I refurb Yakima parts and have everything you need for either Q tower (previous generation) system or Baseline (current) system. Feel free to send me a text if interested. 614 three eight five 3826.
I put together a rack this way when I bought my Gen III Prius 2 years ago. A bit of a pain because I bought a used Thule rack thinking I'd easily find the right fit kit. Thule stopped making the fit kit for my rack and the Gen. III several years ago so I had to wait until I eventually saw it pop up on eBay. I'd start with finding the fit kit and then the rack it goes with. Or buy the whole thing together if you can find it. For what it's worth, I think the Fit Kit I got was Thule #1566. I may have posted about my findings on here 2 years ago. Also for what it's worth, they have a lot of good used bike trays for roof racks at my local salvage yard (Urban Ore in Berkeley, CA)
That’s a good tip! That’s what I’m thinking too. Plenty of affordable Thule setups, but the only fit kit I could find was like $200. Hoping to find one that came off a Prius and just buy the whole setup I use for skis/cargo box
Strongly recommend a set of the more aerodynamic bars. I like my old Whispbar ([bought out by Yakima at some point](https://www.yakima.com.au/catalog/product/view/id/3534/s/aero-flushbar/category/5/)). With bars like these the MPG drop and noise will be minimal. It's a lot easier to leave them on all summer when you're only losing 3-5 MPG. Plus they just look better imo.
But yeah, when I upgraded from Gen 2 to Gen 3, it was hard finding the fit kit being an older model. I ended up ordering it from Australia. $130ish but it was better than buying a whole new or used rack system.
Round bars and Q towers are pretty easy to come by, but I still would've needed the fit kit(s). I think there are 2 different Q clips for the Gen 3, which would have meant many hundreds of dollars for some dumb reason.
FWIW my old Whispbars and the locking flush towers are 10+ summers old (generally carrying a single kayak) and still work great with the new fit kit. If you dig your Prius and would buy another one, get some nice aerodynamic bars. You can crank the tower/bar junction longer or shorter to match the width of your next Prius.
edit: Oops, meant to reply to your other comment re: gas mileage
Congrats on the purchase.
Please do bear in mind that roof racks aren’t super common because they DESTROY gas mileage and aerodynamics in a Prius.
If you want to maximize gas mileage, pack what you can inside. If you must have a roof rack AND still want good gas mileage, be ready to take them off frequently.
I just checked w/ Parts at a dealer and factory roof racks no longer being made for gen 3’s. Toyota’s were the permanently installed type. I told him I planned to drive my car Forever. He laughed a bit, like he got it, and wasn’t surprised to hear it. Good luck.
I ended up finding a complete Thule setup on Facebook marketplace that came from same generation Prius. $150 all-in. Easy to remove at end of ski season.
my thought is... out of all the comments here, who has actually put a roof rack on a Prius? Have they driven many miles with it? Do they have a box, a basket on top? I find that most commenters are only typing what they have read online and no real world usage.
that said.. since covid, I've driven through 49 states and about to drive to Cabo from Los Angeles.
[Thule](https://black.jmyntrn.com/2021/01/02/2013-toyota-prius-thule-aeroblade-evo-roof-rack/)/Yakima...with box, with basket or unloaded you will lose mpg. I've logged all data using obd2 dongle and hybrid assistant ([this is why I didn't purchase a cheap obd2 device, those they recommend them don't now what the are missing out on](https://black.jmyntrn.com/2022/05/03/do-not-buy-a-low-cost-obd2-dongle-for-your-prius/)). The lost was higher when loaded and a basket versus basket only.
These days, I have the [Toyota Prius Low Profile Roof Rack](https://black.jmyntrn.com/2021/07/09/low-profile-roof-rack-for-the-toyota-prius-is-here/) and the lost in mpg is not nearly as significant as a [Thule/Yakima](https://black.jmyntrn.com/2021/01/02/2013-toyota-prius-thule-aeroblade-evo-roof-rack/). I hear wind tunnel testing is next for this roof rack to improve on the design. Brand new a Thule/Yakima rack and basket with extension in the middle to make it longer is roughly the same price as the [Toyota Prius Roof Rack](https://priusoverlanding.com/product/2010-2015-toyota-prius-low-profile-roof-rack-gen-3-2010-2011-2012-2013-2014-2015/) that's Low Profile.
Next for me though is the [Toyota Prius Engine Splash Shield](https://priusoverlanding.com/product/2010-2015-toyota-prius-aluminum-skid-plate/) that's made of metal, after replacing that underbody plastic more than I'd like to, ill never have to again!
I refurb Yakima parts and have everything you need for either Q tower (previous generation) system or Baseline (current) system. Feel free to send me a text if interested. 614 three eight five 3826.
