Roof bars – are mine too short?!

So I’ve cobbled together a fairly old Thule roof bar set with some rapid system 750 feet. I’m awaiting the adapter to actually attach to the car though.

Having offered up the bar (125cm wide) to my car (2010 Ford Mundane-o) it literally just about fits but with virtually no room for movement.

Is this ok? Presumably the bars won’t let me attach the feet past their max width?

The bars still have the end plugs in Which I assume prevents them being used past the max point?

I have shorter on my v60 (the front is miles wider than my MK3 Mondeo they were originally fitted to), so much so I can’t add the end stoppers on the front bars if I want to add the locking covers.

Have driven to Plymouth with a box and bike on the top from Ireland, it’s fine.

The end plugs are mostly cosmetic and to avoid the sharp edge on the alloy, they are not there to stop the foot sliding off. See how the feet fit when you get the adapters. On mine, tightening the fixing clamps both the foot to the adapter and the foot to the bar.

I’ve just ordered some for a Golf and they are 137 I think.

The sizes are a bit of a variable feast. I supposedly need 108s for my car, but the 118s on there don’t look ridiculously long (and I’d be worried about shorter ones…)

That is fine, and 100% safe. The endcaps will stop wind whistle. From memory Thule do 112cm, 120cm, 127cm, 135cm and 150cm, but that might just be square bars.

WingBars are the same overall, but the extrusions are about 2cm shorter as the end caps make up the difference.

There are plenty of them about though, and the old Aerobars were compatible with the same feet, so if I were the OP, I’d be tempted to buy a set of 135s off the ‘Bay and punt on the old ones.

If you can get the end caps in, it’s absolutely fine. And I’m speaking as a man with a pair of 137cm ones in my garage that I don’t need and would happily sell you.

OK so contrary to some posts on here the end caps are very much not cosmetic on a 750 footpack. They hold the feet on. Don’t be confused as the newer 754 does use plastic cosmetic caps.

A 2010 mondeo 5 door needs a 1350mm bar.

Anything less is not as safe when using the older 750 mechanism.

There is a reason Thule specifies certain parts for certain models as it crash tests them all. To be fair you can often go one size up but rarely down.

Why do people spend thousands on a bike yet try to get away with a badly fitted rack? Have you seen the damage caused by something coming off a roof at speed, and I don’t mean to tbe bike

I wouldn’t be driving that. I think if you use them like that you’re eating in to margins that allow a bit of slip (say if they loosen off, badly fitted, windy Severn Bridge crossing). They’ll probably be ok, but if they’re not it’s the folk behind you that get it. Also by not using them as specced by manufacturer you’ll be on the hook.

It’d be no bother to get the right length and sell the bars anyway.

OK so contrary to some posts on here the end caps are very much not cosmetic on a 750 footpack. They hold the feet on.

Ah, apologies, I wasn’t aware Thule still used that system – just looked it up and the tightening mechanism is in the end cap. So ignore my post.

Can someone explain what the problem is here? I’ve got similar Thule bars where the end plug has a skewer to tighten the feet, which then locks in place with the key. Assuming the end plugs fit in and can be locked, what is the risk? I’m not sure what’s meant by “a bit of slip”? My roof bars don’t budge once attached, and the feet certainly can’t slide past the locked-on end caps.

Hmmm, I’m a tad confused.

So the 750 foot pack came with the long Allen key bolt things that would usually fit on the end of a SQUARE bar.

Playing around with it, it seems that I can open the end caps , tighten the feet with the Allen key and push down the lever bit that locks it.

Why isn’t that secure?

Thanks for all the info

I was wondering about this, too. The feet presumably don’t slide anywhere once the Allen bolt is done up tight, and the locking skewers presumably aren’t essential?

So, first pic is end cap of bars.

2nd is 750 foot with its clicky down lock thing on the inside.

3rd is the end caps that came with pack for use with SQUARE bars.

So, end cap on oval bars is purely cosmetic/noise reducing. However, if I clamp foot onto rail, the Allen bolt appears only to adjust spacing along the rail rather than tighten. The clicky down lever thing seems to tighten foot onto bar.

(I’m not trying to get away with a badly fitted rack btw. I’m pretty skint what with being a student and was hoping to be able to get something sorted. If there’s any doubt in my mind as to the safety of it, I won’t fit it. I just value other people’s knowledge and experience).

If I bought some longer wing bars for example, wouldn’t they fit exactly the same way to the 750 feet?

Is the allen bolt not what tightens the foot pack onto the car? If you have the correct end cap/skewers, they should clip and lock into the ends of the bars. This makes it impossible for the foot pack to undo. If you do it up with the skewers from the square bars, but then put the other end plugs in, then it’s possible that the foot pack bolts might undo themselves. Whether this is a real risk if done up properly, I don’t know. There’s plenty of other bolts on a car that don’t have any secondary locking mechanism.

I don’t think that wingbars will solve your problem, because I don’t think wingbars have skewers at all; I think they all rely on the locking mechanism being in the foot pack, so you’d need to switch to a 754 foot pack.

What you actually need are skewers that fit aero bars. Like this.

^^

Well I’ve not yet got the car specific adapters that bolt into the foot pack.

