According to my contact at Yakima, the parts and measurements provided to me are official, I know they were based off of actual tests they did on a Cooper.
As for how it attaches, the clips actually hook onto the underside of the plastic trim piece and it feels pretty solid. The clips do not intefere with the window opening and closing when using the doors.
Another bonus of this set-up is that the rack is very easy to remove and put back on once the Q-towers have been mounted to the cross bars for the first time and adjusted to the right tension (the most time intensive portion of the installation). I think it will be wise not to leave the rack on when not using it because over time the plastic trim may get deformed. While the lighting isn't great, check out this second picture with better detail of how the clips attach. |