Roof Rack Perference: THULE or YAKIMA??
08-12-2007, 05:05 PM
#11
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Thule for sure!!
<center><img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/56558/audiworldwintersig1.jpg"></center><p>Thule rack systems don't have all the cheap rubber parts that the yakima system have. of course its just my opinion but i just feel like the Thule systems look a lot better on our cars!
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/56558/lower3.jpg">
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/56558/lower3.jpg">
08-12-2007, 05:22 PM
#12
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Thule all the way. I have put on hundreds of both, i hate Yakima.........
B5 CARS CAN ONLY HOLD 100LBS ON THE ROOF!!! THAT INCLUDES THE RACK!! Im sure people do more, but I do this alot. I sell and put on both Thule and Yakima on a daily basis. Did two today actually, one of each. I manage a ski/bike shop. Racks take up a good chunk of my day. I like Thule products across the board. I hear its a big east coast/ west coast thing. I live in CT, Thule US headquarters is in CT. I get my parts from them the next day vs. a week. I find them much easier to peice together and install on the car. Yakima tends to come with a thousand peices and you dont need half of them for the car you have. Yakima "Q towers" is what you would need. Part of them is pastic and if you set it up too tight it cracks and you need a whole new set, done that a few times. Thule 400XT is solid and the only bitch with those is lining up a threaded tightening bolt kinda thing.(you would know it if you saw it) Both set-ups you really only have to set up the first time. After that its a pop on pop off thing. Thule makes the OEM Audi/VW racks and many VW/Audis have mounting points for Thule racks built into the frame. (dont think the B5's do though) I tell people if they own a Euro buy the Thule (from Sweden). If you drive an monster truck american SUV buy yakima. Basically its round bar or square bar. Its all the same ****, Ive just had many more "shoot me in the face" moments with yakima. They both have great web sites, I find the Thule one a bit easier to use. Unless people ask for yakima, i always sell Thule.
I can help anyone with any parts or install questions. Ive put them on almost any car you see on the road.
Side note: I would never put a rack on my A4. If you care about your paint job, dont put one on. If you care about gas mileage, dont put one on.(fairings do nothing but kill noise) IMO, if you dont want to ruin the looks of your car, dont put one on. I would get a beater subi wagon or if I had enough loot, an allroad or Q7. Dont put a rack on a sports car. Just because a 911 turbo has AWD, doesnt mean it should be your ski car. When I go snowboarding I either dont drive or keep it to 3 people and use the 60/40 split. Problem solved, and free. Bikes and boats, you are out of luck. That 100lbs comes quick, I refuse to do it. You want a family wagon to do family stuff, you got the wrong car, sorry.
I can help anyone with any parts or install questions. Ive put them on almost any car you see on the road.
Side note: I would never put a rack on my A4. If you care about your paint job, dont put one on. If you care about gas mileage, dont put one on.(fairings do nothing but kill noise) IMO, if you dont want to ruin the looks of your car, dont put one on. I would get a beater subi wagon or if I had enough loot, an allroad or Q7. Dont put a rack on a sports car. Just because a 911 turbo has AWD, doesnt mean it should be your ski car. When I go snowboarding I either dont drive or keep it to 3 people and use the 60/40 split. Problem solved, and free. Bikes and boats, you are out of luck. That 100lbs comes quick, I refuse to do it. You want a family wagon to do family stuff, you got the wrong car, sorry.
08-13-2007, 04:57 AM
#15
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I have 2 sets of Volvo cross bars which are made by Thule, 1 for the
Audi which has the Yakima bike rack on it and the other for the Volvo XC which has the cargo box. They were less than half the price of the Thule so I could not resist.
08-13-2007, 06:25 AM
#18
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Did you see his car? I dont think a track-ready A4 should be hauling stuff on the roof....
He does not have an actual wagon. The B5 A4 sedan is not big. The wagons come with the side rails, which can hold much more weight. Looking at his car, I would not ruin it with a rack, an no I dont believe any A4 sedan should ever have a rack. The B5 sedan has the lowest load rating of any car, no car goes below 100lbs. Its the car itself, not the company rack you use.
get a wagon.
get a wagon.
08-13-2007, 06:28 AM
#19
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GOOD LUCK WITH THAT!!!! Its the car that has the 100lb limit not the rack....
You may have lucked out, might want to read the fine print. Prob says can hold up to 300lbs (on other cars), not on a B5 sedan. I would look again. I do this alot. Ive seen some bad sh*t happen.
08-13-2007, 06:35 AM
#20
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All oem racks are THULE. Its a rapid rail, 400xtr, and the fit kit sold with audi logos.....
Its not made somewhere special. They may have told you that. Thule makes most of the stuff in Sweden regardless. All boxes are made in Chicago. Most of the hard bits come from Sweden, bars, feet/towers, fit kits. Many of the add-ons are made in the US, ski, bike, boat holders. Its all the same stuff, just what parts come in the kit. Volvo bars are thule bars, vw/audi rack is thule. All the parts are the same and obviously interchange.