[sheffscoob]

bought thule bars/feet from a lovely chap on ebay for 26 quid, fitted them in 5 mins (once I figured out the twist!). They feel and look the "mutts proverbials"

:woohoo:

 

[English Ben]

Nice one. I picked up a set of Mont Blanc Subaru ones for £10 and haven't got round to fitting them yet. Waiting for the weather to improve so that I can load up the tents!

 

[frazerjames1979]

Mike

That was a bargin!

How do the Thule bars fit?.... do they look snug to the roof bars. I was tempted to get the cheapo ones off ebay, but was put off when people said they are a bad fit and dont carry much weight.

I was gonna get a set to carry a sea kayak ..... havent bought the sea kayak yet either!!!!!.... still saving up for that one!... i will get there eventually!!

throw up a photo if you get chance, would be good to see.

cheers

Frazer

 

[mdg]

Thule alluminium aero bars.
No close up pics but they can carry a fair weight.

 

[sheffscoob]

mdg, that forester rocks.

here are some bad close ups.

they fit snug although can't figure out whether the feet should rest on the roof as it were, or if you should elevate the feet manually so they clamp 'higher' up the rail...

nice anyways.. :biggrin:

 

[sheffscoob]

when I click "insert file" from the drop down by the paperclip, it puts them in small AND upside down

:crazy: :shrug:

 

[sheffscoob]

BTW mdg, that looks like serious weight misdistribution? is that safe?!


:N_poke:

 

[fpan]

Thule alluminium aero bars.
No close up pics but they can carry a fair weight.

That's a really nice looking Forester, I like the colour scheme :rock:

 

[Coachhome42]

Roof Bars

Just to throw in another option for those looking at Spring and roof bars. Just purchased a set of Pro Rack Whispbars for 06 XTe. Check them out and video tests of noise reduction (Google Whispbar from NZ).

Pricey option when compared to Thule Aero Bars new, an extra £40 or so, but seem well worth it in terms of noise reduction and fuel savings. I reckon they will easily pay for themselves over the time I intend to keep my baby and I can leave them on the car all year round to boot.

One thing to bear in mind though, profile looks the dogs, but is winglike and thus if you are a surfer the standard Foam pads used on square bars will not fit the 110mm profile and so I have another problem to overcome now, but they do look good and will carry 75Kg according to the specs. Might also be an issue for my roofbox fittings as well, but will again over come it somehow. I will check this weekend, it's only metal when all said and done.

Will post photos when fitted this weekend. Impressive video though, I must say. Far better and more convincing then those infomercials you get on cheap TV all night.

:icon_idea:

 

[mdg]

Sheffscoob. YOU HAVE THE WRONG FOOT PACK. The rubber inserts which rest on the rails are wrong for the car. Will see if i can get some part numbers off mine and post 'em up with some pics later on.

That's a really nice looking Forester, I like the colour scheme

Thanks fpan. It does scrub up rather well.

Pics of mine...

 

[mdg]

You can see how they look on ya foz on the Whispbar website aswell...(Pics not very big though).

Find My Car

 

[don1952]

Sheffscoob. YOU HAVE THE WRONG FOOT PACK. The rubber inserts which rest on the rails are wrong for the car. Will see if i can get some part numbers off mine and post 'em up with some pics later on.

To save interested parties "standing on heads" :biggrin::biggrin:

 

[fpan]

One thing to bear in mind though, profile looks the dogs, but is winglike and thus if you are a surfer the standard Foam pads used on square bars will not fit the 110mm profile and so I have another problem to overcome now
:icon_idea:

What do you mean? I had a look at their website and the bars don't look like having a bigger diameter than the Thule ones I've got. Can't you use the foam pads that have a cut and are surrounded by a sleeve that attaches around them with velcro?

To save interested parties "standing on heads" :biggrin::biggrin:

I can't see anything wrong with the above footpack (ask FSTI owners )

 

[Cookster]

Sheffscoob. YOU HAVE THE WRONG FOOT PACK. The rubber inserts which rest on the rails are wrong for the car. Will see if i can get some part numbers off mine and post 'em up with some pics later on.

4913 is the right Thule fitting kit for sf5's :icon_biggrin:

 

[sheffscoob]

Hmm. I am a little confused now as I bought these from a guy who'd carried canoes on his MY00 SF5. I have removed the set-up and checked for part nos but there are no part nos on the feet.

I have re-fitted the feet and bars, tightened, straightened and retightened. Then I put a big rope round each bar (I left the handbrake off for a laugh) and I pulled as hard as I could. In each case the car moved, while the bars stayed put. So I'm pretty OK with this system as is, unless anyone can shed any more light..???

cheers
mike

 

[mdg]

Dunno m8. Might be a model change or re-design thing. Should stay put if he was carrying canoes on them.

Bring 'em to the next meet and we'll compare. (ehem)

 

[Coachhome42]

What do you mean? I had a look at their website and the bars don't look like having a bigger diameter than the Thule ones I've got. Can't you use the foam pads that have a cut and are surrounded by a sleeve that attaches around them with velcro?

No I think is my answer, The photos on the website are deceiving the actual bars are quite wide, mcuh wider than the set of Audi Roofbars Ihave off my old A6 and the std velcro and foam offerings will not even get close to the Whispbar as they stuggled with the Audi Aero Bars. I'm sure there is a way around it, but need to the damn rain to stop to get out there and check out my thoughts. Just thought I would piont it our really.

Still glad I spent the extra on them. Please stop raining this Saturday.

I can't see anything wrong with the above footpack (ask FSTI owners )

..

 

[mdg]

^^^eh. I don't understand^^^

 

[sheffscoob]

me neither ???

MDG, let's compare at the next meet. I might even attend this time!

Mike

 

[Coachhome42]

Thule Roof Bars

Sorry I co*ked up my reply and confused the issues.

Whispbar S Bars.

In relation to the Pro Rack Whispbar & in response to the Question about the Surf pads. It's unlikley that the normal Velcro covered foam pads will fit over the bars as they are more wing like than round or aero bar style and the foam and velco material will just not make it round.

The Website photos are deceiving. When you open the box the profile is massive (Wider) and much thinner when compared to a normal Aero type bar (Audi A6 Bars for example). I Will hopefully prove this one way or another on Saturday if it stops raining.

Worth looking at these for cost savings and noise savings alone over the lifetime of the car. BUT they might be an issue for exisitng roof box owners and surfers alike.

Thule Square and Aerobar.

In relation to the footpack and Thule roofbars, I agree with the previous poster on the kits required. This is what's specified by one company on the net I looked when doing my research.

Forester, 5 dr Est with solid intergrated roof rail 97 > 02 4900 foot pack & 4913 fitting kit.

Forester, 5 dr Estate with solid intergrated roof rails 03 > 08 4900 foot pack and 4910 fit kit.

Forester, 5 dr SUV Mk 3 with roof rails 08 > 757 foot pack


Forester, 5 dr SUV Mk 3 with fixed points 08 > 753 foot pack,