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Heavy-duty crossbars mount to Yakima towers (sold separately) to create an aftermarket roof rack. Top and bottom channels let you add channel-mount accessories. Tie-down points in endcaps let you easily secure cargo.
Features:
Yakima HD Bar-SM:Videos are provided as a guide only. Refer to manufacturer installation instructions and specs for complete information.
Hi everyone, Aidan here with etrailer. Today we're gonna be taking a look at and later we'll be showing you how to install this Yakima JetStream Roof Rack System on our 2023 Volkswagen Tiguan. This is the one with the 50 inch long crossbars, but we offer a kit here at etrailer with a 60 inch long crossbar. But the beauty of these Yakima bars is that they have a continuous channel on the underside. So in theory, you could get an even longer bar if you wanted. I don't know that I would.
I think the 60 inch long kit is gonna be more than enough and offer just a bit more crossbar overhang here if you need it. But just know that it's available. And depending on your needs, you can go with one of those two kits. You maybe would go with that crossbar overhang if you had a load assist kayak carrier that needs more clearance from the side of the vehicle. But if you don't have an accessory like that, this is the kit I would go with because it's gonna be a bit more of a clean install.
Roof racks in general, I think they're a great option to expand the functionality of your vehicle. For one, it's the best place to go for larger items like kayaks. You could always go with a trailer, but that's a whole can of worms. And if you have something like a roof box, again, the roof is a great place to go with that. You can expand your cargo space up top without adding length to your vehicle.
And I think for the Tiguan, this makes a ton of sense because you have these raised rails that's a feature that's already on your vehicle. We're just gonna utilize them to attach this roof rack, which makes a very simple install and can be quickly removed if we don't wanna leave the roof rack on there all the time. The basic way this one works is you've got this band, it's got a metal core around that rubber band that will wrap around the bar and clamp to it, giving you a really strong hold. Other brands like the option from Rhino-Rack will have a clamp that kind of goes around the bar rather than fully encapsulating it with that band. So both options work great.
Some people might like this Yakima one because it fully wraps around. Others might like the Rhino-Rack option because it sits a little bit lower to the ground or to the roof rather, and gives maybe a sleeker appearance. But personally, I think either way you go, you can't go wrong. They're both gonna be solid. The core of your system though is going to be these JetStream crossbars, thicker in the front and tapering off towards the back. It's gonna help them be a little bit more aerodynamic and not have as much wind noise. They're perfect for clamp around accessories because that flat top makes for a good stable base and it's a great size for most of those clamps to attach very securely. And if you don't want to use a clamp around accessory, maybe you've got something that can mount into a channel. They do have this track up top that you can slide those channel mounted accessories into and keep them all inside the bar making for a clean install. Now, there's a weather strip here that will help block out wind noise. Your channel mounted accessories will just compress that strip wherever they sit, so no need to trim them to length or anything like that. It makes, again, for just a cleaner install. Some measurements to think about here. Your crossbar spread can really be whatever you want it to be. You don't have fixed mounting points on your raised rails, so you can clamp these wherever works best for you and your accessories. But one thing you do need to watch out for is clearance with your roof. So I'm gonna go from the tallest point on this corrugation here. And from that tallest point to the bottom of the bar is gonna be two and a half inches, so there's not a ton of room there. Certain clamps might take up more room than others, so maybe look for low profile clamps. Particularly on Yakima's roof boxes, they've got great clamps that don't sit very tall at all and would be perfect for something like this. The thing I don't love about this system is those legs, they're a bit bulky and because they don't conform around the bar, they kind of just sit on top of the bar. It doesn't look like a very nice fit. Again, it's stable, it's not going anywhere, but especially compared to that option from Rhino-Rack, I like the look there a lot better, but I think functionally the Yakima one's gonna work a bit better with the extra roof clearance and the nicer channel up top for channel mounted accessories. Regardless of which way you go though, the install is gonna be probably the next most important part. And for this, it's gonna be really straightforward. So we'll walk you through that process right now. So the first thing is take your crossbar and flip it over. That'll reveal the channel on the underside that our legs will attach to. That block will slide into this channel. So just take out your end cap and slide that leg in, making sure that it kind of tapers out to the outside edge. If you're having trouble getting this in, just take your tool and maybe loosen up that T block a little bit. Chances are it's just a bit too tight. Once you have both installed, there's gonna be a small line on the underside of those legs and we just wanna measure between those two lines and make sure that it matches up with the same measurement as we can take between the two raised rails on our Tiguan. That just lets us know how far apart these legs need to be. For us today, I'm shooting for 42 and a half inches between those two lines, and I just need to scoot it out a little bit more and just know that wherever you plan on installing these, that measurement could be completely different for you because the roof of our vehicle is gonna be a bit wider in front and taper off towards the rear. So for our rear crossbar that's already installed over there, actually had a measurement of 40 inches between the two. So almost a two inch difference here and that's just something to consider. When you have the positioning where you like it though, take that included the Yakima tool and tighten down those T bolts with those T blocks completely. There's another bolt tucked in the leg back there, and it's gonna control the side to side movement of our leg. Make sure you tighten that up too. If your vehicle had more of a taper, I'd say, then try to adjust that angle. But on our Tiguan, we can just keep it straight like this and it'll be fine. Once the tool clicks, we know it's properly torqued down and that's gonna be true for every single bolt on the whole roof rack here. So just keep that in mind too. We'll take this up to the roof. If you have an extra set of hands to feed the other side through, you can, but you can do it on your own too. Just get that set in place loosely and then feed the band under the bar on both sides, making sure that that line we saw earlier is the part that's resting on top of your raised rail. You can take that band and hook it into that little cleat right there. And before we start tightening things down, maybe a good time is now to take some measurements. You can go from a fixed point on your raised rail to the center of the bar on both sides to make sure that this is running perfectly straight side to side. And then for your second crossbar, you can take a measurement from one to the other to make sure that your crossbar spread is exactly where you want it to be. That's important to know for whatever accessory you plan on attaching and just making sure the bars run parallel to one another. But when you're done, you can take your included tool and tighten it down using that outermost screw. Now as you're tightening this, it might feel like it's not going to click and it takes a lot longer than you think it should, but it's just because the band underneath is a bit stretchy and it has that metal core. So keep turning until you hear the click and you can pop your caps back on once all sides have been tightened, And at the end, I always like to give a good shake test to make sure that nothing I installed feels loose. And particularly on that band here, that there's no front to back movement and that it's tight enough. But once I've done that, we're done. The installation process here is really straightforward, and you're left with a pretty solid roof rack system that utilizes those raised rails on your 2023 Volkswagen Tiguan. Thanks for watching.
