| Look Ma, no clamps
- Click HERE for Original Thread
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| ardvarkus |
Thought I'd post a few pics on how to mount the Thule (or Acura) ski rack to the factory rack.
Here is the end result- nice, clean, no clamps around the bars, all fittings are inside the ski rack so they are locked up when the ski rack is closed and locked |
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| ardvarkus |
| So, here's how you start. Use a screwdriver to pop off the end caps from the factory rack |
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| ardvarkus |
| You push in with the screwdriver and pust the cap up vertically. This uncovers the slot that runs in the cross member. There is a rubber strip in the slot that gets removed |
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| ardvarkus |
| Strip coming out |
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| ardvarkus |
Then you slide in the square head bolt.
What square head bolt, you say?
This is in the Thule "VWADAPT" kit. (Actually, I made my own and they are a bit longer than the kit.) |
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| ardvarkus |
Put in a second bolt, slide them across, add the spacers (these spacers came with the Thule 725 rack).
If you use the VWADAPT kit (with shorter bolts) you might need to cut the plactic spacers down.
Ready to set the rack down.
Keep in mind that any rack accessory (velovise? 599xt, basket, carrier box) that can mount onto a vertical bolt will work. |
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| ardvarkus |
Just screw down on the finger t-nuts with the Thule rack. All fittings are contained within the rack, so you don't need tamper-resistant fittings and special tools.
(Getting ready for a dump up in Tahoe this week, I'm looking to ski on Friday...:))
Ard |
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| A2MDXer |
ardvarkus,
Thanks for the excellent post. The step-by-step pics really help with the visualization. Enjoy the fresh powder. |
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| Robyjo |
Ardy,
Seeing as how I'm in Rocklin, I figure we're pretty close neighbors. How many bottles of wine would it take to get your help with one of these fittings?? :D
Rob :cool: |
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| kevinhuan |
| if you took out the strip, would water from the rain/snow going inside the base roofrack? |
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| ardvarkus |
Rob-
Send me a PM, I'll see what I can do.
Kevin-
Sure. But if you leave the strip in place the water STILL gets in... The ends are not sealed, so it is open to the atmosphere anyway.
What is the 'base roofrack' anyway? AFAIK, Acura only has one rack.
Really, most of the trim (ie strips on the roof, bumper covers, etc) all allow water behind them.
I suppose you could put the strips back in with holes or cut it to fit between the standoffs, but that is a bit too AR for even me. :)
Ard |
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| zafer |
I bought the Thule 725 kit last night. There were no spacers/standoffs in the box anymore. Checked out thule.com, they changed the kit as of 5/20/2002, and spacers are no longer included :3:
I went ahead and mounted it as seen below. I guess it'll work for now for two pairs of skis laid down individually with all the bindings upward. |
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| ardvarkus |
Call Thule customer service- they'll probably ship you a few NC.
The only drawback is that this configuration WILL scratch the anodizing off the rack on the top- too much flexion.
You could also go to a hardware store and pick uip some black delrin rod- 1" diameter. Cut 1/2" slices (like salami) and drill holes- perfect spacers!
Actually, you will probably need to cut the factor spacers in half since your bolts might be too short for a full spacer.
BTW, I always mount the bindings up anyway- But then again there are usually only 3 of us skiing (and if need be, the kids skiis can fit SIDEWAYS! in the back :))
Nice work- pretty clean install - I like the way you can lock the racks thereby locking access to the nuts that hold it to the car!
Ard |
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| DaleB |
| Very nice install, Ard. Looks much better than those 'angled' clamped on jobs I've seen on MDXs around town. |
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| buhmabee |
Hey ardvarkus and zafer,
Nice jobs on those installs. As well as the pics.
Thank you. |
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| mdxxxx |
| Very Nice install... Good Job zafer and ard!:29: |
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| zafer |
quote:
Originally posted by ardvarkus
Call Thule customer service- they'll probably ship you a few NC.
The only drawback is that this configuration WILL scratch the anodizing off the rack on the top- too much flexion.
