[Jim_NH]

I know this has been beaten to death, but I just installed a Thule Roof rack system on my Element, and took some pics of the process if anyone is interested.

The installation pics can be found here: http://s193.photobucket.com/albums/z181/Jim_NH/Element Thule Roof Rack/

Honda dealer wanted almost $400 for the factory option installed, so that was out. The choice of Thule over Yakima was due to the fact that my wife already has a Thule system on her Pilot -- so we can share accessories. Also, the bike shop folks said that Thule shipping and support is much better - to the extent that they are planning to drop the Yakima line altogether. Don't know if other stores feel the same.

In general I am OK with how it came out. I like the fact that you can quickly and tool-lessly remove the whole setup. My main criticisms so far are that the trim pieces are black vs. the dark grey of the actual top trim on my Element, and that the trim pieces in the front don't lie flat on the front sides no matter how much I tried to reposition them. The latter may change with a couple of days in the sun. The other criticism is that the little plastic covers they give you to cap the mounts when the risers are not installed don't seem to fit well -- they don't attach with a satisfying "snap" or anything, and I left them off since I am convinced they would fly off the first time I hit the freeway.

You will need the Tracker II 430 riser kit, the Tracker II TK-9 Element Fit Kit, and a set of cross bars (which I already owned). The pics show all the parts and the correct boxes.

Note that the rear brackets (the aluminum channels) mount slightly differently that the fronts - in the rear you use different holes in the aluminum channel to bolt it in so that the trim kit is centered over the larger cut out in the top trim. It looks wrong, but it's not.

Make sure to use the bolts that have the yellow locktite preapplied to them for mounting the aluminum channel to the Element. The bolts without loctite are for the attaching the risers to the aluminum channel.

Jim in NH

 

[woodman]

Why did they bother with the caps?

I too just installed a Thule Roof Rack. I had the same problem with the caps (that go on the risers. I called Thule customer service.....to their credit they are sending me 4 more, but I think it is simply a design flaw.....other than that the install was easy.....

 

[ksabey]

Looks great. I am still in the middle of deciding what rack to get. This helps.

 

[RobfromLI]

what length bars did you guys go with??

 

[woodman]

thule rack

I went with a 50" bar, and the Stacker for hauling a couple of kayaks.

 

[RobfromLI]

i just looked at them, and will get the 58s
i have all the thule attachments i need.

i have a cargo box/ski carrier, and ratchet straps. two bike attachments.

 

[alrightandy]

My main criticisms so far are that the trim pieces are black vs. the dark grey of the actual top trim on my Element,

I bought some gray bumper black paint at the local auto parts store and painted my trim pieces before I installed them. It's not a perfect match but it looks better than the black.

 

[rack_boy]

Can use 50" thule bars but Yakima recommends the longer 58" bars

The Thule 50" bars just make it across the Element roof top to connect to the Thule 430 Feet. Yakima's bars that are 48" are a tad too short and they recommend going with the longer 58 inch bars instead. The longer bars will still look very clean on the Element and do provide more psce to attach gear carriers. Here's a handy Thule Racks and Yakima Racks cross bars general reference.

 

[CancerGuy99]

My main criticisms so far are that the trim pieces are black vs. the dark grey of the actual top trim on my Element, and that the trim pieces in the front don't lie flat on the front sides no matter how much I tried to reposition them. The latter may change with a couple of days in the sun. The other criticism is that the little plastic covers they give you to cap the mounts when the risers are not installed don't seem to fit well -- they don't attach with a satisfying "snap" or anything, and I left them off since I am convinced they would fly off the first time I hit the freeway.

Jim in NH

+1

I already had a Thule system on my truck so it was less expensive to just move it over. I put the caps on the risers for a day before I got the rest of the rack on and they were still there after driving to work and back but I don't think they will last long. I may call cust service to see if they will send me new ones.

I also can't get the trim to lay flat. Did the couple days in the sun do the trick? I was kind of counting on that. If I had to do it over again I might have gotten a Yakima but it only cost me ~$50 to get the rack moved over so I can live with it...

 

[DXBoy]

Caps on Thule

+1

I laready had a Thule system on my truck so it was less expensive to just move it over. I put the caps on the risers for a day before I got the rest of the rack on and they were still there after driving to work and back but I don't think they will last long. I may call cust service to see if they will send me new ones.

I also can't get the trim to lay flat. Did the couple days in the sun do the trick? I was kind of counting on that. If I had to do it over again I might have gotten a Yakima but it only cost me ~$50 to get the rack moved over so I can live with it...

I've been driving for weeks now with the caps on the risers. The caps have stayed in place so far! <Knocks on wood>

 

[woodman]

Thule Caps

I've been driving for weeks now with the caps on the risers. The caps have stayed in place so far! <Knocks on wood>

I installed a Thule rack in June. I too was surprised about the apparent lack of quality of the caps...I called Thule Customer Service...they sent me 4 more @ no cost....they were the same caps.....They sure seem to fit loosely, but they have not fallen off yet....