If the above is true, ie I need aero bar end caps to tighten it, then why do the bars currents only have cosmetic end caps? I’m very confused about how the whole thing should go work?!

Ta

Not all foot packs use the skewers to tighten, in which case you can just use the cosmetic end caps. But 750 feet use the skewer to pull the car-specific clip upwards, clamping the feet onto the car.

Ah ok, that makes a bit more sense now.

Hmmm, what to do then. They do seem a bit short. I’ve also bid on the car specific adapters on fleabay.

There’s some 150cm aero bars and 754 foot pack on FB marketplace near me.. 150 seems a bit wide / overhanging

.. would the 1445 car adapters for the 754 foot pack? I *think* they might?

Whether this is a real risk if done up properly, I don’t know.

I’ve only really ever had 753s – the faceplate comes off and then there is an Allen bolt that gets done up to 6nm or so, then the faceplate locks back over it. There’s not really anything to stop the bolt working loose, but if it’s properly torqued… The Montblanc bars I had in between were the same.

So far as I know, wing bars (and Aerobars in the last 10 years…) rely on the locking mechanism being within the feet. Having said this, if you could get 137cm square bars/Aerobars then you should be fine. Just how essential the skewers are, I don’t know; it doesn’t look like the 750 manual is available on the Thule website any more.

150cm will be very long, and may not fit at all, as there’s only so far in that you can put the feet.

Looking at your pictures a bit more closely, it looks to me as if those “cosmetic” end caps are designed to allow access for a skewer, so I think it may have been that they’re designed to work as you describe: do them up with the square bar skewers then remove the skewer and close the flap.

If I recall correctly, the square bar skewers came supplied with the 750 foot pack, so it may be that the aero bars were designed to work with those, with the aero bar skewers being an option if you wanted something neater or that would lock.

Thanks, tbh even I buy the skewer end pack things I’m still a little worried that they’re too short really. There is no room for manoeuvre at all.

There’s a set of 135cm Aerobars in Rossendale if that’s any use. Part number seems to be 862.

Or these in Darlington

^^ thanks

I’m still quite unsure about whether I’d need the extra end Alan key bits the right shape to fit an aero bar? Presumably all they do is remain in the bolt in a fixed position so they can’t undo themselves? I don’t want to spend more cash if what I’m doing is inherently dodgy … 🤔

I can see that, but without having a good look at the 750 fitting instructions…

I’d have thought you could punt on the Darlington ones for what they cost if they’re not right. They look like they have the locking end caps on (though no lock barrels).

Other option would be to find some 135 square bars; they say the area advantage isn’t that great and unless you need T-track…

There should be no capacity, at any point, for “A bit of slip”. If the bars are fitted properly, they should be absolutely solid.

The Thule instructions will specify how far apart the feet should be. If they are correctly spaced, the top of the foot is fully in the bar, and the endcap fits, it will be fine.

Edit: If the bars are too long, you won’t be able to get the feet close enough together, and if you try to bodge it, by lengthening the slot for example, then the rod to tighten the nut won’t reach.

I should probably add that the Thule bars are also sold as halfords exodus bars and actually came with an exodus foot pack that relied on just being tightened with a Long Torx key through the end caps.

I could attempt to find the exodus foot pack I guess but it’s not clear what I’d need and also.. if the bars are still too short?

Skewers for £18 delivered:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/4x-Thule-Aero-bar-tensioners-for-750-755-footpack-FREE-UK-POSTAGE/174422167967?hash=item289c5f119f:g:QeIAAOSww3ZfEfpu

I’d try that first with your current bars. If the end caps clip in then I wouldn’t worry about your bars being too short. If not, finds some 135cm bars on ebay and flog what you don’t need. Facebook and gumtree can also be worth a shot for this stuff.

Yep, Thule stuff has resale value.

(I am still sulking about yesterday’s discovery that the 753s I sold from my wife’s Astra bars would’ve fitted my car, even though there was a two year gap and I haven’t got infinite storage space :-/)

All going well then Dan? 🙂

Hi Nicklouse. Sort my roof rack, there’s a good chap.

Sooo… can someone explain how tightening the bolts on the 750 foot pack pulls the bar onto the bar? It seems to just move the feet side to side on the bar which I guess would wedge the feet into the fixed car adapters?

Also, does anyone happen to have a 750 instruction manual? It would probably help quite a lot and google has failed me..

There are instructions for various kits that work with the Thule 750 here:

https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/view/12407283/fitting-instructions-roofrackscouk

From what I recall, the feet are clamped onto the bars by the lever on the inside of the footpack, and then turning the allen bolt pulls whatever fitting you have attached at the bottom upwards into the foot.

So, I bought the skewers above but unfortunately they arrived in poor condition and a bit broken.

Then wimped out and decided the bars are too short for me to feel entirely happy.

I then realised my 750 footpack had bent plate things anyway..

Then bought a brand new 754 foot pack with the intention of buying fittings for my car and a Thule bar. Then realised it’s a lot cheaper to buy a Cruz aero bar set for £20 secondhand and the adapters for my car (£26). 754 adapter now on fleabay .. ho hum

Weirdly , the Cruz bars are 120cm (as per roofbox website) as opposed to Thule 135cm..