R8 and Snowboarding

[c789563 10]

Hi!

My trusty old M3 can be a hassle in the long winter months. I always end up needing my snow chains (one wheel suffices) with the *last few* meters of a steep uphill, it can be frustrating.

I decided to upgrade to an R8 which I plan to use throughout the year.

Its important for me to somehow find a way to fit a 160cm (63") long snowboard either in the car, or on the roof with a home made vacuum mount either going on the roof and or rear windshield (and driving slowly).

I've looked at the official car measurements, and the only way I can imagine the board fitting in is on the passenger side, where I place it as deep as I can in the passenger side foot resting area and the other end as high and close as possible over the passenger side head rest.

Can someone with a car next to them please try to measure this distance for me?

Much appreciated,

Mike

[Andy_Bangle 3,132]

Welcome to the forum!

Here you go: Towequipe - UK's best value towbar store - Vista 540 Litre Box Roof Carrier Fits Audi R8

[c789563 10]

Thanks for your response.

This one appears to be a "generic" box that simply fits over roof bars, my suspicion however is that they just stuck any car model to the box as an SEO (search engine optimization) trick, it's not specifically designed for an R8 and I'm unsure if it would even fit well on its roof.

That said, two roof bars designed for the R8 would suit my needs perfectly, as I can then just strap a snowboard or two on there.

If anyone knows of any roof bars that fit the R8 I'd appreciate it. A popular company in this sphere, Thule (thule.com) doesn't appear to have any solutions for the R8.

Thanks,

Mike

[c789563 10]

Thanks for your response.

This one appears to be a "generic" box that simply fits over roof bars, my suspicion however is that they just stuck any car model to the box as an SEO (search engine optimization) trick, it's not specifically designed for an R8 and I'm unsure if it would even fit well on its roof.

That said, two roof bars designed for the R8 would suit my needs perfectly, as I can then just strap a snowboard or two on there.

If anyone knows of any roof bars that fit the R8 I'd appreciate it. A popular company in this sphere, Thule (thule.com) doesn't appear to have any solutions for the R8.

Thanks,

Mike

[Andy_Bangle 3,132]

This one appears to be a "generic" box that simply fits over roof bars, my suspicion however is that they just stuck any car model to the box as an SEO (search engine optimization) trick, it's not specifically designed for an R8 and I'm unsure if it would even fit well on its roof.

Sorry Mike I was taking the p!ss at their SEO, as I know there's not a cat in hell chance of that going on a R8 - even if it did fit, who feck would fit it :D

[c789563 10]

Yeah. All I want is two secure, low profile bars that I can just strap a snowboard or two to, that's it.

If by the time I get the car I don't find anything like that, I'll just make it myself.

I found links on another forum to Audi supposedly having a roof mountable ski rack, but I just couldn't find it, not even on Audi's German site...

[m4ttm4son 198]

Just lay a towel over the roof and get a couple of bungie cords stretched over and into the cabin through the windows

[Drinks 101]

You need a handirack

HandiWorld :: HandiRack - gallery

Edited September 21, 2010 by Drinks

[c789563 10]

Thank you. This one seems like a great solution, I'm buying it before I get the car <g>

[Risky 0]

Good lord, Did you consider getting anything else? I can't see that an RR8 with a snowboard flapping on the top would be that much fun to drive compared to an RS5 with it safely in the load-through.

[c789563 10]

Good lord, Did you consider getting anything else? I can't see that an RR8 with a snowboard flapping on the top would be that much fun to drive compared to an RS5 with it safely in the load-through.

I've considered other cars and honestly I don't want any other car.

Subaru WRX STi, had it, awesome car, don't want it

Carrera 4S, lost the competition to the R8, don't want it, the turbo is no longer AWD, won't work in the winter where I live

Nissan GTR, *ridiculously* expensive in Europe, costs almost like the R8 V8, not paying 100K Euros for a Japanese car no matter how good it is, don't want it

What other cool AWD cars can one get? None of the Audi RS cars "do it" for me, not interested in non-M BMWs, I also don't like SUVs/jeeps of any make or model

My trusty M3, awesome car, not exactly the perfect snow driver even though it does just fine with one wheel clad in a chain on steep uphills...will stay in the garage for most of the winter

Its not like I'll be going snowboarding every single day, I just need a solution for those 2-3 times a week, the rest of the days the R8 is going to be my supermarket driver

There are people who will not drive their R8s in the winter, and there are people who will. You are one of those people who won't drive it with a snowboard strapped to the roof, I am

[Tipex 1,738]

Seems like there's a gap in the market here for a suction mounted roof rack that'll stick to any painted/glass roof.

They can mount thousands of pounds worth of tv cameras securely using suction mounts, so why not a roof rack?

[m4ttm4son 198]

Seems like there's a gap in the market here for a suction mounted roof rack that'll stick to any painted/glass roof.

They can mount thousands of pounds worth of tv cameras securely using suction mounts, so why not a roof rack?

Good idea, but I'd be worried about the suction capabilities over a longer period of time. If you've mounted it while cold, after 20 minutes or so when the cabin's nice and warm, heats the roof, air inside the suction cups expands and you lose your roof rack. Happens all the time in winter with the SatNav mount on the windscreen. With camera equipment I imagine they have a nice warm car to start with, then mount everything for a couple of hours, adjusting regularly.

