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Yakima Q Towers - Set of 4

Item # 716181

$159.00

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Description
Customer Reviews

Features a Masters' degree in versatility, a PhD in fit, yet is so easy to install, a baby could do it!

Custom fit for vehicles with or without rain gutters
Ball-and-socket mechanism allows the rack to self-adjust to any roof/door geometry
Quick-cam makes installation a snap
Strong, stainless steel clips fit tight doors
Requires round bars, sold separately
Lockable with SKS cores, sold separately
Requires Q Clips, sold separately

Please note: Yakima car rack products can only be shipped to U.S. addresses.

Imported.

Item 716181

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Yakima Q Towers - Set of 4 Customer Reviews

REVIEW SNAPSHOT®

by PowerReviews

Yakima Q Towers - Set of 4

3.4

(based on 9 reviews)

67%

of respondents would recommend this to a friend.

Pros

Durable (6)
Easy to use (5)
Stable (5)
Easy to install (3)
Lightweight (3)

Cons

Best Uses

Small cars (3)

Reviewed by 9 customers

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Displaying reviews 1-9

Sep

2007

(6 of 8 customers found this review helpful)

1.0

Pain

By ridedivesurfski

from New England

About Me Thule rack owner since 86

Pros

Good looks

Cons

Poor Construction

Best Uses

Comments about Yakima Q Towers - Set of 4:

Bought it in 2002 for 2003 Honda Accord because of apparent easy on/off feature. Bad idea. Impossible to adjust, it never sat right. Brackets always moving and scratching the car paint to the metal with the load of just one bike. Car roof sides that get bent eventually if you tighten it well.
Fed up with this, I bought new brackets for my old Thule, installed it in 5 minutes and it is rock solid.

Feb

2010

(2 of 2 customers found this review helpful)

1.0

Quality Control out of Control

By PhotoBiker

from Nashville

About Me Intermediate

Pros

Stable

Cons

Doesn't Fit My Car
Hard To Install Or Use

Best Uses

Comments about Yakima Q Towers - Set of 4:

I bought 4 towers to install on my 2007 Corolla, along with the correct clips. Only two of towers fit well enough to be locked. The other two were misaligned by about 1/4 inch and the lock could not engage. I exchanged the bad towers and had the same problem again. Convinced it was my fault (although I checked all measurements and instructions several times), I took the rack to REI for professional installation. They ALSO had to replace two bad towers to make it fit. So, it took 10 towers to find 4 usable ones.[...]Yakima's online help was fairly quick, but I would have tried a Thule system if I had know the headache the Q Towers would cause.

Oct

2009

(2 of 2 customers found this review helpful)

5.0

Rock Solid!!

By Ultegratim

from Chicago Area

About Me Avid Cyclist

Pros

Durable
Easy to Install
Easy to Use
Stable

Cons

Best Uses

Road Bikes
Small Cars

Comments about Yakima Q Towers - Set of 4:

I've been suffering from Rack Envy nearly 10 years now. I've tried everything but nothing seemed to help. Finally REI offered me the cure...the Yakima 20% off Sale! So we took the plunge this weekend.
The tensioning system on these towers is quite precise and the"feet" from the Q-Clips grab on and hold tight.
My new black Honda Civic looks 37% cooler with these bad boys riding on top. We drove in 3 states this weekend--high winds, cross winds, cold and warm temps. Through it all the rack stayed rock solid. 4 road bikes on 4 Forklift carriers (mounted in alternating directions) rode well. In the high winds (35-40mph) gas mileage suffered 20%, but the rest of the time, it's only a slight dip. With the fairing, wind noise is very slight. Don't forget to consider overhead clearance, but we did not find a situation we had to avoid, even most drive-thrus now have higher clearance these days.

Oct

2007

(2 of 2 customers found this review helpful)

5.0

Great Racks

By Recreational Therapist

from New Bern, NC

Pros

Durable
Well Constructed

Cons

Heavy Duty

Best Uses

Bikes
Kayaks
Skis

Comments about Yakima Q Towers - Set of 4:

These Q Clips stand up to the rough & tough wear & tear that I can dish out on them. They really hold up. I've had them on my trucks for years!

