I have the same set up also. It is also very easy to take off when your not boarding. Takes less than 5 mins to take on and off (leaving the fat cat 6 on the crossbars).

and damn... i get around 18-19 when i drive from NOVA to whitetail or ski liberty (driving 80-85+ish)

 

That's about right...Even without the racks on anything over 70 will start to really impact your mileage. 18-19 is really good at that speed.

I'm probably going to get the Thule fairing next year, that should only help the wind and can't hurt mpg either.

 

I have the exact same setup but with the a Thule wind fairing, there is almost no wind noise at any speed. The other nice thing with the Fat Cat is that you can actually carry 4 boards, there is enough clearance between the roof line and where the boards mount so your bindings fit. I had the OEM Subaru snowboard carrier and there is no way you can fit 4 boards, even two wider boards was pushing it...

Also for the screw ends, I found some 1/4" screw caps at the Home Depot that fit on perfectly. It finishes the install off nicely. Also when you're putting on or taking off the FatCat it has a tendency to roll and at some point it will roll enough to jam a screw end into your nice painted roof, the caps help!

Seems like we need to 3M the whole car!

Thanks

 

Seems like we need to 3M the whole car!

I thought about it, just too freaking expensive. When I get the fairing I'm going to probably put clear bra across the front of the roof where it sits on it.

(ps. I only dropped the carrier on the roof one time during the install...luckily it feel on the round top part, not the bolts. I wanted to punch myself, I definitely cursed at myself a few times after that. I'm thinking of just cutting down and chamfering the bolts I'm using now.)

 

The Thule Fairing actually comes with 4 little 3M clear pieces that you stick on where the Faring "pads" meet.... I should take some pics.

 

exactly the same as mine!

 

I'm curious if anyone has gone with the Actual full Yakima setup versus the Subaru mounts yet. I have all the hardware just laying around now, I'd just need to pick up the clips. Plus I like the looks better.

 

Would either of the boards in the OP fit inside the car with the rear seats folded down?

 

Probably would, either at an angle or have them poking between the front seats a bit

 

If you want I can try with mine, its a 159

 

I can fit my 159cm Supermodel, inside its padded board bag, flat in the back of my GR (barely). I'm 6'0" and do not have to move the seat to accommodate it.

However, since I transport people and skis/boards, I bought the factory crossbars too. I have an old Thule Big Mouth ski rack (or whatever it's called, part #x724). The cool thing about the Thule ski rack is that it integrates with the T-rail of the factory crossbars for a super low-profile look, no 'reach around' grips. You just need the XAdapt2 kit for $10.

 

I ride a 163 wide.. it fits diagonally across the back just fine (on edge, up against a 154). My fiancee is about 5'4", so it isn't like we have the passenger seat all the way back. I use a blanket thrown over the edges to prevent any marring.

 

is the center silver bar of the Subaru set metal or plastic? I'd assume extruded aluminum.

I'd like a set of crossbars for those random Home Depot trips. I'd like not to leave them on all the time though if they were all black, I would (red car).

 

They are metal. The factory bars can be taken off in about 10 minutes, super easy on/off. It's the additional attachments that take more time. You could also probably wrap them in black vinyl if you wanted.

 

I'm thinking powdercoated actually. Do the metal crossbars disassemble from the towers easily or are they riveted in?

 

They are riveted.

 

Not sure how they are fastened, most assemblies like this would be riveted, but they may have used threaded fasteners. If I remember I'll try to take a look before work but maybe someone else can comment if they have a chance to look.

 

Im 6"1 and I have a 158 board. How do you think the fitment would be with this setup? Would I need to space out the bars apart a little more? Consider that I will be racking a 160-170 size board too.

 

The bars are in a fixed position you can't space them out. I ride a 161 and have the Yakima Fat Cat, the board fits fine although there will be more overhang towards the rear, depends on your binding stance too....

 

Does the trunk hit the boards if you open it?

 

Haha.... Yes it most certainly does! I have had two minor interferences between board and rear spoiler, nothing major, just have to be careful. The other option is to position the boards so more overhang is in the front, but that not only looks ridiculous, it is probably really noisy and would be annoying to look at whilst driving.

 

You guys are all too tall. If you are short like me you don't have to worry about uneven overhangs.

 

My friend is as tall as me (6"1) and rides a 148!

 

awesome love the Yakima rack... I still have the old school wind noise busting one..lol

 

Just for reference for those who wondered if the board would fit in the hatch...

My board is a 156, fits perfect forward, or sideways with room to spare, i could probably fit a few more in there as well, and just throw a towel on the nose so if it slid into the back of the seat there would be no scratches..

i could probably fit over 4 boards facing the seats side by side, theres lots of ways to rig it in there, and even keep 1 of the back seats availible too for a 3rd passenger

 

 

Before I got the factory crossbars and the yakima fatcat 6, I was able to fit 3 boards and have 3 people inside the car with boots and all.

I am 6'1 and ride a 155 with a 26 inch wide (from center plate to center plate of bindings) stance. It fits fine and It holds 4 boards easily.

 

Hey, the bolt that holds the plastic cover to the bars uses a 12 point key, but if I loose the key do you know what size socket can work for it?

 

You are talking about the plastic key (the one they give you 2 of)? If that's the case, they aren't a standard 12 point like a socket. They have a bunch of different profiles so that one person can't just go to anyone's car w/ stock bars and take them off with their key. That's why they tell you to mark down what # key you have in case you need to replace it.

 

does adding the wind fairing actually help with the wind noise? just wondering...

 

Yes, they do help. You can also use something like a Wind jammer or just a regular shock/bungee cord wrapped around the front bar to help with noise.