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Introduction

The FT86 has been a tricky platform to figure out a sturdy roof rack solution for. None of the major rack manufacturers currently offer complete kits for the 86, and the few builds I found online didn’t go into much detail.

This write-up is meant to document what I found while researching different options, along with the setup I ended up going with after a few weeks of prototyping, experimenting, and a fair amount of trial and error.

Mounting Options

There are two mounting setups that realistically work for the FT86:

Clamp Mounts (Door/Window Clips)

There are a few clamp-style options out there. The Q91 clips for the Yakima Q Towers were specifically designed for the 86, but the system has been discontinued and the clips are getting hard to find. You’ll also come across a few unbranded kits floating around online.

That said, clamp mounts come with some pretty significant downsides:

  1. Limited crossbar spread ~24” is generally considered the minimum spacing between crossbars. Since clamp systems are limited to the width of the door opening, coupes end up with a much narrower spread. This makes them less stable overall and incompatible with a lot of rack accessories.
  2. No upper window frame The frameless windows on the 86 make this setup a headache. The clips sit between the glass and the weather stripping, which can break the seal. Best case, you get a lot of wind noise on the highway. Worst case, I’ve seen reports of the clamping force actually deforming the door frame over time.

Fixed Point Mounts

The alternative is installing threaded mounting points directly into the roof (commonly referred to as fixed points). This involves drilling and riveting brackets into the roof panel.

It’s definitely more involved, but it solves most of the issues you run into with clamp-style setups. You get a much stronger mounting system, better crossbar spacing, and full compatibility with standard roof rack accessories.

As you’ll see in the build, the mounting hardware can be hidden under the ditch molding, so when the rack is removed the car still looks essentially stock.

A few fixed-point systems that should work: