I just picked up my Sport Turismo last week along with the Porsche Factory roof rack. I was taking a closer look at the roof rack this weekend and honestly I'm pretty disappointed with Porsche.

I previously had a Porsche factory roof rack for my 991.1 C4S and it was very easy to install, and integrated seamlessly onto the factory mounting points.

The rack for my Sport Turismo seems like an afterthought. It has metal brackets that hook onto the edge of the roof line into the door pocket. See the picture below (not my car by the way). It's a rack setup typical of a car not meant for a roof rack. So Porsche designed their first wagon to use a poor setup for a roof rack?

Should I be worried about the metal rubbing on the paint? I'm concerned that after a winter of skiing the rack is going to leave marks. Any other good rack options? I saw some posts on the Seasucker racks but I'm very skeptical of suction cups holding up during high winds and very cold temperatures in Colorado.

 

That seems a step backward from what the 970 models have, which I'm guessing is probably similar to what your Carrera had. Wonder why they changed it?

 

I've had both the 970 and 971 generations, with racks (for skis and bikes) on both. I see nothing on the 971 that causes me any concern in terms of damage to the car. My big objection is the fact that the 970 racks bolted directly to the roof. They were rock solid and very easy to take on and off. The 971 racks take a little more effort to install, since you have to remove the plugs from above the doors, line up the pins on the racks with the holes, and then tighten everything down. It takes twice as long (10 mins vs. 5) to install the 971 racks. Removal may take a minute or two longer, but no significant difference there. The 971 racks, once mounted, also seem very secure. They are MUCH easier to install than the racks on my last RS7 were.

I have Rocky Mounts trays for my bike and my Colnago feels very secure on the roof! I can shake the whole car by pushing on the bike's frame.

DMoore
'18 Panamera Turbo Sport Turismo
'18 911 GTS

 

I agree, I'm interested in a Sport Turismo and took a look at the roof rack options and couldn't believe they're using something like this. Those support blocks will flex and grit will get under them, eventually eating into the paint. Wish they also had a hitch mount option.

 

It seems crazy that they didn't put the same structure into the 971 as they did w/ the 970 because it works so well. I love my factory roof rack and the ease to mount it w/ my pod.

 

Looks like a very odd setup for sure. I'm seriously considering the Seasucker's myself, everything I've read and seen on them look great. I'd be curious to see if there really were any issues concerning temperature ranges with their usage.

 

My other concern with the Seasuckers is that if your roof isn't really clean when you suck them on, any grit will be ground into your paint.

@skiracer: now, that's a quiver! Do you do your own tuning?

 

I'm interested in the Seasuckers as well. My Sport Turismo has a glass roof so it should be easy to clean prior to installing and shouldn't scratch like paint.

I will be using them for hauling skis during the winter, so again my only concern is cold temperatures and high winds. I have times when it's 30F leaving my house, but I'll drive through South Park where the temperature drops to -15F with 45mph winds.

 

From Seasuckers website:

Is it okay to use my rack in cold temperatures?

Yes, but be aware that once you remove your rack after using it in the cold, you will have to warm it up again to near room temperature before the rubber is pliable enough to make a solid seal to the mounting surface. Also, we recommend that, in warm weather, you wet the sealing edge of your rack before attaching. DO NOT DO THIS IN FREEZING OR NEAR-FREEZING TEMPERATURES. The vacuum cup will freeze to the surface of your car, which will prevent the vacuum pump and check valve from functioning properly. Additionally, if you wipe you car clean in the cold, make sure to dry it before attaching your rack.

This makes me very nervous.

 

I don't get this discussion. The purpose of racks is to carry stuff, safely and securely. Over the course of my life I've had a surfboard (forget to strap it down) and skis (twice, both when racks failed) fly off the roof of my car. No accidents resulted, and in fact the items involved survived the experience. BUT. I was really lucky and things could have gone badly. In this conversation, we're comparing the merits of a rack that attaches very firmly to the car - but might (or might not) result in slight scratches to the paint, vs. a rack which could fail completely and dump a bicycle or skis onto the road. Frankly, I can't even see how the paint gets scratched using the factory rack. You clear the roof. You attach the rack. Even IF grit could get under the rack - what movement is taking place that's going to cause a scratch? And if you're using the car to go ski - the paint is going to be exposed to road grit, salt, and grime that will do more damage to the car than a roof rack ever would.

Boy, to me that's a no brainer. I'd take a secure rack that won't blow off over any other available option. Every time.

DMoore
'18 Panamera Turbo Sport Turismo - with factory bike/ski rack

 

Oh yes - each pair is tuned after each day of skiing and waxed, scraped and brushed so they're ready to go next time! My time on snow is very precious to me and I appreciate a good set of edges, bevels and skis that turn well. I'd hate to think of the hours spent over the past 45 years, but it's been a lot!

 

purely for entertainment, possibly.......... rated to 70 mph but about 170 mph it may come off....... 9:15 mark is the aftermath....
rewind a bit for footage before the demise of the ski box. sorry youtube won't queue to the middle.

In this case, the suction cups stayed but the case broke apart.

 

Review of the Seasuckers over on Bike Rumor

Shows it mounted on a 996 Turbo. I'm not sure I'd put the rear suction cup on the window if that gets any lift.

 

I haven't found any good alternatives, so I ended up installing the factory roof rack today. I did wrap the stamped metal brackets with faux carbon fiber. This is the first time I've ever tried wrapping something. It wasn't easy, but wasn't very difficult either. There are some imperfections when you look closely, so if you're OCD it might drive you nuts. But I think they look way better this way.

 

Test fit the Sea Sucker rack today and was satisfied with hold. Took it up to 60 MPH and a bit of noise but not too bad. Here are two pictures of overall car, seemed the right day to try this out!