Jun

2009

(1 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

2.0

Mixed feelings

By Siberian

from Canada

About Me Avid Cyclist

Pros

Easy to Install
Easy to Use
Looks good

Cons

Doesn't Fit My Car
Paint peeling
Rust quickly
Weak Construction

Best Uses

Cargo box
Mountain Bikes
Skis

Comments about Yakima Q Towers - Set of 4:

The good:
- The towers look pretty good
- Once set up, taking them on and off the car is a breeze
- Good for odd-shaped roofs: even if the towers are slanted forward/backward, your accessories sit properly on round bars
- Cross bars can be had a size longer, if you need to carry oversize loads

The bad:
- Paint started peeling from the Q-clips after one season
- Corrosion eats bare metal parts inside the towers pretty quickly. Yakima should have used galvanized steel or some protective coating. Totally unacceptable for $200+ product being marketed for outdoor use!
- Cross bars rust inside very badly
- Silicone pads, although nice and soft, still leave markings on the paint. Wax the car and stick on some clear decals to protect the finish before using this rack
- Fit may be controversial: on my Subaru Legacy there was not enough clearance between the roof and the rack, so a fully loaded cargo box (old Thule model) was touching the roof. When we tried a newer box, the rapid attachment claws could not even fit under the cross bars.

The ugly:
- HOWLING!!! Wind noise was truly unbearable at highway speeds - it may be better in another car with different aerodynamics though. In my friends' Ford Focus we can talk without yelling at least. In my Subaru it was BAD. Howling cross bars came in resonance with some parts inside the towers (probably, the lock cores), so there was an nice rattling accompanement as well.

My verdict:
Still usable. If you do get a Yakima setup, disassemble and rustproof the towers and cross bars before using them. They will last much longer. Getting a fairing is highly recommended. Finally, make sure you can return the roof rack, if you don't like it. I sold mine and got a Thule :)

Nov

2008

(1 of 2 customers found this review helpful)

4.0

Q Towers

By raymo91

from Ventura County, CA

About Me Casual/ Recreational

Pros

Durable
Easy to Use
Lightweight
Stable

Cons

Noisy

Best Uses

Avalanche
Surboard

Comments about Yakima Q Towers - Set of 4:

Install was not too hard, I think it would be if you don't do manual labor. I specifically use it to carry my 10' longboard (and other surfboards, stacked)on the highway. Works like a charm. Would be perfect if Yakima offered aerodynamic bars instead of having to add a fairing.

Sep

2007

(1 of 3 customers found this review helpful)

4.0

Yakima Q Towers

By GrillmasterP

from Houston, TX

About Me Weekend Warrior

Pros

Durable
Lightweight

Cons

Best Uses

Fitness
Outdoors
Sports

Comments about Yakima Q Towers - Set of 4:

I use a setup of 4 Q-towers & stretch kit to haul 2 SOT kayaks on my Toyota Tacoma Xtracab

Dec

2009

5.0

Excellent buy

By charlesBastian

from Waco, TX

About Me Intermediate

Pros

Durable
Easy To Install
Easy To Use
Lightweight
Stable

Cons

Best Uses

Small Cars

Comments about Yakima Q Towers - Set of 4:

Installed very easy. Directions gave exact measurements for placement on my car (2009 Honda Civic).

Jul

2009

(0 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

4.0

Great Rack System, But Be Careful

By love the outdoors

from Pasadena, CA

About Me Casual/ Recreational

Pros

Durable
Easy to Use
Stable

Cons

Not Secure Even Locked

Best Uses

Mountain Bikes
Road Bikes
Small Cars

Comments about Yakima Q Towers - Set of 4:

I had the Yakima Roof Rack System on several cars for many years, and it's been great. I've only needed to buy different clips when I got a new car. I had two Steelhead bike racks, a fairing, and two wheel forks. Everything locked to the car with the Yakima lock cores.

I left everything on my car (except the bike) because it looked sporty. Also, because it's a pain to take off and then re-install for every trip because of the measurements for placement.

Some thief took the whole setup from the top of my car by prying it off with a screw driver or something similar. The locks will not prevent a determined thief from taking this rather large investment. My car was in the body shop for a week getting fixed. What a pain!