MaxLTV

My '11 Cayenne TT does not have roof rails but has a tow hook. What the best way to transport 3 sets of skies in this situation? Is a rack that attaches to the hitch the only option or is some kind of a roof box/rack still possible? What's better? I'd appreciate specific model recommendations.

gnat

I've never seen a tow bar option, but I wouldn't be shocked if such a thing existed. You can get a roof rack system that will work from someone like Thule or Yakima. They can only handle ably half the weight of the factory rails, but that shouldn't be an issue here.

Of course three sets implies only 3 people so you could always lay part of the rear seat down and put them inside

tcsracing1

Exposed ski racks on the trailer hitch are available. Same as bike racks etc.

The only down side is the road dirt and salt that coat your skis... they become dirt sticks.

MaxLTV

It's 4 people since recently, but only 3 are old enough to ski ;-)

MaxLTV

Yeah, it was not an issue for bikes, but I never drove through a blizzard with bikes. Would an exposed roof rack be better? Or is roof box the best option?

19psi

How many skis fit in the factory ski storage/bag between the seats?

gnat

In the 958 you can lay just the center part down, so that is still an option for skis. Depending on the child seat it can still be dropped.

I used to carry boards unprotected on my old Golf's roof rack and never had any issues with dirt from the trip. We only had 2 though so we could lay them bottom to keep the bindings out of the slipstream. You might want to wrap the bindings to be safe, but otherwise I wouldn't worry about having them up there unprotected.

wrinkledpants

You still have the track on the roof. So, any of the major roof racks will work. Personally, I like the Thule aero bars and the Yakima ski racks. Get the T-fitting attachment for the Yakima ski racks, and it'll slide right into the T-slot on the top of the Thule bars. It's the setup I currently have, but previously had the Porsche factory adjustable bars and Porsche ski rack. I've owned a lot of other racks, too.

If you don't want to do a roof rack, get the hitch mounted ski racks, and use ski bags for your skis if the roads are wet. Nothing wrong with that setup except that the skis are in the elements if the roads are wet. Need to have bags or your bindings and edges will take a beating. Edges are easy to rehab, but bindings are not.

A roof rack will result in cleaner skis and is a more permanent solution for the winter. Cons - it's a bit louder with the air noise and is probably a bit more expensive than a hitch rack. You also can't do any drive-through car washes, touchless or otherwise.

A hitch rack can be installed and removed as needed, is probably slightly cheaper, is quieter when it's on and loaded, but it's not really a good permanent solution since hitch racks are a pain the *** to live with on a daily basis since it makes the car longer for parking, and gives you a few more steps to get into the trunk.

If you're skiing weekly, get a roof rack. If this is for one or two trips a winter, a hitch rack might make more sense depending on what your parking and storage situation looks like for the hitch rack.

wrinkledpants

A ski box is ideal. Skis, poles, boots, bags - that will all fit in the box. Only downside is that the box is big for storage when off the car, is the loudest option as far as wind noise, and they're expensive. I've had a number of boxes from Thule and Yakima, and prefer Thule. If you're really flush, a Packasport box is king. Rock solid (no floppy sides), is durable (clear coated like your car's paint), and they're really weather tight.

If money and storage aren't a problem - absolutely get a box. It also works great as extended storage in the summer when the trunk fills up. Thule boxes can be installed in 5 minutes, so they're easy on, easy off.

MaxLTV

I completely forgot not being able to open the trunk with a hitch rack. That pretty much makes it a poor choice for my needs. I'll get a roof box then. It can be useful for more than just skiing. I just know it's a matter of time my wife is going to drop some skies on the car but what can you do...

Beautiful car on the avatar pic, but the way.

gnat

The '11 is a 958 which means no tracks. You either have rails or you don't on the 958

gnat

Other than the storage issue, I disagree with all of that.

Not sure about Thule, but I know Yakima offers a painted version of their Skybox series (or they did when I bought mine in 2012. Mine did not make any appreciable additional sound over 800+ miles approaching triple digit speeds and has never leaked even through some horrible weather. My only complaint is that the damn thing acts like a sail with a good crosswind. Definitely an experience when it happens in hour 10 of a 13 hour run...

gnat

If you had the factory rails Porsche rates them to carry 220lbs. When I was spewing mine I considered not ordering the rails, but after talking to both Thule and Yakima I ordered them as they both said they only rate their gutter mount systems at 100lbs. Remember that it's not really the static weight that is the issue. It's the weight when moving at speed compounded by the wind resistance.

You need to keep that in mind when considering a box on a gutter system as the box will eat a big chunk out of that weight limit. Throwing a days worth of ski gear up there for a few people isn't going to be an issue, but if you want to cram it full for a road trip, that's another issue.

MaxLTV

Yep, I'll probably get a small box - less impact on the roof and less of a sail for cross-winds and mileage. 100lbs is probably a very conservative number anyway - I've seen a cayenne on its roof, without anything bending, and that would be 5000lbs at least

gnat

As I said, it's not the static load that is the issue. It's the kinetic weight when the load's speed differs from that of the car (e.g. accelerating or decelerating) as well as the force applied by the wind resistance at speed.