Roof rack

[Mystique29]

Anyone bought a roof rack ? where ? Thank you

 

[Goofcat]

Thule has one that'll fit.

If you are willing to remove the roof trim, you can see if the SSD rails will work.

 

[LFFarm]

Bumping this topic because I'm hoping someone has found some roof rack options

 

[Goofcat]

I went with SSD generation one. Had to take off roof trim and drill four holes. It works great.

Thule has one that clamps on the roof. But the SSD one is more elegant.

I use it to carry my 14 foot racing SUP boards.

I'll post a picture if I can figure out how.

 

[wrickcook]

I do not have any experience with roof racks, but I think I need one because I am really feeling the limited storage in my Soul.

Can anyone speak to permanent installation vs the clamp-on ones?
I think most of the time I will not use it at all, I would take off any cross bars but would not mind bars running the length of the car. But 10x/year, I will want something up there and I will want it to be rather large like this https://www.yakima.com/rocketbox-pro-14
Or a square wire tray

But I do not know how I should set up the rails. Are the clamp-on less secure, etc? More prone to whistle?
Mine is a lease, but I plan on buying the car. I am not sure if they will be happy with me drilling the roof trim.

Any feedback is appreciated.

 

[Goofcat]

This is the picture of the roof racks from SSD's website. I have the same cross bars as well, but without the fairing.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-j7rG-9Y4tdM/U1AduSqzVaI/AAAAAAAABkM/w25DBbAe3Qs/s1600/rrf3.jpg

 

[wrickcook]

So far, I HAVE NOT found rails that fit my 2016 Soul EV.

Yesterday I pulled off the roof trim, took some pics and sent them to a guy at SSD rails.
He said:
"You did NOT have the threaded holes under your trim so the Hybrid rails will NOT fit your EV. We don’t make any rails currently that attach to the flanges you have on your Soul so don’t order any. The Hybrid mounts are only around twenty some inches apart."

He also said they no longer sell the ones Goofcat used (above).

Since no one else has posted pics, I put some up here so people know what to expect when taking off the trim. I noted the distance between the metal supports, etc. If you did have to drill holes for a rack, you would only have to drill the 2 small end pieces, not the long center piece of trim.

BE CAREFULL and don't pound the center trim on like I did, causing little dimples at every clip (pics included).
http://rncook.com/2016KiaSoulEvRoofRack/

So, to sum up, I took pics of how to connect rails, but have not found compatible rails.

 

[tractioninc]

I have a RightLine Gear cargo saddlebag. I haven't tried it on my Soul yet, but if you're just looking to haul stuff but not bulky items like bikes, skis or kayaks, it might be an easy, inexpensive alternative. Capacity is about 13 cubic ft / 370 liters.

 

[wrickcook]

Thanks for the idea, I'll keep it in mind. I am wanting to be able to carry camping supplies. This looks like you have to remove your license plate, and it needs to anchor to a trailer hitch, which the EVs don't have. I might resort to adding hitch if this roof rack idea falls thru. People said it's possible, but people also said the roof rack is possible.

Contrary to what I have read, the EV roof is different than the ICE.
The ICE has nuts welded in the raingutter, like 2 feet apart. So I could not just buy the ICE roof molding, there are things we do not have. Kia Parts dept did not feel the metal loops that hold the ends of the trim are adequate anchors.

The only way I have found so far is to have someone (Rack n Road, Seattle) drill and rivet 4 hooks to my roof.
Cheap rails =$550
Aerodynamic rails =$650

I'm not ready to rivet hooks.

 

[wrickcook]

Yakima said they do not have a removable roof rack.
"Evaluated vehicle 04/16/14 and concluded the cant rail is to thin to support Q tower where it needs to sit. High potential for vehicle damage. NO FIT with Q tower. "

Waiting to hear from Thule on if the Rapid Traverse set will work.

 

[wrickcook]

From Thule:

We won't have a kit in the United States for the Kia Soul EV. The fit is different between the two Soul options and because of low anticipated sales it won't be brought into the states. Thule Europe is working on the fit and should be available in that market this spring. You would need to source the kit from a European retailer. I would check the Thule site under the Swedish flag for that kit.

 

[wrickcook]

I finally added a roof rack to my Soul EV.

I didn't like the idea of just adding some hooks to my roof, but since the roof is pretty flat I had the option of adding track.

The track alone (installed) was $400. It took them about 2 hours to install. When I get some risers and cross bars I'll add some more pics.

Some of the end pieces have a small gap (not pictured). I probably could have done this quality of job myself

I had to wait for it to dry before I cleaned of the silicone...

 

[Lithium]

I know this post is older, March 2016ish. As of May 2017, Thule makes an adapter for the square bar 480 traverse foot FIT KIT1524 that I ordered and will use for my roof rack. They have a kit for the aerobars too.