SeaSucker rack opinions
08-04-22, 04:20 PM
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SeaSucker rack opinions
Does anyone have experience using SeaSucker roof racks mounted on glass?
My new car has a very wide panoramic sunroof that occupies most of the roof. SeaSucker says mounting on glass is fine, but I ran across another thread on this forum where someone cracked the glass on their Tesla using one of these racks. https://www.bikeforums.net/general-c...ear-glass.html
I'm not sure if that was just an isolated incident, or if this is really a concern and should be avoided. I think I could avoid the sunroof, but the rear would be on the back glass. Alternatively I might be able to put the bike further forward and mount on the sunroof, and the rear wheel would be on the metal part of the roof.
See image below for example of the car and rack (image from another forum):
Alternative options aren't great. Hitch installation requires cutting into the rear bumper/facia and also removing the rear bumper - something I'm leery of doing on a brand new car. I own an older Yakima roof rack with Q towers that worked fine on my old car, but according to Yakima (and Thule) there are no options for new clips or towers that fit my new car.
My other option is to buy cross-bars sold from Audi. This could work, but I'd also have to buy at least one new bike rack to mount on it as well, since my older Yakima fork mounted rack only works on round bars. I also saw a fair amount of scratching on my old car from installing/removing the Yakima rack. If the SeaSucker option doesn't seem viable, I'll probably go this route.
Thoughts?
My new car has a very wide panoramic sunroof that occupies most of the roof. SeaSucker says mounting on glass is fine, but I ran across another thread on this forum where someone cracked the glass on their Tesla using one of these racks. https://www.bikeforums.net/general-c...ear-glass.html
I'm not sure if that was just an isolated incident, or if this is really a concern and should be avoided. I think I could avoid the sunroof, but the rear would be on the back glass. Alternatively I might be able to put the bike further forward and mount on the sunroof, and the rear wheel would be on the metal part of the roof.
See image below for example of the car and rack (image from another forum):
Alternative options aren't great. Hitch installation requires cutting into the rear bumper/facia and also removing the rear bumper - something I'm leery of doing on a brand new car. I own an older Yakima roof rack with Q towers that worked fine on my old car, but according to Yakima (and Thule) there are no options for new clips or towers that fit my new car.
My other option is to buy cross-bars sold from Audi. This could work, but I'd also have to buy at least one new bike rack to mount on it as well, since my older Yakima fork mounted rack only works on round bars. I also saw a fair amount of scratching on my old car from installing/removing the Yakima rack. If the SeaSucker option doesn't seem viable, I'll probably go this route.
Thoughts?
08-04-22, 05:09 PM
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Tying a Cervelo to the roof of a moving car using nothing more than air pressure looks fine (for your Cervelo) 
I'm not doing it with my Cervelo!
I use a hitch mount with my truck, or fold the seats down in my Nissan Leaf (R5 fits fine inside)
Barry
I'm not doing it with my Cervelo!
I use a hitch mount with my truck, or fold the seats down in my Nissan Leaf (R5 fits fine inside)
Barry
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08-04-22, 07:00 PM
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I used a knockoff seasucker to take my bike from Ohio to Florida and back again on a rental minivan with a large panoramic sunroof. It was nice being able to look up and visually verify the suckers were sucked, but over the course of 1500 miles they never loosened.
John
John
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08-04-22, 07:17 PM
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There was a thread about this a couple of years ago. Personally, I don’t have that much faith to trust my super fly custom ti road bike with some rubber and spit. My baby goes in the back of my Forester.
YMMV
YMMV
08-04-22, 07:55 PM
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If the Audi cross bars lock into the rail fittings like I think they do, I’d go that route.
If they rest on the painted metal them probably not.
Audi sells SeaSucker racks as an A5/S5 Sportback option, so it must feel secure that putting it on the glass will not be much risk. (Audi is not Tesla so I wouldn’t compare the two. Remember the Tesla shatterproof truck window demo?)
Ive never heard of a SeaSucker failure to remain secured.
If they rest on the painted metal them probably not.
