Recommended Roof Rack For 2011 Honda CR-V With Fixed Mounting Points

Question:

From my research, there will be rear hatch interference when using the Thule Force XT on my 2011 Honda CRV with a factory installed roof rack. I already have the Thule Force XT, but have not purchased roof racks, so am wondering if I should go with Honda roof racks or a 3rd party system that is movable to decrease the rear hatch interference by moving the roof racks as far forward as possible. I would rather have a system that utilizes the fixed points on the roof, because of easier installation and more secure, but Im curious how much the hatch will be impacted. Im OK if its just a foot or two, and could still access most of the back, and with the understanding that I would have to open the hatch slowly. Thanks!

asked by: Devin

Expert Reply:

According to the Thule fit guide, the amount of front clearance space needed for the Thule Force XT, part # TH625 so that the rear hatch can fully open is 51-1/8 inches. The front clearance is the measurement from the center of the front crossbar rearward to the seam that is between the roof and the top of the rear hatch. You can measure from the center of the fixed mounting location to see how much room you have. If you find it is less than 51-1/8 inches, the hatch will not open all the way.

After measuring, if you have a distance you can live with I recommend the Thule WingBar roof rack. The design of the crossbars make it one of the quietest roof racks on the road. To order this roof rack you will need part # TH460R, and part # THKIT3042. Along with either the silver crossbars, part # TH711200, or black crossbars, part # TH711220.

The manufacturers roof rack will use the same mounting points on your CR-V roof.

I checked out the fit of a Yakima roof rack that uses clamps instead of the factory fixed points and the front crossbar would be very close to the same distance if you used the fixed mounting points. My recommendation is to measure the distance from the center of the mounting point to the seam as I mentioned and see if the TH625 Force will work for you.

I checked the front clearance of a couple more roof boxes you might be interested in if the Force XT will not work for you. The Hyper XL, part # TH612 needs 50-7/8 inches front clearance for the hatch clearance. This is a 17 cu ft roof box. I have attached a link to a product review video.

Another 17 cu ft roof box we offer is the Thule Hyper XL, part # TH612. This roof box requires 50-5/8 inches front clearance.