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I'm about to get a set of roof bars and a roof box, we do quite a bit of camping so deffo needed.
It's for a saloon car with a fixed point roof system, I'm wondering if there are any advantages to T type fittings over standard square bars, I know our local hire place can't accommodate wing type bars for the boxes they hire, I'm thinking of a set of Thule steel bars, looking for a box over 400 litres and wondering if long boxes cause issues on saloon cars, I may hire a box for our next trip and pick one up second hand at some point.
Any advice or pointers would be greatly appreciated.
Roofbox.co.uk
That's where I've bought everything roof bar and bike carrier related from for years now.
I have had both square steel bars and aero bars (all thule). My 2p worth, if you are leaving the bars on all the time go aero, if you are putting them on and off with the box save a few quid and go square. I find the T fitting a bit fiddly/sticky putting my bike carrier on and off (not that bad though) and the rubbers that cover the tracks started to rip almost straight away. I had square bars before when it was just occasional use of the roof box and they were perfectly good too, and cheaper.
A little squirt of silicone spray works wonders for helping T-bolts to slide along the rubber-bunged aero bars.
If you haven’t considered it, have you got room to store a roof box? I’ve got a Thule Ranger which is a ‘soft’ roof box that rolls up smaller.
Definitely recommend Roofbox.Co.uk for the bars and potentially the box itself. They’ll also key it all alike (even differing makes) if you ask nicely. Don’t dismiss Halfords for the box: their exodus stuff is awesome.
Big boxes that you can open from either side are a very worthwhile feature.
T-tracks and wing bars are a lot quieter. We do Newcastle - the Tyrol twice a year and the difference between our old u-clamped box with cheapo Aldi bars and the whispbar/t-track setup was massive. Gt85 on the sealing strip before fitting makes things easy.
I further shut things up by putting foam garage matting down on the base of the box. It stops rattles and helps the box cope with sharp stuff like ski bindings or cranks (we had two bikes in the box one year).
storage is a pain. Good point.
Storage of roof boxes is a PITA. Son bought one then didn't realise how much space in my garage it takes up. Be aware.
Whichever you go for, when you use the configurator on the supplier websites, they all recommend the shortest bars which cover the feet. If you go bigger than that, you may be able to get another bike on top alongside a big box and still not overhang the width of the car.
I think I've used my roof box twice, never taking the mother-in-law on holiday ever again! Ours is the ratcheting feet type which will clamp on to any bar. Fed up with buying new bars and foot-packs with every car change though. As with most things - buy the cheapest you can get away with until it breaks/ wears out/"never need this shit again", then buy the best you can afford.
their exodus stuff is awesome.
It was rebadged Thule; not sure if it still is?
T tracks look neat, and probably work well as you have fixed connectors, however if you use roof rails and haven’t aligned them completely straight you may need to loosen the roof bars to get the box on properly. If I were to buy new I’d probably get a turn screw gripper type clamp like Thule use. You still need to tighten a wheel / nut with T tracks and I think any saving in aerodynamics is pointless for such a small part of an enormous box on top of your relatively enormous car
I'm constantly swapping kayak carriers for bike carriers for just flat bars (for paddleboards etc) - for that reason the slotted wingbar type are invaluable. The rubber inlays are rubbish, even on the evo bars so mine go in the bin and I use big pads that wrap around the bars when carrying paddleboards, windsurfers etc Steel square bars are totally useless if you have to change accessories often.
Roofboxes normally clip on using 'claws' or if cheaper have a U-bolt that clamps on with toolless wing nuts or dials on the inside of the box. Either way it makes no difference whether you have steel square bars or wingbars.
So basically if you just have a roofbox and otherwise 'empty bars' then steel bars will do just as well, however with Thule the price is all in the footpack so quite honestly I'd go wing anyway as there is not a huge difference in the price
Bought my Exodus roofbox a couple of years ago and there's Thule text on various parts including the instructions, I think it's an older design they make for Halfords. Good kit. Mine just sits in the garden on top of an old metal storage thing (with some heavy things inside so it doesn't blow away), it gets leaves and stuff on it but always cleans up fine when we need it.
