immeadows

New scion xd as of last Friday and I love it ! But, I need a roof rack for kayaks, bikes, and 2x4's. Has anyone used the clamp-on type (eg yakima and thule models)? Do they scratch the car? Do they clamp easily? Any problems ie, fitting within the door frame?

Also, has anyone used racks other than the clamp-on type? Success??

Thanks for the help!

mcbrew

I used the Thule with the Aero bars. It worked great. The new models are super easy, as they have a tool inside each foot to tighten them on. The only thing you have to do is measure from the top of the windshield back to where the first foot goes, then measu from that foot back to the next one. I ended up using a sharpie to put a dot on either side of where the clamp sat in the door opening so that I could reinstall them without measuring.

I might recommend the regular bars rather than the Aero bars, since you often need adapters to make things fit onto the Aero bars. I recommend Thule over Yakima because you can tighten accessories onto the square Thule bars better than you can on the round Yakima bars.

immeadows

THanks! So, you don't have problems on the Scion with the racks scratching the car? Do the doors still shut tight with the racks on? I'm assuming this is on your xd and not the subaru, right?

Thanks!