Thule bars on a Legacy wagon

[frag]

Just bought a pair of Thule bars for my 96 Leg Brighton Wagon (bare top, no preinstalled rails).

Want to transport a medium length kayak (11 feet).

The specifications are to position the front bar 33 inches from the top of the windshield and to put the rear one 28 to 31 inches from the front one.

I find that the bars are too far back and too close to each other.

The seller, a Thule and Yakima specialist insists that I should follow the specifications for my car.

What would be the problem of putting the bars more to the front and farther apart?

Anyone has a Legacy with Thule bars? How did you install them?

[montana105]

Mine weren't Thule specific,but i believe it's a ridgitity issue.The racks aren't necessarily designed for a specific application but to encompass a variety of situations.Where are you planning on tie downs?

[Zefy]

The reason they have specific measurements is for safety. They have been tested and approved to be placed on that specific part of the roof.

 

you may not have any problems moving them but it's when you crash and your kayak becomes a projectile you might run into problems.

 

typically it doesn't matter if your bar spread is 24" or 60" when carrying a kayak AS LONG AS you tie it down front and back.

 

If you get into a crash and your roofrack fails due to improper installation than you can be held liable for it.

 

If you really want to maximize your barspread to make it ideal for the kayak i would recommend thule tracker II with TK14's or a track with TK1's.

 

i am a thule and yakima dealer from rackattack. sorry for my rant, i see this WAY to often then have people come in with damaged cars or sob stories about how their stuff is wrecked all because they installed it their own way. There is a reason the instructions are so specific!

[montana105]

Exactly! Thanks Zefy you said it better then I ever could.Isn't the function of the rack more of a weight distibution factor then a tie down point? A kayak would normally be tied at the front and rear of the car instead of to the rack itself?

[frag]

Thanks for your responses. Good info.

I intend to tie the kayak first to the bars themselves and then front and back with Y straps.

I might shift the anchor points a bit but not enough so that it becomes a safety hazard.

Thanks again.

[Zefy]

Exactly! Thanks Zefy you said it better then I ever could.Isn't the function of the rack more of a weight distibution factor then a tie down point? A kayak would normally be tied at the front and rear of the car instead of to the rack itself?

 

yes the front and back straps should be with side to side ones as well...

 

for something like a kayak it really doesn't matter how you distribute the weight as they are so light anyways. it is more of a matter of the thing flying away or sliding out from the straps. this goes for anything sticking out over the windshield.

 

weight distribution is more important with heavy things like lumber or a cargo box but you don't need to go crazy with it. when they say 'evenly distributed' they mean don't have a cargo box with bricks in the back and feathers in the front.

 

now you can run into weight problems with a kayak if you fill the thing up with bags.