* OK, called Thule, they are sending me 4xspacers and 4x7.5cm bolts to use with them; nc :D ! Thanx alot for the advice!!
* Next, I cut two strips of cork board and inserted them in between the MDX and Thule racks, no more direct contact. This should hold till the spacers and bolts arrive. Actually I hope it holds longer `cause I can load and lock in the garage, plenty of clearance to drive in and out.
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| hockeyplayer |
| Uh Zafer...the X looks great...I wonder if the neighbors are starting to wonder why you are snapping so many pictures of your vehicle? |
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| catzx6 |
quote:
Next, I cut two strips of cork board...
Fine idea!! :27: |
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| ardvarkus |
quote:
Originally posted by DaleB
Very nice install, Ard. Looks much better than those 'angled' clamped on jobs I've seen on MDXs around town.
Thanks...
Can you believe the post is almost 10 months old! I actually forgot I did it.
Ard |
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| DaleB |
quote:
Originally posted by ardvarkus
Thanks...
Can you believe the post is almost 10 months old! I actually forgot I did it.
Ard
That's what we call a 'seasonal' post. |
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| zafer |
quote:
Originally posted by hockeyplayer
Uh Zafer...the X looks great...I wonder if the neighbors are starting to wonder why you are snapping so many pictures of your vehicle?
Thanx!
The neighbors just bought an Explorer a week before our MDX, and they're snapping pictures of it too. i.e. our MDX :D , not their Explorer. |
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| gordonweb |
Maybe some thick black rubber washers from Home Depot would do the trick. They may look better than the cork board.
I just ordered some Yakima Mighty Mount 29V from Sports Rack (free shipping and AAA discount) to attach my Yakima ski racks. Can't wait to get them. But got a call from them warning me that they don't officially fit so it may void my warranty. That's quite alright. I don't think skis will void my warranty. |
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| henry_atwork |
quote:
Originally posted by zafer
Thanx!
The neighbors just bought an Explorer a week before our MDX, and their snapping pictures of it too. i.e. our MDX :D , not their Explorer.
:21:
once the weather clears up here in the bay area i'll be going to test drive an explorer so i can get the $75 debit card from Ford to buy accessories for my MDX! :2:
-henry |
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| zafer |
quote:
Originally posted by ardvarkus
Call Thule customer service- they'll probably ship you a few NC.
The spacers and 7.5cm bolts arrived from Thule yesterday. Out with the cork board, in goes the spacers, and now we need ear plugs, stereo can't suppress whistling noise :3: when going 25mph+. With the cork board in between, there was no added noise, even with skies loaded. So off came the ski racks till the weekend. I hope with the skies loaded, the airflow will change to avoid any whistling, can't take 6hrs of that :mad: |
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| zafer |
| I'm back to using cork-board so the ski rack is flush to the MDX's rack. With the spacers, there is a very annoying constant whistle noise, almost at all speeds. |
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| ardvarkus |
quote:
Originally posted by zafer
I'm back to using cork-board so the ski rack is flush to the MDX's rack. With the spacers, there is a very annoying constant whistle noise, almost at all speeds.
I can't imagine skis 'quieting things down'... When I add the skis it is noisier- also, since it only takes 3-4 minutes, I always remove the ski rack when I don't have skiis to haul-
Ard |
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| zafer |
quote:
Originally posted by ardvarkus
I can't imagine skis 'quieting things down'... When I add the skis it is noisier- also, since it only takes 3-4 minutes, I always remove the ski rack when I don't have skiis to haul-
Ard
The whistle noise is with or without the skis, just the rack with the spacers causes it. |
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| ardvarkus |
quote:
Originally posted by zafer
The whistle noise is with or without the skis, just the rack with the spacers causes it.
Yes, I know- it is worse with skis on mine. I was responding to your post a few up:
I hope with the skies loaded, the airflow will change to avoid any whistling, can't take 6hrs of that
My comment is that the skis don't help. At least with my MDX and my skis.... :)
With the racks 'lower' using the cork spacers, is it silent with your skis mounted?
