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- 2008 Mazda5 5MT Sport w/ Popular Package
Good to know, yeah, the OEM or Yakima might not be the sexiest around, but they do their job 
Roof Rack For The Mazda5 Thread
- Thread starter barryWest
- Start date
mazdaspeedster3
Member
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- Mazdaspeed3. 2008
Easily.
I hope so. Thats my goal as well, but the standard ones look fairly narrow.
anyone have a link to the yakima ones for the Mz5?
If you look at the second page, CoolMazda5's 32" wide cargo box just fits the roof rack. Yakima has a 22" wide RocketBox 11 and a 24" wide SkyBox 12 available. Might be tight getting two bikes in the 8 to 10" remaining, so longer crossbars may be required for what we want.
So the stock roof racks look at bit on the narrow side to me. Or at least the usable part of the cross bars. I have a canoe I want to carry, I'm concerned that the factory rack is not wide enough. I realize that the widest part of the canoe will between the racks themselves, but it still looks a bit iffy to me. I think the canoe is about 35" at its widest point. Does anyone know the usable dimensions of the stock cross bars or whether a canoe might work okay (using a thule or yakima canoe attachments) thanks
I have the 3080 kit coming as I decided the stock rack might be too narrow for me. Thule is behind on making them, so they are back ordered all the way to Sweden. I'm not sure how the other kit fit, but I'll give an update on the 3080.
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- 2008 Mazda3 stick
Thule 3069 info
Here is my experience with the 3069 kit:
It mounts each tower to the roof using a big rubber foot, a metal mounting plate, a threaded stud, a cylindrical spacer that goes over the stud, and a mounting bolt/lockwasher. The instructions say to use the spacer on Mazdas and discard it for Fords, but the spacers are about .125" too long, resulting in the feet not being quite flush with the roof, and the towers rocking fore-aft pretty easily.
Thule's first response was to tell me to just discard the spacers. That doesn't work so well, because the rubber foot doesn't put enough resistance against the mounting nut for it to stay secure (IMO). When I told them I had a lathe and the skills to be able to face the sleeves to the right length, they said that was the way to go. I ended up removing an eighth of an inch from each spacer using my metal lathe. Voila - perfect, snug fit.
Here are some pics from before I fixed the spacer issue. You can see the gap at the front of the tower - that gap disappeared once I shortened the spacers.
Here is my experience with the 3069 kit:
It mounts each tower to the roof using a big rubber foot, a metal mounting plate, a threaded stud, a cylindrical spacer that goes over the stud, and a mounting bolt/lockwasher. The instructions say to use the spacer on Mazdas and discard it for Fords, but the spacers are about .125" too long, resulting in the feet not being quite flush with the roof, and the towers rocking fore-aft pretty easily.
Thule's first response was to tell me to just discard the spacers. That doesn't work so well, because the rubber foot doesn't put enough resistance against the mounting nut for it to stay secure (IMO). When I told them I had a lathe and the skills to be able to face the sleeves to the right length, they said that was the way to go. I ended up removing an eighth of an inch from each spacer using my metal lathe. Voila - perfect, snug fit.
Here are some pics from before I fixed the spacer issue. You can see the gap at the front of the tower - that gap disappeared once I shortened the spacers.
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- 2008 Mazda3 stick
Thule in action
Here's the Thule 460/3069 with 78" bars in action...
Here's the Thule 460/3069 with 78" bars in action...
If there were issues with too much 'play' on the 3069 kit, the 3080 kit has addressed it. There is no play whatsoever and the rack looks more at home on the roof than the factory Mazda rack.
I will take some photos in the near future after I test fit my canoe.
that's just how mine looks. I had planned on shortening the spacers also, but haven't gotten around to it yet. good to know it's a 'thule approved' mod.Here is my experience with the 3069 kit:
It mounts each tower to the roof using a big rubber foot, a metal mounting plate, a threaded stud, a cylindrical spacer that goes over the stud, and a mounting bolt/lockwasher. The instructions say to use the spacer on Mazdas and discard it for Fords, but the spacers are about .125" too long, resulting in the feet not being quite flush with the roof, and the towers rocking fore-aft pretty easily.
Thule's first response was to tell me to just discard the spacers. That doesn't work so well, because the rubber foot doesn't put enough resistance against the mounting nut for it to stay secure (IMO). When I told them I had a lathe and the skills to be able to face the sleeves to the right length, they said that was the way to go. I ended up removing an eighth of an inch from each spacer using my metal lathe. Voila - perfect, snug fit.
Here are some pics from before I fixed the spacer issue. You can see the gap at the front of the tower - that gap disappeared once I shortened the spacers.
Based on those photos, the 3080 has certainly addressed the issue. The fit looks like was installed at the factory. Good to know the difference.
You're in Winnipeg right v_tofu? Don't bother getting something within Canada. It's double the price to buy here. Order online from the states and have them ship to somewhere just over the border. (There's tonnes of parcel places that do this for a small fee.) Take the 1hr drive to the border, pickup your rack, declare the parcel at the border, pay the duty and still make out better than buying in Canada.
With the new 3080 are there any sunroof clearance issues with or without bike carriers? I don't think there is an issue with the Mazda bars but I want to give my 5 the ability to carry four mountain bikes up top and the Mazda bars are too narrow (and I don't want to pay for another set of wider bars for the Mazda rack when I could just buy the correct length once with Thule).
so i can't find the Thule 3080 fitkit ANYWHERE stateside...(found Petra Cycles in the UK has them in stock).
but the local REI has the 3069 kit in stock.
is it that bad of a fit to go w/ the 3069?
should I still try to get the 3080 at a later date, or will the 3069 hold just fine (once I take off 1/8" of the space)?
but the local REI has the 3069 kit in stock.
is it that bad of a fit to go w/ the 3069?
should I still try to get the 3080 at a later date, or will the 3069 hold just fine (once I take off 1/8" of the space)?
I'm checking with the place I got my 3080 kit. Thule is making more in Sweden and I had to wait for mine for a month or so. I'll see if the place I ordered from in Colorado has any more or if they only special ordered mine.....