Does anyone have a roof rack for their ralliart? I'm looking at getting one for a kayak and was wondering if people have any advice on a good one to buy.

 

Are you cool like a Sportback or just a sedan?
Makes a big difference!

 

I have the sedan model, just couldn't get into the looks of the sportback

 

Go Yakima.

NAKED ROOF | WHISPBAR FLUSH BAR: S4 SYSTEM
Info:
http://www.yakima.com/

But you can find them cheaper online at other places, cheapest I have found is BackCountry.com

I recommend covering your roof in the 3M paint protector film, it will keep the paint from getting scractched, just in case anything rubs or scrapes the surface that you load up there.
If you don't do the whole roof, at least do the areas where the bar mounts. You can get the material from your local tint shop, probably $20 for a 12"x12" Square. Easy to apply yourself.

 

Either Thule or Yakima racks will be good for the base rack.
If you go with a flat type whisper bar or new Aero bars from Thule some aftermarket or third party items might not fit the t-channel type locking systems.

for the Kayak it self I would not recommend the 4 feet kind (kayak lays on 4 curved feet. I had this on mine and trying to get it on and off was a pain and I ended up making a dent in my rear door with the weight of my body trying to get the kayak off. After $250 painless dent removal I decided to get the r which has been great.

It takes the weight of our 80lb 3 person kayak with no problem and make getting it on and off easy. Very sturdy and easy to get on and off.

I would also recommend getting (pack comes with one for hood and one for trunk bolt per kayak). They let you tie down the front and rear of the kayak so that you don't have to find the tow hook below and have the rope rub the paint off your bumper. When not in use they tuck away into the engine bay and are hidden.

 

^all very good advice!

I 'pushed' the kayak onto the \/ style rack - and it kept sliding forward and BAM! bounced on the hood

NOW I remember why I load on level ground!