Somebody at my dealership asked that I post pictures of my roof rack. It's been a while, but I'm doing it now!
So, it's the Mazda rack, with two SportRack Piranha bike supports (with wheel off).
i got my OEM racks from a near buy seller.. i got them used for $160.00 like new.. i really like how they look.. it gives the car a nice look..
...
- The Mazda OEM rack for the 5 IS a THULE rack.
- The 5 has hard screwdown mount points under the rubber caps on the rain gutters on the roof.
- The crossbars are standard Thule square crossbars, but they don't overhang the risers - they are perhaps 43-44 inches across, shorter than Thule's 50" version.
- The risers (or whatever you call them) are a special fit for the 5 but are keyed with standard Thule lock cylinders.
- The rack installs with no tools. Initial time may be a half hour, but once you know how it works, it's 5 minutes off, 5 minutes back on.
- Thule can sell you a nearly identical rack, with the Thule logo instead of the Mazda logo, that secures exactly the same way in the same mountpoints. It has the 50" bars instead of the shorter Mazda ones. It costs almost exactly the same price and has the same weight limit (165 lbs / 75kg). I like the Mazda one better because it's tidier without the overhang, but the Thule-branded one will hold slightly more.
Sorry for reviving this old-old-old thread but when my dealer gave me the part number for the rack and i wanted to confirm it, this thread came up first in a google search. Since I'm now a member I thought I'd confirm what I wanted to know and now know definitively, for any future searchers:
- The Mazda OEM rack for the 5 IS a THULE rack.
- The 5 has hard screwdown mount points under the rubber caps on the rain gutters on the roof.
- The crossbars are standard Thule square crossbars, but they don't overhang the risers - they are perhaps 43-44 inches across, shorter than Thule's 50" version.
- The risers (or whatever you call them) are a special fit for the 5 but are keyed with standard Thule lock cylinders.
- The rack installs with no tools. Initial time may be a half hour, but once you know how it works, it's 5 minutes off, 5 minutes back on.
- Thule can sell you a nearly identical rack, with the Thule logo instead of the Mazda logo, that secures exactly the same way in the same mountpoints. It has the 50" bars instead of the shorter Mazda ones. It costs almost exactly the same price and has the same weight limit (165 lbs / 75kg). I like the Mazda one better because it's tidier without the overhang, but the Thule-branded one will hold slightly more.
One final point - the Euro sliding rails probably require adapters, as almost every factory rack provided by any other manufacturer does. I love that Mazda gave us a straight rebranded Thule rack, since it means no adapters, no goofy-low weight limits, and easy-on, easy-off installation.
Hope that helps everybody who stumbles on this thread by searching Google for the rack's part number.
I just put on a Yakima rack (but not the one that they say is supposed to be for the 5 ). I used the #11 landing pads (like the ones for the Mazda3, the CX7, 9, etc...) in the factory roof anchors that you use with the Mazda Thule stock rack, with 50" Yakima round bars, and control towers. The fit is perfect, it looks a lot better than the Yakima system that uses the Q Towers and clips, and my sunroof opens fully without any issues. In my opinion it looks a lot better than the stock Mazda/Thule system. Just my opinion.
The folks at REI were able to look it up and Thule's web site has the correct link as long as you make sure it's listing the fixpoint attachments (you don't want to not use them); sorry, no link handy, but it's pretty straightforward as long as you make sure it's using screw-down fixpoints and not some goofy clamp arrangement. Oh, and make SURE you get the regular old square bars - the fancy bars are round, cost more money, and aren't compatible with just about any accessory without spending additional money on adapters, so get the cheap, square bars. And take lots of pictures and post them!Hi Lindsay,
do you have a link or # for the identical Thule rack one with longer bars?
Does anyone have the INNO roof racks? I'm interested in how they perform and look. Do they attach similar to the OEM racks?
Also I'm looking for opinions on either a hard cargo box or a fabric rooftop bag. Which is better and why?
Thanks and sorry for this post as it is my first.
I just placed my order for an Inno yesterday. I'll be putting up a review with some pics when it comes in.