Yakima Base Rack on '93 Legacy Wagon

[mentis]

Recently purchased a base rack for my '93 Legacy L wagon, and the attached image is the supposed measurements for my car. I have contacted Yakima support also, but haven't heard anything back.

 

My problem is that the rear bar assembly seems to have an M3 measurement that is too wide and causes the base of the towers to dig into the rain gutters by about an eighth of an inch on each side. I followed the instructions precisely and tower tension is adjusted properly. Seems to me that maybe these measurements might fit a sedan better than a Wagon, but not sure.

 

Anyone else experience this issue? Also, the spacing between the bars is supposed to be 30" and that seems very little. My old '87 wagon had a factory rack that was mounted towards the back of the wagon's roof. Would make more sense to me if this was also mounted or spaced out more evenly on the large amount of space I have on the roof instead of cramming both bars so close to the front.

 

Since I didn't find more info on this here after searching, I hope maybe someone else can shed a little light on the issue. Thanks!

[Legacy777]

I don't have any experience with the bars, but I would agree with you the measurements look like they're setup for a sedan.

 

You may want to inquire on the Legacycentral BBS to see if anyone over there has used these bars and could give you some input.

[mdjdc]

Are you using Q towers or 1A towers. If you have raingutters and are using the 1A towers then you will notice some compression of the rain gutter covers. There is no avoiding it. If you are using the Q towers you can move the towers in or out to get a better purchase on the gutter. You can also spread the bars further apart to suit your needs. I have used these systems many times and you will feel the system very secure when you have them installed properly.

[mentis]

Thanks for your insights guys. I am using Q towers. While I still haven't had any reply from Yakima support, and probably won't get one, I suppose I can change how they're installed.

 

They do warn against "improper installation," but since this is a used rack there's not going to be any warranty issues .

 

Mdjdc, I plan on using the Load Warrior basket with the rack. Would it be better to have the setup towards the front or the back of the roof on a wagon?

[mdjdc]

If you are using the load warrior I would go a bit further to the front rather than all the way back. I have found that using the rack a bit forward gives more even weight distribution and better handling.

[mentis]

Yeah, that makes sense... cool, thank you!