Anyone with roof racks on their ST?

[iso100]

I just picked up a FiST this past Saturday and love the car. My other (old) car is a 1988 Merkur XR4Ti that's been heavily modified (headwork, big valves, cam, cam gear, header, 3" turbo-back, T5 transmission, suspension, brake conversion etc etc) but I wanted something reliable.

I'm also an avid mountain biker. On the XR I have drip rail mounted roof rack bars and Yakima bike carriers.

I haven't decided which route to go with the FiST:

1. Roof rack rails and bike carrier up top
2. Trailer hitch and platform carrier out back

I figure roof racks are more convenient for riding, but there's the aero drag and the fact that it grabs on the door jamb and will likely distort the door gasket over time.

The hitch option will make it a zero-drag option when not transporting a bike but I have to store the carrier. Additionally, whomever installs the hitch would need to cut into the rear bumper fascia so that the hitch is accessible.

Thoughts? Comments? I really don't know which way to go.

 

[silvertoy]

If you're not afraid of drilling some holes in your roof the Yakima landing pads are the route I've taken in the past. When you remove the rack you put on the little covers and you can hardly tell if anything is there. They're more solid than the clip on style buuuut... They're permanent.

http://ww.rackattack.com/product-pages/yakima-landing-pad-7.asp

Also curious what would fit in our rain channels if we remove the weather stripping...
Maybe this?
http://ww.rackattack.com/product-pages/yakima-42-inch-track-with-plusnuts.asp

 

[iso100]

Holy smokes drilling into my new car with barely 100 miles makes me feel ill. Interesting idea though.

 

[iso100]

Wow, this seems like almost the best option... if my bike stays up on top.

http://www.seasucker.com/shop/1187/

 

[iso100]

Another challenger appears:
http://www.amazon.com/Sucker-Hornet...B9G/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?showViewpoints=1

Might work well if it clears the spoiler.

 

[iso100]

For anyone following I purchased the Sea Sucker Talon yesterday. Have to wash the car before trying it out.

 

[COBB Tuning1]

Sea Sucker Talon is nice. I had a Sea Sucker Mini Bomber for a little bit, but decided to go the full out rack route. The Sea Sucker took too long to install each time I wanted to use it (yes, I'm impatient) and I also had to remember to bungee my crank arm or the pedals would hit my roof. Here's my Thule Aeroblade setup:

 

[iso100]

Any concerns with how the clamps interfere with the door gaskets?

Regarding the Talon, where exactly did you place the suction cups? I haven't yet used mine. Just washed the car for the first time today.

 

[iso100]

I was just about to ask where you got the COBB banner on the side and then I saw your handle. Sweet!

AP is my next mod.. but I have 800 more miles to break it in first.

 

[COBB Tuning1]

Any concerns with how the clamps interfere with the door gaskets?

Regarding the Talon, where exactly did you place the suction cups? I haven't yet used mine. Just washed the car for the first time today.

I've done racks like this on other cars, and they work well. We'll see what happens after a few years. Here's a Talon picture:

 

[iso100]

Excellent. That's just about exactly what I wanted to do. It's funny, the guy at the store insisted the two cups go forward, not the one but I knew from watching videos that it's the single cup goes that direction.

Did you ever have any issues where you felt uneasy or thought there might be too much lateral sway tugging on the roof metal?

 

[rupp179]

Nice set ups! I'll be fun to find a system once I move back to the ocean where I can use my paddle board.

 

[COBB Tuning1]

Excellent. That's just about exactly what I wanted to do. It's funny, the guy at the store insisted the two cups go forward, not the one but I knew from watching videos that it's the single cup goes that direction.

Did you ever have any issues where you felt uneasy or thought there might be too much lateral sway tugging on the roof metal?

Put the rear suction cup near the roof rail and you should be just fine.

Ian

 

[iso100]

Put the rear suction cup near the roof rail and you should be just fine.

Ian

Thanks! That was my plan.

Wait, your name is Ian as well? This is crazy!

 

[rooSTer]

Sea Sucker Talon is nice. I had a Sea Sucker Mini Bomber for a little bit, but decoided to go the full out rack route. The Sea Sucker took too long to install each time I wanted to use it (yes, I'm impatient) and I also had to remember to bungee my crank arm or the pedals would hit my roof. Here's my Thule Aeroblade setup:

What suspension are you running?

 

[tbST14]

I just put my 29er mountain bike in the back with the wheels removed and stack towels between the 18.5" frame and the wheels. I put a bag and towel over the rear derailuer so it doesnt scratch up the right rear door panel. Handle bars are towards the back, fork goes up diagonal to the left rear door.

Everything fits well and I use bungee cords to cinch it all down for the twisty road home.

 

[iso100]

I also have a 29er and was curious if it would fit like that. Sweet! May get a bit messy if it was a muddy ride though.

 

[COBB Tuning1]

What suspension are you running?

Eibach springs.

Ian

 

[FiestaBart]

 

[shinamura]

I am road tripping from Michigan to Texas for my wedding in September and ended up pulling the trigger on some generic eBay roof racks that said was compatible with the 2014 Fiesta ST. I will be getting them on Wednesday and will keep you guys posted on the fit and durability. I will be purchasing a roof box in a few months, but want to make sure that the generic roof racks will be sufficient enough to handle a slim roof box. Looking at a Yakima Rocketbox 11. The only reason I purchased the roof racks from eBay was because it was only $66 with shipping. Normally I shy away from generic, potentially low quality products on eBay, but at that price, I figured it wouldn't hurt to try them and let the online FiST community know if its worth it or not. But as I mentioned before, the end goal is to mount a Yakima roof box as we will be driving back with a lot of wedding presents and need the extra cargo room for luggage up top.