Square bars seem more prone to whistling/vibration at speed. I have wingbar evos on the everyday car that gets used with bike racks etc and hardly notice them - the family bus has square and at 70ish they're making quite a bit of noise.
Aero bars and T tracks. I bought a used Alpine long thin box so I could still mount two bikes. Not used it for many years and it’s stored in the garden because it’s huge and I bought two CRVs since the estate and camping.
Measure the extra height twice we just this weekend let eldest use our box only to destroy it in a car park barrier hours later😩
I run T-track aero bars with a Enkei Dolphin roofbox and a Thule rack. Both have been great, can be fiddly getting the box to line up with the tracks due to the size/weight of it so it’s good to have assistance on hand for that.
All were purchased from FB Marketplace and forums, as ever search around and you’ll find a “used once” type of deal
As others have said, the rubber inlays for T-tracks are crappy. I just set the rails/box/rack up I without the inlays and then gaffa tape over the gaps in the tracks to stop the wind whistle noise
HTH
Look on Gumtree. I bought a massive Thule box for £100.
If you know what you are looking for you will get the bars and fitting kit too. Patience is the key.
Since all you vehicular based luggage guys are here - does anyone know about old school roof racks? We’re off to Germany in the summer and want to take 4 iSUPs and a an inflatable kayak so looking for a rack to go on top of our vw transporter that I can strap them all down to. Have roof bars already. My thinking is a steel basket at the rear half of the van roof I can lash all the bags down to.
I’d rather not end up with a roof box as it’s very very rare we’re this right on space
Thule sell something called the canyon XT which is probably what you’re after. They’re £££ though. Why not hire a box? They’re more secure, quieter, generally better.
I've had a Thule Motion 800 (I think) 460l for nine years. It gets used about 3 times a year for long trips. Looks pretty much the same as it did the day I bought it, never had any issues.
It sits on some Yakima flush bars which I take off between uses.
Mixing brands isn't ideal. I was in a rush and couldn't get Thule bars to match at the time. The Thule system just wouldn't grip the rear bar well enough so i've fitted some rubber which stops it slipping. Has done big trips like that without any issues.
I obsessively monitor my fuel consumption and find with three or four bikes a fully loaded boot and the box and bars my car uses a bit less than 1 gallon more diesel every 60 miles.
I gallon more per 60 miles? What, so going from 40mpg to….24? Wow.
I used to keep a set of bars permanently fixed to my roof box so it was easier to fit. Took a bit more space but just lifted the whole thing onto the roof and did the roof bar fixings up.
Obvs if you're leaving bars on the car for other purposes that'd be pointless though. Mine was a u fixing cheapo mont blanc thing that was a pain in the arse to fit. Had it for a good 15 years though and was very well used.
Got a van now so don't need one...
I’ve always had the wing/aero style bars and the box we have has a set of 4 jaws that just tighten around the bars with torque limited dials inside the box. The T tracks in them for bike racks are MUCH more faff.
I have a set of posh Thule Wingbar edge bars for fixed point fitment for sale if you’re interested. They’re from a 3 series but may fit other vehicles.
I did get my Thule bars new but roof boxes come up all the time on Facebook market place. Got mine with a few scratches for less than 50% of the RRP. These systems are great but get expensive very quickly.
I gallon more per 60 miles? What, so going from 40mpg to….24? Wow.
No. That would be worrying. I meant ~1/10th of a gallon. Converting from l/100km … more like 42.8mpg to 40.4mpg.
That's better 🙂
About to put two tandems on the roof of our Soul. Will be interesting to see what that does to the efficiency. I did splash out on aero roof bars at least 🙂
There's three parts to the Thule racks. The bars, the foot pack and the fit kit. The latter is a bit you change to fit your car
So you can look for Thule bars second hand locally. Quite often people sell their bars and feet all together, as a roof rack for X car. But if you are savvy you can swap the fit kit to make them fit your car.... then you can also sell the original fit kit on.
