Guys,
The roof rack on the 08 Highlander is simply too short F-R. That said, I have been able to mount my Atlantis 2100 at the rear bar just fine, and am clearing the tailgate. It's the front bar that won't go far enough forward to meet the front clamps of the pod. The best thing to do for a pod shopper, would be to measure the max & min dimensions of the Highlander rails F-R, then the min dimension of the rear rail to the tailgate + the resulting range of front rail motion...then choose your
box.
I AM indeed using my big bastard Atlantis, but I did the following, which is not entirely recommended if you want to remove the
box frequently(nor is it the 'proper' mounting procedure!):
1. Bought some 1/4" thick closed cell neoprene foam, 1" wide, sticky on both sides. You can find big rolls of it at
www.McMaster.com I think I paid $25 for the roll with plenty to spare.
2. Lay the
box on the car's crossrails, align the rear of the
box to not hit the tailgate & clamp it down.
3. Move the front cross bar all the way forward.
4. Mark a 4X pattern of holes inside the pod base, to be drilled later. These hole centers should be spaced at the edges or a bit wider than the F-R width of the rail.
5. Remove the pod, and drill your holes inthe pod base. I used a 1/4" bit, which allowed clearance for the ties I was to use. At Napa Autoparts(aslso known as 'Riebes') I found some heavy duty long 50lb. test zipties in Black.
6. Layup the foam tape on to the front rail, I used two rows of it along the L-R crossrail length, covering the top of the rail. Leave the top wax film on the top side of the foam for now.
7. Re-install the pod on top of the car, tightening the rear clamps, ensuring tailgate clearance, and L-R alignment (looking from the front & rear of the car).
8. Remove the top layer of the foam tape, effectively sticking the pod down to the rail.
9. Install 4 zip ties per 4X pattern of holes, two in a criss cross, and two in a F-R orientation, holding the pod down to the crossrail.
Wala! It's not the best way to go, but if you already have an expensive pod that WON'T fit the poorly designed too-short roof rails on your shiny new Highlander, this setup actually doesn't show any of it's ghetto-flavour, and so far we've been using it for 5000 miles on many trips full of skiis with no problems. Make sure you watch the zip ties for 'cutting' marks from ski & snowboard edges, else cover the ties with quality black gaffer tape(heavy duty cloth-type duct tape) to protect.
If I could afford it, I would indeed buy a new pod that would mount correctly, but heck, this works for now! And the Atlantis 2100 actually just barely clears the front windshield line, staying over the car, so you never see it or a shadow.
Thule on Highlander
Atlantis 2100 Pod Mounting Tested for 5K!
Linear Mode