Ard |
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| mhiggins |
quote:
Originally posted by zafer
* OK, called Thule, they are sending me 4xspacers and 4x7.5cm bolts to use with them; nc :D ! Thanx alot for the advice!!
Hi Zafer-
Were the longer bolts the same as the originals? By that I mean were they the square heads?
I got the spacers and some longer bolts but the bolts need washers to fit; the washers aren't square but rectangular. I would feel more confident of their holding power if they were the square heads.
Thanks in advance! |
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| zafer |
quote:
Originally posted by mhiggins
Were the longer bolts the same as the originals? By that I mean were they the square heads?
Yes, their heads were the same as the originals, but neither had square heads. Round head with a square protrusion before the threaded part. Rectangular washers with square holes fit there, then into the rack grove. Want photos? |
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| mhiggins |
Here is what I have:
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| zafer |
quote:
Originally posted by mhiggins
Here is what I have:
Exactly. |
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| mhiggins |
Any issues with these washers? I wish they were a bit thicker and square rather than rectangular.
The bolts that come with the VWADAPT kit seem much more substantial (although too small); they are one-piece similar to the ones ardvarkus made himself. |
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| zafer |
quote:
Originally posted by mhiggins
Any issues with these washers? I wish they were a bit thicker and square rather than rectangular.
I haven't had a problem with them, seem to work fine. I think their shape and size are fine. If they were square, they would have to be square off the shorter side to fit in the grove, thus smaller. The screw heads are larger than the grove, so the washers are not the only thing keeping the racks down. What issue/worry do you have?
(ps. what XP PowerToy did you use to make those neat slide shows on your web page? seems like its something really simple, like what I'm looking for) |
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| mhiggins |
quote:
Originally posted by zafer
I haven't had a problem with them, seem to work fine. I think their shape and size are fine. If they were square, they would have to be square off the shorter side to fit in the grove, thus smaller. The screw heads are larger than the grove, so the washers are not the only thing keeping the racks down. What issue/worry do you have?
(ps. what XP PowerToy did you use to make those neat slide shows on your web page? seems like its something really simple, like what I'm looking for)
They just don't seem as sturdy as the 1-piece, squarehead kind. Want to make sure they'll do the trick w/ a couple of snowboards attached.
PS The slide show generator is available here:
XP Powertoys
Get the HTML Slideshow generator. It isn't perfect but it's quick & easy. |
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| mhiggins |
Well,
I finally had a chance to use the new setup as I took advantage of the late season dump up in Tahoe this weekend. The whistle noise Zafer mentioned is real and painful! Matched with a 2 & 4 yr old in the car, and a road closure on I80 for 2 hours, and an arrival time in Tahoe at 3 AM; I knew I couldn't take 4+ hours of that whistling on the ride home.
My solution (warning: hack). I stopped in to a grocery store as we were leaving and dropped 99 cents on some black electrical tape. I wrapped it 3X from spacer to spacer to block the gap between the rack and the board holder and it worked like a charm. Didn't look too bad, either, but I didn't care about that so much. |
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| ggalvan |
Ardvarkus you don't have to go to all that trouble to mount the Thule Ski Racks. I have the six pair pull out Ski racks from Thule which are "sweet".:29: You use the fat mouth (FM-1) clamps are breeeze to snap on to the factory rack. :25:
As with wind noise, with any ski rack it get noisy. The Thules do not whistle but do have a pronounced sound when going fast and also the gas mileage goes down a bit. The factory ski racks are just horrible:14: for wind noise. They whistle and are not as functional as the Thule pull outs.
Since the ski season is just about over with I removed the racks yesterday and it was breeze. 5 minutes. Now its a lot quieter.
:6: Thule Pull out Ski Racks with FM-1 Clamps |
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| norcalchuck |
quote:
Originally posted by ardvarkus
Nice work- pretty clean install - I like the way you can lock the racks thereby locking access to the nuts that hold it to the car!
