Roof Rack for 1994 Honda Accord Wagon  

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Expert Reply:

Since you indicate your interest in a roof rack system with both side rails and crossbars, I take it that your Accord wagon presently has no roof hardware at all (what is termed a naked roof). I can suggest a complete roof rack system plus provide some recommendations for compatible bike and luggage transport items as well.

A good starting point is a check of your vehicle owners manual, just to confirm what total weight load your 1994 Accord roof can safely tolerate. It is important to remember that the weight of the roof rack itself, and the weight of the cargo items such as bike racks (and the bikes) or the cargo carrier (and its contents) together need to be within this roof weight limit. I checked for an online copy of your manual but I could find no confirmation of roof weight capacity. This is an important consideration so I urge you to check your owner's manual or speak to your local dealership.

A quality cost-effective rack option for your Accord wagon is the SportRack Semi-Custom Roof Rack, part # SR1002. This system includes 50-inch plastic-coated square steel crossbars and four clamp-on feet, and also comes with locks and keys to secure it to your roof. It has a weight capacity of 130 pounds and the crossbars have a spread of 21-1/4 inches. A video on this item is provided.

With this square bar rack in place you can use one of the compatible carriers shown on the attached link. You can choose from fork-mount, wheel-mount and frame-mount types depending on the design and construction of your bikes. I also attached a general article concerning roof bike carriers that might be useful to you as you consider the best type for your particular bikes. For example, if you have a carbon fiber frame bike and you prefer not to have the bike's frame be the contact point with the rack you might prefer a wheel-mount type like the Yakima FrontLoader # Y02103. If your bikes have fenders, then a better choice is a frame- or fork-mount type.

For cargo carriers that will fit this rack you have several types from which to choose: open metal cargo baskets and soft fabric bags. Depending on the roof weight capacity and what you will be carrying, one of these two types will likely be a clear best choice.

Metal baskets tend to weigh more, don't provide rain protection but are quite sturdy. A good choice for this type that is compatible with the Sportrack roof system is the Curt Roof Mounted Cargo Basket, part # C18115. This item includes a fairing to help reduce wind noise, itself weighs 40 pounds and has a weight capacity of 150 pounds (provided your Accord roof can handle this total load of 190 pounds).

For the soft bag type, which typically offers the advantage of being very lightweight, you might consider the Rightline Ace 2 Rooftop Waterproof Cargo Bag, part # RL100A20. This cargo bag weighs only 9 pounds and holds up to 15 cubic feet. For a larger capacity carrier, you might consider the Rightline Sport 3 XL Rooftop Waterproof Cargo Bag, part # RL100S30, which weighs 10 pounds and holds up to 18 cubic feet of cargo.

expert reply by: Adam R

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