Yakima or Thule
 

On Tuesday, July 7, 1998 at 12:00:00 AM UTC-7, wrote:
Mark Williamson wrote:

I recently purchased a Volvo S70 and would like to add a roof rack. I
have previously had good experences with a Yakima rack, but I am now
wondering whether I should look a Thule rack (I seem to remember reading
somewhere that a Thule was a better fit for European cars, and I also
know that Volvo's own rack is manufactured by Thule). Any thoughts?

Thanks,

MHBW
Mark,
I have been using Thule for about 5 years now. It is very solid and
dependable. So is Yakima. I can't speak from personal experience but a
friend of mine did not like his Yakima because the wheel carriers would
rotate on the round tubes. Yakima may have corrected this problem. My
brother loves his Yakima. But his is more aesthetic than utility. :)
Either rack is one of the best out there. I think your Volvo would
appreciate the Thule though.:) Good luck and enjoy the ride!

What could it possibly matter if the wheel carriers rotated on the bars of the Yakima since you want the wheel to be braced against the roof of the car and not hanging up in mid-air for the wind pressure to blow them over? Putting them vertically also increases the noise, aerodynamic drag and reduced fuel mileage. The way it is, these roof racks are so noisy that you absolutely must have the plastic air director that reduces the noise to a level inside of the vehicle that you can stand. For this reason I have totally converted over to trunk racks. You have to be careful to install them correctly so that they don't lose the lockdown straps but when you get to your starting area you can place it in your truck to avoid theft.

Yakima or Thule
 

On Friday, July 10, 2020 at 8:24:28 AM UTC-7, wrote:
On Tuesday, July 7, 1998 at 12:00:00 AM UTC-7, wrote:
Mark Williamson wrote:

I recently purchased a Volvo S70 and would like to add a roof rack. I
have previously had good experences with a Yakima rack, but I am now
wondering whether I should look a Thule rack (I seem to remember reading
somewhere that a Thule was a better fit for European cars, and I also
know that Volvo's own rack is manufactured by Thule). Any thoughts?

Thanks,

MHBW
Mark,
I have been using Thule for about 5 years now. It is very solid and
dependable. So is Yakima. I can't speak from personal experience but a
friend of mine did not like his Yakima because the wheel carriers would
rotate on the round tubes. Yakima may have corrected this problem. My
brother loves his Yakima. But his is more aesthetic than utility. :)
Either rack is one of the best out there. I think your Volvo would
appreciate the Thule though.:) Good luck and enjoy the ride!

What could it possibly matter if the wheel carriers rotated on the bars of the Yakima since you want the wheel to be braced against the roof of the car and not hanging up in mid-air for the wind pressure to blow them over? Putting them vertically also increases the noise, aerodynamic drag and reduced fuel mileage. The way it is, these roof racks are so noisy that you absolutely must have the plastic air director that reduces the noise to a level inside of the vehicle that you can stand. For this reason I have totally converted over to trunk racks. You have to be careful to install them correctly so that they don't lose the lockdown straps but when you get to your starting area you can place it in your truck to avoid theft.

I use a Yakima hitch rack, but I also have roof racks.

I am partial to Yakima because I ride two or more times a week with the VP/head of products. He's a smart engineer with lots of patents, and the main headquarters is just down the road in Lake Oswego, Oregon.

Yakima and Thule both make good racks although at different price points. Yakima does not have a product that matches up with the very best Thule hitch rack. Yakima is not competing in the prestige hitch rack market and is probably a better value at the mid-price point.

Yakima has a lot of cross-bar offerings, and a lot of the noise problems have been solved. https://www.yakima.com/product-type/cross-bar

I don't think a person could go wrong with either company, and I'd be shopping for price and fit or features, assuming I needed or wanted some particular bell or whistle. All the racks from either company will stay put on your roof and hold bikes, which was not the case back in the dark days of screwing an old La Prealpina rack to your roof top. I've never lost a bike off a Yakima roof rack except due to driver error -- driving into garages or low overhangs (one me, two my wife, making her the winner). I lost entire racks back in the bad old days.

-- Jay Beattie.