Ard
Was looking at alternatives to using my old Yakima rack on the factory rack with clamps, (or using separate Yakima towers as I do now on another car) and came across this thread. One thing lacking on the factory rack versus using Yakima towers and a rack is that you cannot lock the factory rack to the roof. Someone with tools could unbolt the whole rack and be gone with a cargo carrier, cargo box, skis/boards and rack, etc, if you are parked overnight for example, while enroute somewhere. Guess the answer is that locks keep honest people honest and if someone is determined, they will succeed.
I wonder if anyone has ever had the factory rack stolen? |
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| norcalchuck |
quote:
Originally posted by ggalvan
Since the ski season is just about over with I removed the racks yesterday and it was breeze. 5 minutes. Now its a lot quieter.
I have not yet mounted my factory base rack. How much wind-noise is generated by the factory racks themselves? Perhaps I should leave it off until I need them? |
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| ggalvan |
Norcal States
"I have not yet mounted my factory base rack. How much wind-noise is generated by the factory racks themselves? Perhaps I should leave it off until I need them?"
The base factory rack is not noticeable at all when it comes to wind noise. You may want to position the base racks at a optimum position for least of amount of wind noise ,if any.
The problem with the wind noise is when mounting the factory ski racks on to the base racks which is quite horrible. :3: They whistle and are extremely annoying. The after market pull out Thules are nice and are not as noisy. Remarkable improvement. :29: |
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| norcalchuck |
quote:
Originally posted by ggalvan
Norcal States
"I have not yet mounted my factory base rack. How much wind-noise is generated by the factory racks themselves? Perhaps I should leave it off until I need them?"
The base factory rack is not noticeable at all when it comes to wind noise. You may want to position the base racks at a optimum position for least of amount of wind noise ,if any.
The problem with the wind noise is when mounting the factory ski racks on to the base racks which is quite horrible. :3: They whistle and are extremely annoying. The after market pull out Thules are nice and are not as noisy. Remarkable improvement. :29:
I think I will give a try with the Yakima Mighty Mount clamps, to mound my Yakima ski rack attachment to the factory cross bars. The think I liked about using Yakima towers on a Mercedes I had was that the entire set-up locks to the roof. Someone could unbolt the factory rack and make off with skis, cargo carrier, etc, if they were determined. However, I suppose locks just keep honest people honest and a determined thief will succeed. Wonder if anyone ever heard of someone simply unbolting the factory rack assembly while the vehicle was, for instance, parked overnight while on a road trip. |
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| ardvarkus |
quote:
Originally posted by norcalchuck
However, I suppose locks just keep honest people honest and a determined thief will succeed. Wonder if anyone ever heard of someone simply unbolting the factory rack assembly while the vehicle was, for instance, parked overnight while on a road trip.
If I recall, the factory rack mounts with either hex driver or Torx heads... not quite standard fare-
Of course, a battery powered Sawzall would take ANY rack off!
Or better still, a crowbar on those silling gutter/door sill mounted towers will pry them off.
(Kind of like worring about picking the door lock on a house when a simple whap with a brick will open the pane above!)
Ard
PS I'd never leave valuables out on the roof overnigh, unless it was my driveway! |
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| norcalchuck |
quote:
Originally posted by ardvarkus
If I recall, the factory rack mounts with either hex driver or Torx heads... not quite standard fare-
Of course, a battery powered Sawzall would take ANY rack off!
Or better still, a crowbar on those silling gutter/door sill mounted towers will pry them off.
(Kind of like worring about picking the door lock on a house when a simple whap with a brick will open the pane above!)
Ard
PS I'd never leave valuables out on the roof overnigh, unless it was my driveway!
Good points. It is a #30 torx bolt. What does one do on a road trip? Can't take all the stuff into a motel room. Guess there are risks in everything. One of my gripes with the SUV is that you don't have a secure (relatively) trunk. My Mercedes trunk had a deadbolt that was part of the lock. One thing I use to stop the quick thief is bicycle cable locks through luggage handles and through the tie downs. That would stop a quick grab.
Saw a very clever security device at the outdoors store today, by a company called PacSafe. They are these metal web/mesh devices (of different sizes) that you wrap luggage in and lock. They roll up and pack in their own little compact case when not in use. Would require a thief to have a wire cutter and not just a knife. Great for single travelers at the airport or elsewhere--I've traveled all over the world by myself---logistically it was always a hassle worrying about luggage or duffel when making a quick trip to the can. |
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| ggalvan |
"Saw a very clever security device at the outdoors store today, by a company called PacSafe."
