Sea Sucker Roof Rack and Cargo Box in the cold

[m3am3]

Just wanted to post if anyone was wondering about fitment in the cold/use in the cold of the sea sucker mounts with a cargo box on the model 3.

Tested now for more than 3 weeks in negative temperatures and the car being outside the whole time. No issues at all what so ever.

Let me know if you have any questions- happy to answer and new on the forums!

 

[bpjod]

Good to hear. I have the Monkey Bars (also the Bomber rack) and have hauled around canoes and paddleboards on them this past summer and am looking forward to trying out my Yakima Skybox 16 on them for skiing this winter. I have tons of questions for you!

• Maximum sustained speed? For how long?
• Wh/km at 100 kph? 110 kph? At what outside temps?
• Subjective noise levels in the car?
• How frequently did they need to be re-pumped? More often in the cold?
• Did you leave the bars/box up there for 3 weeks or has it been mounted/dismounted multiple times?
• If you've left it mounted and the car unattended, any anti-theft measures?
• If you mounted/unmounted it, did you remove the box, then the bars or did you leave the box mounted to the bars and take the whole unit off at once? Any wisdom to pass along on this?
• Sounds like you mounted it to a cold roof, correct? No problems getting the suction to work on a cold roof? Were the bars stored inside (i.e. warm suction cups) or were they cold too?
• Usually I use a spray bottle to wet the suction cups when mounting. No problems with ice forming under, causing the seals to break or anything like that?

• 

 

[lotuni]

Great thread @m3am3 and great questions from @bpjod. Am very interested in this as well. Perfect timing. @bpjod where did you get your monkey bars? Did you just order them online?

 

[m3am3]

Good to hear. I have the Monkey Bars (also the Bomber rack) and have hauled around canoes and paddleboards on them this past summer and am looking forward to trying out my Yakima Skybox 16 on them for skiing this winter. I have tons of questions for you!

• Maximum sustained speed? For how long? 125-140km/hr for 2-3 hours, no loss of pressure after stopping so it could have gone for longer. Top speed I hit with them on, in the low 150s
• Wh/km at 100 kph? 110 kph? At what outside temps?
• Subjective noise levels in the car? haven't measured with a decibel reader, but it is noticeably louder, with volume at ~20%, you can no longer hear it
• How frequently did they need to be re-pumped? More often in the cold? Drove with them on for about 3 weeks straight, doing roughly 50kms each day and mixed highway/city usage, temp below 2c and never had to repump (it will deflate, but never to orange)
• Did you leave the bars/box up there for 3 weeks or has it been mounted/dismounted multiple times? I left it on for 3 weeks to test, it turned out really good. Dismounted now 2-3 times and has been just as good.
• If you've left it mounted and the car unattended, any anti-theft measures? Nope, this is a risk for sure.
• If you mounted/unmounted it, did you remove the box, then the bars or did you leave the box mounted to the bars and take the whole unit off at once? Any wisdom to pass along on this? I only mounted/removed alone, so I did remove the box first. I could see it being much easier removing with them on, but will need two people. Two tips, one mount towards the side that opens, otherwise you will need to stand on the car side or get a small step (I am 6' and cannot reach across). Second, buy pipe insulation from home depot and wrap the monkey bar then clip the box on it, it reduces vibration.
• Sounds like you mounted it to a cold roof, correct? No problems getting the suction to work on a cold roof? Were the bars stored inside (i.e. warm suction cups) or were they cold too? I have done both cases, no problem what so ever. When cold, you need to press the suction cups down a little more on the roof (because they are stiff) but really no big difference.
• Usually I use a spray bottle to wet the suction cups when mounting. No problems with ice forming under, causing the seals to break or anything like that? None what so ever.

• View attachment 353810

 

[rypalmer]

You might have better luck asking in a Model 3 forum instead of a regional forum. Surely you're not the first person to ask this.

My own 2c is that having a bike on the back of my S did terrible things for aerodynamics. Be warned that in the winter this effect will be even more pronounced.

 

[bpjod]

Thanks for the answers @m3am3. I'm shocked you drove 140-150 km/h with a roof box on! Thanks for testing that for us. I have no plans on going over 125 km/h with racks mounted on the roof so I guess I should be fine.

