Contacted Thule regarding a roof rack, doesn't look good...

[emtp563]

I know someone who works at Thule and they put me in touch with an engineer. I asked them when or if Thule was coming out with a roof rack for the Sonic. Doesn't look good. Sounds like Thule has been trying without success. They had eight different designs and they all failed. My contact says he's not giving up though. If you think the Rhino Rack is an option, think again. Thule got a hold of one and it will come off the vehicle. The GM rack doesn't come highly recommended either.

 

[River_Rat]

http://www.sonicownersforum.com/forum/t750/

 

[stoopid]

Universal roof racks work well, and there's a variety available. I used the foam block style to carry 2 (heavy) plastic kayaks on the roof of a Suzuki I had. You can buy or make your own bars (hollow steel tubing, rubber tips for ends).

Kayak Universal Roof Racks - Free Shipping

The straps go through the top of the door and wrap around the bars. The door closes and seals fine. The main issue I could see, which didn't concern me due to the lameness of the vehicle, is that the paint will be scratched with a lot of use. But most foam pads come with non stick/slip rubber on the bottom side to help eliminate this. Plus with foam blocks instead of stands like with traditional racks, you can carry more weight.

 

[emtp563]

I guess the point of this thread is that Thule says the vehicle is "unfittable." A direct quote from the Thule engineer: "The car has a horrible door frame." They came up with 8 different designs and every single one of them has "blown off the car." Thule acquired and tested a Rhino Rack, and that blew off the car too. Per Thule, the only way to 100% guarantee the rack won't blow of the Sonic is to drill through the roof. I, personaly don't want to a.) damage my car b.) decrease resale value by drilling and c.) don't want to lose thousands of dollars worth of bikes by having them blow off the car.

The other thread mentioned previously was very informative and I brought up a lot I learned from there to Thule. GM even came to Thule "in haste" and wanted them to design a rack, they attempted to but ultimately told GM they couldn't do it and actually REFUSED the job. GM found a firm out of Korea that apparently has no integrity.