I bought my S in December 2019. I refused to pay $500 for towers and bars. I also didn’t like having to slip metal under the glass roof—a total deal killer.
I designed and welded my own rack not long after I bought my car. The towers rest on the glass and steel clips grab the body of the car above the windows (when you activate the door latch mechanism, the windows open a bit, allowing the windows to clear both the door frame and the clip). I made the load bars with one by six lumber whose trailing and leading edges I shaped to reduce turbulence. I have carried a 43 pound 26 foot outrigger canoe on it without problems. It is very stable and looks homemade, and probably cost under $80.
I was thinking I’d make clips to slide under the glass and make prettier towers but this thread restored my sanity. No clips, no broken glass.
I designed and welded my own rack not long after I bought my car. The towers rest on the glass and steel clips grab the body of the car above the windows (when you activate the door latch mechanism, the windows open a bit, allowing the windows to clear both the door frame and the clip). I made the load bars with one by six lumber whose trailing and leading edges I shaped to reduce turbulence. I have carried a 43 pound 26 foot outrigger canoe on it without problems. It is very stable and looks homemade, and probably cost under $80.
I was thinking I’d make clips to slide under the glass and make prettier towers but this thread restored my sanity. No clips, no broken glass.
