

The Thule tower system says, somewhere, that the load limit is 165 pounds, whereas the Yakima is 100 pounds. Also, it was said on this forum that the Edge's limit is 100 pounds, I guess per the limit for the Ford racks on Edges without the vista roof. I had to join this forum and then find all this again so I'm going from memory here, a little. I'm wondering if the 100# is Ford's limit or Yakama's limit?

 

I love my 2008 Edge but I want to be able to put two 70 pound kayaks on top. I spent all day yesterday driving the only other car I want, which is a Subaru, but to tow behind my little motor home the Subaru has to be manual transmission whereas the Edge can be towed with the automatic.

 

Has anyone put a system on the Edge, with Vista roof, and carried that much weight on top per Thule? I can use a kayak trailer except when we're on trips and using the motor home but I also don't want to ruin the car or lose the kayaks!

 

I am really procrastinating here because I don't want to sell my Edge!

 

Thanks for any updates.

[Z4forEdge]

The Thule tower system says, somewhere, that the load limit is 165 pounds, whereas the Yakima is 100 pounds. Also, it was said on this forum that the Edge's limit is 100 pounds, I guess per the limit for the Ford racks on Edges without the vista roof. I had to join this forum and then find all this again so I'm going from memory here, a little. I'm wondering if the 100# is Ford's limit or Yakama's limit?

 

I love my 2008 Edge but I want to be able to put two 70 pound kayaks on top. I spent all day yesterday driving the only other car I want, which is a Subaru, but to tow behind my little motor home the Subaru has to be manual transmission whereas the Edge can be towed with the automatic.

 

Has anyone put a system on the Edge, with Vista roof, and carried that much weight on top per Thule? I can use a kayak trailer except when we're on trips and using the motor home but I also don't want to ruin the car or lose the kayaks!

 

I am really procrastinating here because I don't want to sell my Edge!

 

Thanks for any updates.

 

So after a week long camping trip I'm seeing that I really need some extra capacity with the Edge. After reading this thread I'm still nervous about it. But I came across this web blog for a company out of Toronto that does this setup on the Edge with Vista roof. Not that I don't trust people here but it's good to see a company doing this on a customers car as well. Here is the blog about the Edge: Rack Attack Blog And they say it'll hold 165lbs. Just thought I'd share this.

[pnewport]

So after a week long camping trip I'm seeing that I really need some extra capacity with the Edge. After reading this thread I'm still nervous about it. But I came across this web blog for a company out of Toronto that does this setup on the Edge with Vista roof. Not that I don't trust people here but it's good to see a company doing this on a customers car as well. Here is the blog about the Edge: Rack Attack Blog And they say it'll hold 165lbs. Just thought I'd share this.

 

 

 

I hope I'm doing this correctly, the reply I mean. The Edge is what has the roof load limit of 100#, not the rack. I talked to both Thule and Yakima direct. After almost trading my Edge several times, and always finding a different problem or something less than desirable about the other car, I came up with something Thule says will work just fine. It's a bit of a pain but should make loading easy and make it almost impossible (Murphy's Law?) to damage the vista roof.

 

We are putting a trailer hitch (2") receiver on the back of the Edge, with a Thule T-post in it which will go up to the needed height to support the back of my kayaks. There will still be two cross bars on the car. We are using the 480 towers. The T-post will have carriers on it as well, and will guide the kayaks onto the middle and front carriers. If we position the kayaks correctly, this should take up to 1/3 of the weight off the roof. We, obviously, will not be able to open the back of the Edge but since we likely will only be using this when towing the Edge behind our RV, I am willing to put up with the inconvenience. Thule gave me all of the part numbers if anyone needs them. I'm going to have all of this installed, the first time, by a Thule dealer and we're going to put the kayaks up there and figure out how to secure the bow and stern lines before we leave in case they have to add something for us.

 

I told Ford that I can't understand how a car can have a good rollover safety rating and can't carry more than 100# (110# actually). on the roof. They didn't have an answer. According to a local EMT, all cars have to be able to support the weight of the car by the roof--but only with the windows up!

 

Good luck.

