Yakima  TimberLine Towers - Set of 4

Picked up a 2012 Toyota Sequoia and knew right away I needed something more solid to mount my Yakima boxes to. I watched the YouTube install video twice before starting my install and several times during the install - way better than the written instructions. I paired the towers with a set of 58" elliptical crossbars. The video recommends two people but I only had myself so I did a lot of up and down and side to side getting everything just right. In the end, everything felt rock solid and I completed a 2000 mile ski trip with two boxes on top at speeds to 85 mph without any drama. I do not plan on removing the bars - I like the way they look on the vehicle but will definitely remove the MPG robbing boxes when not in use.

I have always preferred Yakima products, and have always been happy with their performance, longevity and Yakima's customer support. So, when I purchased my new Wilderness, I knew I wanted to stick to the brand given I still have many old school Yakima products that are still working great (cargo box, ski rack, kayak J & Hully rollers, etc.). Will need to upgrade the old mounts with the new crossbars, but love the sleek look of the Timberline and Jetstream crossbars, and also purchased and installed locks for security. They look awesome with my black trim package, and feel super sturdy. Easy to assemble and install by myself.

I drive a 2016 Subaru Forester XT with factory side rails so I purchased the Yakima 50'' Jetsream bars (black) and Yakima Timberline towers with a 4pack of SKS keys. I did my research as usual before making the purchase and had read multiple reviews of how much wind noise these Jetstream Bars produce when compared to the square/circle crossbars bars. The bars are hardly audible; the only thing that I can pick up is a very faint whisper. The bars have been working great. It took an hour for the initial set-up from box to car but now that it's done, removing the towers/bars takes five minutes. During my first instal when moving one of the tower straps to the resting cradle position the strap pull broke. Still works, I just don't trust the other rubber pulls on the other three towers now. The SKS keys were easy to install and seem to be sturdy. The towers come with a screw tool that enables the user to loosen/tighten the straps. Be sure to to keep this in the vehicle when traveling with the bars, you never know when you may need it. The only problem I had with this purchase is not the product but REI across several departments... I called the 1-800 number twice to get these mistakes resolved and customer service was pleasant to deal with. I made the purchase online: bars (black), towers and locks. Two days later the bars showed up but were the wrong color. I contacted REI by phone to exchange them and within a minute of hanging up I received a return label by email and another confirmation email that the black bars were ordered. This time, I received the correct color, however, one bar had a major dent/gash in the face (wind side) and the protective coating was scratched off. To make things worse they looked like they had been a display model because no original packaging was inside... they instead put the bar end caps in a ziplock baggie and were missing 4 more pieces to attach the bars to the towers... I was pretty upset I was paying full price for something that was used as a demo and didn't come with anything original; even the film that the bars have for scratches in shipping was missing. I called REI again and explained to them what was going on. I believe I spoke with the same representative and was taken care of. They gave me overnight shipping and the next day by 11am the bars had arrived, correct color and factory packed.

I had a complete Yakima round bar set but got a new car and had to replace the towers. Not mentioned online, these towers can be removed in about 5-10 minutes, so I was pleasantly surprised. The package includes a 5/32" hex key shaped like a screwdriver, so after unlocking and removing the end-caps, less than 50 turns counter-clockwise loosen the rubber-covered metal straps enough to remove each tower and take off the rack. The opposite direction works to tighten the straps and reattach the rack in about 10 minutes. My only complaint is the cost, because even with the Labor Day weekend 20% discount, the towers and round bar adapters cost almost $200.

I really like these and the aero crossbars but... These towers use allen key bolts -- one to set the width position on crossbar, the other to tighten the tower to car rail. Even with care (I used to be a machinist), a bolt in one of my towers has the hex head round over, meaning an allen key wrench spins inside it instead of turning the bolt. My use is to usually take the racks off when not needed, and that process is easy and practical. But in only about 8 on/off cycles, a bolt has failed. It is an odd bolt -- metric M5x105mm, full length threaded -- not easily found. I am now contacting Yakima ...<groan>

I am someone who removes my rack system when not in use. The Timberline Tower system is quite easy to install and remove. Takes about 5 minutes to install or remove, with no accessories mounted to it). This is compared to the Yakima RailGrab system that I HATED so much every time I installed or removed it! The system includes a 3.5 Nm torque limited 4mm hex driver, which I think it a very good idea. But, the tip of the hex driver failed on the first installation! I completed installation with my bike torque wrench, then cut the Yakima torque driver shaft back to where the hex shape was good. Works fine now, but definitely a weak point that Yakima should fix in future sales of this product.

So far so good with these. They go on easy and give good capacity.

Aerodynamic fluttering makes the roof shake I have tried the platform as far forward, in the middle in multiple locations, and as far back as I can. I measured to make sure it was centered. The aerodynamic fluttering creates such a vibration that it sounds like I have a large subwoofer in my trunk. I emailed support and they said it would be atleast 20 days for a reply. There is basically no support if you have a problem. I am Mechanical Design Engineer who builds specialty equipment. I solve complex problems on a daily basis and I can't fix this one. Maybe if you are an aerospace engineer with access to a wind tunnel you will have better luck. Buyer beware!!!! Cool idea. Terrible follow through

I had actually taken the Yakima rack off my WRX and transplanted most of the parts from that to my new Outback. The integration of the individual pieces was flawless. The existing steel bars and plastic locking inserts worked perfectly so all I had to do was buy the TimberLine towers. Easy installation, just take your time. Measure correctly and often during and while tightening everything down. Incredibly solid build in a tight little package. Comes with the tool that has the right torque setting needed to tighten it down nice and securely. Instructions had placed a step that required you to tighten down something you weren't supposed to at the wrong step. As someone who's set these up before it's not a big deal but a first timer might be a bit stressed as to why their quite expensive rack system isn't being pieced together correctly. -1 Star because the instructions were misleading but that's it.

Felt very confident knowing my cargo box was secured to my vehicle tightly with this product. However, the lock cores (not included) are, in my opinion are over-priced - $40 for two cores x 4 mounts/4 cores needed (do the math)...which makes little sense when an 8-pack of cores (who needs 8 cores??) costs ~ $96. Big volume discount I guess. One word of caution regarding the mount: the rubber finger-pull loop, used to install/uninstall the Timberline Tower mount from the roof rail broke when my wife pulled on it (1st time removing it from the vehicle when our trip was complete). Suggestion to manufacturer: make this piece more stout. Suggestion to other users: loosen the travel screw mechanism a lot before pulling on this loop to avoid putting excess stress on it.