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April, 2024

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Roof rack for skis

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j.bird
Posts: 6680 - Karma: 15
So i'm tired of putting my skis into my trunk and then they extend through into my car, and then when people get in they always complain about having to sit on eachothers lap b/c there is no middle seat, and i hate taking my skis out of my car, because they have to go back in about twice a week... so i've determined i'm getting a rack.

I have an audi but i don't want to drill holes or anything. is there a way to get a rack that hooks into the little rain gutters? any recomendations? i'm having a hard time figuring out which racks don't require drilling or factory roof rack tracks.
Nov 21 2005 9:25PM
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SchweitzerSki
Posts: 4479 - Karma: 11
yakima. my jetta had rain gutters. you just have to get special clmaps for cars with gutters.
Nov 21 2005 9:30PM
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j.bird
Posts: 6680 - Karma: 15
u think i could get some of those at like REI or something?
Nov 21 2005 9:39PM
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SchweitzerSki
Posts: 4479 - Karma: 11
yup. that's exactly where i got mine. usually those REI peeps know their shit. just go in tell them what kind of car you have, they will figure it all out.
Nov 21 2005 9:42PM
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Aenigma
Posts: 11256 - Karma: 424
I think you can look through the Thule and Yakima catalogs by car model and find what you need. I could be wrong, but when I got my roof rack I'm pretty sure that's what I did.
Nov 21 2005 9:42PM
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j.bird
Posts: 6680 - Karma: 15
how much did u end up payin? 100 bucks or more
Nov 21 2005 9:42PM
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SchweitzerSki
Posts: 4479 - Karma: 11
yeah that's the bad news. they are really expensive. just because they make you buy so much shit, the ski holders, the poles, the clips, locks, everything seperate. i ended up payin 300 some for my whole setup. it was slightly less than what i was considering for thule though. if the money's an issue i'd consider used ones(sketchy tho) or maybe a lesser known brand.
Nov 21 2005 9:45PM
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wrenegade
Posts: 6631 - Karma: 41
if you don't have a factory rack (rails and cross bars) or just factory rails, you are going to end up paying a pretty penny for a ski rack. But it is definitely possible. I've been looking into a ski rack for my WRX wagon and even with the factory rack I'm going to be paying ~230 canadian before taxes for the Yakima I'm looking at. Mind you, thats with locks, and the 6-ski carrier instead of the 4, but still. They aren't cheap.
Nov 21 2005 10:19PM
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Tinga
Posts: 11349 - Karma: 2,333
how much can i get one for without any bells or whistles and i already have a sports rack
Nov 21 2005 10:26PM
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720skiguy
Posts: 4553 - Karma: 21
both thule and yakima have things where you put in your car and it tells you what they offer. very expensive
i just checked one out for my escort zx2 and its gonna be like 300 bucks what a rip
Nov 21 2005 10:43PM
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Bangor
Posts: 9599 - Karma: 129
Thule.

Be ready to pay out the ass, but the rack will last you 10 years if you treat it right. Buddy's dad's got one he uses on one car every winter, shit's like 8-9 years old. Rusted a bolt on it finally, so it's permanently attached to the car now, but whatever.

Whenever you take 'em off, wash the road salt off em, then dry 'em off REAL good and store them someplace really dry. One bolt on mine rusted in the garage this summer, it's a bitch.



And spend the extra $50 on the fairing/wind deflector for the front. It will save you quite a bit of gas.
Nov 21 2005 11:14PM
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Torbord
Posts: 320 - Karma: 10
If you take care of them and dont treat them like shit they will last 10+ years. The roof rack can go from car to car and all you need to buy are the new clips, which arent to expensive. The expensive parts are the towers, bars and the ski holder. Check out the Yakima website they tell you what you need. yakima has a fit for most cars, including Alfa Romeo for you really rich fuckers.
Nov 21 2005 11:25PM
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Andy-Fair
Posts: 830 - Karma: 10
i dont like ski racks
Nov 21 2005 11:39PM
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BigJew
Posts: 6974 - Karma: 79
If you have a rear hitch check out the racks that clip in there and have 2 rubber pads that go on the roof.
Nov 21 2005 11:39PM
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Daniel.
Posts: 2068 - Karma: 12
make one
Nov 21 2005 11:49PM
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wrenegade
Posts: 6631 - Karma: 41
Ok so I've decided on getting that Yakima big powderhound rack for my car. Does anyone know if Yakima makes those aerodynamic deflectors that go in front of the ski racks? You know, to improve gas milage. I can't seem to find anything on their website.
Nov 24 2005 2:41AM
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Paul-o-Rama
Posts: 3301 - Karma: 13
most all sport stores have roof racks aswell
Nov 24 2005 2:49AM
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mk2
Posts: 1330 - Karma: 13
you should probably get a pod instead of ski holders
Nov 24 2005 12:39PM
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pmills
Posts: 7162 - Karma: 59
get a pod then keep the skis in the car, and throw the bitching passengers in the pod.
Nov 24 2005 12:47PM
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Skipig25
Posts: 10729 - Karma: 256
just go to www.yakima.com and put your car in
Nov 24 2005 2:18PM
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Torbord
Posts: 320 - Karma: 10
Your looking for a fairing, and yes they have them.
Nov 24 2005 7:56PM
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*Fujative*
Posts: 8554 - Karma: 183
i want to get one for my car
Nov 24 2005 8:12PM
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~Cork_1080~
Posts: 2212 - Karma: 5
i got one too it works swell
Nov 24 2005 8:23PM
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