Two sea kayaks absolutely ruins your mpg. I drive at 60mph on the motorway just to try and keep a lid on it.
What, so going from 40mpg to….24? Wow.
Our car (Superb 1.4tsi estate) was presumably mapped to get good mpg figure in perfect conditions but sticking 2 adult and 2 kids bikes on the roof absolutely canes the mpg at 70mph. We go from about 45mpg average to mid-late 30s mpg. Annoying on French 130kmh toll roads!
for those looking to follow @dmorts advice be careful. In fact I would say don't do this.
Thule recently changed all the footpacks and phased out the old ones. The new fitting kits are not compatible with the old footpacks and vice versa.
I.e You buy a set of older wing bars and feet on ebay for a bargain price but with a fitting kit for a different car to yours, thinking no bother, I'll just get the fitting kit from Halfords only to find that the fitting kit for your vechicle now only fits the NEW footpack and you can no longer get the fitting kit for your vechicle that fits your ebay footpack unless you randomly find it secondhand which is unlikely.
I've lost count of the people coming into the shop to ask why their rack doesn't fit and what can we do to help them. Most of the time its, well you can keep the bars but the rest will need to be changed. Then they let me know they have a ferry tomorrow.....
Thule racks are now an absolute minefield and even as a dealer I sometimes get confused. They have tried to be too money grabbing but unfortunately most of the competition are just not as good.
@petrieboy somehting like these https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/204382181887?var=0&mkevt=1&mkcid=1&mkrid=710-53481-19255-0&campid=5338268676&toolid=10044&customid=CjwKCAjwqZSlBhBwEiwAfoZUILrB4BBqMJj4WwoRF12nFzcXOFaHyr1GCe6dLNcnu69mu-RWUv0mDxoCl-IQAvD_BwE with https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/262288897142?hash=item3d11a2f476:g:ip8AAOSwll1WvzcX&amdata=enc%3AAQAIAAAA8Dt%2BA2CA%2BMd66trS3SymIrePBEHcmbYJtTtfLBf%2FVJilWd1EABPQuXhO3mATkpE%2FYPRoaBdmFqfysCqb4dFHDK%2FmSmwHNdWrNQeuonPWjCwLSRmWiLd%2FZeXHAwYNKYadZuNPsBDA3OckAtQGnAAyuDdEd%2BTSE%2BGnpIP%2FVwIOACQqTTMt9AMvjynh7X9Mox527pjg3eDPcvlnjt9a9FBvRrjmeLPln%2FqOKPkG7xTu9SBnuaQtoju34FwdyxT7FnQbPGNEo%2FgbNGF%2BigiV3IMeQn9Bzot3MFK7xCK34F6Z1zg4vgNcKOTJKrp5r%2BSFgQzr%2FA%3D%3D%7Ctkp%3ABFBM7sXV2KRi
@winston great info. I’ve done what I suggested before but not for a few years. My dad did it recently though. I guess you really have to double check compatibility then. All Thule parts have a unique product code.
thinking no bother, I’ll just get the fitting kit from Halfords
If this is your planned course of action then I agree, buy the whole lot from Halfords. My advice is aimed more at people who are happy to work things out themselves, buy parts online/from eBay and potentially get it wrong first time around. You used to be able to sell on fitting kits for £10-£15 less than you bought them for new.
Finally buying into roofbars/roofbox a few years back felt like graduating from the last term of Dad School 😀
Camping was the primary reason, but also for bikes on the odd occasion.
There is mountains of this stuff available second hand, just takes research to work out what you need. I've had a mix of used/new stuff. Remember there are other manufacturers than just expensive Thule, and cheap Halfords!
the difference between our old u-clamped box with cheapo Aldi bars and the whispbar/t-track setup was massive
Absolutely agree here.
From my experience of my own car, plus others - 100% definitely invest in proper, good quality aero bars. After tonnes of research, I use Yakima Whispbars, which are the edgeless/narrow type, because they are truly unnoticeable on the car. On my 2nd set now.
