Hi all,

I bought my 2010 ET (Silver, manual SE) last Saturday and drove it home in a serious snowstorm. I was surprised how comfortable I was driving in the slop! So far I really love the car and am still learning all the features (I hadn't planned on buying a SE but the dealer ended up selling me the SE for the same price as the GLS. I recommend car shopping in a snow storm!). I did enjoy my heated seat on the way home.

The main reason I bought the car is to transport myself and my kayaks out of the city. I don't drive often, rarely more than once/week, but I do take a few road trips each year to warmer climates for kayaking or for work.

This is my first new car so I'll probably be back with questions at some point, but I just wanted to say thanks in advance for being here. What a great resource!

Lyn

 

Welcome to the forum and best of luck with your new ride!

 

Welcome to the group. Good to hear you got a deal. I can't relate to the snow since I live in Florida.

I got an ET 2 months ago to replace my minivan. First thing on my list was a roof rack for the kayak/surfboards. I am also debating where to put the mountain bikes. I like keeping them inside the car but it's getting beat up and dirty.

I like roadtrips and my biggest concern is leaving the bikes on the roof while I use the kayak or vice versa. Lately, I've just been staying local and doing one activity at a time until I figure it out.

 

Have you found a kayak rack that fits the Hyundai? My car came with factory racks which look nice but I don't trust to hold 2 heavy kayaks (both 18 foot glass kayaks). I'm hoping to get some kind of rig that allows me to keep the factory racks.

Lyn

 

I also have the factory roofracks and added these cross bars for less than $75 new. I have foam bumpers that wrap around it and they work great for my 20lb waveski (surboard/Kayak). This weekend I'll be using them with my 70lb - 13' Tandem Kayak.

They are easy to put on/off and also have locks. I keep them off because of the wind noise on the highway and only put them on when I go out with the water toys. Since they are a square, the accessories for Thule should fit on them. These are rated to 130lbs. The other more expensive models are rated to 180lbs.

Road Warrior Roof Rack Cross Bars.
http://www.discountramps.com/road-warrior-roof-rack.htm





The Kayak shop was offering me a $300 version that was Thule but I didn't want to spend that much. I also found plenty on Craigslist but none that had the right width.

Happy shopping. If I had a couple of 18 glass kayaks, then I would probably spend more on a rack with the proper accessories.

My kayak is plastic and my waveskis are very light.

 

but I agree, it's exactly right for what you're using it for. I don't trust the factory racks for the long distance highway (high speed) trips that I do with the kayaks.

Thanks for your photos! You make FL and the ET look like a fun combo!

Lyn

 

Here's a pic of the ET fully loaded with a 70lb 13'x36" Tandem Kayak and two Mountain Bikes. Wind noise was acceptable and doing 80 MPH for an hour the onboard computer said 20 MPG. Doing the same drive without anything on the roof the computer says 28 MPG. While I can put the bikes and surboard inside to take advantage of the higher MPG, I was beating up the car making little nicks and scratches to the interior. Now my toys ride on the roof and I can have my back seat again!

Roof rails
Road Warrior Roof Rack Cross Bars.$75 shipped
http://www.discountramps.com/road-warrior-roof-rack.htm

Bike Adapters are Yakima Copper $85 each at my local kayak shop
http://yakima.com/racks/bike-racks/p...opperhead.aspx

 

You folks in the US are lucky to have factory roof racks. Up here in Canada it is not available !

 

How bad does the interior take a beating from bikes. I plan on doing this with bikes also. Do you put any sheets down or anything to help prevent it? Do you have any pictures of bikes inside the car?

 

I have a heavy duty liner that was from my old Durango which protects the floor and the back seats. The damage to the car that I noticed was from the handle bars rubbing on the roof liner and the pedals scratching up the plastics on the sides. I don't mind the scuffs from the rubber or dirt since I can clean that up.

Here are some pics. I was able to load 3 bikes and riders.