I'm new to the forum as my post count shows but i figured that this is as better place as any for my first share. when i bought my forester 2 months ago it came with rhino racks. i had heard during my pre purchase research that racks on the subies tend to be a bit noisy due to aerodynamic profile of the car but my experience so far has been quite the opposite. I'm currently looking at ski/board holders as the photos show that i did get to take the car to the snow here in Aust this year. I've heard the yakima holders are good but I'm curious to know what you guys are running?
I bought this Forester a few weeks ago with a blown (timing belt) engine with 187,000 miles. I put a 2.5 JDM engine in it and just put on the Thule Aero bars yesterday. Love the look and the practicality of these bars. I'll be able to throw darn near anything on it!
@confluence of Snake and Palouse Rivers in SE Washington State, and in the Bitterroot Valley in Montana. My Thule Crossroad, load bars and Frontier Box that I've had for 15+ years.
Also my wind noise abatement system - cuts out about 85-90% of the whistling noise. Used some spiral cord wrap I had lying around the house to create a "vortex" effect to break up wind over the front bar.
Here is my 300$ subaru with its $40 facebook find rack. I had to find/make rack fit the crossbars but it turned out well I think. coming up next kayak attachments once it warms up.
Here's my current setup that I purchased both from etrailer.com. Here are the reviews I left for both items also in addition to a video on the best bag ever!!
Cargo Basket - MaxxTow Roof Mounted Cargo Basket - 45-3/4" Long x 36-1/4" Wide - 150 lbs - 3/5 Stars
I'm a little torn as to rate the MaxxTow Roof Mounted Cargo Basket 3 1/2 or 4 stars. Honestly, it could have been a 4 1/2 or 5 star rating except one thing. Rust. I've only had this rack for 1 week, that's 7 days and it's already rusting. This was after the first small rain shower. You have to take into consideration the price point, which is by far a GREAT value. I used this cargo basket in conjunction with Malone Roof Racks for a 3000 mile road trip from Texas to Colorado. We went from Thunderstorms to Blizzards and no issues. I have read quite a few reviews regarding the assembly and how difficult the little screws are to get in when putting together the basket. That the holes on the rack are too small and have to be drilled out. This was the case with mine but I didn't drill them out. The hardware that's included are actually steel screws which are meant to go in tight and kinda of burrow the hole out making it bigger. I just made sure to have a Philips screw driver that fit perfectly and took my time. I screwed in the screw a bit, then backed it out and went to tighten it again. No issues, no problem. In regards to mounting the basket to the roof rack, WAY easy. The basket outer tubes are very strong. The actual tubes in the inside of the basket are pretty weak. You can easily bend them with your hands. But they have a lot of them so strength in numbers. I would suggest NOT tightening your roof rack until you have it spaced out the correct distance (or spread) that's suggested but that also works with the cargo basket. You can see the rust in the last photo. I've seen some reviews that said after a year or more NO rust on theirs. I don't know, maybe something in the construction or coating changed since then. Still a great value for the price. I could spray it with Rustoleum or something similar but might just get a Thule basket.
I am beyond thrilled that I went with the Malone AirFlow2 Roof Rack over something pricier like a Thule or Yakima. The build quality, fit and finish are top notch. I did spend the money on a Thule bike rack for the trailer hitch but that was because of the amount of use that would get compared to the roof rack. I mean, after all, it's simply a roof rack. You need something reliable that works to mount other things on top of it. For 3x the money, I simply could not justify the cost difference simply for the name. I'm happy to say I feel this was the right decision. Right out of the box the assembly was right on point, easy and fit perfectly. After a 3000-mile road trip, I can say the wind noise was minimal and I never thought twice about it. What a great rack. My only complaint and a small one are the end caps for the aero bars. They just feel flimsy when fitted and I feared they would pop off and be lost forever. I ran a small strip of T-Rex gray tape that's hardly noticeable to make sure I didn't lose them. I'm still giving this rack 5 stars.
I have had the rola roof basket attached to rhino aero bars all from etrailer.com for over a year and for the price have been very satisfied. The rust problem with the rola basket is a real concern but after sealing all joints, screw insertions and some welds with black rtv and painting in 2 coats spray on bed liner i have only had 1 small rust issue on 1 small bar at the joint to the main longitudinal bar which should be an easy fix. Looks wise I think the basket compliments the Car superbly and the build quality is more than sufficient. I also like the fit and was able to position the basket a 1/4 inch from the spoiler when the gate is open to reduce impact on the moon roof which was a top requirement for my lady. Sorry for the upside down pics, even tried uploading upside down versions to remedy but to no avail.
Been looking for either a roof cargo basket or a box for a few weeks now and after reading everything I can find I decided on a box since I will use for skiing and snowboarding. Thule 623 Force Alpine. Totally didnt take I to account if it would clear the garage door, luckily it does... barely.
@confluence of Snake and Palouse Rivers in SE Washington State, and in the Bitterroot Valley in Montana. My Thule Crossroad, load bars and Frontier Box that I've had for 15+ years.
Also my wind noise abatement system - cuts out about 85-90% of the whistling noise. Used some spiral cord wrap I had lying around the house to create a "vortex" effect to break up wind over the front bar.
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