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I'm quite new to the car customization community and found this forum to be very helpful in the past, so I figured I'd give it a go with a couple questions I have regarding finding a roof rack for my 2016 Mini Clubman S. I previously posted in the incorrect section, and reposted here in hopes I’d get more suggestions/help! I REALLY appreciate everyone's help on this, as I'm clearly a total newbie!!
The sole purpose of my adventure into finding a roof rack is to be able to mount and travel with my bike; although in the future I hope to use the rack in more ways.
As I look into getting a roof mount I find myself asking more and more questions!
1. Will the dual pane panoramic sunroof pose any sort of issues when installing/using a roof rack?
2. Do you have any suggestions on which mounts are best?
I like the Yakima roof racks better than the factory or Thule mounts, but am really unsure of which one is best. I was looking at the Ridgeline Tower and the Jetstream Black 50”/60” crossbars.
3. Will I need to install flush siderails on the car, and if so, where can I find them?
I've looked around and can't seem to find anything other than the roof rail systems
4. Are the roof racks/flush siderails/etc, hard to mount and/or install?
I’ve never installed anything on a car aside from superficial accessories, so I was unsure of whether this was out of my scope
I probably sound quite naive, so I apologize, but DEFINITELY appreciate any/all your help!
My salesman gave me a set of Mini branded cross bars.
I am attaching a picture of the cross bars with the roof tilted up. I can tell you that with the Mini cross bars there is NO issues with tilting the roof or opening fully.
I just checked and Yakima does not offer anything for the "naked" Clubman. You would already have to have the factory rails.
Thule lists the Clubman as a 3 door and offers 2 types of cross bars and mounts.
Thule shows that with the Countryman factory rails are required for their crossbars.
If you go the Thule route it would be best to visit a store that has the mounts and you can very they fit before purchasing.
Joel
Yeah, the mention of "3 door" on the Thule site made me worry. But a little searching turned up a great resource: https://www.rackoutfitters.com/thule...lubman-5-door/
The whole system is fugly compared to using the factory rack on factory rails, but I don't have the factory rails and I want to carry stuff, so...
I'll order the system in a few weeks and post pictures, after returning from a vacation trip which includes a little bit of MTTS...
Yeah, the mention of "3 door" on the Thule site made me worry. But a little searching turned up a great resource: https://www.rackoutfitters.com/thule...lubman-5-door/
The whole system is fugly compared to using the factory rack on factory rails, but I don't have the factory rails and I want to carry stuff, so...
I'll order the system in a few weeks and post pictures, after returning from a vacation trip which includes a little bit of MTTS...
Yeah, the mention of "3 door" on the Thule site made me worry. But a little searching turned up a great resource: https://www.rackoutfitters.com/thule...lubman-5-door/
The whole system is fugly compared to using the factory rack on factory rails, but I don't have the factory rails and I want to carry stuff, so...
I'll order the system in a few weeks and post pictures, after returning from a vacation trip which includes a little bit of MTTS...
Similar quandary here... currently @ ~72k on my '13 R55, repurposed the factory roof racks I bought with the previous POS '07 S (WANTED a Clubman but they didn't go on sale here for another eight months) I traded in for the Clubman going on 6 years ago. Bought with the factory 'pod, the racks & pod help carry stuff that'd otherwise have to be wedged in behind the seats.
Considering a new '19 Classic; dealer's found one for me but lacks factory rails so IF I go this route I'll NEED to add some kind of racking.
Wondering if there's any significant differences between roof topography between the 2018 models there are products for and the 2019's that are now being delivered? Will a kit for an '18 fit nicely on the newer '19 builds?
Last edited by sp_clark; Jul 20, 2018 at 04:29 PM.
Reason: added comment re: availability of Clubmans early in 2007
... (SpongeBob narrator voice)... Three Years Later...
Discussion in the other thread reminded me that I never came back and posted pics in this thread of the Thule rack system installed. So perhaps this will be useful for someone in the future that's doing some research on their F54 and the ability to mount an aftermarket roof rack...
Another tip: if you're mounting the MINI roof box to aero rails (or whatever Thule calls them these days) you may need to use, and be comfortable with using, some slightly different hardware between the box and the rail. The track opening is too narrow for the parts that come with the box, but I found that I could use round head carriage bolts to work instead. Has been a satisfactory solution for 3 years and counting...
