Yakima Q Towers - Set of 4

Comments about Yakima Q Towers - Set of 4:

Mounted these towers as part of a Yakima rack system to carry my bikes. Towers come with easy to follow instructions.

Comments about Yakima Q Towers - Set of 4:

I bought these to carry my kayak on a Toyota Yaris with Thule Hull-a-ports. At first I was skeptical not because of the quality of the mounts which are solid but because I wasn't sure of the Q-clip system really being robust enough (even though the clip system seems to be an industry standard). This rack system is solid. When I first bought it I did not get the fairing because I wanted to remove the rack after using it since I was not confident that it could stand up to being on the car 24/7 without loosening up. Even though, with a little practice, this system can be installed in about 15 minutes I now leave it on day in and day out. The fairing is a worth while investment to reduce wind noise and improve economy.

Comments about Yakima Q Towers - Set of 4:

When the Q-towers are positioned according to the directions the feet straddle the longitudinal roof seam. For this vehicle it would have been better designed to be solidly on either side of the seam. I am not inclined to leave them on the car for this reason and for the horrendous amount of road noise this system generates. My square barred Thule system (for a different vehicle) did not make near the amount of noise this Yakima system does. I was in a rush to buy so for anybody else I would recommend shop the systems and read the reviews first!

Comments about Yakima Q Towers - Set of 4:

Hello Review Readers,

I give the Q towers 2 stars for the reasons described. This doesn't mean that you won't like it. You may give it 5 stars, unless you have the same issues/concerns I did.

Note: My comments pertain at times to the whole roof rack system (i.e. I may reference parts not included with the Q towers) but are still part of the overall Yakima rack system (if you buy the clips, bars, locks, kayak rack ~ these are sold separately), so just be aware of this. I figure the comments are relevant since you are probably buying the whole system.

Note: I've only had these for 4 months or so. So far I have not kept them on my car, and instead I installed them whenever they were needed (4 or 5 times so far). I use the rack system + Hullraiser aero to transport a kayak.

Note: I drive a 2009 Toyota Matrix with the factory roof rack installed (Yakima rack goes over factory roof rack).

Q Towers - Lock Cores Did Not Fit:
I installed the product per instructions. It took a while but it wasn't too bad. I had a fit issue with the lock cores (lock cores sold separately). I couldn't lock the locks on two of the towers! NOT GOOD YAKIMA! Visually, the hole in the tower handle did not line up with the core. I went to my local REI and the great people at REI (along with their great return policy) helped me out. I ended up getting/buying two other Q towers that worked, and I returned the two that were bad. The REI people suggested that YAKIMA had a bad lot go out, not sure if that is true. Anyways - All is well now, although it was a frustrating experience.

Q Towers - Little metal clip things that hold Lock Cores or core blanks in. The tiny little metal clips that hold the locks in are fragile. 1 broke for me within a month, but it still held the lock. Lucky for me, I purchased them at a store with a great return policy. See picture

58" Round Bar End Caps (sold separately):
1 of the plastic bar end caps cracked within 24 hours (before the rack even went on my car). 2 more were cracked within the month. I wish I could blame the outside elements, but the bars were stored in my apartment and were not kept on my car. Luckily, returned the bad ones to REI for new ones. Lets see how long these last ... See picture

58" Round Bar (sold seperatly):
Round Bars vs Square Bars. I read other reviews complaining about this, but I thought they were overreacting. I did not realize what a pain this is until experiencing it myself. It is very frustrating that these bars are round. I purchased a separate kayak attachment (Hellraiser aero), and when I load the kayak chances are it needs to move forward or back a foot or so. When I (or we, as someone is usually helping) move the kayak, the kayak can catch on the Hullraiser aero pads, causing them to rotate with the kayak and knock into the top of my car. Then - I need to go rotate them back.

The GOOD: It seems VERY secure on my car. I don't think my kayak is going anywhere. Good fit with the Toyota Matrix 2009. I've read that fit varies by car. Since that is the most important part, I give Yakima 10 stars. However, I remove a star for each part that broke, and I remove 5 stars for making me drive back to REI (ok, I admit I was going there anyways) to reassemble Q towers in their parking lot.

