Apologies if there is already a thread for this, but I was wondering if the Thule roof rack kit for the standard Focus would work on the RS. Do any current ST owners have roof racks? What company did you use? Has anyone who has seen a US spec RS in person noticed holes in the roof tracks? I love my roof rack and use it quite a bit for bikes and skis and kayaks so I would hate to have to give that up.
Roof Rack
rambo3500
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Thule dealers in Canada dont know about the RS specific fit kit. I go from memory here but I thought the specific brackets P/N was 1654 or something like that! But perhaps the P/N you listed are for the combination of footpacks and brackets…
If you go Thule get it from amazon uk as you mentioned, when I got mine it ended up being nearly half price in the end and all black (vs euro Ford bars which I believe are silver).
Depending on the bike racks you already have, with the bigger wing I was able to fit my forkmount racks to the extremities of the Thule bars which allow the mountain bikes rear tires to barely stay clear of the wing’s painted sides with the hartch fully opened. This might be another thing to consider depending on bike racks you may already own. And I could still fit a cargo box between the bike racks if I needed to.
Had the Rhino bars on my ST (the cut to size ones with no overhang) very similar to the euro Ford bars and definitely had less space to work with.
Anyways both kits seem equally good depending on your use and aesthetics preference! I changed from the Rhino bars to Thule just to use the additional pinholes to prevent roof rack movement (saw some on the ST…).
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Found my order on my amazon uk account if that helps at all.
Also showing pricing in £ including shipping and prepaid duty/taxes. I believe the £/cad exchange rate is better now then back then at least last time I checked which would make it en even better deal!
Thanks for all the info, especially the pictures, that's awesome! I think the fit kit (141634) you're referring to is no longer available (Thule 141634 Roof Racks, Standard, 1634 Rapid Fitting Kit : Amazon.co.uk: Automotive). I believe it was replaced by the 145089. The feet and bars were also updated, but the ones you bought are still available for purchase. I wonder if the updated fit kit would work with those, or only the newer style feet?
I've never actually had a roof rack before, so I don't have any collection of accessories and I'm not very well-versed in what works with what. I've had the luxury of being able to borrow my Dad's F-150 when I need to haul the canoe or bikes or other cargo. But I'm looking forward to many future road trips with the RS and a roof rack should open up lots of possibilities. I've used blocks for the canoe on the truck, but being made of foam, and with the roof panel being so flexible, there's quite a bit of wiggle at 100km/h. I think having it on a roof rack with should help with the stability and my peace of mind.
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I've never actually had a roof rack before, so I don't have any collection of accessories and I'm not very well-versed in what works with what. I've had the luxury of being able to borrow my Dad's F-150 when I need to haul the canoe or bikes or other cargo. But I'm looking forward to many future road trips with the RS and a roof rack should open up lots of possibilities. I've used blocks for the canoe on the truck, but being made of foam, and with the roof panel being so flexible, there's quite a bit of wiggle at 100km/h. I think having it on a roof rack with should help with the stability and my peace of mind.
I'm curious, what set of roof racks are you using to mount the Roof Top Tent, I was looking at doing a RTT setup and I know most of the tents or at least the ones I was looking at getting are 100lb, and I'll have 2 adults about 320-350lb in total so I'm curious how well they support the weight?
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The OEM ford euro rack. Held up to my fatass 220 + my wife at 150, plus the weight of the RTT itself. Did just fine 👌
on a seperate note, look for a RTT that has the cover as a zip and not snug Velcro. I found on the hwy enough air intrudes with the velcro setup that it ‘puffs up’ with air. Whereas when I borrowed my friends with the zipper it did not do the puffy cover thing
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I second the OEM Ford euro rack. That’s what I have and I’ve used it for the RTT for 2 summers now with no issues. I would say you should aim for a tent on the lighter end, though. I read somewhere once that the roof racks weight rating is the “dynamic” rating (ie while driving) and that the “static” rating was approx 4x the dynamic.
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side note, what tent do you currently have? I'm currently searching for one that has the zipper cover though. It doesn't seem that there really is any limitation to what tent you can put on a focus RS. except those that are length wise, probably not the greatest idea to try that.
I was thinking of snagging this tent specifically. https://www.amazon.com/Smittybilt-2...RHWEE&keywords=roof+top+tent&qid=1646394303&sprefix=roof+top+tent,aps,76&sr=8-3
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I ran the smittybilt 2783 if I remember correctly. It fit on the roof and rack just fine. If I were to buy another one I would get the one you linked, 2883. Reason being the size of the unit is no more larger but it comes with the protected entrance. I’m in BC and it rains a lot, so having that extra protection is nice. Also if you have a gf/wife they will prefer the more private entrance style so all the neighbours don’t get a peep show when you’re crawling in and out.
I also used a tepui of the same style. It’s very clear the build quality is better than the smitty, but the smitty is 1/4 the price so that’s a no brainer to me
I also used a tepui of the same style. It’s very clear the build quality is better than the smitty, but the smitty is 1/4 the price so that’s a no brainer to me
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What wheels are in the first two images? The silver wheels.I still get messages about the OEM EUR roof rack. Just like most people on here would say, it’s cheaper than the aftermarket options and I have 100% faith in its quality and holding ability
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Generated from my Apple iPhone using tools.sportscard.trade
Generated from my Apple iPhone using tools.sportscard.trade
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@supermoo they are rotiform VCE 18x8.5 et35, plastidipped white but a track day ruined the finish. Rare wheel that was custom ordered. I sold to a friend but was suppose to get them back, but he traded his car in without telling me and the car/wheels disappeared. Still pisses me off to this day.
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That is a real bummer for sure. Those wheels look so good on the car. So you cannot order those from Rotiform?
I don't NEED it but definitely WANT it. Beautiful setup!new ski box Thule Motion XT Alpine
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I've tried a few times to get a roof rack for my RS. Did a ton of research only to find what I wanted was out of stock, or no longer produced.
It's quite confusing and overwhelming with all of the options currently available now. What's going to be the most durable? Any long term concerns with damage to the roof? What is the max weight capacity up there?
It's quite confusing and overwhelming with all of the options currently available now. What's going to be the most durable? Any long term concerns with damage to the roof? What is the max weight capacity up there?
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I tried ordering from Thule US and found they were offering what you all claimed was the wrong part. After getting no traction from their phone support, I wrote an email just asking about the difference between the two parts. here is the most complete, yet simple answer I could get. I'm assuming Thule is unaware that the north American RS is actually an import from Europe. We have the mounting holes, this should go with the European mounting hardware. This was likely addressed further back in the thread, but I may have missed it and either way, good to bring back to the surface again. 
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I ordered mine from Thule direct and im afraid im going to run into the same issue. I was just on rack attack's website and they are saying its a different part number. The kit Thule sent me is the 5125 and rack attack is stating its the 5089. tomorrow morning might be interesting.
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Does the cargo top interfere with the hatch opening at all?
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There's no roof rails that come stock. There's a UK one that's Ford licensed. You'll have to find one used, or find a contact in the UK that will ship it to you. I tried Ford and they won't ship direct.
The other option is from Thule, just keep in mind they offer the wrong part number using their fit guide online. I would order from rackattack as they have all the right parts and costs the same as direct from Thule.
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