I'm looking to buy a roof rack for snowboarding/skiiing. Anyone got any good suggestions other than the oem?

 

thule aeroblade edge looks pretty stock, especially if you purchase from rack outfitters (it comes in all black... gloss black... the same black found along the frame of the windshield).

 

I've been a long time Yakima fan for bikes, kayaks, luggage racks and surf boards, unfortunately they do not make Grab Rail adapters to attach to the Mini factory rails and I do not like using the clamps that attach to the outer edge of the roof without using the rails. I contemplated going with Thule Aeroblade but for a complete new set up it was cheaper to go with the OEM (I bought mine for 20% off from dealer.) I only need it for my Yakima luggage rack which will work with with the OEM rack. That said, only BMW or Mini accessories work with the OEM rack which make all my existing Yakima accessories useless (other than the luggage rack). The real downside with the Mini OEM rails is that they are Mini specific. I had previously purchased a BMW 3 series rack that ONLY worked with that model and year.

 

I know you're not looking for factory rails, but I've got them and use them with Yakima universal might mounts to attach bike racks and a Thule Kayak rack that lets me do this:

 

Yeah, looks like I'll end up going with the OEM mini ones because they are pretty cheap in comparison. I'm just wondering if I can do something to make them black

 

I'd get the factory rails and aftermarket crossbars and accessories

 

I've seen people use black plasti dip and it came out looking decent. I have the OEM rack. Plano Mini usually sells them for $177 on ebay with free shipping and no tax. My dealer matched the price and gave me 20% off.

 

I have the OEM rack. No complaints. As for blacking out the bars, you can also wrap them in vinyl.

 

Here are some close up pics of the Thule black aeroblade edges...

 

I ended up using the oem base system just because they are a lot less expensive and work the same as all the others. Check them out on amazon and you'll find them even cheaper with free shipping. Chrunck, the vinyl wrap looks awesome!

 

Stop showing off! I'm jealous!

 

is this a new foot/bar design ??
i like it.... a lot.

*edit*


*looks up price*...
yeah.. i'm stickin' with my plastidipped oem crossbars.

 

I just put the Whispbar WB300 ski rack (made by Yakima) on my Mini OEM rack. I would expect any aftermarket accessory that works with T-slots or that uses an adjustable clamp to fit just fine.

Edit to add: Since you have Yakima stuff, any chance you have a Yakima lock core removal key? Any chance it lets you remove the lock core from the mini rack? I tried my Thule key, but no luck.

 

I've got the mini crossbars on mine and the rocky mounts euro forklifts for mtb's. I didn't much like th Thule design with clamps for accessories and I think the mini bars are rated at higher carrying capacity. I also installed a medium size inno spoiler in which i modded the mounting brackets to utilize the slots and had to trim about an inch off each end. Looks quite Sano.

 

Take a look at Yakima's universal mighty mounts. I use them in my Yakima bike rack with the OEM cross bars. They might work with your stuff.

 

This looks great!. Must be an old post but I was wondering about how you were able to separate the feet from the crossbar to wrap it in vinyl?

 

The OEM racks are quite capable. However, they whistle on my CM between 48 and 53 MPH something god awful when it's not loaded. If people can confirm the aeroblade is quieter unloaded I would go with that. That being said, you can cram 4 skis and poles or 4 skis, poles inside and a couple of boards on top.

 

Wrapped mine a few months ago, but if I remember correctly I only had to pull the black oval plug from either end of the bar (inside the channel) to unscrew the rod holding it all together. There's a spring in there, so just pay attention to what order you take it all apart before it falls apart in your hands. It's pretty simple.

It's well worth the time to take it apart and makes the wrapping much more straightforward.

 

Mine are a bit different than what you mention. Mine is similar to the one that MINI OEM in the post has except it looks like it is for BMW. Attached are the pictures.

 

Ok... well to the point of your original question regarding separating feet from crossbar, I have the same MINI OEM as pictured above by chrunck. I imagine the BMW racks are put together in a very similar manner. Maybe via what looks like a circular black rubber cover in your first attachment... Good luck!

 

Like other posters have added, I highly recommend using the MINI crossbars because it fits perfectly. I attached my Yakima FatCat 6 Snowboard Rack, but then it looked naked and was noisy at 80mph. So I purchased an Inno Fairing and customized the install by using additional Yakima clamps. I went with a medium (40inch) Fairing, which fits the R60S perfect. I also customized the install by adding three 1-inch spacers (painted them black) to help tighten down the Fairing and prevent it from moving side to side. By attaching the the Yakima clamps to the Fairing I gained about three inches and now I can open my sunroof without it touching the Fairing.
Happy Shredding...

 

If you add a Fairing it will cut the wind noise down a lot.

 

Do you have the correct one on the front? it is designed to cut down wind noise

 

Sure do. The one with the three notches goes up front because it's a tad wider than the rear. After adding a Fairing it's much much better now and looks better too.

 

if you decide to go with Thule, I just put up a new set of black aeroblades on this site's marketplace.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ils-black.html