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I bought a Curt Roof Rack (http://amzn.to/Vikcrf) during the Black Friday sale from Amazon and got it the other day. I was going to buy the Subaru Roof Rack but the Curt was on sale for $99 with free shipping compared to $339.00 for the Subaru version. So I figured I would at least give it a try and send it back if I did not like it.
The Curt is sturdy and has clamps with big wing nuts to connect to the cross bars. It was not too hard to get on the Crosstrek as long as you have another person to help you. The only issue I see is I may trim down the bolts that the wing nuts attach to with a Dremel to prevent it from gouging the bags I put in the rack. Which is a simple fix for sure. Even at the current $130.00 it is a great deal compared to the Subaru branded rack. There is also an optional rack extender ($60) I may purchase for those long trips - http://amzn.to/11NRCDQ.
Will post pictures once I get a chance to take some this week.
UPDATE: Put the rack back on to go fetch a X-Mas tree and filled the gas tank again. Going to do drive with the rack on for the whole tank to see how much the aerodynamic drag effects MPG performance. I have noticed there is only slight wind noise at higher speeds (80mph). Quite happy with how quite it is. The main issue I have is the plastic thumb screws to put on the rack. They can make your thumbs sore after installing it. Not sure how the competitors connect to the cross bars to compare.
The Curt is sturdy and has clamps with big wing nuts to connect to the cross bars. It was not too hard to get on the Crosstrek as long as you have another person to help you. The only issue I see is I may trim down the bolts that the wing nuts attach to with a Dremel to prevent it from gouging the bags I put in the rack. Which is a simple fix for sure. Even at the current $130.00 it is a great deal compared to the Subaru branded rack. There is also an optional rack extender ($60) I may purchase for those long trips - http://amzn.to/11NRCDQ.
Will post pictures once I get a chance to take some this week.
UPDATE: Put the rack back on to go fetch a X-Mas tree and filled the gas tank again. Going to do drive with the rack on for the whole tank to see how much the aerodynamic drag effects MPG performance. I have noticed there is only slight wind noise at higher speeds (80mph). Quite happy with how quite it is. The main issue I have is the plastic thumb screws to put on the rack. They can make your thumbs sore after installing it. Not sure how the competitors connect to the cross bars to compare.
