Roof Rack

[Adrian]

Just got my car back and the racks look good. They said the towers that fit are readily available at any Yakima dealer. Yay! The Yakima website will be updated by tomorrow with the specifics.
Let me know if you want any more information.
I can take a pic in a couple of hours when I get home.

I'd be curious how much range is lost due to roof racks. Let us know once you drive around with them for a few days. If it's less than 5 miles per full charge, I'd be interested.

 

[dyhopper]

I posted a couple of pics of the LEAF with the Yak Racks.
https://picasaweb.google.com/dyhopper/LEAF?authkey=Gv1sRgCMW6xdeojOG4oQE#

I definitely noticed the increased noise on my way home from work, and that was before I had the bike (or even the bike tray) on there.

 

[mwalsh]

I definitely noticed the increased noise on my way home from work, and that was before I had the bike (or even the bike tray) on there.

Don't they have wind deflectors/spoilers for that?

 

[hodad66]

he has one in the pics.....

 

[mwalsh]

he has one in the pics.....

Oh, yeah. I guess looking at the pics first might have been a good idea. Huh? Blame it on the wine (Friday night for me!)

 

[h82work]

My car is at Yakima right now being measured. He said that there is a good chance that some existing towers and clips will fit, in which case there will be an official fit very soon. If they have to manufacture something new it will obviously take a bit more time. I'll have more info this afternoon.

YAY!! Thanks for being so pro-active and for keeping us all informed!
Going surfing tomorrow, and have to swap cars with my hubby so I can get my giant board to the beach. :-(
C'mon Yakima!!

Thanks so much, that's great news! Thanks for doing this!!!

 

[Spaz]

Folks who put racks on the Prius without properly locating them found the roof dented pretty easily.

The LEAF definitely will.....I just was just able to dimple the roof cleaning bird poop off it (don't worry, it popped right back out)!

Hhhmmm... hope Yakima will provide guidance on the "proper location". I want EXACT measurements!

 

[Spaz]

BTW - Yakima's site is already updated!

 

[sproqitman]

Hhhmmm... hope Yakima will provide guidance on the "proper location". I want EXACT measurements!

Actually, that's what we've been waiting on. Yakima only has a couple of different towers and a small number of mounting feet. The customization is in setting the width between the crossbars and the width between the towers, along with the distance from the top of the windshield to the first set of towers. Those measurements will be in the installation instructions.

 

[Electric4Me]

I just got this update email from Yakima:

From: Yakima <[email protected]>
Sent: Thu, April 14, 2011 1:12:04 PM
Subject: Fit Update from Yakima

Great news, Yakima Products now has a fit for your vehicle! That means that all your toys that have been longing to be back out in the fresh air since you got that new vehicle will soon be back on the trail, slopes or open road.

Here is your fit information:

Vehicle: NISSAN Leaf
Year Range: 2011-2011 Fit Type: Top
Factory Rack: Naked Roof Weight Limit: 125
Tower/Attachment: Q Towers Required Accessory: None
Crossbar Length: 48" CrossBars Recommended Fairing: 44" Fairing
Front Clips/Landing Pads: Q116 Rear Clips/Landing Pads: Q116

Notes
82. Any load extending over the leading edge of the windshield (except luggage boxes) must be secured to both the front and rear of the vehicle, in addition to the rack.
114. Check clips after installing. Grab each clip and try to pull them hard away from your vehicle, twice. If the clip moves after the second pull, tighten the adjustment post. If the clip still moves after the second pull, recheck your measurements between the towers and adjust if necessary. Check clip again.
132. Any load/mount extending beyond the rear hatch seam may cause interference.
144. Roof-mounted antenna may need to be removed to prevent interference with long loads, boxes.
161. Maximum allowable weight load is 125 lbs.
180. This fit requires the use of current generation Q-Tower (4 Pack PN 8000124 or 2 Pack PN 8000135). Contact your local dealer if you have questions or call Consumer Service at 888-925-4621, Option 2, from 7am-5pm Pacific Time M-F.
187. Boa bike mount will not work due to crossbar spread limitations.
191. StrapThang limited to 2 surfboards. Boards must be stacked - DO NOT carry side-by-side.
197. Foam blocks limit capacity to one boat per vehicle.

If you would like to choose your system with all your bells and whistles you can click here to be taken to our Rack Configurator. If you all you need is the base rack and you're ready to buy you can click here to find a dealer in your area as well as some online dealers. Thanks for your patience, now get out there and play!

 

[LakeLeaf]

I posted a couple of pics of the LEAF with the Yak Racks.
https://picasaweb.google.com/dyhopper/LEAF?authkey=Gv1sRgCMW6xdeojOG4oQE#

I definitely noticed the increased noise on my way home from work, and that was before I had the bike (or even the bike tray) on there.

It looks a bit tough to pedal that bike!

 

[dyhopper]

It looks a bit tough to pedal that bike!

I knew someone would comment on that. Truth is, my road bike is so filthy I was embarassed to put it up there for a picture. The neglected TT bike got the call up, even without pedals or a rear tire.

I also think I want to retract my comment about the rack being noisy. My wife told me she couldn't hear any difference, and her hearing is much better than mine. It might make a little noise if you listen closely, but it's nothing to worry about.

 

[TRONZ]

Thanks for the pics. I now know exactly what our silver LEAF would look like. Thank You.

 

[Kataphn]

I talked to Yakima today and ordered the clips for the LEAF. Thankfully, they said my old Q towers bought in 2001 will work so it was about $80 something for the 4 clips. I did ask about the fairing. They said they had discussed it yesterday as a matter of fact and concluded that adding a fairing would increase the drag for the LEAF. The purpose of the fairing is to decrease the noise from a noisy rack which I have never been bothered by so no fairing for me.

 

[jrtozer]

Any idea how much the range is reduced by the crossbars alone and/or when carrying bikes?

 

[smkettner]

The Yakima rack on my truck howls compared to the Thule I had on my previous car.
I wonder if it is pure aerodynamics or if the round bars make more noise?

 

[rpmdk]

Any idea how much the range is reduced by the crossbars alone and/or when carrying bikes?

yeah - I'd really like to know too

 

[DarkStar]

Any idea how much the range is reduced by the crossbars alone and/or when carrying bikes?

yeah - I'd really like to know too

It probably varies wildly, but your not very likely to have the rack on the vehicle unless you're using it...

 

[davewill]

It probably varies wildly, but your not very likely to have the rack on the vehicle unless you're using it...

Taking the racks on and off is a fairly big job, plus every time you do it, you're risking scratches and dents. Most people I know either leave them on all the time, or put them on seasonally.

 

[garypq]

I can't tell you what the roof rack might do, but today I used a Yakima hatch mount to carry 2 bikes. The range on the highway was HAMMERED. I hit the freeway with 100 miles in the "tank" and 10 miles later I as at 51 miles.
Fortunately, when you get to surface streets it doesn't matter, but today I got 60 miles out of a full charge. The 20 miles out and back nicked 40% out of the range.