# Roof Rack suggestions



## Cruz3r (Jul 13, 2011)

I'm new to the racks on cars. I used to just throw whatever i wanted into the bed of my S-10 but any recommendations on roof racks for the cruze? Preferably for a bike but i might throw a surfboard up there from time to time if its possible to get a roof rack that is multipurpose. I'm not a huge fan of the trunk racks just looking for a roof rack.


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## rmass09 (Apr 17, 2011)

Thule makes the Official GM one for the Cruze. All the normal Thule rack attatchments work with it so whatever you want they probably got it.


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

rmass09 said:


> Thule makes the Official GM one for the Cruze. All the normal Thule rack attatchments work with it so whatever you want they probably got it.


You beat me to it. Here's the link: Roof Rack - Removable landing page


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## Cruz3r (Jul 13, 2011)

Thanks, so im guessing thule is a good brand


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

Yes it is. I also priced Thule racks elsewhere and the GM kit is actually a slightly lower price.


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## Smurfenstein (Nov 16, 2011)

Thule is a great company, and is the best IMO. Yakima is another good brand, but I've always found Thule to be a slightly better quality, and I don't know of any Yakima kit for our car, which would mean building it yourself, and it would never fit properly. You can check out my thread for the rack & fairing here:

http://www.cruzetalk.com/forum/11-appearance-body/10045-roof-rack-thule.html

The rack itself is listed at $330 online, however, when ordering it through my dealership they charged me $300 instead, and it only took 2-4 days to ship.

As for the bike rack, its up to you, but this would be in my top list of choices:

Thule - 517 Peloton

It fits our roof rack, has a bar to lock the front of the bike directly to the rack, and has a small tie to support the rear wheel of your bike, without having a huge strap that will increase the amount of drag your car has compared to this one.

As for surfboards, I wouldn't go with anything other than this unless you're carrying two boards:

Thule - 554XT Hang-Two Surf Carrier

My dad has a set for his Honda Pilot, and after using it for 6+ years we have never had any problems with it, they're extremely simple to use, they have almost no added drag(ontop of the surfboard lol), and we've never had a single problem with them. They're also decently cheap compared to other carriers that allow you to haul up to two boards.

Last of all, would be the Thule Fairing, its not really needed, but if mpg is a high concern, it helps when carrying, as it will help push the air up and over a carrier that you attach to the rack and raise the "deadzone" in air drag to right around where your carrier will attach.

Thule Fairing - Free Shipping at REI.com

I have the 44" fairing on my Cruze after trying and returning the 38" because it left about a 1-2cm gap between the inside of the feet on the roof rack and the side of the fairing, which would've been useless, and looked kind of tacky as well. The 44" fits perfectly without being too big, and it also adds a lot to the appearance of the roof rack when looking at it head on .

Hope all this info helps, and if you want any more info don't hesitate to ask either here or in a PM.


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## Notso4eign (Dec 22, 2012)

I run the accessories department at a chevy dealership. The Thule racks fit really well and the thule add-ons that GM is offering are really well priced! www.gmaccessorieszone.com is a great website to give you an idea of what they run. I know that the Thule Ascent 1500 goes for about $450, GMs MSRP is $389.


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## Cruz3r (Jul 13, 2011)

Smurfenstein said:


> Thule is a great company, and is the best IMO. Yakima is another good brand, but I've always found Thule to be a slightly better quality, and I don't know of any Yakima kit for our car, which would mean building it yourself, and it would never fit properly. You can check out my thread for the rack & fairing here:
> 
> http://www.cruzetalk.com/forum/11-appearance-body/10045-roof-rack-thule.html
> 
> ...


Thanks so much for all the info. I think you made my decision a lot easier haha now i just need to find a few extra bucks to get this project going.


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## Maxandrelax (Mar 6, 2013)

Has anyone had experience with the Yakima version? I have a bike tray, fairing, and cross bars from my Pontiac Vibe system. Hoping not to have to buy everything new. Roof Racks for 2012 Chevrolet Cruze | etrailer.com


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

Maxandrelax said:


> Has anyone had experience with the Yakima version? I have a bike tray, fairing, and cross bars from my Pontiac Vibe system. Hoping not to have to buy everything new. Roof Racks for 2012 Chevrolet Cruze | etrailer.com


Finally some options for the Cruze. These should work on 2011 - 2013 Cruzen since the body design and structure is the same for all three model years. I don't think there are any changes to the body for 2014 so they should also work for the 2014 Cruze.


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## billbo (Oct 9, 2012)

Thanks, I'm looking for a rack too

Sucks the MPG seem to drop a lot though


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## Taxman (Aug 10, 2017)

You can always get a hitch and a rack. 
The aero drag from those is negligible, I doubt you'd ever notice a change in MPG.
Somebody posted pics of a nice looking hitch rack that folds up like a Tommy Lift when empty.


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