[Z4forEdge]

I hope I'm doing this correctly, the reply I mean. The Edge is what has the roof load limit of 100#, not the rack. I talked to both Thule and Yakima direct. After almost trading my Edge several times, and always finding a different problem or something less than desirable about the other car, I came up with something Thule says will work just fine. It's a bit of a pain but should make loading easy and make it almost impossible (Murphy's Law?) to damage the vista roof.

 

We are putting a trailer hitch (2") receiver on the back of the Edge, with a Thule T-post in it which will go up to the needed height to support the back of my kayaks. There will still be two cross bars on the car. We are using the 480 towers. The T-post will have carriers on it as well, and will guide the kayaks onto the middle and front carriers. If we position the kayaks correctly, this should take up to 1/3 of the weight off the roof. We, obviously, will not be able to open the back of the Edge but since we likely will only be using this when towing the Edge behind our RV, I am willing to put up with the inconvenience. Thule gave me all of the part numbers if anyone needs them. I'm going to have all of this installed, the first time, by a Thule dealer and we're going to put the kayaks up there and figure out how to secure the bow and stern lines before we leave in case they have to add something for us.

 

I told Ford that I can't understand how a car can have a good rollover safety rating and can't carry more than 100# (110# actually). on the roof. They didn't have an answer. According to a local EMT, all cars have to be able to support the weight of the car by the roof--but only with the windows up!

 

Good luck.

 

I had been thinking this as well. Most vehicles in a slow rollover don't crush the roof at all. Of course in a higher speed rollover the roof does cave in to a point and beyond depending on how violent an accident it is. So yeah, it makes you wonder.

 

What you're talking about is exactly how my Dad used to carry his canoe on his 1968 Ford Torino GT. He built a T bar himself that slide over the tongue of his hitch on the back, then put the ball in place to hold it there. Then he put one rack on the roof of the car. Quite often he would tie the canoe down to the bar then tie ropes from the bar to the engine compartment. He would tie to points right around where those cushions for the hood are when you close the hood. Then close the hood. The gaps between hood and fender where wide enough for the rope. Perhaps that would work with your kayaks. You could possibly run a rope from the bow of the kayak to that point. IF they lined up enough to work. I hope all that made sense. :P

[20Edge11]

 

I told Ford that I can't understand how a car can have a good rollover safety rating and can't carry more than 100# (110# actually). on the roof. They didn't have an answer. According to a local EMT, all cars have to be able to support the weight of the car by the roof--but only with the windows up!

 

Good luck.

 

 

Found this while surfing:

 

The 2010 Edge missed out on a Top Safety Pick last year after receiving an "Acceptable" score in IIHS roof-strength tests. The old design could support 3.5 times its overall vehicle weight, which was shy of the highest possible "good" rating that requires the roof to withstand four times the vehicle's weight. After coming up short in the test, Ford immediately improved the design and created a roof that withstands 4.7 times the vehicle's weight, surpassing IIHS standards.

[JT58]

I use the exact same Yakima system on our 2010 Edge Sport, although without Vista Roof. We haul bikes and kayaks no problem at all. The rack installs and removes in minutes and looks good as well. The only ting is the Q clips do scratch the paint off inside the door jamb. I am experimenting with different tapes and such to eliminate the scratching. The Q clips originally had pretty sharp edges which I since rounded.

[marcw]

Last night i purchased rhino racks for my edge with BAMR. Still in the mail. i bought them because the video looks decent and the max weight is 140 compared to thule and yakima(I know some one said the thule is 165, but thule website says other)

 

My only complaint, sight unsean, is the rhino has a screw down and no snap down attachments. Not sure if this matters/helps/hinders.

 

FYI: this is for a kayak.

 

I will only place max 120# on the roof, but i rather have some room to spare.

 

Does anyone have any comments on rhino?

[Dingo]

 

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.

 

 

*****************************************************************************************

 

 

THANKS SO MUCH for your research, trials and posts. Really appreciate it. Curious if this roof rack could void the warrantee on the vista roof? Anyone know or have experience with this issue?

 

Sher... I'm doubting you'll want to buy my Blacktop Pro 21?

[lou_s]

Hello everyone.

 

Any long-term update on how this is working out (Yakima rack install with Q-towers and clips)?