This is another retractable cable ski lock that is similar to mine. It has a combo lock with tools and is small and handy. Always take it with me out in the slopes. Do not want to leave skis unlocked espeacially the new pocket rockets at the slopes.
With this cable you'll a three level protection.
1. Standard Ski lock on the ski racks.
2. With cable lock it secures between the base rack and ski rack.
3. With the cable lock combo inside the window of the car and cable into the racks thats a 3 level security.
:behead: Thieves watch out.
Here's the link http://store.yahoo.com/snowshack/kr...actor-lock.html
:6: Retractable cable locks for skis and racks. |
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| norcalchuck |
quote:
Originally posted by ardvarkus
You push in with the screwdriver and pust the cap up vertically. This uncovers the slot that runs in the cross member. There is a rubber strip in the slot that gets removed
I just installed the factory racks and did not seet a rubber strip protecting the slot for the cover release, that you refer to. Makes sense--should keep gunk out from under the cover. I wonder if they were omitted from my hardware? Maybe others could look at their rack and see if there is a little rubber plug over that slot on each mount. If so, will get some from the dealer. Thanks. |
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| ardvarkus |
The rubber strip is pictured in the photo immediately following the one you quoted.
There is no strip or cover for the 'screwdriver hole'...just a long strip across the top of the rack (ie the width of the roof)
A |
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| norcalchuck |
| OK. Thanks. I misread it as indicating the access slot for the clip in the mount was covered (which would make sense to keep it dry(er). |
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| perk |
Since we're fast approaching ski season, I thought it might be good to hit this forum again.
In reply to several of the earlier posts, I have to note the following. Although I'm not fond of the look of the Acura factory ski rack, I certainly like the low cost. Several folks noted that the Yakima whistles and that the factory rack makes lots of noise. I have to disagree with that statement regarding the factory rack. I've used it several times on trips and didn't note a great deal of noise. It may be that the extra sound-proofing in the '03 fixed the problem others are seeing. Either way, even with 4 sets of skis in the rack, I didn't notice much extra noise with the Acura rack.
I had been thinking of getting a Thule fat mouth because of the easier loading and unloading with the sliding bar, but after the earlier posts on extra noise, I might skip that option altogether. Anyone else have an '03 with a Thule fat mouth installed? I'd like to know if it really is that noisy. |
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| bob_weather |
I had a set of Yakima 6 ski Powder Hounds that couldn't be mounted on the MDX factory racks because of the rack's width. I've dreamt up some pretty wacky solutions with custom made interfaces including the use of Thule fat Mouth Clamps so that I wouldnt' have to spend more money.
I finally decided to just buy a new set of Thule flat 6 ski attachments with Fat Mouth clamps just because of time contraints.
It is frustrating for me that Yakima doesn't make a factory attachment for the MDX factory roof rack and that Acura made the MDX roof rack completely different from all other factory roof racks on other cars/suvs, etc.
Just to note though... the only way I could have used Yakima equipment to attach the Yakima Power Hounds was to buy a Yakima Road Warrior basket, which has wide mouth clamps, and attach the Powder Hounds to the basket bars.
I haven't installed the Thule Fat Mouth Clamps and would be interested in knowing if they are loud or not.
Also, if anyone out there knows a method of attaching the Yakima Powder Hounds to the MDX factory racks... I'd be most interested.
Bob |
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| ggalvan |
This is my second season with these ski racks and there fine. Lot more quieter than the stock ski racks from Acura. 75+ MPH then you'll may start to hear the windnoise and maybe some cop sirens. 75 and below its not really noticeable.
I guess the further back you set the crossbars on the rack the less wind noise you will hear when you attach the Thule ski racks.
The pull out functionality of the Thule ski rack is worth it. Skis are a breeze to attach and to take off. I wouldn't advise any other setup but this one. Good Luck.
