DUTCH Vanatlanta

Another Newbie question, if I may.

Because of the small cargo area inside the Cayenne, I'm going to have to do something about carrying stuff on top. Of the two options, I prefer the looks of the Roof Rails; but they only have a maximum payload of 75 kg and they look like they're permanently mounted there once installed.

The Roof Transport System has a payload of 100 kg; and that extra 25 kg will probably come in handy when packing for a longer off-road trip. The problem is that I do not like cross rails as a full time mount because of the wind noise.

Are those Roof Transport System cross rails easily removed when not needed? If they can easily be removed, I can have a naked topped car when I don't need to carry a load; and that would be my preference of the two options.

Anyone have experience with these options? TIA!

alex911s

Easiest to remove is the Roof Transport System....

the rails is all for looks and more expensive, then you have to buy the crossbar, plus ski ,plus

cargo carrier.. then the list goes on..

Toby Pennycuff

If the Roof Transport System rails are not positioned together, you will hear some interesting noises from your Cayenne.

DUTCH Vanatlanta

No question that the rails look nicer than the transport system. However, I've always been an advocate of function over form.

Sam CS 05

I have the roof transport system with the load assist, 1 person installation/removal is about 15-20 minutes, expect more road noise especially when the sunroof is open. I have been looking for a wind deflector but not found one yet.
Sam

bgsntth

I have found that the windnoise goes down on the transport system, for both the Cayenne and Cayman, when I have a surfboard pad attached. I have no idea why?

ltc

Skip the roof rails.
Put the trailer receiver to good use

http://backrack.net/

littlejt1

+1 for the transport system... if you're actually going to use it. Rails, if you simply want the "look"

Sam CS 05

I don't mean to steal the posting but has anyone installed a wind deflector on the roof transport system?

DUTCH Vanatlanta

Can someone with the Roof Transport System provide the measurements of the cross bars as shown in the attached diagram? The dimensions shown in the diagram are what is required to mount a Thule Cargo Box.

Does the Roof Transport System really mount firmly enough to carry and hold a 100 kg load under acceleration and/or hard braking?

k722070

the roof carrying system is easy on/off.
the noise issue is caused by not fitting the rubber strips the entire length of the grove when using an attachment like a ski rack. you have to completely cover the grove even if its only an inch otherwise you get the whistling.
the rack is beefy and the mounting points are strong.
that diagram doesn't match what I have, the center beam is 10cm wide and almost 4cm thick.

if you have the hitch, thule's transporter works but is only 13 cu ft vs the roof mounted 21 cu ft.
but this one is 16 cu ft!
http://www.prolineracks.com/Stowaway...rgo-boxes.html

DUTCH Vanatlanta

Thanks for the info. Looks like that cross bar might be too large to work with a Thule box. That's what the diagram posted above is for.

DUTCH Vanatlanta

Since it looks like cross bars for the Porsche Roof Track System are too large for use with the Thule Cargo Box, the other alternatives would be to use the Porsche Roof Rails plus the Roof Bars or Thule towers and cross bars in the Cayenne's existing tracks.

I'm not overly enamored with the triple attachment points of Roof Rails to Roof, then Roof Bars to Roof Rails and Thule Box to the Roof Bars.

I think the more direct attachment of the Thule Towers to the Porsche Roof Tracks would be preferable. Has anyone used Thule or Yakima towers in the Cayenne tracks? Good, bad, indifferent?

FWIW, the photo is of the Thule box I'm considering. You gotta admit that it looks a whole lot better than either of the Porsche boxes; and it will look very nice on top of a Meteor Grey Metallic Transsyberia.

k722070

I think you'd be hard pressed to find a mount that fits the cayenne roof tracks for the same reason porsche made the roof transport bars too wide for generic attachments to fit, tequipment sales!
using the permanent roof rails to attach a generic rack should work.
but really, if you're willing to pay up for a cayenne, you should be willing to pay up for the tequipment cargo box.
I think golf ***** are also available.

DUTCH Vanatlanta

The Thule Boxter shown above is actually more expensive than the Tequipment box; and Thule does make towers that fit the existing roof tracks in the Cayenne.