prospect

2009 Forester Premium w/ moonroof, it has the roof rack rails but no cross bars. I'm thinking about buying OEM Aerobars or of after-market cross bars, need some opinions please!

I want to carry surfboards mostly, occassionally light luggage but nothing super heavy and not a yakima rack. I want cross bars that look sleek and slim, don't jab out too much from the silhouette of the vehicle, and are pretty aerodynamic. I like subtle the look of the OEM aerobars vs big aftermarket round cross bars. Thanks everybody.

jongrill

Thule all the way! You wont find a better product! I love mine.

__________________
2006 Forester X

SubieOutlaw

Yakima. Thats it. OEM is over priced.

__________________
My 09 FXT Journal

Coachhome42

Check out "Pro Rack Whispbar" from a Co in NZ also look at the Europe board here, there is a thread re roof bars and photos of the ones on my foz.

Love the whispbars, cool aero wing look, almost undetectable noise, low drag thus improved fuel economyand they can stay on the roof all year, I also carry surf boards mostly, but also a 4 mtr twin sit on Kayak. Max loading 75Kg on the bars.

http://www.whispbar.com/

Before you buy you Check out the noise tests vidoe on thier website , very informative and will probably shape your buying decision. Trust me I'm Welsh !

Shohin

I'm in the same boat. I've had Yakima gear for a while now and have been really happy with it. I was a little skeptical of the fit with the Railgrabber set-up, but others seem happy with it and so far its rock solid. Sure there's windnoise with a giant box up there, but without the box and with the moonroof (and sunshade) closed, it isn't noticeable.

Personally, I would absolutely avoid anything but a round bar. Thule's squares are also decent, but the metal isn't nearly as thick as the Yakima bars. I'd be interested to see a load test though on them.

As for the Aerobars . . . I'd never trust anything on them, period. Sure its great for windnoise, but the shape and design comes at a MAJOR expense of rigidity. There's been a few threads re: failures on these forums.

TC2000

When properly spaced the areobars seem to work fine. Ive had a canoe on mine twice with no problems.. I believe it only weighs 100-110 lbs though. I know over tightening of the ratchet straps can have had something to do with them failing too..

__________________
2009 Forester X Premium 4EAT

Respect The Wagon!

Trainman

Ha, funny! First three posts gives you three different choices!

And here is another to consider, Malone: Malone Roof Racks, A Value Alternative

We have had no issues with it transporting our 16'8" Clipper Yukon canoe.

__________________
2009 Subaru Forester Touring Edition, AT

seanifer

Hey everybody, new to the forum. Lots of good info here. I've also been trying to figure out what kind of crossbar system will fit my 2007 forester. The rails on this car are kind of low, and they're only like 3 inches high, with no gap for the bar to latch through. Kind of hard to explain, so here are a couple images. The first is the actual latch system of the rack I recently bought: and here's the roof of the car:

So what kind of rack do I need to fit this crazy set of rails on this car? Will this thing work? It's a DT Moto brand, for whatever that's worth. Thanks everybody.

jmm81

I had an '04 (same type as yours) with Thule racks. I had to get a Thule add-on to allow them to fit properly, but they worked great.

I now have an '11 - if I take this add-on off, the racks fit, but it's now plastic against plastic (the add-on is rubber). anyone know if I can get a rubber piece to allow these to fit correctly? I've gone to the Thule site, and it looks like I'd have to get completely different mounts.