Thule vs. Yakima Roof Rack for 2010 Prius

Hi! I was wondering if anyone had recommendations on getting a Thule vs. a Yakima Roof Rack for the 2010 Prius? I have a 16'6" long canoe I would like to carry on top.

Yakima does not seem to have a fit for the 2010 Prius for the clips that go with their Q towers yet. However, I emailed Thule and they have a fit for the 2010 Prius. Thule recommended the following package:

-foot package 400XT
-load bars LB50
-fit kit 2124
-lock 544 (optional)
-canoe carrier 579XT

If anyone has any recommendations on the Thule v. Yakima racks or advice for securing my canoe in a safe way onto the rack/car, I would greatly appreciate it.

THanks!

Hello!

Just one little question: Do you have the Solarroof version?

Thanks

No, I don't have the solar roof.

I do. But I'm not concerned about the glass. The towers will nicely sit on metal frame along the doors and attaching them over a temporary pad (an exercise mat, just in case) is no big deal.

The problem is waiting for the darn clips.

I sure hope Yakima comes through with them before summer ends.
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I just joined and have a III with sunroof waiting at the dealer until the CARS program takes effect. I am concerned that I won't be able to use roof racks with this model due to the narrow metal frame. Has anyone tried putting roof racks on a solar roof model or looked at how the towers would sit on the metal frame even though the clips may not be correct? Do the towers overlap onto the glass? I currently use Yakimas on my other cars but I know they don't yet have a fit. I can certainly go with a different brand if that's an option.

i like thule since they have square bars. i feel they are more sequre. with round bars the kayak saddles shift a bit when the kayak is on top no matter how tight you have the saddles on.

They did! Looks like I need to go shopping tonight...

Front = Q99 Clips (Part# 8000699)

Rear = Q5 Clips (Part# 8000605)


The measurements are...

M1: 41 7/8" (max distance between front towers)
M2: 13" (max placement of towers from front)
M3: 41 3/4" (max distance between rear towers)
M4: 30" (max distance between front & rear bars)

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Got 'em.

Fits nice.
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Thanks for the update. Even though I can fit my 9 foot board inside the car I was thinking of installing roof racks. Any chance that you have figured out how much fuel economy changes with racks? % wise?

Great!!!!!

Looks like I need to order this.....but what will i need? Is this a complete system, og just clips? Could you use theese with a thule system? Feels like a noob, but bought this car whitout trying it , and I am concerned that there would be no possibilities installing a cargo bos on top of the car

Do you have pictures of your system?

Like this:
2010 TOYOTA Prius

Q Towers [SIZE=-4][/SIZE]
Part # 80001244 locks$159.00 USD [SIZE=-4] 0 1 2 3 4 [/SIZE]$159.00 USD[SIZE=-4] 58" CrossBars 66" CrossBars 78" CrossBars [/SIZE] more info…
Part # 80004090 locks$70.00 USD [SIZE=-4] 0 1 2 3 4 [/SIZE]$70.00 USDQ99 Clips (FrontClips) [SIZE=-4][/SIZE]
Part # 80006990 locks$35.00 USD [SIZE=-4] 0 1 2 3 4 [/SIZE]$70.00 USDQ5 Clips (RearClips) [SIZE=-4][/SIZE]
Part # 80006050 locks$35.00 USD [SIZE=-4] 0 1 2 3 4 [/SIZE]$70.00 USD44" Fairing [SIZE=-4][/SIZE]
Part # 80070480 locks$69.00 USD [SIZE=-4] 0 1 2 3 4 [/SIZE]$69.00 USD
SkyBox LoPro (New for 09)
Part # 80071710 locks$699.00 USD [SIZE=-4] 0 1 2 3 4[/SIZE]$699.00 USD
Your selected products require 4 lock cores. SKS Lock Core Pack
Part #8007204[SIZE=-4] 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 0 0[/SIZE]$55.00 USD

I have just gotten the new fit kit to convert our old Thule rack to the new Prius. I was disappointed though when I went crawling under the bumpers looking for hard points. There is a single hard point under the rear bumper that is offset from the center a bit. On the front however there are no good tie down points anywhere under the bumpers!

I am putting a canoe on and I am a bit old school about tying it down. I don't trust tie downs to the rack alone and prefer ropes from the bow and stern to bumpers. If you've ever driven with a canoe in a strong crosswind while meeting a semi you will know why I want those extra ropes.....

The only thing I can think of is to get a second eye bolt for the tow points on the front. Anyone have any other ideas?

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Photo on this webpage, with close-ups later.
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Great!

And off course you could use a cargo box on top of the roof rack?

Now Yakima has come up with clips so that it is possible to use a roof rack on my Prius with Solar roof.

BUT....what kind of box fits my prius 2010? How big can i get it? Problems with the rear hatch? I am going to use it to transport skiing equipment (190-195 cm), etc.

I am going on a trip to Sweden, and there they have great prices on Thule roofboxes/skiboxes.

What do you recomend?

Just came from a 4000 km 3 weeks trip, with a Thule roof rack with two bikes.

I bought a 2124 Fit Kit from Thule, as selected on the thuleracks.com website, for the 2010 Prius.

To my dismay, after removing the rack last week, I found out the paint under the rubber covered metallic "hook" has been scrubbed away by friction. The four areas have lost their "glossiness" and their smoothness. Looks like I’d better have them repainted if I don’t want to get rust years from now…

I’ve used the Thule rack on my Toyota Echo (with a different fit kit, of course) for years (few days at a time though) and never saw such a disaster…

Were they too tight? Were they too slack? Maybe the former, not the latter.

The area was perfectly clean before the feet/hooks were fitted.

I thought the only pressure applied was to the bottom of the rubber feet and to the flat end of the rubber covered metallic “hooks”. The damage happened in the curve of the “hooks”, on top of the car rather than on its underside part.

I’m unsure about the quality of the fitting for that Thule part…

Just to let you know…


Update: Not as bad as I first thought. Part of it was a rubber trace on top of the paint and could be removed with fingernails and a lot of patience.

Part of it is really damaged paint that has lost its glossiness and smoothness. I don't think I'll have it painted but I'm still mad about it.

Did you get any damage to the car/paintwork with these racks, like Philosphe did with Thule?
What is the set-up time for your racks? 5mins? 10 mins?

Hello all,
After many years of wanting...I am now waiting for my 2010 Prius II to arrive at the dealer, no options.

Questions:
1. Are there tie down points for bow/stern on the Prius frame??

2. I was on the verge of deciding on the Thule 835xtr and the base system, when I ran across some bad reviews on Thule...plastic snapping..premature rusting...and now roof damage from rubberized S hooks wearing through. Maybe these problems have been solved in the newer model xtr? I haven't seen anything really bad about Yakima yet, but there must be some. I simply want a solid system that will last.

3. My boat is a Poke Boat and they have probably been around for 50 years. It is 12 feet long, 32" wide, and weighs 28 lbs. in fiberglass. (22 in Kevlar) Do you think this will fit a J-style rack?

What did you finally decide on?