 

I am new to the Forum. Purchased a 2012 Edge Limited with BAMR a few weeks ago; so far so good. Coming off a 10-year relationship with a minivan, so I am very happy to have moved on. However, as the Edge is the “family vehicle”, I need some more space for long trips with the family and all our stuff. Searched the forum, found a few articles on how other’s who came before me dealt with this, and found this thread. Found some other suggestions as well, but I’m not willing to make any major modifications to my roof. Adding a Yakima with towers seemed like the best (only) real solution.

 

Not to get detailed, I went ahead and bought these components and built the rack as described here (REI was having a sale). Tested it out with my rooftop box, and so far so good. Will be traveling with it in about two weeks. Just looking for some additional comments or advice from other’s who use this type of system.

 

Thanks.

 

-Lou.

[rwolson]

I installed the Thule setup vs Yakima; I prefer rectangular bars to round bars. I transport an 18 foot kayak. I'm on year two using the system. The system works, but I still wish Ford installed real racks or a track. The reasons, rack's up a little more from the car's roof, I feel more secure to attach aftermarket roof racks to a real roof rack and I can spread the bars apart further to carry a kayak. The current configuration's very secure, but I just feel more secure when the rack's feet wrap around a roof rack.

 

I maybe ordering a 2013 Escape later this year for the roof racks, etc.

[lou_s]

Thought I would pass along an update to this tread should anyone be researching this issue.

 

I went ahead and setup the Yakima system as described earlier in this post. My Edge is 2012 White with BAMR, so it looked identical to the pictures posted. I was using the rack for a rooftop box to carry extra cargo. Box was a medium size Yakima Rocketbox. Enough to carry soft-sided luggage and some bulky items.

 

Rack took a while to setup, but I got it correct. Once I had it set, it was easy to get back on and off. Box is quick to put up as well. Now that it is configured, to put the whole thing up on the roof with the box and triple check takes about 30 minutes. So it went up relativity easy, and held the stuff I needed it to. Was on very secure, so I was not worried.

 

Now the bad news.

 

-Noise. Yes, it is a noticeable when the rack is on there; you can hear it. I may consider a wind deflector.

-MPG. Don't know how accurate the Edge MPG computation is, but running the same trip (about 500 Miles round trip), MPG was down a bit. I know there are many factors that could cause this, but just an observation.

-Scratches to the internal doorjamb where the rack sat. This is a big one, and makes me reluctant to put it on again. I was very meticulous in setting this up, using the included vinyl tape, following directions, etc. I even put down a few coats of car wax under where the clips go. However, there was some paint damage.

 

So there you have it. Hope this helps.

 

[VanillaEps]

I picked up a 2013 Edge SEL with BAMR a little less than a month ago. I checked out the Thule site before I made my decision and knew that they had a solution for the Edge with Vista Roof. I installed the aero blade cross bars with the Thule fit kit for the Edge. And I am using that with a Thule side arm bike rack and the snowboard carrier. No issues. Just have to be cognizant of the weight on the roof and low clearance overpasses when the bike is on the roof.

[Gforty]

Looks great. I have 48" yakima and thule bars and wanted to put one of them on my edge. From what I understand, yakima's measurement of 45.5 is the distance beween the q-towers? Do you think 48" load bars would work on the yakima setup? Thanks.

[the_b-man]

If you have the BAMR and are putting the rack on for kayaks, consider rinsing any salt water off them before putting them on the rack, as I believe it was not good for my RAV4 sunroof

[the_b-man]

I picked up a 2013 Edge SEL with BAMR a little less than a month ago. I checked out the Thule site before I made my decision and knew that they had a solution for the Edge with Vista Roof. I installed the aero blade cross bars with the Thule fit kit for the Edge. And I am using that with a Thule side arm bike rack and the snowboard carrier. No issues. Just have to be cognizant of the weight on the roof and low clearance overpasses when the bike is on the roof.

Here's a link to the Thule configuration https://www.thule.com/en-us/us/buyers-guide?c=roof+racks&q=Wyv5AcUrv

I am not affiliated with Thule in any way, just wanted to provide for convenience.