They are the lowest profile, most aero, best designed 'slim' type bar you can get - lower than the Thule equivalent, and have a much better system for the rubber seal where no trimming or faff with the rubber seals is required. Never had any bother or difficulty with sliding the T bolts in as mentioned by others up there.
@catfood would have to use throughbars with a footpack rather than the edgeless bars, but for those of us with Roofrails I really do reccomend them. They are just wide enough for three bikes too, so long as one faces backwards, possibly dependent on your choice of bike carrier and size of car. Two easy though, or box (below) plus one bike.
Good review that matches my experiences https://pacificrepworks.com/2014/11/03/whispbar-roof-rack-review/
For the box, I have a Kamei long and slim version - again, a deliberate choice:
A) it takes all our 'long' camping things, windbreak, folding chairs, folding beds, folding pushchairs etc...
B) less frontal area, more aero = quiter, less/negligible effect on mpg.
C) can fit it on one side and still have room for a bike.
D) crucially its much, much easier to store - it fits between the standard 600mm centre rafters in my garage and thus I can shove it up in the loft, on my own unaided.
Note how low the box is to the roofline of the car. And its not a small box either, the rather large car is misleading!
Again this shows the profile of the bars and why they are so quiet and efficient. Will be doing 2000 mile roundtrip to Switzerland next month and I'm very comfortable in the knowledge that once we are loaded up and sat inside the car, there is negligible/no noticeable effect on noise or economy with this setup. Which is a good job as I predict we will be taking a LOT of stuff!
If Storage is an issue then think about a roof bag.
I think I’ve got the same box as @snotrag - Kamei husky 300 (previously called the husky M I think) or something like that. It’s a long / narrow one. I bought it so if I need to I can fit that on + a bike just about. I’ve got Thule wingbar edge - because they looked tidier then bars that hand over the edge of the foot pack etc.
Stays surprisingly quiet on the motorway and I can get quite a lot in it. If it wasn’t for storage and wanting the bike on I’d still probably have got a kamei - but a wider one.
Mine was mainly for camping where a beer fridge and massive tent take up a big chunk of the boot of my Jaguar XF. I still fitted in a load of stuff around there but the box swallowed the windbreak / multiple fold up chairs / electric hook up / Weber Anywhere bbq / roll mats etc etc.
Another recommendation for roofbox.co.uk. I ordered the kamei box and other bits and bobs from them over the year and always a good price / quick delivery.
I nearly over complicated it when originally buying a roof box and bars .... and could have spent $$$.
But I picked up a 2nd/3rd/4th hand ?? roof box off FB market place for 50 quid and new generics aero bars from ebay for 30 maybe.
They do the job great for the half a dozen times I've needed them.
Box stays out in the garden tucked behind a bush when not in use.
Good luck
So I've struck a deal for some genuine Mercedes bars which are specific to my car (CLS saloon/coupe) for £80, which I think is OK, so T bar fitting etc, they'll only be on when we go camping so wind noise not an issue.
There's a Mercedes box for sale locally for £200, looks very similar to Snotrag's but I'm worried it's a bit long for a saloon, especially with a slopey roof, it might overhang both ends, would this be an issue? I imagine their kit is good quality and would deffo fit.
There's also an Exodus 470ltr box for sale locally for £70 but has a small hairline crack in it, not sure how easy these things are to repair.
My exodus box got cracked when my son decided to sit on it. This was over 10 years ago. I stuck some duck tape over the crack on the inside of the box and it’s been fine ever since.
Since all you vehicular based luggage guys are here – does anyone know about old school roof racks? We’re off to Germany in the summer and want to take 4 iSUPs and a an inflatable kayak so looking for a rack to go on top of our vw transporter that I can strap them all down to. Have roof bars already. My thinking is a steel basket at the rear half of the van roof I can lash all the bags down to.
That's what I have on the polo it's great, mine was from europarts so easy to deal with big awkward softish things I've absolutely perfect for what you want to carry in it. An means we have kept the polo as doggo does look like she is reenacting the hiding in the toycupboard scene from ET.
