[LittleDogBox]

I just want to see some photos of what you have done if you have purchased an aftermarket roof rack. I have not ordered a factory roof rack for my Element but had planned on installing the THULE rack. It will work with the Cargo Box I had from my previous SUV. I have seen some pretty cool do it your self systems that make some SUV's look awesome. Just wanted to see some ELement creations if anyone has some pics to share. I am not so creative and would like some idea's. I know some people have baskets on top and air deflectors. Some have installed spotlights on top. I guess it depends on your needs. I would imagine the Element is perfect for a good roofrack system. It isn't so tall as most SUV's so you can at least get to what you need on top.

LittleDogBox
Arlington, Va.

 

[eltoro]

I have installed a Yakima track system into the roof. It will hold the control towers and 58" Yakima bars. I plan on installing the Mega Warrier basket along with five bike mounts. Four Boas’ and one Copperhead tray. I will have a 7' Fiamma auning put onto the driver side for shade. I will have pictures and more detail after the installation is complete, which should be after this weekend. Contact me if you would like to some pictures or have any questions.

 

[gimley]

Used Yakima for years and wasn't happy with the way accessories slipped on round bar. Sorry no pics but I installed Thule on My E which I use commercially for carrying bikes, kayaks and gear and it's perfect. The TK 6 kit bolts right into the roof ports of your E, them the 430 foot clicks into the TK 6 with the click of a button. Pops on/off in 6o seconds. The Thule fairing is amazingly quiet and still allows kayaks over the top of it. I have 58" cross bars, am 6 ft tall and zero head banging getting in/out. I wish the factory ports from Honda were spread another 10" apart. But I think they are located where they are because they are welded to the E's roll bars. People stop me everywhere I go to ask about my E and the rooftop system really intrigues them.

 

[k00k]

Here's a picture of my E with Thule racks and a Thule Evolution 1600 cargo box on top. I love the way it looks and the Thule system is great. The Evolution cargo box pops on and off the racks in 2 minutes. The latching system is far superior to any I've used.

 

[meanelvis]

i'm doing a price comparison and wondering where you folks got your racks, and how much ya'll spent?

best price i found for just the base rack was $188.90 USD shipped from Car Racks Direct online.

Base Rack, for my purposes, consists of the following Thule products:
430 - Tracker II Foot
LB50 - Load Bars
TK6 - Tracker Kit
544 - Lock Kit

 

[eltoro]

My roof rack is finaly done. The tracks are 60" long. The towers are Yakima control towers with landing pad ones. The bars are 58 in. The basket is a Yakima Mega warrier. The bike mounts are both the boas and the copperheads. Check out the pics and let me know if you have any questions.

The racks were purchased and installed at www.sportsrack.com

 

[Element]

Does anyone know if some XYZ company can make the Nissan Xterra roof rack for our E? I like the beefy look plus the wind guard < sp > in front of the rack.

Thanks

 

[ssmyth]

Is there a guide available form Yakima for the track system you used ?

Thx

 

[brendan]

[quote:4a7bb2d6fb=" "]I will have a 7' Fiamma auning put onto the driver side for shade.[/quote:4a7bb2d6fb]

Cool stuff.

One thing though: would it not make more sense to put the shade on the passenger side, where there's no annoying steering wheel in the way?

That'd definitely open it up. I think in the product photos of "hanging out in the dorm room on wheels" Honda typically shows the passenger side.

The basket, the bike mounts etc. are all cool. But I'm waiting for those shade pics! Preferably also involving a grill or fishing pole, and your feet up on a cooler!

-brendan

 

[PaddleMe]

Don't know if its a good pic, but here's a shot of my Thule setup. With the interior capabilities of the E, the only thing I need a roof rack for is kayaks. I chose Thule because of the kayak stackers; in fact, the bars and stackers are from my old rig. Quite frankly, for whitewater boats, the Yakima stackers leave a lot to be desired. Beyond that, I've read good things about the Yakima fit kits for the E. This setup has 65" bars, and Yakima paddle mounts on the very ends. Hauls 4 whitewater boats and 4 paddles. And yes, I know my E needs a bath. :lol:

I did post something a while back regarding my lack of satisfaction with the Thule tower system. While I still maintain that there are better designs than the clip on system with its adjustment screw, it has held up fine after a couple trips to the river with boats on top (a few hundred highway miles total).

