Baby Blue A4

I have to go buy a rack for my car today, and Ican't decide whether to get Thule or Yakima. Does anyone here use these, and if so what d you like or dislike about them. I don't have wnough money to get a fairing yet, so which do you think makes less wind noise without it. Also, does anyone here use their racks to carry kayaks just tied down without the attachments. I'm going to be doing that too, and wondered id anyone else had, and how long their kayaks are, mine are 14 feet long and the salesman said that's too long to carry on an A4. Any help would be much appreciated!!!

Greyhound Guy

Avant or Sedan

ErikNYC

I already had the whole Thule setup for my jetta so all I needed was to get the new "foot pack".

I ordered from rackwarehouse.com. 10% off thule now till end of week I think.

I have not tried the fit on the A4 yet so I cant say how it is but the fit on my VW was great.

As far as the bike mount itself the thule velo-vise rack is awesome. it clamps the front fork real tight and secure. I had the upright one before (the one where you dont have to remove the front wheel) and one day on a long trip back from upstate NY I heard this clunking sound up on the roof. I slide the sunshade back and my bike is leaning over the edge of the car!!. If it were not for the little wheel straps they provide the bike would have taken the next exit off the parkway.

I had the fairing too but it was stolen when they stole the two uprights (which is why I now have the velo-vise mounts).

As far as carrying other things the only thing else I ever put on it was a X-mas tree. tied with rope.<ul><li><a href="http://www.rackwharehouse.com">http://www.rackwharehouse.com</a</li></ul>

boki-san

i use yakima on my car, thule is close, but no cigar. yakima has been consistently a couple of steps ahead in the common sense department, but both are top quality materials and construction. wind noise is more a function of how the rack works with the airflow over a given car, on the a4, either will be intolerable with the sunroof open, get a fairing soon if you like dem sunroofs open. length is not the issue for your boat. i typically carry a 16 foot canoe and two mountain bikes. the issue for kayaks is the hull material. for fiberglass or kevlar hulls, yes, you must use the saddles or you will will crack your boat's hull. rotomolded or other plastic boats are not an issue, but if you carry them terrific distances or if your boat "lives" on top. if your kayak is only 14 feet long, i would assume it's not a fiberglass or kevlar construction. best to use the "kayak stacker" accessory to carry the boat rolled up on it's side, but not a reaal biggie. tie'em down across the waist, firm, then bow and stern, just snug (don't crank it).
also, since the rack feet rest on paint, i use stoneguard material in those places and it works great. happy paddling.

boki-san

use the fork mounts. most problems with upright carriers (where you leave both wheels on) are user error, but they are inferior, and bikes are not intended to bear clamping stress in the middle of their downtube, they are intended to bear stress at the dropouts in the fork blades.

ErikNYC

whats stoneguard? where can I get some?

boki-san

to do the rack foot spots it only takes a little, and if you're nice to them, or send your girlfriend in, they'll probably give it to you from scraps left over from doing a clearbra.

jchull

My brother is a pro rodeo kayaker and carries 4+ boats on the rack on his truck cap and he doesn't use anything under them, just some tie down straps wrapped around them. His cross bars are further apart than you can do on an A4, but if length is an issue you can get some extenders. I found a Thule in a dumpster down the street, it is in OK shape except it looks like it went flying off on the Hwy. 'Nough said.

ajp

I've been using mine for about a year and it works very well. I generally only carry one boat (playboat only 7 feet long). The "new" kayak stacker's are very functional and a usefull accessory if you plan on carrying more than one boat (they also come with straps now) When I carry just mine I put it flat on the rails (with bar pads under) because it's a little quicker (and allows me to fit in a parking garage) but you have to be careful not to distort the boat's shape by cranking the straps down.For long distances I'd use the stacker. I've fit 4 boats on top (it's tight but doable) with the stackers. I also like the multimounts to carry my paddles-although on long trips I put them in a bag or inside-no sense on pounding $500 toys with bugs all day. I'd reccomend a fairing to cut the noise. The new fairings look funny but function well.
I'm not saying the stonegard idea suggested below isn't a good one, but my q-towers have a very nice thick layer of soft rubber between the tower and the paint. I'm not sure what adding another layer will do. I'm more concerned about scratches from straps and repeated lifting and moving objects over the roof area. (that's why the yak straps that come with the stackers are nice-they have a rubber guard aroud the metal cam-buckle.
alex

boki-san

yes, the yakima foot pads are nice gooshy rubber, but no matter how clean you keep them, some road dust finds it's way underneath them, and thusly becomes an abrasive. you will, absolutely, find that it will mar the paint. with the stoneguard patches, it mars the stoneguard, when it becomes unsightly, you can peel it off and the paint underneath is untouched. then, fresh stoneguard and you're good as new, and off to the rivers again.