The europarts one fits reasonably well but with a van I take a smooth wider and longer.
It also looks considerably more baller than a roof box.
The most annoying bit is the roof bars it's on put it awful high up.leaving what I consider a wasteful gap and ruining the sleek lines... Or something
I have one of these long narrow boxes ( https://www.roofbox.co.uk/scripts/rbvehsel4_tab.php/car-specific-accessories/kamei_delphin_470_gloss_black_box_left_opening_no_km367_0_81367_41_/Qx%40w%2C6M42VAwp3%40Rb%7B~cC4ure5Jbf3) and two Thule 532 bike carriers which live on these bars ( https://www.roofbox.co.uk/scripts/rbvehsel4_tab.php/roofbars/cruz_airo_118cm_silver_aluminium_bars_2_no_airor_118_924_793_locks_included/Qx%40w%2C6M4gNax5vN1Yv0vegd3uHKu~8bS%2ChuvNj4HZ2D.rBUV~%7BEB%7BZ%2CVVwJKTPwLh) on my Octavia Estate.
The box is darn long though, pushed as far forward as possible to allow the boot to open fully, overhangs the windscreen by a tiny bit but not visible from inside the car. Swallows a lot of camping gear though, couldn't do family camping without it.
Knocks ~2-3mpg off my fuel consumption for 50-70mph driving.
joshvegas
Free Member
Since all you vehicular based luggage guys are here – does anyone know about old school roof racks? We’re off to Germany in the summer and want to take 4 iSUPs and a an inflatable kayak so looking for a rack to go on top of our vw transporter that I can strap them all down to. Have roof bars already. My thinking is a steel basket at the rear half of the van roof I can lash all the bags down to.That’s what I have on the polo it’s great, mine was from europarts so easy to deal with big awkward softish things I’ve absolutely perfect for what you want to carry in it. An means we have kept the polo as doggo does look like she is reenacting the hiding in the toycupboard scene from ET.
The europarts one fits reasonably well but with a van I take a smooth wider and longer.
It also looks considerably more baller than a roof box.
The most annoying bit is the roof bars it’s on put it awful high up.leaving what I consider a wasteful gap and ruining the sleek lines… Or something
Baller is exactly what I need! I’ll take a look at euro car parts !
Slight hijack, is there such a thing as a long narrow roof tray/basket? We already have a long narrow roof box. Now we've aquired a couple of inflatable paddle boards since last summer. For the main summer camping I'd like to be able to put them up on the bars next to the roof box. Current thought is a strip of plywood for support and some good ratchet strpas to hold it all in place. A basket would be more reassuring on a 4hr drive but my google skills are failing me. We could probably fit about 60cm width and no length restriction.
Do Roofbox.co.uk part-ex stuff still? I swapped out bars and footpacks when I changes cars and they gave credit against the old set up if you post it back to them.
Anyone used the roof bags?
Was thinking of something like this... https://www.halfords.com/motoring/roof-boxes/handiworld-handiholdall-175l-roof-box---black-133894.html
I'll be camping with the family and my OH so there'll be no shortage of pointless junk/essentials to fill it up with so it keeps its shape.
I recently bought Cruz roof bars from RoofBox.co.uk
Easy to fit, great price, quiet and they were suitable for the huge Aldi roof box I already had
One thing no one ever seems to mention with roof boxes (and apologies if someone did already and I missed it...) is that your car will have a weight limit for the roof bars.
Ours is a fairly conservative 50kg.
Worth bearing in mind for "huge" roof boxes. Back when we had a big canvas tent it was very easy to eat the weight limit once we started putting tent bits in the roof box.
Now I tend to load it with bags of jumpers, blankets, sleeping bags, etc.
Yep, roof box is reserved for the bulky/lighter stuff. Sleeping bags, thermarests, coats.
Our bars are OK to 75kg but the roof box only to 50kg.
I made a thread resently about that exact roof box/bag. I have ordered one and picking it up from Halfords tomorrow.