I got roofied...

[ItMightBePizza]

After my fruitless search to find a suitable hitch mount rack for my bikes, I made the decision to use my employee discount from Thule on a roof rack!

I opted for the smaller, more traditional square bars instead of the newer aero style, as I wanted to use the fairing.

During the initial setup, aligning the bars and making sure the trays will sit level requires a bit of time, and on a car this size, it can be difficult to get the measurement right.

After aligning the load bars, it's important to test fit for bike position... luckily, I had a happy volunteer at hand. This bike isn't mine.

Once the carrier is positioned properly, the second carrier must be reversed so the arm is operable from the other side of the car. This required flipping the retaining mechanism and hook.

After you center and align your carriers, you can then install the fairing, which is designed to prevent wind noise and reduced economy.

Specs:

Thule LB50 Load Bars 50"
Thule Traverse 480 Foot Pack
Thule Fit Kit 1503
Thule Fairing 872XT 44"
Thule Sidearm 594XT x2

 

[D1JL]

I have not seen such a great looking RACK as that,
since I went to a titty bar with some friends.




Dave

 

[ItMightBePizza]

mpgs are WAY down with my new scaffolding.

 

[StayPuft]

Any increase in wind noise on the highway?

I had Thule square bars on a Tahoe and they howled.

 

[ItMightBePizza]

Not really no... A little bit of buffeting but nothing like howling

 

[Fortz]

Awesome looking! Do the rack damage (or might damage) the roof where the bars sits ?

 

[5nowman]

What's MPG now?

 

[ItMightBePizza]

I'm going on a road trip from nyc here to dc tomorrow, I will update with better data, but as it looks now I'm down at least 5mpg

 

[ItMightBePizza]

As for damage, the rack relies on friction to hold to the roof, but if the surface is perfectly clean out shouldn't be too bad

 

[5nowman]

I'm going on a road trip from nyc here to dc tomorrow, I will update with better data, but as it looks now I'm down at least 5mpg

I work in downtown DC. It's empty down here right now.

 

[ItMightBePizza]

I have never seen a major city empty like that.. I was in nw and it was like a ghost town


So far averaging about 28 mpg but still have to make the return trip

 

[5nowman]

Any online vendors you'd recommend looking at to buy the racks? MPG drop doesn't sound too bad.

 

[lildevilx]

Any online vendors you'd recommend looking at to buy the racks? MPG drop doesn't sound too bad.

i got my set from e-trailer and got them shipped to the states (Free shipping)
from my research at the time, they had the cheapest for that set~

 

[5nowman]

So I mounted mine last week. Slid them slightly forward since the bike rack called for a greater minimum distance than the towers were initially installed at. My fairing sits right off the windshield now. Is that too far forward and should I shift the whole thing back an inch or two (if possible), or am I okay with it being right there?

 

[doubletap]

So I mounted mine last week. Slid them slightly forward since the bike rack called for a greater minimum distance than the towers were initially installed at. My fairing sits right off the windshield now. Is that too far forward and should I shift the whole thing back an inch or two (if possible), or am I okay with it being right there?

Are your measurements per Thule specs? I wouldn't mess around too much with the placement as the measurements are pretty specific which I assume is the safest.

Any pics of where your fairing sits?

 

[5nowman]

I had to slide the front one forward because the 527 bike rack called for a longer minimum distance to fit on the bars.

 

[doubletap]

I had to slide the front one forward because the 527 bike rack called for a longer minimum distance to fit on the bars.

http://i.imgur.com/Ol92pPI.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/mhjnUen.jpg

Thanks for the pics! Doesn't look too bad. At least the airflow would immediately hit the fairing. The minimum required distance not being met means that setup isn't recommended for our vehicles. I take it you can't open the hatch without hitting the rack (or is that why you moved the front bars instead of the rears?). I'm in the same boat. I have fork mounts as well.

 

[5nowman]

Thanks for the pics! Doesn't look too bad. At least the airflow would immediately hit the fairing. The minimum required distance not being met means that setup isn't recommended for our vehicles. I take it you can't open the hatch without hitting the rack (or is that why you moved the front bars instead of the rears?). I'm in the same boat. I have fork mounts as well.

I can move the bars back a bit (maybe 1-1.5 inches) if I want to. Only reason I haven't is I've already placed those clear stickers on the roof for the felt pads to rest on.

Thanks for looking at the pics. Wasn't sure if I messed it up by having it that far forward.

 

[caliboy15]

how much dis you guys paid for the whole set-up?

I got a slightly used (same setup) for $500

 

[iso100]

mpgs are WAY down with my new scaffolding.

That's why I went with the hitch. Curious, why did you say your searches were "fruitless"?