 

[CancerGuy99]

I installed a Thule rack in June. I too was surprised about the apparent lack of quality of the caps...I called Thule Customer Service...they sent me 4 more @ no cost....they were the same caps.....They sure seem to fit loosely, but they have not fallen off yet....

Maybe they just don't expect people to be taking there racks off that much. The only time I ever took it off my truck was to move it to the E.

 

[holden]

I also have the Thule racks. Does anyone else have small gaps between the black trim of the roof and the black trim of the towers?

 

[Get ShoRty]

Okay guys I too am trying to decide which racks to get. I am leaning towards the Thule as your discussions have helped. However I have yet to see what the Max Load weights for the Thule and the Yakima are. I realize they look better, but are they actually better made and stronger with better adapters?:roll:

 

[islandtime]

I have been using Thule since my '87 Civic SI. I have been very happy with their product.

Click Here for Thule's MAX load limits.


I couldn't link the Yakima page but here are the specs based on my'04 model E.

Fit Notes:
0. Weight Limit: 125
81. Any load extending over the windshield (except luggage boxes) must be secured to both the front and rear of the vehicle, in addition to the rack. The total weight of the racks and loads must not exceed Yakima's weight limit for that vehicle's factory rack.
143. Crossbar spread is fixed.
144. Roof mounted antenna may need to be removed to prevent interference with long loads, boxes.
161. Maximum allowable weight load is 125 lbs.


They are really the same on load capacity. It mainly comes down to price and asking what users of both brands think about the product.

Do not get the new Thule areo bars. My brother in law just returned a set. The bike carriers let the bikes sway side to side as you drove down the road and make terrible noise when no bike was in the rack. Three different local Thule dealers checked to make sure they were installed correctly before the online dealer would take them back.

These areo bars might work great for surfboards, kayaks, etc, but the bike carrier left alot to be desired.

 

[Get ShoRty]

Thanks I think I'll get the Thule model.

 

[Nightmare]

Now I need to buy a Thule roof rack for my E.

 

[elementbryon]

Definately get the 58" load bars. It is a lot easier to load/unload with the extra length. I have had my Thule rack with two sets of kayak saddles for a little over two years and the only complaint is the poorly fitted trim caps. I've had Yakima and Saris racks on previous vehicles and the Thule system has got to be the best. Most of the Thule accessories are compatible with Yakima round bars so a total rack reduex is not always needed. The one thing I would like to try is the Outrigger II. It would make solo loading/unloading a little easier.

 

[acastillo]

Thule roof rack

I installed a Thule roof rack back in September with much of the same results, i.e. rack trim doesn't sit exactly flush with the Element trim. However, I am very pleased with the assembly.

My only complaint was the additional wind noise from the addition of the rack; however, I read somewhere on this forum that a simple fix was to break up the air flow over the rack. So I just tied a bungee cord over the front bar and immediately had a quieter ride.

I am currently waiting for my next addition: a Thule 696 Expedition roof basket.

If anyone is interested, I can take some pics to post here after I put on the basket.

 

[wopap]

I know this has been beaten to death, but I just installed a Thule Roof rack system on my Element, and took some pics of the process if anyone is interested.

The installation pics can be found here: http://s193.photobucket.com/albums/z181/Jim_NH/Element Thule Roof Rack/

Honda dealer wanted almost $400 for the factory option installed, so that was out. The choice of Thule over Yakima was due to the fact that my wife already has a Thule system on her Pilot -- so we can share accessories. Also, the bike shop folks said that Thule shipping and support is much better - to the extent that they are planning to drop the Yakima line altogether. Don't know if other stores feel the same.

In general I am OK with how it came out. I like the fact that you can quickly and tool-lessly remove the whole setup. My main criticisms so far are that the trim pieces are black vs. the dark grey of the actual top trim on my Element, and that the trim pieces in the front don't lie flat on the front sides no matter how much I tried to reposition them. The latter may change with a couple of days in the sun. The other criticism is that the little plastic covers they give you to cap the mounts when the risers are not installed don't seem to fit well -- they don't attach with a satisfying "snap" or anything, and I left them off since I am convinced they would fly off the first time I hit the freeway.

You will need the Tracker II 430 riser kit, the Tracker II TK-9 Element Fit Kit, and a set of cross bars (which I already owned). The pics show all the parts and the correct boxes.

Note that the rear brackets (the aluminum channels) mount slightly differently that the fronts - in the rear you use different holes in the aluminum channel to bolt it in so that the trim kit is centered over the larger cut out in the top trim. It looks wrong, but it's not.

Make sure to use the bolts that have the yellow locktite preapplied to them for mounting the aluminum channel to the Element. The bolts without loctite are for the attaching the risers to the aluminum channel.

Jim in NH

do you mind if i ask how much a new thule roof rack should cost in total? I just priced it out on rack attach and it came out at $355.00 for everything, which seems pretty pricey, at least more than I thought!