Mount Roof Rack in Roof Channels?

Oh how I hate roof racks for lots of reasons but mainly for the horrible wind roar that comes with them. I've had a number of roof racks and baskets and still have a Yakima in the basement that might work on our Prius v if I wanted to use it.

I looked at that roof channel on our Prius v this morning and I don't think there is anyway that a rack attachment could be wedged into it. Similar roof channels on Honda cars in the 1980's were actually designed to hold roof racks but I never saw the racks in the U.S.

Drill holes in the roof of a leased vehicle? Surely you jest.

If you absolutely have to have a roof rack, you could buy one specifically designed for the Prius v / Prius+.

Here is a link to a company in the UK that ships the Prius+ roof rack worldwide: Genuine Toyota ROOF RACK PZ403G8610GA

And here is a link to the installation instructions for this rack: https://www.toyota-tech.eu/aimuploads/6a3d684f-1e77-4e2d-8f52-4d36fc35e3e9/Prius%20plus_Roof_Rack_PZ403_G8610_GA_AIM_002_288_1.pdf

What do you want to carry? Is there another way besides a roof rack?

I installed a inexpensive Curt receiver hitch ($95 from etrailer.com) on our Prius v for hauling bikes on a Pro Series 2-bike rack and I'm sure the Prius could easily to tow my 4'x8' utility trailer if I didn't have a larger vehicle for that. Little utility trailers are pretty cheap and last "forever". A trailer hitch and wiring harness could be removed before turning your Prius in a the end of the lease.

 

I'd hate to be the poor schmuck that bought that car with the holes in the grooves when you turn it back in after the lease.

We've got a Yakima that we put on and off as needed, I think we have only used it about once a year. As offline said, it generates some wind noise and affects the mileage but it works without causing any permanent damage to the vehicle.

 

I wouldn't worry about the quality of that Toyota rack. Toyota and Lexus dealers in Europe have been selling essentially that same rack for decades with attachment hardware for a variety of vehicles.

Wouldn't a roof box have to fit rather far forward in order for the rear hatch door to open? Do you already have a roof box? You're going to need a fairly long one unless you're carrying only "baby skis" or snowboards. Toyota sells a Thule 232 cm roof box in Europe for the Prius+/v. It's the Thule Dachbox 700.

Gosh, if you have a trailer hitch you could buy a hitch ski rack and put the noise behind you where you won't hear it at all. Google "hitch ski rack". Depending on your bike rack type, you might be able to get a relatively inexpensive ski / snowboard attachment for it.

I carried naked skis on the roofs of vehicles for decades and detested the noise but I was driving about 800 miles each way to get to my ski destinations. A simple roof ski rack might work for you and the noise probably wouldn't be any worse than the noise from carrying a roof box. Magnetic ski racks have been around for at least 20 years. A ski shop where I live had a magnetic ski rack on display and would give one free to anyone who could pull it off the display roof panel - many tried, including me, but no one ever could.

If I was still skiing, I would be using a hitch ski rack.

 

Maybe the positioning is to more equally distribute the weight in the roof box. I don't understand why you think extending it over the windshield is a problem.

I kind of liked looking upward and verifying that our skis were still there. I've seen a number of skis and other stuff fly off roof top racks over the years and once saw an entire roof rack and contents come off a vehicle at highway speeds.

 

I know this thread is somewhat old but I recently installed the OEM cross bars (part number PZ403-G8610-GA) on my 2012 Prius v and I'm quite impressed. It's very sturdy and the fit and finish is much better than aftermarket racks. No extra length hanging off of the sides of the car and a perfect fit even with the panoramic roof. It also places the cross bars at the right height to keep them level which I know is an issue with some other racks. Haven't driven enough to give a verdict on fuel economy or wind noise but I will say that the low profile aluminum extrusions look to be a similar design to the high end offerings from Thule and Yakima. Given the style of the instruction manual and the fact that it was made in Sweden I suspect Thule actually manufactured it for Toyota.

It doesn't appear to be sold in the US but I was able to find it online from a few different shops. The folks at ToyotaOriginal in the UK were very helpful and even with international freight the cost was still about 30% cheaper than Thule or Yakima.

The bars add about 5" to the height of the car bringing the total to 67". Still shorter than many SUVs so I don't expect any issues fitting in garages with the cross bars alone. With a low profile cargo box you could even still fit in a US standard 84" garage fully loaded.

I've also got a trailer hitch receiver from Torklift Central (also highly recommended) so with the bikes mounted up it looks a lot like that Italian brochure. Still no ultra modern vacation home to park it by though!