Audi sells SeaSucker racks as an A5/S5 Sportback option, so it must feel secure that putting it on the glass will not be much risk. (Audi is not Tesla so I wouldn’t compare the two. Remember the Tesla shatterproof truck window demo?)
Ive never heard of a SeaSucker failure to remain secured.
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08-04-22, 08:34 PM
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I have an all-glass roof on my Giulia, and have been using a Sea Sucker Talon for several years without issues.
I would not advise mounting to sunroof glass if it can be avoided. Leveraging against the mechanical bits, like actuating arms and rails, just does not seem like a great idea. It may be fine, but attaching to a panel that’s bonded in all ‘round sounds better to me.
In my case, that means pushing the Talon rearward, behind the opening sunroof glass, enough that the rear wheel mount affixes to the trunklid:
I don’t know if you can make that work on the S7– which is a stunner, BTW!— but if not, I’d still prefer to shift the rack far enough back to avoid the opening glass in favor of the metal, and affix the rear wheel holder lower on the hatch glass.
This is the second Giulia with panoramic glass roof which I’ve used the Talon on, and while I’m not a heavy user, I take the rack on 10hr round-trips two or three times a year, use it to get to Wednesday rides weekly during the summer, and rarely make a highway trip where I’m not well into triple-digit speeds, and through it all, the Talon has been flawless.
As an aside, I love that I can use it on almost any car in a snap; I just had it on my wife’s car for a 4hr road trip up north for vacation with the family. Seasucker is the best!!
I would not advise mounting to sunroof glass if it can be avoided. Leveraging against the mechanical bits, like actuating arms and rails, just does not seem like a great idea. It may be fine, but attaching to a panel that’s bonded in all ‘round sounds better to me.
In my case, that means pushing the Talon rearward, behind the opening sunroof glass, enough that the rear wheel mount affixes to the trunklid:
I don’t know if you can make that work on the S7– which is a stunner, BTW!— but if not, I’d still prefer to shift the rack far enough back to avoid the opening glass in favor of the metal, and affix the rear wheel holder lower on the hatch glass.
This is the second Giulia with panoramic glass roof which I’ve used the Talon on, and while I’m not a heavy user, I take the rack on 10hr round-trips two or three times a year, use it to get to Wednesday rides weekly during the summer, and rarely make a highway trip where I’m not well into triple-digit speeds, and through it all, the Talon has been flawless.
As an aside, I love that I can use it on almost any car in a snap; I just had it on my wife’s car for a 4hr road trip up north for vacation with the family. Seasucker is the best!!
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08-04-22, 08:39 PM
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Your bike should be more expensive than your car! But no I wouldn't trust Sea Sucker or any knock-offs with any of my bikes. Hitch all the way and if I am ever dumb enough to get a car that some how cannot mount a hitch or a roof rack and doesn't have space inside of the car for a bike just shoot me for being an idiot or watch me look ridiculous in a Peel P50!
08-05-22, 08:43 AM
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If the Audi cross bars lock into the rail fittings like I think they do, I’d go that route.
If they rest on the painted metal them probably not.
Audi sells SeaSucker racks as an A5/S5 Sportback option, so it must feel secure that putting it on the glass will not be much risk. (Audi is not Tesla so I wouldn’t compare the two. Remember the Tesla shatterproof truck window demo?)
Ive never heard of a SeaSucker failure to remain secured.
If they rest on the painted metal them probably not.
Audi sells SeaSucker racks as an A5/S5 Sportback option, so it must feel secure that putting it on the glass will not be much risk. (Audi is not Tesla so I wouldn’t compare the two. Remember the Tesla shatterproof truck window demo?)
Ive never heard of a SeaSucker failure to remain secured.
Thanks for pointing out that SeaSucker racks are sold by Audi. I hadn't noticed that before but now I see them listed on their website as an accessory. That gives me some confidence that installing it on the glass is probably OK.
I also agree that I've never heard of a SeaSucker rack coming detached, despite this being a common concern. I feel like if this actually happened, it would be all over the internet.
08-05-22, 08:52 AM
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I have an all-glass roof on my Giulia, and have been using a Sea Sucker Talon for several years without issues.