:29: |
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| nhatman |
i also have the yakima powderhound rack. it took me a while to figure out a low cost solution to mounting it on my factory rack but i finally got it.
instead of the t-bolts from the thule rack used in the beginning of this thread, you can use carriage bolts (5/16"). and since the bolts stick up vertically and the yakima bolt attachment is horizontal, i found a "U" shaped bracket that will mount to the factory rack and to the yakima rack. the only mod i had to do was to drill a hole in the bracket.
not sure if i'm explaining this well, but if anybody is interested in pictures, just let me know and i can post them. |
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| TheyCallMeBruce |
quote:
Originally posted by bob_weather
I had a set of Yakima 6 ski Powder Hounds that couldn't be mounted on the MDX factory racks because of the rack's width. I've dreamt up some pretty wacky solutions with custom made interfaces including the use of Thule fat Mouth Clamps so that I wouldnt' have to spend more money.
I finally decided to just buy a new set of Thule flat 6 ski attachments with Fat Mouth clamps just because of time contraints.
It is frustrating for me that Yakima doesn't make a factory attachment for the MDX factory roof rack and that Acura made the MDX roof rack completely different from all other factory roof racks on other cars/suvs, etc.
Just to note though... the only way I could have used Yakima equipment to attach the Yakima Power Hounds was to buy a Yakima Road Warrior basket, which has wide mouth clamps, and attach the Powder Hounds to the basket bars.
I haven't installed the Thule Fat Mouth Clamps and would be interested in knowing if they are loud or not.
Also, if anyone out there knows a method of attaching the Yakima Powder Hounds to the MDX factory racks... I'd be most interested.
Bob
For the benefit of people still needing to convert Powder Hounds to MDX OEM racks, it is also possible to order just the universal clamps from Yakima from their friendly and helpful spart parts department (see their website for ph#). You will still have to modify the clamps to fit the ski attachments, but its not necessary to buy a whole accessory just to obtain the clamps. As it is, I still prefer my full length rails because I can use the full line up of both Yakima equipment and accessory attachments designed for the universal Ford aero crossbars. Came in handy when moving 4x8 boards when I needed both the yakima & the Ford crossbars to provide a complete flat and level 4-bar support, preventing any sagging effects. (got a pic of this in one of the other threads, search 4x8) |
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| Dick at Incline |
quote:
Originally posted by gordonweb
I just ordered some Yakima Mighty Mount 29V from Sports Rack (free shipping and AAA discount) to attach my Yakima ski racks. Can't wait to get them. But got a call from them warning me that they don't officially fit so it may void my warranty. That's quite alright. I don't think skis will void my warranty.
I am interested in using the 29V if they fit. I checked with Yakima and they still don't list any Mighty Mounts for the MDX. Does anyone know if the 29V will fit on the '03 Rack? |
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| Dick at Incline |
quote:
Originally posted by gordonweb
Maybe some thick black rubber washers from Home Depot would do the trick. They may look better than the cork board.
I just ordered some Yakima Mighty Mount 29V from Sports Rack (free shipping and AAA discount) to attach my Yakima ski racks. Can't wait to get them. But got a call from them warning me that they don't officially fit so it may void my warranty. That's quite alright. I don't think skis will void my warranty.
I am very interested to find out if the "Mighty Mount 29V" will work on the MDX. I have the Yakima Ski Rack and this would simplify the installation a lot. |
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| 2003mdxdriver |
| I tried the 29V mighty mounts on my 2003 MDX and I was never happy with the fit. I purchased some pipe foam to take up the extra space, but the mighty mount just wouldn't fit very well. It was too much of a pain to get the mighty mount mounted every time I wanted to go skiing. |
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| stanmanh |
I found that after I put on the ski rack WITHOUT the weather stripping I had a loud wind noise/whistle sound. Very irritating!!! I tried using tape (blue tape-painters tape) and covered the open ridges. The noise disappeared!!! So I guess I'm heading to the Acura dealer to purchase extra weather stripping and cut it to the exact spacing of the groove w/ the ski rack on.
I thought that some of the members will find this tip helpful. |
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