Roof rack fitment found
The wind noise from the rack was killing me - it's quite loud, begins around 30mph and gets worse from there. So, I just mounted the Thule fairing and carefully checked things out to see how the pressure points on the roof panel look. I adjusted it so that little to no static pressure is being put on the support feet where they touch the roof and I cut some small discs out of clear bra material to put underneath the foot pads where they touch the paint.
It looks like a fair amount of the pressure from the wind is transferred back towards the rack, leaving only half or so to act upon the support feet and ultimately the roof. I took it progressively faster and finally ended up going 80+ for a while and so far everything looks fine. The good news is that it completely kills the wind noise, and it makes the rack look a lot more finished - at least to my eye. For now I'm going to leave it on and keep an eye on things, but I think it should be ok.
I'll report back after some time with it on, and I can post some pics if anyone would like to see it.
It looks like a fair amount of the pressure from the wind is transferred back towards the rack, leaving only half or so to act upon the support feet and ultimately the roof. I took it progressively faster and finally ended up going 80+ for a while and so far everything looks fine. The good news is that it completely kills the wind noise, and it makes the rack look a lot more finished - at least to my eye. For now I'm going to leave it on and keep an eye on things, but I think it should be ok.
I'll report back after some time with it on, and I can post some pics if anyone would like to see it.
More good news: since I was thinking about the rack I just went to check and now Yakima is listing a fitment for the Evo X. Their site says that Q-Towers work with clip #00601-00730. I much prefer the Q-towers because they have a nice quick-release system, whereas the Thule towers have to be adjusted every time you install them. It's on there for now, but I'll probably sell this setup and order a Yakima setup at some point.
Edit: I just checked and there is still nothing official from Thule.
Edit: I just checked and there is still nothing official from Thule.
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Hi All,
As I've mentioned in other posts, I needed to figure out a roof rack fitment so that I can get my mountain bike to the trails. Mitsu USA doesn't offer one, and neither Yakima or Thule list a fitment at this time. Mitsu Japan has one in their catalog that is obviously a Thule, so the proper "fit kit" clips and feet pads obviously exist.
I had most of the parts for a Thule roof rack system already, so I went to my local bike shop and Gander Mountain with the car, a trace of the roof rail contour, and picture of the JDM rack and went through every kit that I could find to see if any matched up. In the end I found Fit Kit #2120, which is listed as being for '03+ Toyota Corollas which appears to be the ticket.
I test fit everything carefully and I think it is just about perfect. The angles and length on the clips match the Evo X's roof rails perfectly, and the feet pads are the correct width and have the right "shoulder" location, though to be absolutely perfect they would need to be slightly angled to match the way that the rain gutters angle outward a bit in the front.
There are markings inside the door rails that designate the center of the foot location, and if you look that section is slightly straightened in order to accommodate the clips. I covered the areas where the feet and clips touch the car with clear-bra material, cut the crossbars down to the fit nicely, and mounted it up. The fit kit comes with two slightly different styles of the clips. The only difference is that one set is very slightly longer. I used those in the front. It also comes with a set of "spacers" that position the clips up higher in the towers, but those were too high for this application so I left them out.
It's on there very solidly and nothing is digging in or binding anywhere, so I'm happy with it for now. When Thule releases an official kit I'll change over to that - unless of course they end up specifying this same kit...
I initially mounted up a fairing, but after thinking about how amazingly thin the roof panel is I removed it. I was concerned that the fairing might push down on it's feet enough at highway speeds that it could end up denting the roof. It looked better with the fairing on, but it isn't worth risking. Mitsu doesn't show the fairing in the JDM catalog, which might also suggest the fairing isn't a good idea.
I'll take some pictures and post them tomorrow.
--Josh
As I've mentioned in other posts, I needed to figure out a roof rack fitment so that I can get my mountain bike to the trails. Mitsu USA doesn't offer one, and neither Yakima or Thule list a fitment at this time. Mitsu Japan has one in their catalog that is obviously a Thule, so the proper "fit kit" clips and feet pads obviously exist.
I had most of the parts for a Thule roof rack system already, so I went to my local bike shop and Gander Mountain with the car, a trace of the roof rail contour, and picture of the JDM rack and went through every kit that I could find to see if any matched up. In the end I found Fit Kit #2120, which is listed as being for '03+ Toyota Corollas which appears to be the ticket.
I test fit everything carefully and I think it is just about perfect. The angles and length on the clips match the Evo X's roof rails perfectly, and the feet pads are the correct width and have the right "shoulder" location, though to be absolutely perfect they would need to be slightly angled to match the way that the rain gutters angle outward a bit in the front.
There are markings inside the door rails that designate the center of the foot location, and if you look that section is slightly straightened in order to accommodate the clips. I covered the areas where the feet and clips touch the car with clear-bra material, cut the crossbars down to the fit nicely, and mounted it up. The fit kit comes with two slightly different styles of the clips. The only difference is that one set is very slightly longer. I used those in the front. It also comes with a set of "spacers" that position the clips up higher in the towers, but those were too high for this application so I left them out.
It's on there very solidly and nothing is digging in or binding anywhere, so I'm happy with it for now. When Thule releases an official kit I'll change over to that - unless of course they end up specifying this same kit...
I initially mounted up a fairing, but after thinking about how amazingly thin the roof panel is I removed it. I was concerned that the fairing might push down on it's feet enough at highway speeds that it could end up denting the roof. It looked better with the fairing on, but it isn't worth risking. Mitsu doesn't show the fairing in the JDM catalog, which might also suggest the fairing isn't a good idea.
I'll take some pictures and post them tomorrow.
--Josh
I'll grab the measurements from the garage after work with lancer feet on the MR roof.
lancer feet work fine with spacific measurements. I'll grab the part numbers as well after work. stay tuned.
Does't the feet of the fit kit rest on the roof? I have work at a ski shop and have installed numerous Thule racks so your statement confuses me.