Originally posted by S Austin C:
I was wondering if anybody has a roof rack for their contour because I went to look at one today and the salesmen at the store told me that ford didn't release load specifications for contours so they couldn't sell me one. I really need to find a way to attach a couple snowboards to my car if anybody has any suggestions
The salesweasel was a gimp. There are three different companys that make racks for the Contiques. Yakima, Solaris, and one other...can't recall now. The Ford racks look like re-badged Yakima's. Don't bother looking at Thule, they don't make one for our cars due to the arched roofline.
The racks also vary in price, Yakima being the most expensive.
I've got a Yakima rack. It was about $600 with a couple sea kayak cradles and a fairing. I think bare-bones its going to be at least $400+ for you to get one. Upside is that if you get another car, you just change the feet on the mounting brackets for $70 and it'll fit just about any car. Check out the Yakima website, they have a section where you can build up your rack and get the MSRP for it. They should have documentation regarding load allowances for the rack. The documents that come with the rack are very detailed in regards to where it mounts on the roof.
I carry my 16'5" sea kayak all over with my rack. I haven't had a problem yet. I feel safe traveling at 100-110 with it. With the roof line being quite short, the rack doesn't support the long load well. I had to drill an eye-bolt into the front bumper for a tie down, as well as use the tow point under the rear bumper.
There is a place in Ottawa called Rack Attack, also on the web someplace, that is supposed to have great pricing on racks. Even with a cheap'o rack you're looking at $300+ just to carry a couple snow boards. I'd say its not worth it just for one sport, unless you have the money to blow.
If you are going to use it for bikes and other stuff, then it's certainly worth looking into. Check ebay for a bare bones Yakima rack maybe? Then just buy the fit kit for your car.
Hope this helps. If you have any more rack questions for me, just ask.
L.
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