[yann]

Hi all,

will be taking delivery next week of a base silver MDX. very excited about it. As most people here have commented, the roof rack that you can get on it, is pretty useless.

So here is my question.
I have a set of thule bars and a set of thule tracker feet. see attached image of tracker foot. I am wondering if the spacing between the bolt holes in the roof for each foot of the factory rack matches the spacing of the bolt holes in my tracker feet.

would anyone be so kind to measure that distance. Also what size are the bolts that go into the bolt holes?

I know that I could wait to take delivery of the car, but I am impatient. I want to know now.

thanks

yann

 

[PsychoKnight]

Hi all,

will be taking delivery next week of a base silver MDX. very excited about it. As most people here have commented, the roof rack that you can get on it, is pretty useless.

So here is my question.
I have a set of thule bars and a set of thule tracker feet. see attached image of tracker foot. I am wondering if the spacing between the bolt holes in the roof for each foot of the factory rack matches the spacing of the bolt holes in my tracker feet.

would anyone be so kind to measure that distance. Also what size are the bolts that go into the bolt holes?

I know that I could wait to take delivery of the car, but I am impatient. I want to know now.

thanks

yann

Sorry, matching bolt hole sizes might not help you alot. The feet of the acura rack is deeply contoured to the shape of the mold channel. I have thought about this, and being too lazy to go out and pull off the rack mount cover, I can give you another problem to solve while you are at it. To mount the Thule without a huge air gap around the bolts, reducing its mounting strength, you would first need to purchase the oem rack (you are in luck, seems some people have been trying to get rid of theirs on this group and other places), have a machine shop mill off the lower flat part of the mount, and then use this as an adapter plate between your thule feet and the original mount locations. It will indeed take a lot of money, time, and hassle just to adapt the thule over the original mount simply so that people don't notice it (which means you did it right).
You won't have to worry about bolt spacing if you use a router and cut slots from the bottom side, between the two holes on each end of the same Thule foot.

Though I've not answered your specific question, I hope some of this information helps in formulating your solution. I have the same problem as you, but I'm a Yakima guy. Still trying to figure out a solution as well. Will probably abandon the secured mounting method and install tracks using true bolts by removing the headliner. Good Luck.

 

[renov8r]

Re: Re: roof rack bolt sizes and spacing??

... Will probably abandon the secured mounting method and install tracks using true bolts by removing the headliner. Good Luck.

YIKES! Don't do THAT!

You'll get a nice clean, SECURE install if you follow this:

http://www.acuramdx.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=3459

 

[mgmdx]

Solution for Thule Tracker

I am wondering if the spacing between the bolt holes in the roof for each foot of the factory rack matches the spacing of the bolt holes in my tracker feet.

yann,

Stock bolts for MDX roof rack will not work with your Thule Tracker feet. The bolts are spaced too far apart, bolt diameter is probably too large, and roof channels are too narrow to fit the trackers.

Your Thule Tracker mounts are compatible with Yakima Tracks. This is the only reasonable (clean, not complicated, and inexpensive) solution that will allow you to use your existing set of Thule Tracker mounts and cross bars.

For detailed information see "Yakima Roof Rack" link in my signature.

 

[PsychoKnight]

Re: Re: Re: roof rack bolt sizes and spacing??

YIKES! Don't do THAT!

You'll get a nice clean, SECURE install if you follow this:

http://www.acuramdx.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=3459

Um, been there. Extended the factory yakima's on a 99 Explorer with plusnuts & special tool. 200 lb cargo loads on bumpy off roads pulled the plusnuts loose (yeah, exceeds limits, I always do w/everything, but the factory bolts didn't come loose, only plusnuts). I will never use anything again except a true bolt and nut system.

Co-worker did this on a Suburban a few months ago, pulling down the headliner for a proper install. Excellent results.

Why do you say yikes!? I'm not afraid of the work. Pulling down the headliners on modern cars are a cinche. Gotta be less troublesome than removing all the trim panels and carpet to install dynamat (okay, I didn't do the floorpan yet, but its easy once the seats and carpet is removed, got 1/2 way there). Plus, I would be able to install dynamat (or a spray, afraid of adhesion failure due to high solar temps and gravity) to the roof shell, and make the car more less noisy.

I think its sometimes worth the effot to perform a job right, especially an engineering modification.

 

[renov8r]

A few things come to mind..

First problem I had was with thought of "removing" the headliner, as in "not putting it back in" which would make for ONE UGLY interior...

Second thing is the weight limits of the rack as related to the plusnuts. I would prefer the plusnuts fail than to warp/rip/dent the roof skin of an MDX. This ain't, afterall, a throwaway vehicle. It would be nasty to destroy your MDX over a few pounds of extra junk. You might consider getting some sheet metal cut and fitted to the inside of the roof to help spread the loads. Don't know how that would affect refitting the headliner/trim...

Third, what is going to be required to make this work? I suppose if you get properly sized bolts, washers, nylon insert locking nuts, gaskets, adhesive, et cetera it will be a good install -- but it might cost major cash to do that. If you know ahead of time, and it makes sense to you, I'm not going to change your mind, but I can see somebody with less experience getting started on such a project, realizing the costs and expense and then turning back with a half-done disappointment...

Good luck, and please post some pictures of the process when you do it.

 

[mgmdx]

Definitely not a good idea...

200 lb cargo loads on bumpy off roads pulled the plusnuts loose (yeah, exceeds limits, I always do w/everything, but the factory bolts didn't come loose, only plusnuts). I will never use anything again except a true bolt and nut system.

TheyCallMeBruce,

I do not think it is a good idea to exceed the rack's recommended weight limit, especially if you plan on carrying loads on bumpy off-roads.:14:

According to Yakima, the weight limit for their tracks installation ranges between 125 and 165 lb (depending on the application). For installation on a SUV such as MDX it is 165 lb. The recommended weight limit is the same regardless if you are using plus-nuts or bolts and nuts (Yakima tracks are also offered with bolts). Weight limit is not necessarily a function of plus-nut or bolt strength (according to Yakima, each plus-nut has a pull-out pressure of 400 pounds) rather, it depends on the strength of the roof.

As a matter of fact, the factory MDX roof rack that uses reinforced bolt-through type hardware is rated at 165 lb, same as Yakima tracks with plus-nuts. By exceeding that limit and carrying 200 lb loads on your roof on bumpy off-road, you are definitely asking for trouble. I personally would not do it, but then it is your roof, not mine that could get damaged:25:, so it is your call.

Good luck.

 

[renov8r]

Re: Definitely not a good idea...

... (according to Yakima, each plus-nut has a pull-out pressure of 400 pounds) ....

I'd feel better if that was quoted in a force measurement...

f=m*a

m units= kg
a units=m/s/s
thus
f units = kg*m/s<font size="-2">²</font> or <b> newtons</b>