I would not advise mounting to sunroof glass if it can be avoided. Leveraging against the mechanical bits, like actuating arms and rails, just does not seem like a great idea. It may be fine, but attaching to a panel that’s bonded in all ‘round sounds better to me.
In my case, that means pushing the Talon rearward, behind the opening sunroof glass, enough that the rear wheel mount affixes to the trunklid:
I don’t know if you can make that work on the S7– which is a stunner, BTW!— but if not, I’d still prefer to shift the rack far enough back to avoid the opening glass in favor of the metal, and affix the rear wheel holder lower on the hatch glass.
This is the second Giulia with panoramic glass roof which I’ve used the Talon on, and while I’m not a heavy user, I take the rack on 10hr round-trips two or three times a year, use it to get to Wednesday rides weekly during the summer, and rarely make a highway trip where I’m not well into triple-digit speeds, and through it all, the Talon has been flawless.
As an aside, I love that I can use it on almost any car in a snap; I just had it on my wife’s car for a 4hr road trip up north for vacation with the family. Seasucker is the best!!
I would not advise mounting to sunroof glass if it can be avoided. Leveraging against the mechanical bits, like actuating arms and rails, just does not seem like a great idea. It may be fine, but attaching to a panel that’s bonded in all ‘round sounds better to me.
In my case, that means pushing the Talon rearward, behind the opening sunroof glass, enough that the rear wheel mount affixes to the trunklid:
I don’t know if you can make that work on the S7– which is a stunner, BTW!— but if not, I’d still prefer to shift the rack far enough back to avoid the opening glass in favor of the metal, and affix the rear wheel holder lower on the hatch glass.
This is the second Giulia with panoramic glass roof which I’ve used the Talon on, and while I’m not a heavy user, I take the rack on 10hr round-trips two or three times a year, use it to get to Wednesday rides weekly during the summer, and rarely make a highway trip where I’m not well into triple-digit speeds, and through it all, the Talon has been flawless.
As an aside, I love that I can use it on almost any car in a snap; I just had it on my wife’s car for a 4hr road trip up north for vacation with the family. Seasucker is the best!!
My Yakima rack is a bit cumbersome to get on/off and with the bike mounts attached it takes up a lot of space in the garage when leaning against the wall. SeaSucker seems to solve both of those problems. Being able to use it on multiple cars is an added bonus that I hadn't considered.
08-05-22, 08:56 AM
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This car doesn't have any sort of roof rails - just a small gutter stamped into the metal to direct rain away from the windows. I'm pretty sure the Audi cross bars have feet that sit on the painted metal and have clips that attach to the window frame, similar to a Yakima or Thule setup. The windows are frameless, so the clips would attach between the side glass and frame which might create some whistling/wind noise. Here's a stock photo from Audi:
Thanks for pointing out that SeaSucker racks are sold by Audi. I hadn't noticed that before but now I see them listed on their website as an accessory. That gives me some confidence that installing it on the glass is probably OK.
I also agree that I've never heard of a SeaSucker rack coming detached, despite this being a common concern. I feel like if this actually happened, it would be all over the internet.
Thanks for pointing out that SeaSucker racks are sold by Audi. I hadn't noticed that before but now I see them listed on their website as an accessory. That gives me some confidence that installing it on the glass is probably OK.
I also agree that I've never heard of a SeaSucker rack coming detached, despite this being a common concern. I feel like if this actually happened, it would be all over the internet.
I couldn't recall if our prior Audis had those, and couldn't tell if yours does.
I would not be happy with the gutter clips on a nice car. That's one reason why we have a Jeep with a hitch rack in addition to our other cars.
If it helps, I had a Scirroco in the 80s, and used a Yak rack on it. The feet of the rear cross bar sat on the hatch glass. I never had a problem with that.
08-05-22, 09:20 AM
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That's a pretty good vote of confidence on the SeaSucker. Your Giulia is an awesome looking car.
