Google has failed me. Someone else must have had this question before so:

Just bought a new car, I want to swap the roof rack over. The feet are the same so that shouldn’t be a problem but the bars are listed as 961 on my old car and 962 on the new one.

Can I just swap or do I need new bars? Presumably the old ones would just be a bit wider…

Danke

Thule ones don’t have much adjustability, my focus used 127cm bars 3 series needed 120cm (the next size down) no joy.

However, if you want some thule compatible bars that are either 120cm or 127 let me know, I have both in the garage that I need to sell. Thule don’t make a rack for the new car

Bugger.

The step is 135cm to 118cm apparently. Sounds like a bit too much of a squeeze.

If these are the type with bars that sit on top of the feet and then hang over (rather than integrated into them) then it’s the slot that needs extending along a bit. Depends if you know a friendly machine shop, I suppose.

Can you not just cut them down?

I think they’re the type rickos suggesting. Given the potential for damage/injury when your hanging stuff off your roof on the motorway, I might pass on any DIY modifications…

Can you not just cut them down?

Just extruded Aluminium, easy to cut down with a hacksaw.

Can you not just cut them down?

Yes and no. The channel on the underside of the bar where the feet go may not be cut far enough medially for the new car.

Stick them on the ‘Bay and get a set from there. The bars themselves are pretty cheap, it’s the foot packs that are expensive.

cumberlanddan – Member
I think they’re the type rickos suggesting. Given the potential for damage/injury when your hanging stuff off your roof on the motorway, I might pass on any DIY modifications…

I have exactly the same – hang over the feet, with a channel in the underside.

Unless you’re massively hamfisted and use a wildly inappropriate tool (chainsaw, anyone?) I struggle to see how you could cause any damage which might impact on its security.

TBH the worst case is that he’ll have to buy new ones, which is what OP was going to have to do ANYWAY, so it’s worth a punt, shirley?

Massively ham-fisted you say… Don’t misunderestimate me.

I’ve got some shortish Thule aerobars in my garage. Want me to check the lengths tomorrow morning?

Silly question but have you actually tried them on the car. You might get away with going from 135cm to 118cm as there is around 10cm of adjustment either way. What you may struggle with is fitting the end caps.

thegreatape – if its no effort, go for it.

I’ll have to wait til i get my grubby mitts on the new car before i can actually try anything out mind…

If it is going down, then there might be capacity, if not, you could always drill out some more ‘capacity’…depends on what you want though. Square bars are about £25 for 2 so not a massive expense, but if you what aero or Whisperbars then it is a small fortune!

No problem, I’ll do it in the morning.

Its definitely not the morning anymore. I checked…