For those that bought aftermarket roof racks, what cross-bar size did you go with and why?

it fits!

no seriously, its just shy of the width of the top.

i'm not sure that 50" would even fit between the posts for yakima.

someone mentioned putting on 66", which would i figure hang over about 3" on each side, but allow more loading.

I went with 58" and can barely fit a wide Yakima Blaktop Pro 16 box, 2 fork mount bike rails, and its really tight for the 2 wheel forks. Without a box, I think either size would work for me. As the rack is so high up, its not likely that people will bump their heads agains the small length of the bar extending out past the roof. If you go 58" don't like it, you can allways cut them back. joel

Thanks, the Thule site recommends 50", but it looked like they were missing an opportunity to get another 8" up there. I will go with the 58"'s.

I have 65" Thule bars because size matters. 8) I have a kayak stacker, Yakima paddle holder, and can easily carry 4 whitewater boats.

The bars do indeed extend beyond the vertical plane of the roofline, but not beyond the width of the E's doors (the E's sides are not completely vertical). The bottom of the bar is about 6'1", but I couldn't see headbanging issues even with tall folks just because the bars barely get beyond the roofline and one's head is ducked to enter the cabin long before the bar would become an issue. I'm 6', and folks taller than me haven't even noticed the bar when getting in the E. When I purchased my setup, the long bars were the same price as the short ones, and I figured I could always cut them down if desired. But the extra space is sure nice, and the E is plenty tall to accomodate the wide bars.

A picture of my setup with the long bars is at http://www.elementownersclub.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=1716&highlight= . Its the GGM E with the stackers.

Mike

I think the 58" bars are perfect, appearance-wise. They just look right. That said, I may buy 66" bars in the near future, the extra 4" each side won't be "too much" visually, and I believe it will let me get a second kayak or a bike up there, along the current yak and the Thule box that I carry now.

For pics of my 58" bars see this thread (http://www.elementownersclub.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=84389&highlight=#84389)

I went for 58" thule bars as well. the 50's JUST make it between the rack feet, and the 58's leave enough room for a fork mount carrier on the OUTSIDE on each side, leaving enough space for my evolution 1600 box in the middle.

and i agree with seb, that size looks just right.

We bought the Yakima 58's and ended up cutting them to 50"...we also have a Thule Playpen and found that besides the bar ends hanging over and looking too long to us (kinda looked "tacked on"...whereas the shorter length makes the setup look like a high quality factory job Honda should have done themselves)it was a hazard when loading stuff in the basket...the ends try VERY hard to poke you in the eye or forehead :-O
Can we recommend safety goggles if you go with the longer length? ;-D

PS Install was definitely super easy 2...Kudos to Honda 4 putting those 3 mounting holes!