Alright, I'm about to pull the trigger & install a roof track on my hard top. What I don't know is which tower system to use.

The square tube of the Thule seems more practical, but the round Yakima just looks better.

Any pros or cons of either one? Are all the same accessories available?

 

I have the Thule with the foot pack and I like it. I just us it for my snowboarding racks. Don't have any personal experience with the Yakima but my buddy has one on his Audi and he takes it off all the time because of the whistle it gives off. I do have a slight whistle but it doesn't bother me at all.

I didn't want to drill so my experience again is with the foot pack and its super easy to put take on and off. If you don't want to drill i would say go with the Thule. I am pretty sure you can't go Yakima without drilling (not 100% tho). Best of luck!

 

I have had both via gutter mounts....




Some observations...
* The most important difference is that with the Yakima, I can roll the snowboard mounts to the horizontal position (see above pic) and still fit in the garage. I had to park outside or remove the rack with the Thule.
* They both hold my snowboards just fine.
* The Thule fairing did not flex in the wind and hit the top as much as the Yakima. The Yakima fairing has since been removed.
* The springs that hold the board mount open in the Thule were better.
* When you remove the Thule from the gutter mounts, the grip that holds the cross bar loosens and you must recenter every time. The Yakima tightens the bar grip independent from the gutter mount.

I don't dislike the Yakima, but I would go Thule if I could do it all over again. Well, maybe not. I do like the ability to park in the garage. I guess I'd go Yakima. Obviously, I'm on the fence.

Good luck!

 

I went with the Thule 300 gutter mounts and thule LB58 bars on my JK but went with the Yakima skybox over Thule's cargo box. Rack system works really well and have been pleased.

Close up of the mounts
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I worked in the cycling industry for a number of years and sold both systems over time.

Another observation is that with the Thule you MUST use all Thule stuff given the square tubing. With the Yakima you can put Thule accessories (carries, cases, trays) on your Yak-bars. While the mounting portion of the accessory has a square holder it will fit around the round bar and having a two-point connection (front and back bar) will keep it level and stop rotation.

I've always used Yakima (had it on top of an old Jetta and now atop an A4) and I really like their system. As shredX stated when you remove the Yakima the towers stay positioned on the bars independent from their lock-down on the rails of the vehicle, which makes removing/reinstalling much easier.

 

Both Yakima and Thule accessories will work with both round bars and square bars. In the last 8 years both manufactures realized the benefits of making their accessories interchangeable with both systems. One thing you didn’t mention is what you plan to carry on your rack and the type of mount you’re interested in (tracks or rain gutters). Using the rain gutters on the back half of the freedom top is fine for skis/snowboard, any other loads I would not trust the structural integrity of the gutters. They are not as structural and you would think they would be. Mounting a box to them is scary in my opinion; there are other force on a rack system other then weight that people don’t realize. Wind is one that you don’t really think about, and driving 75mph down the road with a plastic sail on the top does create a lot of force on the rack components and roof. I have installed multiple racks on cars and trucks and I seen a lot of racks fail. If you just plan on carry lighter loads like skis and such that don’t have much surface area the gutter style mount are fun, I prefer Yakima mounts over Thule for the same reasons others here like them. If you plan on a box or anything bigger a track system might be a better option. I mounted 54” tracks on my top and it worked out fine for me. I now have a Gobi rack and I don’t use the tracks anymore but I still feel that they were a better option then the gutters. Either way you go just be sure that you do not overloading the rack, a full rack system coming off a car can do a lot of damage to the car behind you.

 

Have had my Thule gutter mounts & bars and Yakima skybox on the rear gutters of the hardtop for 5 months and plenty and I mean plenty of highway miles speeds up to 140km/hr and zero issues with the hardtop gutters cracking on the hardtop with all the forces you mentioned. I have even gone several times hardcore snow wheeling with the box on top and still no problems. I was leary about the gutters failing...but to my suprise they are holding up very nicely with this combination.

 

I am glad to hear that you haven’t had an issue with them. I just know that Yakima does not recommend or warranty any loads on their racks mounted to the gutters other then ski/snowboard racks. It seems that Thule trusts the gutter more then Yakima. I know that Yakima does a lot of testing before they recommend a rack system for a car and Thule seems to be a little more relaxed about racks systems. I carry a lot of longer loads (kayaks/longboards) and the small crossbar spread using the back half of the gutter made me go a different route. Again it really all depends your needs and what you plan to carry.

 

It's 6 of one and 1/2 dozen of the other. They are both equal and either would be fine. If you like the looks of one that's the one I would go with.

 

I didn't realize as posted above that they both came around and made their accessories compatible! Great day

At this point I agree with pastorsteve that it's probably more looks/cost than anything else.