I am thinking of buying a new Honda CRV. The one I like has a sunroof. There is no factory rack on the CRV. I plan to install my Yakama rack using their “landing pads.”
Does anyone have this setup on a CRV with the sunroof?
Will the racks bridge the sunroof or will the rack fit behind the sunroof and still allow enough spread between the front and back racks?
Thoughts and comments are appreciated.
call yakima
If you ask they will fax you a layout of the exact rack position for your vehicle.
I did the landing pads on my non-factory racked Odyssey and couldn’t be happier with them.
2004 with Thule
No problem. I have the factory rails, jettisoned the stock crossbars, and used the Thule mounts, which bolt right in to existing holes in the rail itself. The rack spans the sunroof, and even though the span is somewhat narrow, no problems transporting my 21’ surf ski. I’ve had four boats up on the roof with some creative packaging also. Check out Yakima’s factory mount system; I can’t see them not using the factory drillings as well. Good little vehicle, BTW.
a bit off-topic
How are landing pads installed/attached to the roof?
Nice ride but have you thought about
purchasing the Element? It is set up to accept the Yakima landing pads. From there you can easily add the towers and 58" cross bars. I think they are the same vehicle except for the body style and interior. I moved from an F150 4x4 SuperCrew to an 05 Element and love it!
Ahh
Now this thread morphs into a car thread. Wonder if we can make it go motorcycle too. 
I have the wider Thule bars for my CR-V, but have yet to install them. I have noticed a bit of sag over the years on an occasional vehicle, but I’ve always run Thule since bike racing days, so I have a garage full of stuff for this system. Yakima’s a top manufacturer also, but I can remember complaints about mounted wheel carriers, etc, shifting due to the round bars. I believe they’ve cured this with any single point mount accessories. My biggest complaints with Thule are that they often rush a new ‘flavor of the week’ accessory design to the marketplace without fully thinking it out, and the hardware (plastic knobs, etc.) is crap. Here in the NE it rusts like crazy for those of us who leave our bike mounts on winter-long for mt. biking, and our kayak mounts on for pool rolling sessions, or modeling our drysuits in the great outdoors, etc. My racks that stay on have either been retrofitted with stainless hardware, or I lube the heck out of. Beyond that, their systems are solid as a rock. Four boats on the CR-V (albeit light ones), and nary a wobble. As far as the CR-V vs. the Element, the Element is a slick little vehicle and a hoot to drive. I went with the CR-V based on the ability to carry five vs. four in the Element, and I knew that opening the front doors to open the rear would be an annoyance for me. The CR-V is more refined on the road also, with greater sound deadening, etc. At the time I couldn’t swing a Pilot, so this was the next best thing. Since I’m somewhat of a ‘car guy’, I love the technology of the Honda V-Tech; Honda knows engines. Posted an intensive review on this vehicle at Epinions, so if anyone’s curious, give it a look up. Same screen name. Now, with two freshly fallen inches of snow on the ground, let’s talk motorcycles…smile. Happy Thanksgiving, BTW, to all.
nope: standard off the shelf Yakima part
BTW talking about crossbar SPREAD here, not crossbar length. The spread is the width between the set up crossbars.
Yakima makes these landing pads called Landing pads number 7, and they come with special hardwear to mount them without dropping the liner. You can mount them anywhere on the roof this way to accommodate your gear needs not the average CRV owner. Honda made the factory setting for landing pads to be ideal for bicycle racks not for sea kayaks and canoes. So I modified my 03 vehicle, by drilling holes in the roof (not without a bit of anxiety I might add) to suit my needs. Has worked well, and as a bonus looks much better.
your best bet is to look at the Rackattack website or phone them, they can give more detailed info.
if you like you can also email me and i will send you a photo of my set up; i sent Rackattack pictures to show them since they have been very good to me.
screw it
The unofficial way to move lots of long boats 1000’s of miles is to have the yakima mounts that fasten into the door casing with lots of span. Front is by front windshield and back is by back windshield. Machinist next door used carbide drill to match hole diamater with stainless steel screw. 2 per door and those screws took enormous force to screw them in and have 1000’s of miles in left lane at 70 mph. Might have a bungee cord holding the front but never a rear tiedown because it never seemed necessary. Test drove a crv but sticker said only 5% north american content so I did not buy it because I am a loyal American. Love my taurus with fold down rear seat for long stuff such as one piece turbo paddle.