My Yakima rack is a bit cumbersome to get on/off and with the bike mounts attached it takes up a lot of space in the garage when leaning against the wall. SeaSucker seems to solve both of those problems. Being able to use it on multiple cars is an added bonus that I hadn't considered.
My Yakima rack is a bit cumbersome to get on/off and with the bike mounts attached it takes up a lot of space in the garage when leaning against the wall. SeaSucker seems to solve both of those problems. Being able to use it on multiple cars is an added bonus that I hadn't considered.
The only downside to Seasucker, as I see it, is the lack of security. They have a window mount eyelet available so you can cable lock the bike to the car, but that’s a less-than-ideal solution for a variety of reasons. I’m rarely in a situation where I worry about theft, but the security issue definitely impacts my decisions about where to go, when, and what to do with the bike.
08-05-22, 09:40 AM
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My cousin to your Audi has rack attachments in the roof:
I couldn't recall if our prior Audis had those, and couldn't tell if yours does.
I would not be happy with the gutter clips on a nice car. That's one reason why we have a Jeep with a hitch rack in addition to our other cars.
If it helps, I had a Scirroco in the 80s, and used a Yak rack on it. The feet of the rear cross bar sat on the hatch glass. I never had a problem with that.
I couldn't recall if our prior Audis had those, and couldn't tell if yours does.
I would not be happy with the gutter clips on a nice car. That's one reason why we have a Jeep with a hitch rack in addition to our other cars.
If it helps, I had a Scirroco in the 80s, and used a Yak rack on it. The feet of the rear cross bar sat on the hatch glass. I never had a problem with that.
I emailed the Audi dealer to ask them what they think, but not expecting much in the way of an answer. I think I'll give the SeaSucker a try.
80's Scirroco sounds awesome. Those were really cool cars.
08-05-22, 09:54 AM
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Those mounting slots would solve the problem. Mine is just a solid panel - the seam behind the sunroof is actually just a rain gutter so it's all one piece. Here is a close-up photo:
I emailed the Audi dealer to ask them what they think, but not expecting much in the way of an answer. I think I'll give the SeaSucker a try.
80's Scirroco sounds awesome. Those were really cool cars.
I emailed the Audi dealer to ask them what they think, but not expecting much in the way of an answer. I think I'll give the SeaSucker a try.
80's Scirroco sounds awesome. Those were really cool cars.
The Scirocco was a fun car, but that was a long time ago! Fortunately, there have been many more fun cars since. Currently a Taycan 4S.
Let us know what you do on the rack, and how it works out.
08-05-22, 03:19 PM
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My Audi dealer responded and says I'm good to go with using a SeaSucker on the glass with the (obvious) caveat that I don't try to open the sunroof or rear hatch while the rack is on there. He also said there's nothing special about the Audi crossbars, and he thought any aftermarket rack system would likely work the same and wasn't sure why Yakima/Thule didn't have options for it.
He offered to order me a SeaSucker through Audi, but then after looking them up suggested I buy it from somewhere else because they add a dealer markup to them. Apparently he's taken enough of my money.
He offered to order me a SeaSucker through Audi, but then after looking them up suggested I buy it from somewhere else because they add a dealer markup to them. Apparently he's taken enough of my money.
08-05-22, 04:53 PM
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My Audi dealer responded and says I'm good to go with using a SeaSucker on the glass with the (obvious) caveat that I don't try to open the sunroof or rear hatch while the rack is on there. He also said there's nothing special about the Audi crossbars, and he thought any aftermarket rack system would likely work the same and wasn't sure why Yakima/Thule didn't have options for it.
He offered to order me a SeaSucker through Audi, but then after looking them up suggested I buy it from somewhere else because they add a dealer markup to them. Apparently he's taken enough of my money.
He offered to order me a SeaSucker through Audi, but then after looking them up suggested I buy it from somewhere else because they add a dealer markup to them. Apparently he's taken enough of my money.
Lol.
I got a call from a Porsche dealer today asking if I was ready to bring in my 1 year old Taycan with 4k miles on it for service. I was like, “WTF?” The only maintenance is to change the cabin filter and break fluid every 20k. I told them to call back in 3 years.
They always want more of your money.