Mike

 

[SeattleE]

The only issue with those track systems is that Sportsrack will not certify them for the full 150 lbs that the rack can hold. Only 75! This is because the roof material on the E is rather flimsy to attach the rack to.
I had the same tracks on my pickup canopy and when I went to sportsrack looking for options for the E, this is what the manager told me...

There are some pics of my set up mixed in here:

http://www.jessekelber.com/pics/Bend/index.htm

Ive got plenty more...ask if you'd like to see them...

peace -
jesse

 

[brendan]

[quote:b18d0f4550=" "]The only issue with those track systems is that Sportsrack will not certify them for the full 150 lbs that the rack can hold. Only 75! This is because the roof material on the E is rather flimsy to attach the rack to.[/quote:b18d0f4550]

How do the tracks attach???

-brendan

 

[SeattleE]

They're just bolted right into the roof. There's no stabilization under the roof material at all. Go out and push down on your Es roof right in the middle...it just bows under even one hand pushing on it. This leads to torsion stress when you have an uneven load on your rack...hence Sportsrack's hesitation.

jesse

 

[brendan]

So, to install them, you have to remove the headliner? That's crazy!

-brendan

 

[SeattleE]

There's no need to remove the headliner...they use self tapping screws...

jesse

 

[brendan]

Wait, so there's no nut on the other side of the roof either? That's crazy!

-brendan

 

[paulj]

Yakima (and Thule?) prefers to use Plusnuts, which they describe as:
"A Plusnet is a 'blind' fastener that, once installed, provides a threaded screw hole in sheet metal. It works a lot like a molly bolt in sheet rock, only much stronger and is made of stainless steel... We recommend them .. to avoid having to remove a vehicle's headliner ..." (from the FAQ for their Tracks).

Years ago I installed their artificial raingutters on the roof of my pickup. That was before they used Plusnets. I loosened the headliner, and shoved it to one side so I could install the nuts on the underside - except for one corner where bracing required the use of sheetmetal screws. Removing the headliner is not something I'd readily do, though the large rear door on the Element may make that job a bit easier.

An alternative is to mount something under the roof garnish. I've seen two references to doing this:
- the extended roof basket that is (was?) on sale on Ebay uses added mounting points welded to the roof near the tailgate. The garnish needs to be trimmed to access these points.
- the stock mounting points on Coastline-of-the-world's Element were rewelded. I believe there was mention of removing the headliner in that case.

paulj

 

[brendan]

[quote:217e2b02c9=" "]Yakima (and Thule?) prefers to use Plusnuts, which they describe as:
"A Plusnet is a 'blind' fastener that, once installed, provides a threaded screw hole in sheet metal. It works a lot like a molly bolt in sheet rock, only much stronger and is made of stainless steel... We recommend them .. to avoid having to remove a vehicle's headliner ..." (from the FAQ for their Tracks).
[/quote:217e2b02c9]

Thanks paul. I googled plusnut. As they say, sometimes a picture is worth 100 words:

Now I understand.

-brendan

 

[jays0n]

Just got finished adjusting everything to fit yesterday, I have the Thule racks with 65" bars, two sets of the Roller Coasters, two sets of saddles, and two RockyMounts long tray bike carriers. It's amazing but everything fits. I am very impressed with the Rockymounts and highly suggest them to anyone that would consider buying the Thule or Yakima versions. These are powder coated instead of painted, made to fit Thule and Yakima bars and come with a lock cylinder for $50 instead of the $125 for the big brand names, which are known to rust after about 1 season. If anyone has any questions, let me know, here's a pic of everything loaded up, the kayaks are 14' FYI.

 

[snowshoe]

Very nice looking set up! Now...don't forget the bow/stern tie down straps! :!: