How to Use Different Y Clips for a Yakima Rack

Properly using Y-clips on your Yakima roof rack can be the difference between your bike, surfboard, or skis falling onto the highway or staying on the roof of your car. Yakima SST roof racks use customized Y-clips in order to be compatible with various vehicles. Successfully mounting an SST roof rack involves first choosing the correct Y-clips for your car model and then installing them properly.

Things You'll Need

  • 4 Y-clip plastic pads
  • 4 SST towers
  • 2 crossbars
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Instructions

    • 1

      Research Y-clips and find out which ones are compatible with your vehicle. Depending on what car you drive, the type of Y-clip you need will vary. Sites like Ebay and Rackit have many Y-clips for sale, and the ads should specify which cars the clips will work with. There is also a Y-clip fitting guide listed in the Resources section of this article. Keep in mind that Y-clips are exclusively part of the Yakima SST rack system, which was discontinued in 1996. Y-clips are not compatible with any other roof rack system, nor are they compatible with cars produced after 1997.

    • 2

      Attach the the plastic pads that came with the Y-clips to the bottom of the SST towers. The SST towers are the triangular pieces that you'll mount on the roof of the car to hold up the rack. The SST pads stick to the bottom of the towers to add security and prevent scratching when you mount the towers to the car's roof in later steps.

    • 3

      Open the four SST towers by pulling their levers. This will allow the two crossbars to fit through the one loop in each SST tower. The crossbars will serve as the be the actual "rack" being held up by the SST towers. Insert one end of each crossbar into the loops of the towers. There should be two towers on each crossbar and the levers should face away from each other. Adjust the towers on the crossbar so that they are at about the width of the car.

    • 4

      Position one set of the crossbars and towers on the roof of the car. Each tower should be 6 inches away from the top edge of the windshield.

    • 5

      Open the driver and passenger doors of the car and wedge the Y-clips under the door frame. The Y-clips are designed to match the contour of the door, so once the Y-clips fit the curve of the doorframe, you will know that they are in the right position. Slide the SST towers over the top portion of the Y-clips. Snap the SST towers shut over the Y-clips to lock both of them into place.

    • 6

      Insert the fold-down lever (included with SST tower) through the top hole of the Y-clip and into the adjustment nut on the tower. Turn the fold-down lever clockwise to tighten the tower to the car. Ensure that the tightness on each tower is equal. Grab and shake the crossbar to ensure that the rack is tightly mounted on the car.

    • 7

      Repeat Steps 4 through 6 with the other set of crossbars and towers in the rear doors.