stormchaser

For those who have had experience with both brands of roofrack, please post your preference and why. Thanks

jyossarian

Yakima cuz it's an American company. Thule's Swedish I think. Both are excellent and compatible w/ each other. I got the Viper fork mount and the first time I used it was during a hurricane and driving around 80 mph. My bike hardly moved although it did have a lot of dead bug corpses on the handlebars and head tube.

Retro Grouch 

I've sold both at various times and honestly I don't see much, if any, quality difference.

I have a slight preference for Thule but I think that's because I've installed many more of them so I'm more familiar with how the feet attach to the door frame.

landstander

I'd also be interested to know how easy/quick they are to install and remove. I need to get such a beastie in the near future, and plan to remove it from the car when not in use.

Thanx!

Retro Grouch 

Setting one up initially is probably a two hour project. Once you have everything snugged up you can lift everything off as a unit and it only takes 10 or 15 minutes to reattach.

derath

Even setup is often a snap. Just getting used to it for the first time takes the most. My thule rack luckily has mounts that work for both of my cars (attach to the existing luggage rack) Subaru Outback and minivan. I can switch the rack between the vehicles in about 5 min. Only hard part is getting the darn things up on top of the minivan

Jarery

I need to get one soon also.
If the racks themselves are pretty equal, how bout the accessories ?

Which has the better system for carrying a bike without having to remove the wheel ?

Sea Kayak will be the other item i need to bolt down on it

jyossarian

I had a QR front wheel so I used the Viper fork mount bike rack. I'd read on mtbr.com and epinions that the fork mount carriers were more stable and steady than the ones that held the front wheel and down tube. They also lowered the bike a little and gave me a little more peace of mind when driving into underground parking lots and low overhead clearance areas. Just don't forget it's on top of your car.

If you're carrying a sea kayak, both make carriers for kayaks and canoes. The Yakima may need a stretch kit that allows the rack to safely carry loads over 100 lbs.

When I went shopping, the Yakima and Thule were about the same price and had the same features and accessories. Just make sure you buy about twice as many lock cores as you actually need cuz they come in handy when you buy more accessories like gear baskets, ski/snowboard racks, another bike rack, cable locks, etc.

stormchaser

I was asking because I now have a sedan and unlike my wagons, I will need a bike mount with full tray as the bars don't line up with forka and rear wheel. I don't see any that can handle a bike with front rack/fender except the ones that clamp the downtube, and that's only if your bottle cages are not in the way.
Thanks for the input so far.

head_wind

~10 years ago I tried to buy a Yakima for my Audi. For reasons that I don't understand it was a difficult fit and the store tried Thule and it fit easily. Now I move them between a Volvo 850 and a ForeRunner with no problems. My old fit problem is likely ancient history but I'd suggest looking at cars like yours and see what they use. I doubt it really matters any more.

Thor29

Yakima is an American company but the product is made in Mexico.
Thule is a Swedish company but they have factories in the USA.

bitingduck

The rule of thumb I've always used is that Yakima is more likely to work a little better with US engineered cars and Thule with European. I'm not sure which way to go for Japanese though.

The reason for this is that Thule seems to work more closely with European manufacturers, to the extent that there are special attach points designed on many european cars to match corresponding Thule clips.

Yakima, similarly, seems to have better detail about US cars, so their clips fit a little better. An example is on my Saturn, where the Thule mounts outside the plastic moldings, and holds in place by compressing the plastic molding. It doesn't look all that secure, and I've heard of them coming off. For the Yakima, you remove the moldings, clamp the rack to the metal roof, and put the moldings back on. It's quite secure.

It's not a hard and fast rule, but it's a decent starting point.

240GL

Thule has several different holders for kayaks. Here is a picture of one of them on my Volvo; two rubber lined "cribs" that take the shape of the hull:



For the heavier sea kayak, I often use the felt-lined rear crib though, and slide the kayak up on the roof.

Erling.

Herbert

I have had positive experiences with both and I believe you won't go wrong with either option. It just happens now that on a Mini Cooper the only after market option is Yakima, Thule items though work with the screw/bolt on stock roof rack which I don't care for.

Below is my car in Yakima trim.

Herbert

curt in denver

Find out what you need as far as the componets, Q-towers,Crossbar size(these can be cut) then check craigslist or other for used. That way you may need to only buy the fit kit. Could save you hundreds of dollars.
I prefer Yakima.