Average Customer Rating: 4.8 out of 5 stars (142 Customer Reviews)
Heavy-duty crossbars mount to Yakima towers (sold separately) to create an aftermarket roof rack. Top and bottom channels let you add channel-mount accessories. Tie-down points in endcaps let you easily secure cargo.etrailer was a great place to order, quick and easy. Yakima products however are over priced and overly complicated.
Works perfect for our SUP with the tie down loops. Great for building materials as well. Looks great as well.
The customer service in ordering theses par tea was amazing!! I spoke with a wonderful specialist named Kate F, and she was super helpful and patient answering all my questions and helping me make sure I had the correct parts I needed for my type of car. The bars are very sturdy and have proven very worth the money!!
These adapters were easy to install and made my system fit together nicely.
Really Easy to Install! Solid and Strong amount to Roof Rack.
Your service is nothing short of excellent! Thank you
I ordered the Yakima roof rack for a 2019 Hyundai Ioniq. I went with the heavy duty one for extra strength but it is quite a bit thicker, likely increasing wind noise. So I might have chosen the aerodynamic lighter weight one if I was to do it again. Also, I needed to get larger bolts for my kayak holder to get around the crossbar. The instructions and video on website were very helpful but they did not explain well how to adjust the toe and pitch. For the toe adjustment, you have to push the metal post with the tool before tightening. That was not obvious. For the pitch, it helped to do that once the towers are attached to crossbar. Then you can tilt tower while cross bar is laying flat (upside down). I ended up having to add tilt on both front and back crossbars for them to be flat when installed. Website said only front one would need to be pitched. I am very pleased with the look and sturdiness of the product. My Hyundai Dealer had zero options for this car.
Easily supports the RoofNest! The Customer Service with Roger was Excellent!
Great company. Fast delivery.
The Yakima products are doing great. Just got home yesterday from a 18 day trip using them in Michigan's upper peninsula. Love them. Great products. Thanks again.
Great product. Great service.
They fit perfectlly and solidly on my 2021 Toyota Highlander. The instructions are clear and entirely accurate.
The fit is good on the 22 Wilderness but there is definitely wind noise and I will add a diverter soon.
This part adapted like no other adapter
SIMPLE & EASY!
Have worked quite well for what we need. Very happy.
These Yakima crossbars are very HD, just what I was looking for. The Small size was hard to locate but etrailer had them in stock and delivered in short order. Instillation was quick and straight forward.
I had a difficult time identifying whether these were the correct adapters for the rack towers that I was purchasing to fit my tracks but that has more to do with yakima doing everything a-la-cart instead of having kits that include everything you need if I hadn't already had the HD bars on my other rack and wanted to be able to transfer them to this rack I probably wouldn't have went to this expense because I think they are overpriced.AS far as etrailer is concerned I always receive great service and products and they are always well packaged and never damaged by poor delivery care and always fast delivery speed.
They do the job. I can't say that they look like they were custom-made for my new vehicle, but I trust them to stay on and keep my boat on the car. They hold securely.
Great product and even better was the service with etrailer! These guys make it happen and delivery was super fast. Thanks for a fantastic experience, will be a return customer.
Yakima HD bars 60”
2018 Ford Expedition
Christian took the extra time to figure out what I needed to attach a hullavator to my Highlander when others were unable to help. The order came quickly too.
The bar adapters arrived on time and in good shape. Thanks,
It looks just as pictured :) Great product and superior service! William took the time to help us decide what we actually needed and would work for us. He is knowledgeable in regards to his products and has an overall helpful attitude. It was such a pleasure working with him.
Thanks again and buy William lunch today!!
p/s we have not installed the product yet so I will send a picture once its taken care of
Quality stuff. Will work as needed. Great service with etrailer!
Required for Yakima HD crossbars using timberland tower system.
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