I'd like to return all my Yakima stuff and buy a Thule Rack (I have ZERO experience with Thule though). Since I have a working rack system at the moment, my return of Yakima products would mostly be out of spite and concern of the future quality of their stuff. However, Thule did not have a product that officially worked with my car. Yakima gets 1 more star back for that.

Negative 10 stars to Toyota for selling me a factory roof rack that is not officially compatible with any good brand name kayak racks (ok, I should have check that, now I'm complaining too much)

Comments about Yakima Q Towers - Set of 4:

I am a bike enthusiast and work in the industry. When I bought this yakima rack I was sorely disappointed. All the measurements provided from yakima did not fit my 2011 GTI at all. Q towers don't sit flush, the clips will scratch your car, and over tension on the cams is a problem. Buy something that isn't made in [*].

Comments about Yakima Q Towers - Set of 4:

When installed right, it's quite stable. It took me a couple or three hours to put everything on my car roof, including an old Yakima Steelhead bike tray and the fairing. But it looks really good. Cost-wise, it'll add up, so consider everything you need to do with the rack and spend wisely. Noise-wise, it's an add-on to your vehicle's profile, something not always considered by car manufacturers when they design vehicles. So expect the noise as well as the reduced gas mileage. As far as security goes, I chose Yakima because I think they make good products and I think their key locks and Q Towers are better than the other brand. Just my observation. Granted, the best security will only delay a determined thief, but maybe enough so that he'd think twice and just move on to an easier pick. But a word of caution: Never leave your bike on the car overnight anywhere, even if it's locked, even in your driveway. Nothing will prevent a determined thief from stealing an exposed bike. He'll carry a hack saw and maybe even dog food. And why a roof rack? I can't put a hitch on my car. As for the type that straps on the back of a vehicle, it took me a while to put my bike together back in '96. Many pennies, late late nights. Then loads of miles and good times. My hardtail ride has been a good friend for a long time now and it doesn't deserve to be knifed out from behind my car when I'm not looking nor be squished between vehicles in a nasty crash. You gotta treat a trusty old friend better... ;-)

Comments about Yakima Q Towers - Set of 4:

Great product. Was tough finding clips for my particular car, so I just ordered them straight through Yakima. No big deal.

I would suggest buying the wind guard for any roof rack. WE didnt, and it gets loud on the highway without one.

Comments about Yakima Q Towers - Set of 4:

A few times I have made the mistake of buying cheaper rack system but I have always returned the Yakima Brand. With Yakima I can always get the towers and clips specified for my car. As for the bars and some of the othe boat and bike transport accessories I am still using stuff that I have had for more than 20 years.

Comments about Yakima Q Towers - Set of 4:

I have a 2003 Acura 3.2TL that I installed these towers onto. If you noticed, I put both easy install and hard to install on the pros and cons. I said they're easy to install because once they're set properly its as easy as position and clamping four towers down. But the first time you install these racks they can be a pain. Yakima tolerances these down to the 1/8 inch and that makes it painstaking to get things set up and measured properly. And when you set up the towers on the actual car you have to be careful NOT TO OVER TIGHTEN THE CLAMPS because you can stress the tower to the point where it bends out of shape and then the locks don't align properly.

Once set up they don't make a lot of noise. I have them on my car with the fatcat4 attached to them and they make very little wind noise until you get upto highway speed. At 65 you start to hear the whistle. At 70 its noticeable but still at background noise-level. And at 75-80+ you hear it even if you try to drown it out with music. But that's WITHOUT a fairing installed.

When properly measured out and clamped down these don't move at all on my car... you can rock the car around by pulling on them.

Bottom line... even though they want $75 as a member to install the racks... let rei install the racks. And once theyve been installed for the first time its a simple clamp on clamp off...takes maybe two minutes when youre doing it alone.
Hard first install and you have to be careful about over-tensioning the clamps but after that theyre solid racks.

Comments about Yakima Q Towers - Set of 4:

I have seen Q towers on 3 of my friends cars and they all felt pretty stable although not perfect and all had paint damage. I got a set for my 2001 Isuzu Trooper with the Q-clips suggested by REI/Yakima, and they don't fit at all. Very frustrating. I've battled with them for three sessions trying the exact measurements from the instructions twice and trying my own measurements once. Now I have to deal with returning these bulky things.