Now all I need to know is how it affects efficiency. That's the one question you didn't answer. I suspect because you never drove as slow as what I was asking ! Also, perhaps you stuck to routes with plenty of charging opportunities. I tend to go where there are no L3 chargers and even L2 are extremely scarce and far apart. Those trips can give me a little range anxiety. For instance this summer, the trip pictured above, I had to drive with the canoe on the roof for 360 km. I did some test drives with the canoe earlier in the week and determined that at 95 km/h I should be able to make the journey, but at 100 km/h it would be too close for comfort. I headed out at 95 km/h and monitored my energy usage closely. With about 100 km to go I realized that I'd been doing a little better than calculated and opened 'er up to 100 km/h for the rest of the trip. I made it there with 6% left on the battery. 195 Wh/km for the trip.

Anyway, looks like I'll be testing it in a couple weeks as we head on our first ski trip of the year. Will be sticking to a route with plenty of SuperCharging opportunities so the efficiency won't be an issue for us.

 

[stevedavies76]

SeaSucker is having a Holiday sale, 15% off site-wide. I've been watching them and waiting for Tesla's supposed branded roof rack. If you can't wait until spring (if that even holds true), looks like the best time to buy the Monkey Bars. I just did!

 

[stevedavies76]

Just wanted to post if anyone was wondering about fitment in the cold/use in the cold of the sea sucker mounts with a cargo box on the model 3.

Tested now for more than 3 weeks in negative temperatures and the car being outside the whole time. No issues at all what so ever.

Let me know if you have any questions- happy to answer and new on the forums!View attachment 353778

OP - what are your mount points for the monkey bars? More or less where the glass etched arrows are?

 

[bpjod]

OP - what are your mount points for the monkey bars? More or less where the glass etched arrows are?

I mount the front ones about 1/4" back from the front edge of the roof piece of glass. The rear bars I mount so they're the same distance above the driveway (I use a laser measuring tool) as the front ones. For canoes and paddle boards I want them to be as level as possible, certainly not noise high, and also the bars spread as far apart as possible. IIRC that put them about 4" behind the seam between the roof and rear window. .

 

[stevedavies76]

I mount the front ones about 1/4" back from the front edge of the roof piece of glass. The rear bars I mount so they're the same distance above the driveway (I use a laser measuring tool) as the front ones. For canoes and paddle boards I want them to be as level as possible, certainly not noise high, and also the bars spread as far apart as possible. IIRC that put them about 4" behind the seam between the roof and rear window. .

Ok, so the rear set is actually on the back window. Makes sense keeping the box level, only concern was putting pressure on the rear glass given some others experience.
Thanks for the reply!

 

[outdoors]

Good to hear. I have the Monkey Bars (also the Bomber rack) and have hauled around canoes and paddleboards on them this past summer and am looking forward to trying out my Yakima Skybox 16 on them for skiing this winter. I have tons of questions for you!

• Maximum sustained speed? For how long?
• Wh/km at 100 kph? 110 kph? At what outside temps?
• Subjective noise levels in the car?
• How frequently did they need to be re-pumped? More often in the cold?
• Did you leave the bars/box up there for 3 weeks or has it been mounted/dismounted multiple times?
• If you've left it mounted and the car unattended, any anti-theft measures?
• If you mounted/unmounted it, did you remove the box, then the bars or did you leave the box mounted to the bars and take the whole unit off at once? Any wisdom to pass along on this?
• Sounds like you mounted it to a cold roof, correct? No problems getting the suction to work on a cold roof? Were the bars stored inside (i.e. warm suction cups) or were they cold too?
• Usually I use a spray bottle to wet the suction cups when mounting. No problems with ice forming under, causing the seals to break or anything like that?

• View attachment 353810

Could you show the attachment points you made in the frunk? I want to mount a Bell Magic and this looks like a winner to avoid rub on the front. What is your rear tie down attached to?

Thanks much for posting that photo!!

 

[bpjod]

Could you show the attachment points you made in the frunk? I want to mount a Bell Magic and this looks like a winner to avoid rub on the front. What is your rear tie down attached to?

