Yakima roof baskets do not fit the Yakima MY roof rack

[2left]

I checked online and called Yakima in advance to confirm that their MegaWarrior and SkinnyWarrior baskets will fit their Tesla MY roof rack. I ordered the SkinnyWarrior, and it does NOT fit. When I sent photos in to Yakima they confirmed by email that I shouldn't use the basket. The problem is the feet for the Warrior baskets can only be set at certain spread increments and the MY rails are fixed at a 35" spread. They don't match up!

The only cages that will work are those that have feet that are continuously adjustable along the lengthwise axis. So now I'm thinking the Thule Trail XT, but at $500 for the smaller size it's an expensive basket, although it looks really sharp.

 

[Watts_Up]

The only cages that will work are those that have feet that are continuously adjustable along the lengthwise axis.
So now I'm thinking the Thule Trail XT, but at $500 for the smaller size it's an expensive basket, although it looks really sharp.

Thank you for the information.

I have a Model 3 and I was considering adding or building a platform to carry luggage when I have some relatives coming over.

The difficulty is that the two beams are not flat so you cannot just put a piece of plywood above the beams.

I looked at some Yakima basket installation videos and you are correct, the braces can only be located a some fixed intervals.

I recently noticed a car with a Thule basket and I took a picture of it as I was a little bit intrigued, and you are right it is quite nice looking.

 

[Watts_Up]

The MY rails are fixed at a 35" spread.

The only cages that will work are those that have feet that are continuously adjustable along the lengthwise axis.

So now I'm thinking the Thule Trail XT, but at $500 for the smaller size it's an expensive basket, although it looks really sharp.

I noticed this cargo rack which is not welded, so it could be possible to make some adjustment.

$135 - MPH Production - Universal Roof Rack (Luggage Carrier Basket) RB-001-JJ-G

Dimensions: 48" Length - 38" Width

Transversal bars distance: 4"

Interval between 9 transversal bars: (9 x 4) = 36" which is very close to the Model Y distance of 35"
​

 

[mobilesuit818]

Incorrect.

There is some manipulation needed but was just fine.

400 mile camping trip back in May 2020.

 

[Rshephorse]

Incorrect.

There is some manipulation needed but was just fine.

400 mile camping trip back in May 2020.

Didn't that Tank your Range? I found that bikes on the back dropped range about 8-10%

 

[mobilesuit818]

People ba e

Didn't that Tank your Range? I found that bikes on the back dropped range about 8-10%

New owners tend to have range anxiety.

With the rack and weight, the loss of range was minimum as there was plenty of chargers.

 

[Watts_Up]

400 mile camping trip back in May 2020.

Didn't that Tank your Range? I found that bikes on the back dropped range about 8-10%

New owners tend to have range anxiety.
With the rack and weight, the loss of range was minimum as there was plenty of chargers.

There is a great study from @egaertner about roof rack efficiencies that I would recommend:

Model 3 Roof Rack Options - Comparing Efficiencies (TMC)

Model 3 Roof Rack Options - Comparing Efficiencies (imgur.com)​

 

[Watts_Up]

Using a cargo box might be even more efficient than a cargo rack:

Tesla Model 3 with roof-rack box gets much better range if you flip box around - Electrek

A Tesla Model 3 owner figured out that his electric car is much more efficient
with a roof-rack box gets if he flips the box around.

Peter Fritzson, a Tesla Sweden Club member, decided to turn his roof box around
at the suggestion of his neighbor who is an aerodynamic performance expert:

He conducted some tests to see how it impacts efficiency, and the results are surprising.

Fritzson says that the roof rack alone impacts efficiency by about 3.6%.

When the roof box is installed the way it is recommended by the manufacturer
it reduces the range by about 16%.

​

The Model 3 owner says that his car gets the same range as if the roof rack is installed without the box
if the box is installed with the larger side forward.

​

The shape is definitely more aerodynamic. You can think of the wings of an airplane or a raindrop.
So why are roof-box makers not recommending that they be installed like that?​

 

[Rshephorse]

Using a cargo box might be even more efficient than a cargo rack:

Tesla Model 3 with roof-rack box gets much better range if you flip box around - Electrek

​

The shape is definitely more aerodynamic. You can think of the wings of an airplane or a raindrop.
So why are roof-box makers not recommending that they be installed like that?​

The problem may be just that - they act like wings on a plane. In the 'standard' position, the wind helps hold it closed, making it sealed and stable because the lid is held down. By flipping it, there's a pull upward on much of it causing it to stress the locking mechanism and making it unstable, also, I would guess you'd have a higher chance of getting a sig leak into the box while driving in the rain.

 

[Rshephorse]

People ba e


New owners tend to have range anxiety.

With the rack and weight, the loss of range was minimum as there was plenty of chargers.

I'm sure the rack itself is OK, I found that two large mountain bikes at highways speeds caused a lot of drag- so on longer runs we collapse the bikes and put them inside. I'm wondering though what the drag would be with a pair of kayaks on the roof or towing a trailer on the highway - I'm imagining 700 Wh/mi?

 

[2left]

The Thule Trail XT (Med) finally arrived. I installed it and I think it looks great. The feet are continually adjustable so I had no problem accommodating them to the 35" spread of the roof rails. It's very easy to lift overhead and attach by myself. The cage is a little less functional than I would have hoped because the fancy thick aluminum sides make it impossible to attach hooks there. There are four hook holes on the outside of the inner longitudinal rails, but no place to attach a hook to the front or back of the rack. A simple tubular cage would be more functional, but I guess this one looks nice. I have yet to test how it affects my KWh/mi.

 

[8BitOrBust]

Incorrect.

There is some manipulation needed but was just fine.

400 mile camping trip back in May 2020.

What "manipulations" did you make? I'm considering buying this for my 2021 MYLR if it will fit.