Universal Rack Placement

[jetblackink]

So I was installing my Sportrack universal rack last night and the measurements for anchor points and distance did not seem right at all. Going by their measurements, with my roof line, the front crossbar sits about 1.5 inches lower than the rear so anything on the rack would be sloping drastically. (1.5 inches over a 12 foot span would be about 10 inches). Therefore I moved both bars about 4 inches towards the rear and they're a lot closer to being on the same plane. The center to center distance between the 2 bars is supposed to be 19.75 inches which seems awful close to me. Just for the heck of it I looked at Thule instructions for their universal rack on my car and the anchor points they use are similar to what I ended up using and the center to center distance is 24.5 inches. Should I spread the bars apart more or am I playing with fire by making my own rules? Any thoughts?

[Mark]

You post got me curious so I measured the distance between the crossbars on my Sienna van. They are 33 inches apart. They are also adjustable. The actual tie-down points are slightly within the cross bars making my tied down points about 30 inches apart. I center either a 13 foot Hobie Revo or a 12 foot Jackson Coosa on this rack with no problem and no bow or stern tie downs. I use foam rubber kayak/canoe cushions on the cross bars to seat the boat.

I believe a wider base than what you're planning would be preferable but you can see what has been working for me. Ultimately, I think the space between tie down points is most critical.

Also, if you're going to have a slope, I think the fact that it's lower in the front would be better than if the situation were reversed.

Lastly, on one occasion last year I heard a pop on the roof. I pulled over and did a quick inspection and saw nothing immediately wrong.

I drove another 15 miles to my launch point and only then noticed that the rear tie-down had popped from the rail. It was draped loosely over the back of the boat. The front strap alone held the boat secure going 50 to 60 mph on Route 2. I was very fortunate.

[lovett88]

I have the same rack on my yaris 4 door and it even has a spread of 30" between the 2 bars....19.5 seems a little short. What kinda car do you have?

[jetblackink]

Mazdaspeed 6. Definitely bigger than the yaris

[lovett88]

Yeah something about that just sounds odd, everything on my fit guide for mazda from bar to bar was over 25" I would call the customer care line see what they say. 800-238-2388

[jetblackink]

Thanks

[mweber02]

Ive never used a rack system on a car, but I dont think I would want my SUV crossbars less than 24" apart.

[EMSer]

I would go to the Thule website and go through the Fitguide for your vehicle, then find the install instructions for that configuration. They should list the minimum bar spread for you car. Sportback is owned by Thule and the info should be similar. 19.5 inch spread is far from ideal.