Thanks much for posting that photo!!

[copy and paste what I replied here...]

These are what I use for the front of the canoe. The tubes are squishable, but fairly stiff - about like a really tough garden hose. They simply get closed in the front hood of a vehicle with the straps hanging out. The canoe is really held down by the strapping over the canoe and around the racks. The front tie-down is just a fail-safe. If I ever saw the canoe shift, I'd pull-over immediately and redo the strapping

 

[bpjod]

only concern was putting pressure on the rear glass given some others experience.

@stevedavies76 Uh oh, what experience?!

 

[stevedavies76]

@stevedavies76 Uh oh, what experience?!

I don't have the post handy, not sure if it was in this forum, Tesla's or another, but a guy had a seasucker bike rack mounted on an M3 to the rear window and it cracked under the vacuum cup. Folks were commenting that it was due to being on the rear window. May have been a freak accident, glass defect or something else.
Anyway, didn't mean to freak you out! If it's good for 3 weeks I'm sure your setup is sound.

 

[NewTMSMan]

Just wish they had an option to install aero bars instead of just a round bar.

 

[phigment]

These are what I use for the front of the canoe. The tubes are squishable, but fairly stiff - about like a really tough garden hose. They simply get closed in the front hood of a vehicle with the straps hanging out. The canoe is really held down by the strapping over the canoe and around the racks. The front tie-down is just a fail-safe. If I ever saw the canoe shift, I'd pull-over immediately and redo the strapping

I have those straps for my other car. I was just worried about how it would work on the model 3 frunk. They tell you to specifically use two hands in a certain area to close it to ensure it doesn't dent. Are you sure it can withstand this pressure?

 

[bpjod]

I have those straps for my other car. I was just worried about how it would work on the model 3 frunk. They tell you to specifically use two hands in a certain area to close it to ensure it doesn't dent. Are you sure it can withstand this pressure?

As I said, it's simply a fail safe. All my force to hold the canoe on the roof is supplied by the straps holding the canoe to the Monkey Bars, then the Monkey Bars suctioned to the glass roof. The front tie down is taut, but not much force applied as I don't want to bend the frunk hood. Should something catastrophic happen, such as all the suction cups fail or the glass roof rips off, the front tie down would prevent the canoe flying off the car and possibly causing a collision. Might wreck my frunk hood in the process, but would allow me to pull over safely instead of being at fault for a serious motor vehicle collision.

 

[bpjod]

I don't have the post handy, not sure if it was in this forum, Tesla's or another, but a guy had a seasucker bike rack mounted on an M3 to the rear window and it cracked under the vacuum cup. Folks were commenting that it was due to being on the rear window. May have been a freak accident, glass defect or something else.
Anyway, didn't mean to freak you out! If it's good for 3 weeks I'm sure your setup is sound.

Thank you. Hadn't thought of that possibility. I'm not the OP so I'm not the one who had it mounted for three weeks. However, have done about 1,000 km with the canoe up there and likely another with either a paddle board or bikes on the Bomber Rack, so hopefully not an issue.

 

[phigment]

As I said, it's simply a fail safe. All my force to hold the canoe on the roof is supplied by the straps holding the canoe to the Monkey Bars, then the Monkey Bars suctioned to the glass roof. The front tie down is taut, but not much force applied as I don't want to bend the frunk hood. Should something catastrophic happen, such as all the suction cups fail or the glass roof rips off, the front tie down would prevent the canoe flying off the car and possibly causing a collision. Might wreck my frunk hood in the process, but would allow me to pull over safely instead of being at fault for a serious motor vehicle collision.

Fair enough. I've found in the past that I do need a fair amount of tension in the front lines to stop wind from causing the straps to vibrate violently. But I have flat nylon straps, so it might just be the shape causing the vibration.

 

[stevedavies76]

For another data point - I picked up a gently used SeaSucker Board rack vs the Monkey Bars the OP has used and they work fabulously for box / ski rack mounting as well. They've been around a bit longer than the Monkey Bars so might have better luck if you're looking for a cheaper alternative. Major difference is the Monkey Bars are raised so your more limited on setups with the Board rack. For my purposes it's perfect. Not the best pic, but you get the idea!