Anyone have thoughts on if I should buy a cheap universal soft roof rack for surfboards, kayak, sowboard, skiis, cargo box ect or the $450 Tesla roof Rack? If you go the Telsa roof rack did you use the aero rack pads? Which brand and size?
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Soft racks generally also have a strap that pinches the weather strip. Eventually that will damage the strips. This is the reason I went with a suction mount rack (SeaSucker Monkey Bars). Not a perfect solution either as it is easy to steal but I like the convenience of only mounting when occasionally needed. I really didn't want permanently mounted roof rack although it is probably the most secure solution.
model 3 rack became available about 7 months after I got the car, so I made do with a soft rack until I 'won the lottery' and managed to get the real thing in early 2019. after the problems with the j-pins got fixed, it is very well made and stable. it doesnt make any noticeable difference to range ( when empty) or noise. Yakima folding kayak racks lock and are easy to put on and off. they are great at Home Depot and christmas tree lot and all the sport equipment. THEY are noisy, and make a irritating whistling noise when folded. Kayaks decrease range approximately 50%. Seattle sport makes a great loop that bolts into the frunk so you can easily tie things down at the sides at front. the soft rack was less stable, more hassle, potentially damaging to roof, window seals etc. my tesla rack came with the mounting pads that had to be used. there was no size to choose.
Shauna, which one did you go with? I'm trying to find out whether universal racks will fit on the fixed mount points.
There is now another choice, which is the Yakima aftermarket rack, using clips that hook onto the drip rails.
Compared to the Tesla rack, it has level crossbars (instead of one significantly higher than the other), has bars sticking out beyond the towers (may be helpful for some load tie-downs), and does not require trying to install clips under the roof glass, but is more expensive and probably has more drag and wind noise.
Compared to the Tesla rack, it has level crossbars (instead of one significantly higher than the other), has bars sticking out beyond the towers (may be helpful for some load tie-downs), and does not require trying to install clips under the roof glass, but is more expensive and probably has more drag and wind noise.
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