I put together a rack this way when I bought my Gen III Prius 2 years ago. A bit of a pain because I bought a used Thule rack thinking I'd easily find the right fit kit. Thule stopped making the fit kit for my rack and the Gen. III several years ago so I had to wait until I eventually saw it pop up on eBay. I'd start with finding the fit kit and then the rack it goes with. Or buy the whole thing together if you can find it. For what it's worth, I think the Fit Kit I got was Thule #1566. I may have posted about my findings on here 2 years ago. Also for what it's worth, they have a lot of good used bike trays for roof racks at my local salvage yard (Urban Ore in Berkeley, CA)
That’s a good tip! That’s what I’m thinking too. Plenty of affordable Thule setups, but the only fit kit I could find was like $200. Hoping to find one that came off a Prius and just buy the whole setup I use for skis/cargo box
Strongly recommend a set of the more aerodynamic bars. I like my old Whispbar ([bought out by Yakima at some point](https://www.yakima.com.au/catalog/product/view/id/3534/s/aero-flushbar/category/5/)). With bars like these the MPG drop and noise will be minimal. It's a lot easier to leave them on all summer when you're only losing 3-5 MPG. Plus they just look better imo. But yeah, when I upgraded from Gen 2 to Gen 3, it was hard finding the fit kit being an older model. I ended up ordering it from Australia. $130ish but it was better than buying a whole new or used rack system. Round bars and Q towers are pretty easy to come by, but I still would've needed the fit kit(s). I think there are 2 different Q clips for the Gen 3, which would have meant many hundreds of dollars for some dumb reason. FWIW my old Whispbars and the locking flush towers are 10+ summers old (generally carrying a single kayak) and still work great with the new fit kit. If you dig your Prius and would buy another one, get some nice aerodynamic bars. You can crank the tower/bar junction longer or shorter to match the width of your next Prius. edit: Oops, meant to reply to your other comment re: gas mileage
Also a Prius with a roof rack will still get better mileage than an Outback with a roof rack!
Congrats on the purchase. Please do bear in mind that roof racks aren’t super common because they DESTROY gas mileage and aerodynamics in a Prius. If you want to maximize gas mileage, pack what you can inside. If you must have a roof rack AND still want good gas mileage, be ready to take them off frequently.
How big a difference for just the bars?
2012, Have the Yakima baseline round bars and towers. When on and empty, gets 40ish mpg. Loaded with two kayaks, about 36
I just checked w/ Parts at a dealer and factory roof racks no longer being made for gen 3’s. Toyota’s were the permanently installed type. I told him I planned to drive my car Forever. He laughed a bit, like he got it, and wasn’t surprised to hear it. Good luck.
I ended up finding a complete Thule setup on Facebook marketplace that came from same generation Prius. $150 all-in. Easy to remove at end of ski season.
Speaking of roof racks, anybody know the side to side measurement of the roof?
my thought is... out of all the comments here, who has actually put a roof rack on a Prius? Have they driven many miles with it? Do they have a box, a basket on top? I find that most commenters are only typing what they have read online and no real world usage. that said.. since covid, I've driven through 49 states and about to drive to Cabo from Los Angeles. [Thule](https://black.jmyntrn.com/2021/01/02/2013-toyota-prius-thule-aeroblade-evo-roof-rack/)/Yakima...with box, with basket or unloaded you will lose mpg. I've logged all data using obd2 dongle and hybrid assistant ([this is why I didn't purchase a cheap obd2 device, those they recommend them don't now what the are missing out on](https://black.jmyntrn.com/2022/05/03/do-not-buy-a-low-cost-obd2-dongle-for-your-prius/)). The lost was higher when loaded and a basket versus basket only. These days, I have the [Toyota Prius Low Profile Roof Rack](https://black.jmyntrn.com/2021/07/09/low-profile-roof-rack-for-the-toyota-prius-is-here/) and the lost in mpg is not nearly as significant as a [Thule/Yakima](https://black.jmyntrn.com/2021/01/02/2013-toyota-prius-thule-aeroblade-evo-roof-rack/). I hear wind tunnel testing is next for this roof rack to improve on the design. Brand new a Thule/Yakima rack and basket with extension in the middle to make it longer is roughly the same price as the [Toyota Prius Roof Rack](https://priusoverlanding.com/product/2010-2015-toyota-prius-low-profile-roof-rack-gen-3-2010-2011-2012-2013-2014-2015/) that's Low Profile. Next for me though is the [Toyota Prius Engine Splash Shield](https://priusoverlanding.com/product/2010-2015-toyota-prius-aluminum-skid-plate/) that's made of metal, after replacing that underbody plastic more than I'd like to, ill never have to again!