2013 Outback Yakima Landing Pad

[AMC3]

I will call Yakima tomorrow (9/4). Has anyone called Thule? We need some competition here!

[jrabdawg]

Instead of waiting until next year, I went ahead a bought two Thule hull-a-port J cradle sets and plan to use the OEM rack for now.

I also got a set of Sherpak Quick Loops.

[creso]

I spoke to a Yakima rep at the USA Pro Cycling Challenge in Boulder last week. He said the Landing Pad for the 2013 Outback would be basically the same as the current Landing Pad and it would not take advantage of the wider bar spread option of the 2013. He estimated it would be ready within a month.

[vr4Legacy]

I am lost. Does anyone have a pic (or link) of the landing pads installed on an Outback. Specifically closeup pictures of how they are mounted to the rear. I thought they increased the spred on the '12 to equal the improved spread of the 13. So by nature, they would have the same mounting as a '13.

[El Guapo]

Landing Pads do NOT expand the lengthwise spread on the '12s. I have them installed on my 12 Premium. What the Landing Pads do is allow you to run the Yakima crossbars which are stronger than the Subaru stock crossbars and you can select the width you want. I run 48s which are perfect for the 3 bike fork mounts I run. Again, front to back spread remains unchanged. Side-to-side spread can be adjusted based on the width of bar you purchase.

[AMC3]

I just got off the phone with a Yakima rep. Here's what I was told: 1) they are very aware of the 2013 Outback mount issue and the need for a new landing pad that fits this car; 2) they have a landing pad design in "engineering" now; 3) the design will likely be for both mount points (they know there are a lot of people who want to use the wider spread between the bars for safety); 4) he did not know about timing; and 5) there is no email list to get updates - he suggested calling back periodically.

I recommend that everyone who reads this blog and wants a rack solution for a 2013 Outback call them. Politely assure them that you are very interested and anxious to see a landing pad for this car soon. And tell any friends of yours who own a new Outback or are thinking of buying one to call. Yakima customer support is: (888) 925-4621

[goodblackdogs]

I called the number recommended. The guy also sounded stressed, disappointed in Subaru's lack of communication to Yakima. He said it took ~1 yr for the 2012 adapter to come to market...so we may not see an adapter for the 2012 outback until springtime 2013.

[creso]

Originally Posted by goodblackdogs

He said it took ~1 yr for the 2012 adapter to come to market...so we may not see an adapter for the 2012 outback until springtime 2013.

The rep I spoke to said since "most" of the engineering & design had already been done on the 2010+ the 2013 Landing Pad should ship faster, by end of this year. Conflicting info but Id be willing to bet we'll see it before Christmas.

[Seadart]

I just talked to Yakima customer service and the official word is that they are still considering a fix, they will not commit to saying they will retool for the 2013 rack, it sounded like they were not happy with Subaru changing the designs so often. I assume they have a potential design in mind and they are trying to decide if it is worth the cost to produce it. I run a business myself and realize this greatly increases their costs. The official word was check back in two or three weeks.

[Se7enLC]

Originally Posted by Seadart

On the other hand I have a friend in Hawaii who has the skills and equipment to make custom racks, I'm wondering if this might be a good niche for him to aim for if Yakima does not come up with something soon.

Not if he lives in Hawaii. The cost of shipping would really hurt his ability to sell at a price people are willing to pay. Custom work is hard enough to bring costs down on, forget shipping from outside the CONUS.