I’m posting this to help others maximize their OEM tesla crossbars. Any comment or input is appreciated.
Background:
I have a MY with OEM crossbars. Over the last 20 years, I’ve accumulated a lot of Thule accessories. 50” 58” 70” square bars, 2 sets of hull a ports, get a grip oar holders, Frontier cargo box, Snow pack ski rack, prologue bike racks, hang 2 sup. I’ve been able to get mounts for my cars and utilize the square bars for all my accessories. Except the MY.
Tesla OEM crossbars:
The crossbars look great, but IMO they aren’t the most functional. The aerodynamic, teardrop shape profile, doesn’t allow to securely mount my legacy Thule accessories. The arc of the crossbars doesn’t allow bikes to sit upright. The crossbars are different lengths with the Front being 45.5” and the rear 42.5”. This difference makes the usable length of the front crossbar 42.5” as well.
What I want from a roof rack:
Make use of my Thule Frontier box. Day at beach, camping, more room for luggage
Transport things like an EZ Up shade canopy, 2x4s, conduit, pvc pipe
Snow board transportation with binding clearance.
Stand Up Paddle/surf board transportation.
Transport road bikes, maybe a mountain bikes
Use superchargers. Use of most SCers with hitch accessories difficult.
Easily removable.
Little to no maintenance.
Safe
What I don’t need from a roof rack:
Kayak transport. I have Hobie kayaks and they are heavy. I would use a trailer to transport.
E bike transportation. I use a Thule Easy Fold hitch rack
I don’t want to use the T slot because I would have to modify all my accessories.
Aesthetically pleasing. I use accessories when needed and promptly remove when finished. When in use, I don’t care how it looks, it needs to do a job
Anything on the crossbars will affect efficiency. This is a non issue for me. Again, any accessory is removed when not in use.
What others want from as read from previous posts:
Transport 4’x8’ plywood
Don’t want to scratch or gouge the OEM crossbars with use of the T slot
Transport 12’ boards
Transport 5 mountain bikes, 3 on the roof 2 on the hitch
Solutions from online:
Not many that are to my liking. Nothing from this forum, e trailer
My solution:
Use Yakima Universal Mighty Mounts with the Thule square bars, mount to the OEM crossbars. Basically stacking another set of crossbars on top of the OEM bars.
Issue to overcome:
When attached to the Square Bar, Yakima mount does not seat flush with OEM crossbar because of its arc.
Use square beveled washer to correct the arc in the OEM bars so the Yakima mount seats tightly.
Parts list:
Yakima Universal Mighty Mounts Amazon part #8003590
Thule square bar x 2
Thule Square bar clam Ride-On adapter x 4 E Trailer part #853-256
Rectangular washer for Ride-On adapter x 4 E trailer part #853-2154
¼ x 2” carriage bolt x 4
3/8 square beveled washer Malleable Iron x 4 Amazon 10 pack
5/16 x 2 ½” Hex bolt x 4
¼” Rubber spacer x 4
¼” Washer x 4
¼” lock washer x4
1/4 -20 hex nut x 4
Square neck of carriage bolt slightly larger than the square portion of square washer and ride on clamp. I made the square neck smaller using a file
Supplied Yakima hex bolts are to short (2”) or too long (3”) for this application
Use bail “B” for the Yakima mount
I could not find anything to correct offset the angle of the carriage bolt and Yakima mount. My solution is to use a rubber spacer. Suggestions?
Suggested improvements:
Omit the ride-on clamp adapters. Drill a hole through the square bar and use a bolt through the square bar and mighty mount. Downside is the mount placement is fixed on the bar.
Background:
I have a MY with OEM crossbars. Over the last 20 years, I’ve accumulated a lot of Thule accessories. 50” 58” 70” square bars, 2 sets of hull a ports, get a grip oar holders, Frontier cargo box, Snow pack ski rack, prologue bike racks, hang 2 sup. I’ve been able to get mounts for my cars and utilize the square bars for all my accessories. Except the MY.
Tesla OEM crossbars:
The crossbars look great, but IMO they aren’t the most functional. The aerodynamic, teardrop shape profile, doesn’t allow to securely mount my legacy Thule accessories. The arc of the crossbars doesn’t allow bikes to sit upright. The crossbars are different lengths with the Front being 45.5” and the rear 42.5”. This difference makes the usable length of the front crossbar 42.5” as well.
What I want from a roof rack:
Make use of my Thule Frontier box. Day at beach, camping, more room for luggage
Transport things like an EZ Up shade canopy, 2x4s, conduit, pvc pipe
Snow board transportation with binding clearance.
Stand Up Paddle/surf board transportation.
Transport road bikes, maybe a mountain bikes
Use superchargers. Use of most SCers with hitch accessories difficult.
Easily removable.
Little to no maintenance.
Safe
What I don’t need from a roof rack:
Kayak transport. I have Hobie kayaks and they are heavy. I would use a trailer to transport.
E bike transportation. I use a Thule Easy Fold hitch rack
I don’t want to use the T slot because I would have to modify all my accessories.
Aesthetically pleasing. I use accessories when needed and promptly remove when finished. When in use, I don’t care how it looks, it needs to do a job
Anything on the crossbars will affect efficiency. This is a non issue for me. Again, any accessory is removed when not in use.
What others want from as read from previous posts:
Transport 4’x8’ plywood
Don’t want to scratch or gouge the OEM crossbars with use of the T slot
Transport 12’ boards
Transport 5 mountain bikes, 3 on the roof 2 on the hitch
Solutions from online:
Not many that are to my liking. Nothing from this forum, e trailer
My solution:
Use Yakima Universal Mighty Mounts with the Thule square bars, mount to the OEM crossbars. Basically stacking another set of crossbars on top of the OEM bars.
Issue to overcome:
When attached to the Square Bar, Yakima mount does not seat flush with OEM crossbar because of its arc.
Use square beveled washer to correct the arc in the OEM bars so the Yakima mount seats tightly.
Parts list:
Yakima Universal Mighty Mounts Amazon part #8003590
Thule square bar x 2
Thule Square bar clam Ride-On adapter x 4 E Trailer part #853-256
Rectangular washer for Ride-On adapter x 4 E trailer part #853-2154
¼ x 2” carriage bolt x 4
3/8 square beveled washer Malleable Iron x 4 Amazon 10 pack
5/16 x 2 ½” Hex bolt x 4
¼” Rubber spacer x 4
¼” Washer x 4
¼” lock washer x4
1/4 -20 hex nut x 4
Square neck of carriage bolt slightly larger than the square portion of square washer and ride on clamp. I made the square neck smaller using a file
Supplied Yakima hex bolts are to short (2”) or too long (3”) for this application
Use bail “B” for the Yakima mount
I could not find anything to correct offset the angle of the carriage bolt and Yakima mount. My solution is to use a rubber spacer. Suggestions?
Suggested improvements:
Omit the ride-on clamp adapters. Drill a hole through the square bar and use a bolt through the square bar and mighty mount. Downside is the mount placement is fixed on the bar.
