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Roof Bar Widths

('14-'18) 
9K views 6 replies 4 participants last post by  rthompson10 
#1 ·
I have plans to buy a Thule roof basket or soft roof box for my 2017 2.5i and was checking thule bars and i see 3 option of 3 different width
7502 Aeroblade Edge 31, Thule AeroBlade ARB47 47 & Thule Square Bar 50
What the pros n cons of having the extra width. I wouldnt not be hauling cycle or kayaks etc..Just occasional camping/vacation gear.
Given 7592 comes only one each.Its most costlier and chance of not able to open the sunroof.
I am leaning towards the square bars..
Am in right direction?
 
#2 · (Edited)
I can't speak to the other bars, but my Forester has Thule square bars (and the corresponding "bar through" feet that fit on the factory roof rails). The bars are the 58" ones, and they project beyond the roof rail around 6" on each side, if centered. They don't really stick out beyond the car though (or if so very little), because the car "bulges out" on the sides lower down.

I didn't buy these bars (bought car from friend and he had them already installed), but I like long bars. I'd probably have bought the next longer size and then cut them down to 62" or so. I'm used to long bars from kayaking in ye olde days, and like the additional tie-on area. Also, know that they are just square tubes, and the end caps pop on and off, so if you get longer ones and change your mind you can just saw them to your desired length.

Another factor for me is I'm fairly short, so I can't hit my head on them just walking around the car.

My friend got the square bars because he had a Hullavator (kayak lift) on them and the Hullavator is said to fit best on the square bars. I think what you are going to put on them might be a consideration. I always thought the Yakima round bars were kind of neat if you were going to have things like big tall kayak cradles because you could rotate them down (flat) if not in use. On the other hand, square bars have a certain easy "DIY"ness to them. I haven't ever had the aero bars so not familiar with the various attachments and capabilities. I will probably stick with square or round, for now, because I want to try putting an extension in the end that I can pull out to load the bow of a kayak. The Hullavator is nifty, but it's a huge chunk of stuff on the roof, and it does some clinking and clanking on back roads (plus my buddy took it with him for his new vehicle).

The square bars do do (as do round bars in my experience) hum at speed if there is nothing on them. I have some dark colored thin rope wrapped around them in candy cane fashion on the unused half of the bars (only have one 21" wide item on top at present) and that stops it completely. Possibly just a couple of black Gear Ties or etc. would do the job - I should experiment. I put the rope on in a Rest Area on the first trip without things on both sides of the bars (doesn't hum with stuff on both sides) because I was desperate and haven't changed it yet (just buying car from friend now).

I imagine the aero style bars don't do the hum - I've never had them. This is the first time my racks weren't completely homemade with oak 1 x 4 or something similar on gutter mounts (ha ha, so for me the square bars are modern!).
 
#3 · (Edited)
What the pros n cons of having the extra width.
PRO of longer bars = ability to carry more stuff; CON = if you or a passenger are tall then you might bump your head on them when entering the car.

For our new 2017 Forester with factory side rails I opted for the Thule 53 inch AeroBlade bars attached via the Thule Rapid Crossroad Foot Pack. They are long enough to allow me to simultaneously mount both the cargo box (Yakima Skybox 12) and basket (Yakima BasketCase) that we use for camping - and extend far enough beyond the side rail that I can mount a Thule Hullavator (definitely not possible with the 47 inch bars, and probably not with the 50 inch bars either, given the width of the foot that attaches to the side rail). But they don't extend out far enough to likely hit anyone - especially since I have placed them above the pillars. See pictures below

I am leaning towards the square bars.. Am in right direction?
We have Thule square bars on our '09 Forester, but they are very noisy! As SkyBlue indicated, you can wrap them to reduce the noise, but I opted for the Thule AeroBlades on our new Forester so as to avoid that hassle, and I like the look of them better. You can mount pretty much everything on the AeroBars that you can on the square ones. But be warned that any bars, including the AeroBlades, will contribute to excess noise when the moonroof is open.
 

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#4 ·
Thanks for feedback.Looks like my best option is to AeroBlades,given the square bars is more noisy and Aeroblade Edge though stream lined and less noisy,I might not be able to keep the moon roof,given its low profile and being closer to roof.
My self being short,width would nt be factor.
 
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