Just got my '06 MC and need my roof rack ASAP.

Mini OEM rack:
Drilling the roof is fine with me but I only hesitate because I am worried that the crossbar length will be too short to hold a Thule ski carrier plus 2 bike carriers.
Is the crossbar length any shorter than a Thule/Yakima setup?
Also are Thule carriers compatible with the OEM crossbars?
Any pics of the OEM roof rack on your cars?

Thule/Yakima rack:
I had a full Thule rack on my old Subi which was great. However I heard that these racks are not recommended for Mini's due to how the feet clamp the roof. Do they cause damage?
Do I need to remove it whenever it's not in use?
Is there a limit on how far apart you can spread the feet?
The Yakima site says to separate them 18" which seems very short.
Also the weight limits raise a red flag.

Is mounting the feet this far apart recommended?



Any advice or opinions?

Thanks in advance!

 

Dude, just went out and measured my OEM crossbar and it has right about 36 inches of usable track. No idea what the Thule/Yakima setup is like. Personally, I went for the OEM rack because there's no risk of screwing up the rain gutter (which I managed WITHOUT the rack, lol) and it's rated to hold 75kg (over 150 lbs) and while I doubt I'll ever max it out, I like the higher load rating. We also got the BMW Roof Box because it was wide enough to carry our stroller.

 

Thanks! Those measurements will really help and thanks for the pics. I think I am starting to lean towards the Mini OEM rack.

 

Hey, I like that. We just had a little MINI Pooper born back in April and that roof rack/box would be great for trips!

 

@ inaba116, glad I could help

@ lawmann, it's the OEM rack with a BMW box (350 I think). We MINI box is narrower and longer so we went with the BMW one

 

Thanks, I'm going to look into one of those. What did you pay for it?

 

Thule rack:
I had a full Thule rack on my old Subi which was great. However I heard that these racks are not recommended for Mini's due to how the feet clamp the roof. Do they cause damage? The pads may mark the paint, if you can cover that area where the feet will sit with same color vinyl as roof to protect roof paint.
Do I need to remove it whenever it's not in use? I ran mine for months at a time without issue.
Is there a limit on how far apart you can spread the feet? I'd keep the front bar back from the leading edge of front rain gutter at least 6 inches.
Also the weight limits raise a red flag. I have carried some heavy stuff for short low speed runs without issue and I have run within weight limit for days at highway speeds without issue.
Is mounting the feet this far apart recommended? When I put mine on I set the front bar 6 inches back from the leading edge of rain gutter and then set the rear bar based on what I'm hauling. Be careful because the rear hatch spoiler may hit whatever you put on top.

Just don't over tighten the feet or you WILL rip the rain gutter off the car. They just need to be one handed finger tight, then load the rack up and tighten again and then again after 50 miles then at each gas stop.

 

I guess you need to know how thw rain gutters are attached.

The gutters are held on with five sheet metal screws over the the door on each side. However, over the rear side windows the gutters are held on by being snapped into plastic clips. The clips are mounted so that the gutter snaps in at about a 20 degree upward angle. I guess what I'm saying is that there is really no structural support from the gutters for the rear of your rack. Under the right conditions it might just tear the rear half of the gutters out of their retaining clips.

Good luck

 

if interested, i have an oem one for sale

 

Been using a Yakima set up for years w no issues. 2 bikes, windsurfer, skis have all been up there for long highway trips at illegal speeds. Rock solid and cheap.

 

I did not know that. Great info for all of us using non OEM racks. Funny thing is I have never had an issue with the rear, only the front. Also note that the Thule system is not designed to put much stress on the rain gutter. If installed right there's very little stress, it should all fall in the feet/pads the tabs that attach to the gutters is really to keep the system from moving. UNLESS you put something on top that catches air from under the rack and then you will have big issues.