Roof Rail and Cross Bars Question

[jcmac87]

Hi all,

I am a total newbie regarding roof rails and cross bars. I am going to purchase my mazda cx5 gt with tech in a day or 2.
I don't know whether or not to just get the oem roof rails or just the cross bars? Or... do I need both of them? I'm so
confused. I need a rack to transport a cargo box and 2 bikes. First timer.. Thanks.

 

[ErgoZoom]

I've only seen in the US rails or rails WITH crossbars as OEM.

I've seen across the pond, crossbars only but they use different rails from what I've come to understand (and may not even be OEM.)
Remember, you can get the OEM rails and crossbars later too. It's an easy install.

 

[Surfsup]

You need roof rails to mount the crossbars to. So you can't just get crossbars.

You can get crossbars that are mounted to "feet" that take the place of roof rails but if it were me I'd get the roof rails. You can get aftermarket crossbars that fit the CX5. This is what I am considering but haven't needed them yet so it is on the back burner.

 

[jcmac87]

Thanks guys! Answered my question perfectly.

 

[rjdee]

One consideration is when you use the factory rails, the front crossbar will be positioned further back on the car compared to a Yakima Qtower or Thule Podium system that clamps above the doors. This could be an issue if you have a long cargo box. A long box combined with the factory crossbar postion means the hatch might hit the box. I installed a custom system that allows me to use a long box, have a more forward bar position but also have a cleaner close to factory look.

 

[halfast3]

One consideration is when you use the factory rails, the front crossbar will be positioned further back on the car compared to a Yakima Qtower or Thule Podium system that clamps above the doors. This could be an issue if you have a long cargo box. A long box combined with the factory crossbar postion means the hatch might hit the box. I installed a custom system that allows me to use a long box, have a more forward bar position but also have a cleaner close to factory look.

Sounds good. Photo?

 

[pglukhov]

I have the OEM rails and purchased the Mazda OEM cross bars for this season's snowboard trips. The OEM package looks great, but you will have a little bit of a noise when you go approximately 30 mph. I had to get the Universal Mighty Mou8nts in order to mount my Yakima snowboard rack, and like rjdee said, the positioning is a bit weird. My snowboards barely fit with bindings in between the snowboard racks.

 

[rjdee]

Sounds good. Photo?

Also the factory crossbars are rated to 100 lbs. Use the factory rails but with Yakima crossbars gives you a 165 lbs weight capacity.

 

[MikeM.]

I realize that some situations require a rack, top box, etc. But I would emphasize that wind noise and drag (fuel consumption) will increase more than most people assume. For those reasons I avoid the use of racks unless actually necessary and prefer a system that is easy to remove the 99% of the time that I don't need those capabilities.

If you only drive at city speeds this won't matter (except for the small amount of extra weight up high which reduces corner performance) but if you travel on the freeway the difference is substantial and worth considering.

 

[particleman]

A couple weeks late to this thread, but i posted about my experience using the mounting points in the CX-5's roof, that are under the rain gutters. See my post here:

http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?123813925-Roof-Racks&p=5975775&highlight=#post5975775

 

[Rich 65]

If you have the funds, purchase a hitch rack for the bikes as well. I recently did and will never go back to roof mounted bike racks - especially with mountain bikes. I did purchase the factory rails and use Thule Crossroad feet. I prefer it much more than factory cross rails. You lave limitless accessory options this way and the capacity is increased (as mentioned above).

 

[crenninger]

If anyone is interested I have a set of 4 Yakima Qtowers with locks and clips for a CX5 for sale.

PM me for details.
Thx