Will the board not fit behind the driver/ passenger seat (upright or across)? If not, get a convertible R8

[c789563 10]

Good idea, but I'd be worried about the suction capabilities over a longer period of time. If you've mounted it while cold, after 20 minutes or so when the cabin's nice and warm, heats the roof, air inside the suction cups expands and you lose your roof rack. Happens all the time in winter with the SatNav mount on the windscreen. With camera equipment I imagine they have a nice warm car to start with, then mount everything for a couple of hours, adjusting regularly.

Will the board not fit behind the driver/ passenger seat (upright or across)? If not, get a convertible R8

I'm pretty sure the paint is well adhered to the roof, however, it's still kind of scary to put a few big suction pads on the roof, with the snowboard and air pulling it up and away. Anyone knows how strong of a grip car paint has to its surface?

Of serious concern, probably more so than paint adherence, is the over time suction capabilities with temperature as you mention. The suction pads I had in mind are those that are used to grab and lift large pieces of glass for install in windows, etc. Those large double-pads with a handle.

Two or three of those will probably provide a very secure grip on the roof, but, the mention about temperature changes scares me.

My 1.6m long board (~63inches) fits diagonally (bottom where the feet are, top on the head rest) on the passenger seat of the M3, so I guess it would fit the same way in the R8, it'd be the ideal solution when driving up alone. However I'd like to have an option for a friend to come along, in that case we'd need a roof solution.

Sorry, convertibles, in my humble opinion (as are bling SUVs), best left for female drivers. Of course each to his own. I don't like convertibles nor SUVs.

[m4ttm4son 198]

Sorry, convertibles, in my humble opinion (as are bling SUVs), best left for female drivers. Of course each to his own. I don't like convertibles nor SUVs.

The convertible suggestion was merely from a practicality standpoint, I wasn't trying to imply anything about your lifestyle choice, I hope you understand

What about one of those bike racks that fit on the rear hatch?

[c789563 10]

The convertible suggestion was merely from a practicality standpoint, I wasn't trying to imply anything about your lifestyle choice, I hope you understand

What about one of those bike racks that fit on the rear hatch?

Fair enough, although from a practical point of view you don't want to be driving with a convertible where it's very cold and potentially very snowy

I think since the board probably fits on the passenger seat, it'd be a good start.

Thanks to everyone for the feedback so far

[Tipex 1,738]

So to overcome the suction problem with changes of temperature, we need to incorporate a small electric vacuum pump onto the suction mounts that triggers when the vacuum reaches a certain level and sucks the pads back down.

Otherwise, we need duisbergs magnet expertise, I'm sure he can reccomend a magnetic mount that would be up to the job, our taxi roof signs are magnetic, and quite happily survive 100mph+ speeds without falling off!

[m4ttm4son 198]

Fair enough, although from a practical point of view you don't want to be driving with a convertible where it's very cold and potentially very snowy

Pah, put the heater on! And aren't you already wearing 12 layers of clothes ready for a day in the snow?

Otherwise, we need duisbergs magnet expertise, I'm sure he can reccomend a magnetic mount that would be up to the job, our taxi roof signs are magnetic, and quite happily survive 100mph+ speeds without falling off!

How much does your taxi sign weigh? And how much drag does it produce? Maybe a combined magnet and suction mount using rare Earth uber-magnets? And will still be useless on roofs of aluminium or Carbon fibre

[Tipex 1,738]

Weigh about as much as a couple of bags of sugar I suppose, what with the electronics inside, and about as aerodynamic as strapping a breeze block to your roof, the magnets that hold them in place aren't particularly powerfull either, just like large fridge magnets.

I'm sure Duisberg has some form of non ferrous magnet that'll stick to aluminium, and/or for carbon roofs you can have a magnet on the inside too for the outside one to clamp to in a roof sandwich.

[m4ttm4son 198]

Weigh about as much as a couple of bags of sugar I suppose, what with the electronics inside, and about as aerodynamic as strapping a breeze block to your roof, the magnets that hold them in place aren't particularly powerfull either, just like large fridge magnets.

I'm sure Duisberg has some form of non ferrous magnet that'll stick to aluminium, and/or for carbon roofs you can have a magnet on the inside too for the outside one to clamp to in a roof sandwich.

Right, I'll print out the Dragon's Den Form

[Tipex 1,738]

And for that reason, ahm oot!

[c789563 10]

Pah, put the heater on! And aren't you already wearing 12 layers of clothes ready for a day in the snow?

Usually no more than two layers.

I wouldn't count on magnets for this purpose at all. Not just drag but lift has to be taken into account, and then there's sliding, even if the magnets hold to the surface very well, they can still slide on the surface and when they reach the edge of the roof, they are gone.

Vacuum pumps to keep a hold of suction pads doesn't sound realistic nor practical.

Straps it is...

[c789563 10]

Just letting everyone know that I've bought the HandiRack inflatable roof rack solution suggested here and it seems to fit the job perfectly!

Thanks

[bazza_g 369]

Just reading this, was wondering what Jon Olsson uses for the snowboard roofbox on his Lambo's - have a google

http://www.bushautoblog.com/2009/03/jon-olssons-lamborghini-murcielago.html

[XRumerTest 10]

Hello. And Bye.