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Roof rack with stretch kit on an '89?

6K views 11 replies 4 participants last post by  Fox 
#1 ·
I know there are a ton of you that have used Yakima/Thule roof racks on your CRXs, but I can't find a single photo of the Q stretch kit being used on one (it increases crossbar spread so you can use cargo boxes). It is listed as an option, and measurements are provided, but no photos can be found. Is it just so horribly impractical given the CRXs curves that no one has used it?

EDIT: Why yes, yes it is. Following Yakima's mounting directions by the book results in absurd tower locations, as if they just took measurements from another Civic and used those.


You will lose your antenna, you will have to set your own rear tower spacing (around 38.5" apart instead of 35 5/8"), you will struggle physically insert the stretch kit tabs into the towers due to excess material, and you will wish you had just bought a hitch and a hitch mounted platform to store your life's possessions instead.

That said, a roof rack compliments the CRX incredibly well. Additional wind noise at 60mph with my setup was barely audible (I raised the back of the box before the freeway test).
 
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#4 ·
Yup. And then there will be photos, for the greater good. It's awesome to have visual evidence of actual fitment when it comes to these things. Hope it helps people.
 
#6 ·

OP has delivered.
It works, but after the headache it caused be forewarned: Just get a class 1 hitch and mount your stuff in the back. Following Yakima's mounting location measurements resulted in me losing my antenna and placed the rear q towers directly on the hatch glass. Awesome. I broke the rules and mounted the rear towers two inches further apart so that the hatch could open all the way if the box is not on the rack.

I'll be doing extensive safety testing to ensure my alteration of the deal doesn't pose safety issues.

What I used: 48" bars, Q-Towers, Q-Stretch Kit, Q7 clips up front, Q9 clips in back, Thule Weekender Cargo Box, Inno Meduim Fairing (40"). I'll be adding a pool noodle to the rear bar to align the box more with the relative wind.













 
#7 ·
one thing I don't like is if you mount your front to forward which does look better but you will lose your antenna. most people probably don't need the antenna but I like it. so mine is further back and the wind blocker looks like crap if it's too far back. yours is up there and looks good.

here is mine retaining the antenna but had to sell my wind deflector cuz it just wouldn't look right so far back.

 
#8 ·
kracksmith said:
...here is mine retaining the antenna...
Yup, from what I've seen, most people do just move the front towers back enough to use the antenna. I was torn. On the one hand I wanted my box as far back as possible for aero, but I also did not want the rear bar to interfere with the hatch when it was just the rack on the car. The further back I go, the lower the rear towers would have to be and the more stress would be placed on the stretch kit. I also wanted to not deviate from Yakima's measurements to the extent possible...I assumed since the CRX is listed as compatible with a Q stretch kit that they had actually tested its use on a CRX. There weren't any fit notes provided to forewarn me of antenna interference. There was a note on hatch interference, but not one specifying the rear towers would SIT ON IT :evil:

I'll just have to figure a way to relocate the antenna elsewhere while maintaining as clean a look as possible.
 
#12 ·
For anyone wondering about the long-term practicality of this setup, after about 7 months and 6000 miles of driving, both the roof box and roof rack are still solidly attached!
 
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